Datacom successfully positions Malaysia’s global talent and multi lingual capabilities to win global giant’s business process outsourcing deal
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 30th June 2009 – Datacom SEA (M) Sdn Bhd, a division of Datacom Group, announced today that it has signed an agreement with SAP Asia Pacific Japan (“APJ”) — a division of SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), the world’s leading business software and solutions company — to provide business process outsourcing (BPO) services for demand generation and telemarketing, covering more than seven countries in Asia Pacific.
With the downturn in the global economy, many organisations have reduced marketing and sales budgets along with reducing their field sales force, turning instead to call centres to generate business leads. Large contact and call centres in low cost territories, including India and China, have leveraged the obvious infrastructure and economies of scale to position lower costs benefits in promoting their business. However, this model has proved to be ineffective as these are traditional technical customer support environments that are focused on “break-fix” rather than a solution based conversation with customers.
Technology enterprises need a more pro-active marketing and sales savvy organisation to support them in their generation of new business leads. In addition, the ability to be “pan-Asian” has been another critical factor in winning the deal for Datacom. Traditional call centre infrastructure in low cost markets tends to be homogenous in its employee base, lacking the cultural and language diversity required in addressing a wider Asian region.
This agreement is a major milestone for both Datacom and the Malaysian economy as SAP APJ made the decision to move from a low cost, high volume market to the more sophisticated, quality-driven base in Kuala Lumpur. SAP is confident that the partnership in Malaysia will deliver better return on investment than the lower cost offshore options.
“This is an important agreement for us and the industry in Malaysia, as it marks a significant move from a low-cost, high volume environment to one that values quality, superior service and inculcates a partnership ethos,” said Kirsty Hunter, Managing Director, Datacom Connect.
“Malaysia’s pro-business environment and multi-lingual workforce make it an ideal location for our call centre. We are very excited about this partnership with Datacom and MDeC. It underscores our commitment to Malaysia and the region and how we continuously invest in working with all facets of the community and our ecosystem to accelerate growth in the industry,” said V R Srivatsan, Managing Director, SAP Malaysia.
When the request for tender (RFT) was announced by SAP APJ, Datacom co-opted the Malaysian government’s Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to help drive and secure this marquee name to Kuala Lumpur. Working closely with the agency, Datacom, identified the key drivers for success as well as measurement criteria that were based on consultative and a quality process based model. The contract was awarded to Datacom after a rigorous selection process that included numerous other tendering organisation
Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) Vice President for Industry Development Division, En. Saifol Bahri Mohamad Shamlan welcomed this significant move by SAP, “MDeC, being the driver of the MSC Malaysia initiative, offers the ‘Best of All Worlds’ for businesses, local and international, to set-up their operations here.”
“Malaysia’s ability to retain its position as the third-most preferred location for global services, in the A.T.Kearney’s Global Services Location Index is proof of our abilities,” said En. Saifol, adding that the availability of skilled workers, competitive cost and ideal business environment have always been attractive ingredients for companies to choose Malaysia for their shared services and outsourcing as well as offshoring activities.
“Our experience and track record in the technology business was critical in understanding SAP’s needs. However, our Malaysian operations’ language and cultural diversity as well as their customer service ethos were key to our successful bid. When the Multimedia Development Corporation agreed to support our tender to bring this business to Malaysia, we further enhanced our value proposition. The Multimedia Development Corporation was an invaluable partner in this success,” said Andrew Peel, General Manager, Datacom Connect.
As part of this agreement, Datacom will manage inbound and outbound demand generation services including telemarketing, lead generation, database optimization and cleansing and inside sales lead generation qualification. In addition, Datacom will provide and manage a sales support hotline for SAP’s customers and prospects.
“This new partnership with SAP is a significant win for us, as well as a strong endorsement of our sales and marketing capabilities for the world’s leading technology companies,” said Kirsty Hunter, Managing Director, Datacom Connect.
Datacom’s presence in Malaysia has grown since 1993, from a headcount of 10 to over 450 today. The company represents other ICT clients including some of the world’s leading software and hardware companies such as HP, 3Com, Netgear and Polycom in Malaysia. In addition the company recently initiated its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative with Yayasan Kajian dan Pembangunan Masyarakat (YKPM), jointly launching Community Technical Centre,in Selayang Prima, Malaysia.
Most recently Datacom won Gold at the 2008 Contact Centre Association of Singapore (CCAS) Awards for “Best Outsourced Contact Centre”, and Gold at the World Contact Centre World Awards (CCWA) for “Best Sales Agent”.
Datacom also claimed Gold at the 2008 Asia Pacific CCWA for “Best Trainer”, “Best Sales Agent” and “Best Customer Service Agent”.
About Datacom
Datacom is one of the largest Australasian-owned professional IT services companies, offering customers flexibility and choice, an open book approach to business and a customer focus second-to-none.
Founded in Christchurch New Zealand in 1965, Datacom has a successful 44 year trading history, is consistently growing and profitable and has a track record of delivering innovative, value-for-money technology solutions.
Established in Australia in 1992, Datacom’s capabilities include Application and Web Development, Professional Services, Managed Services, IT Procurement and Contact Centre’s.
About Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC)
Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) is a unique high powered government-owned corporation, established to facilitate the development and promotion of MSC Malaysia, the premier Malaysian ICT initiative. MDeC is tasked to advise the Malaysian Government on ICT legislation and policies, develop MSC Malaysia as a key growth driver of the economy and set breakthrough standards for ICT and multimedia operations. MDeC also promotes MSC Malaysia locally and globally, as well as supports companies which are located within the MSC Malaysia designated areas.
MDeC works closely with various parties and government agencies to ensure that MSC Malaysia offers a conducive enabling environment for companies to harness the full potential of ICT and multimedia technologies.
About SAP
SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 82,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol “SAP.” For more information, visit www.sap.com.
About MSC Malaysia (www.msc.com.my)
MSC Malaysia is a national initiative spearheaded by the Malaysian Government to promote both the national ICT industry and provide a test-bed for the global ICT industry. MSC Malaysia provides a conducive enabling environment designed to facilitate companies to harness the full potential of ICT and multimedia technologies. With its ideal business environment coupled with the availability of talent resources, MSC Malaysia has attracted participation from major global ICT companies to develop and host their leading-edge technologies in the designated MSC Malaysia Cybercities. MSC Malaysia also provides the ideal growth environment for Malaysian ICT SMEs to transform themselves into world-class companies.
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