Analysis of the South African Contact Centre Market The Growing Opportunity for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Providers in South Africa s

Transcription

1 Analysis of the South African Contact Centre Market The Growing Opportunity for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Providers in South Africa s Contact Centre Market July 2015

2 Contents Section Slide Number Executive Summary 3 Market Overview 8 Market Background 14 Total Contact Centre Market - Drivers and Restraints 22 Forecasts and Trends 29 Market Share and Competitive Analysis 37 Contact Centre Trends 41 Segment Analysis - Domestic Outsource 60 International Offshore 65 Technology Providers 72 The Last Word 77 Appendix 81 2

3 Key Findings The contact centre industry in South Africa is becoming more established, but still presents excellent opportunities for growth. The government has made great strides in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) through incentive schemes and training programmes. Job creation is the government s main reason for promoting the development of the industry; moreover, the industry makes a substantial contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). In 2014, the contribution of the contact centre industry to GDP was $ billion. In 2019, the contribution to GDP is forecast to be $ billion representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of % over this 5-year period. In 2014, agents were employed in South African contact centres which is projected to grow to in In the domestic outsourcing sector, agents were employed in 2014 which is projected to be in Meanwhile, in the international outsourcing sector, there were South African agents working in offshore operations. In 2019, this is expected to rise to over, representing a CAGR of % over this period. Skills shortages are a major challenge in South Africa. To be successfully employed in a South African contact centre, an individual is expected to have good command of the English language as well as advanced numeracy, technology, and customer service skills. This has been a major challenge leading to shortages of leadership and middle-management skills. 4

4 Key Findings (continued) The education system is also not preparing scholars to excel in the job market, thus finding skilled talent is challenging. The change in the requirements to receive an incentive offered by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) could be devastating to the progress South Africa has made in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector over the last years. Companies will need to undergo fundamental changes and restructuring in order to meet the revised criteria. As a result, international outsourcing service providers may relocate their operations to other international locations as these will provide greater cost efficiencies. Outsourcing service providers also need to move into the non-voice space or they will find it increasingly difficult to operate efficiently and to produce a quality service for their clients. The South African market faces a significant threat if all communication goes digital. However, there is an opportunity to establish a hybrid of voice and chat services. Analytics is playing an increasingly important role in anticipating customer needs and effective analytics will be critical to future customer experience management. The majority of service providers operating in South Africa utilise analytics, although many of these capabilities are located abroad. An effective understanding of customer needs, and one that is easily translated to actionable outcomes, will continue to provide companies with a competitive advantage and promote customer loyalty. 5

5 Market Engineering Measurements Total Contact Centre Market: Market Engineering Measurements, South Africa, 2014 Market Overview Market Stage Market Revenue Market Size for Last Year of Study Period Base Year Market Growth Rate Growth $ B $ B % (2014) (2019) Competitor Overview Compound Annual Growth Rate Number of Competitors* Number of Companies that Exited Number of Companies that Entered % More than (CAGR, ) (active market competitors in 2014) (2014) (2014) Decreasing Stable Increasing For tabular version click here *Includes captives. Source: BPeSA; Frost & Sullivan 6

6 CEO s Perspective 1 Service providers need to emphasise the quality of the service they offer, as they are struggling to compete on price. 2 There will always be a voice component; however, the South African market has an opportunity to establish a hybrid of voice and chat. 3 Furthermore, the South African market faces a significant threat in the long term if all communication goes digital. 4 Growth in the contact centre industry is primarily driven by the international outsource offshore sector. 7

7 Research Scope Scope Geographic coverage South Africa Study period Base year 2014 Forecast period Monetary unit US Dollars (USD) Conversion rate $1.00 = ZAR Industry Scope The industry scope will include : BPO o Contact centres (as a sub-segment of BPO) Coverage of contact centres will include voice and non-voice, as well as front- and back-office services. Verticals* Service Provider Scope South Africa Financial services Telecommunications Retail Transport Public sector Energy Healthcare Legal IT Marketing Media Education Security Others The service provider scope will include: Contact centre providers Technology providers *Please note that verticals are not discussed in detail in this study 9

8 Service Provider Scope Infrastructure and Technology Providers BPO Providers Technology: Equipment, telephony Infrastructure: Network Communications: Fibre, wireless connectivity Information Technology Outsourcing Knowledge Process Outsourcing: Market intelligence and analytics Contact Centres Human Resource Regulatory: DTI (BBBEE Framework), ICASA Industry Body: BPeSA The study will focus on the BPO contact centre market and will highlight trends in the infrastructure market. Key: BBBEE = Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment; ICASA = Independent Communications Authority of South Africa BPeSA = Business Process Enabling South Africa 10

9 Market Definitions Agent: An agent refers to full-time equivalents, who are the employees occupying the seats in an operating facility Agent Seat: This refers to the operating facility or desk used by an agent and serves as a measure of the capacity of a BPO operation. Also referred to as seats. Attrition Rate: This is the average number of staff that leave an organisation as a percentage of the total staff complement. It is usually calculated on an annual basis. Business Process Outsourcing: BPO entails contracting a specific business task to a third-party service provider that specialises in that particular task. It can be divided into the following two categories: o Back-office Outsourcing: This includes internal business support functions such as billing, purchasing, accounting, or payroll activities. o Front-office Outsourcing: This includes customer-related services such as marketing, technical support, and sales (i.e., services typically provided by a call centre). Captive Contact Centre: This is an in-house (or other location, either onshore or offshore) contact centre, owned and managed by the company, specifically dedicated to the requirements of the company s customers. 11

10 Market Definitions (continued) Contact Centre: This is a centralised facility where large volumes of telephone calls are received and/or transmitted. The calls can include requests such as incoming product support and or outgoing telephone calls to customers for the purposes of telemarketing, client feedback, or debt collection. Offshoring: This refers to the relocation of business processes (production and/or services) to a foreign (typically lower cost) location. Onshoring: This refers to the relocation of business processes (production and/or services) within the boundaries of the country where the business presides. Outsource: This refers to the management of business processes by a third party. Voice Services: Voice services are made through telephony. Non-voice: Non-voice refers to services provided through IP, which include , VoIP, Skype, and online chat. Service Providers (SPs): These are companies to which business processes are outsourced. Technology Providers: This encompasses the companies that provide technology, such as equipment and telecommunications, to BPO service providers as well as the captive sector. Key: IP = Internet Protocol; VoIP = Voice-over Internet Protocol 12

11 Key Questions this Study will Answer How will the market drivers and restraints impact future contact centre growth? How does analytics fit in into the contact centre industry, how are service providers using analytics, and what opportunities are being created? What are the potential effects of the change in the BBBEE requirements on companies ability to receive the DTI s BPO incentive? How will the migration from voice to non-voice services impact the industry? 13