Customer Experience Takes Center Stage at European Firms

Enterprises across Europe and the U.K. are quickly adopting new contact center technologies and services in response to dramatic changes in customer experience (CX) demands over the last 24 months, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center — Customer Experience Servicesreport for Europe and the U.K. finds customer experience has become a central focus of most companies and an important measure of business success in the eyes of enterprises, shareholders and analysts. At the same time, the disruption of work during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a talent shortage, making it harder to attract and retain a strong contact center workforce. To meet consumer expectations across an expanding range of channels, many companies are shifting in-house or outsourced contact centers to external service providers.

“Customer experience is becoming more vital to sustaining business success and, at the same time, harder for European enterprises to deliver in-house,” said Wayne Butterfield, partner, ISG Automation. “Enterprises should tap into the investments made and the expertise provided by experienced service providers.”

A growing number of providers in Europe and the U.K., in line with emerging trends in the U.S., offer cloud-based CX solutions that use new technologies to improve performance and efficiency, the report says. AI is enhancing customer satisfaction and accelerating resolutions, with tools such as chatbots, while also reducing costs. Analytics platforms are generating insights that give more context to interactions with customers across multiple channels.

Enterprises are also seeking more strategic ways to monitor, analyze and moderate conversations about their business on social media, messaging apps, online review pages and other forums, ISG says. Using AI, analytics and cognitive tools, and often working with providers, companies can respond to concerns more quickly before they spin out of control and damage brand reputation.

“Companies are constantly being judged on the customer experience they deliver,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “Automation is helping them join the conversation when it’s needed.”

The report also examines other contact center trends in Europe and the U.K., including the growing importance of agility and heightened concerns about security as workers go remote.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center — Customer Experience Servicesreport for Europe and the U.K. evaluates the capabilities of 28 providers across four quadrants: Digital Operations, AI & Analytics, Work From Home Services and Social Media CX Services.

The report names Atento, Capita, Firstsource, Sitel Group, Teleperformance and Webhelp as Leaders in all four quadrants. It names Conduent, Majorel, Transcom and Wipro as Leaders in three quadrants each. Concentrix and Tech Mahindra are named as Leaders in two quadrants each, and [24]7.ai and HGS are named as Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, [24]7.ai is named as a Rising Star — a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in two quadrants. HGS and WNS are named as Rising Stars in one quadrant each.

A customized version of the report is available from Firstsource and Sitel Group.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center — Customer Experience Services report for Europe and the U.K. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 800 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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Contact information

Press:

Will Thoretz, ISG
+1 203 517 3119
will.thoretz@isg-one.com

Kate Hartley, Carrot Communications for ISG
+44 (0)20 3457 6403
kate.hartley@carrotcomms.co.uk