Vol. 6 December 2011

Global Footprint

Do write in with your feedback on Insight to info@aegisglobal.com

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERSAegis Limited

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Contact Information

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Case in Point

THE CLIENTSaudi Telecom Company (STC) is the largest telecom operator in the Middle East providing full-fledged telecommunication services. Apart from being the leading national provider of telecommunication services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, It is also the first operator in Saudi Arabia to offer, mobile and data services. The company owns a huge infrastructure of communication networks and works in 10 different markets through its subsidiaries and affiliates. STC has access to more than 100 million subscribers.

CUSTOMER CHALLENGESSTC had enjoyed the status of a solo operator in Saudi Arabia for a long time. From the mid 2000’s however, newer players, including Mobily and Zain, entered the market and began competing in the Saudi Telecom market. Though STC continues to be the market leader, the company is aware of the need to provide a differentiated customer experience to maintain this position. STC chose Aegis as its partner to implement what the company believes to be a game changing initiative, after a rigorous and elaborate selection process.

AEGIS APPROACHTo service this strategic requirement, Aegis and STC formed a joint venture called Contact Center Company (CCC) with two centers across Riyadh and Jeddah in KSA. Under this joint venture, Aegis was mandated to offer its expertise in customer experience management in a dedicated manner to STC subscribers, including customer support and telemarketing services. CCC’s contact center is well equipped with the latest technology platforms and adherence standard tools coupled with Aegis global expertise to top notch processes and enhance STC’s end user experience.

5

Enriching Customer Experience Through "Service Excellence"

The traditional call center approach was challenged by Aegis’ highly efficient business models that guarantee excellence scientifically and objectively. Thus leading to improvement in CCC customer resolution scores within the desired thresholds

As a nascent brand, CCC had to also manage employee apprehensions, considering they were pivotal to ensure the right customer experience. Hence, CCC took several measures to retain, train and motivate its 500 + employees across its centres.

CCC employees were trained at different Aegis centres for imbibing global work practices. In addition, skill enhancement and cross-cultural training was provided to optimize process performance, CCC reinforce employee belief and ensure transfer of Aegis’ best practices across its centres and processes. This improved customer and employee experience using an outside-in approach. CCC also carried out a well-orchestrated marketing and media campaign to build the CCC brand in the Saudi market.

Through Aegis’ rich integration and delivery expertise and STCs leadership in the region, CCC was able to provide a CLM solution involving out of the box process optimizations and vertical-specific features and functions, exclusively designed to deliver top notch services to STCs end customer.

RESULTSThe innovative idea of creating a new venture resulted in an improvement in STC customers’ experience. With Aegis at the helm, the process of customer engagement was enhanced, leading to multiple levels of customer touch points. In addition, well trained agents and better processes have led to a significant improvement in customer being answered within desired thresholds, and Aegis led process re-engineering and technology enhancement helped resolving customer concerns by a significant percentage, thus leading an improvement in the STCs Customer Experience Metric.

G lobal Headquarters C entersC ountry Headquarters

Argentina:> Tucuman> Cordoba> Bahia Blanca> Mar del Plata> Buenos Aires City (2)

Saudi Arabia:> Riyadh> Jeddah

India:> Noida> Gurgaon> Lucknow (2)> Hyderabad> Bangalore (3)> Hazira> Ahmedabad> Pune> Mumbai (2)> Kolkata (2)> Jamshedpur> Bhopal> Srinagar

Philippines:> Baguio> Cebu (2)> Manila (3)

New Zealand:> Auckland

Australia:> Melbourne (3)> Sydney

South Africa:> Johannesburg (2)

UK:> Manchester

UAE:> Dubai

Costa Rica:> San Jose

US:> Irving, TX (2)> Killeen, TX> Port St. Lucie, FL> Fairmont, WV> Joplin, MO> Sierra Vista, AZ> New York, NY> Los Angeles, CA

Sri Lanka:> Colombo

We understand the importance of making timely decisions with correct choices in every discipline to maintain our leadership role in the industry. In

this connection, our partnership with Aegis is an effort towards reaching that level of distinction.

CCC is expected to bring advantages in meeting top industry standards and providing unparalleled service to our customers in the near future. In line with STC corporate strategy, the CCC operation will be translating into enhanced customer experience. Moreover, this commitment will soon start realizing advantages in the strategic, operational and financial dimensions, while benefitting employees.

I am optimistic of the value that would be created by the partnership and resulting superior performance of CCC and STC.”

Dr. Fahad, VP Strategy

Aegis Speak

2

Industry Buzz Aegis Buzz

Buzz Factor

3

the bar for perfection. This is a particularly important message in the book which is based in the healthcare industry where service breakdowns can result in death or disfigurement.

Make the Best Better – There has been much research done on what moves a once great company to the brink of extinction. Often a major factor is the loss of entrepreneurial restlessness. Polaroid a company that created a "game changing" immediate picture technology became overly content with the greatness they possessed in their niche and were slow to move into the digital world. This principle goes to "horizon thinking" and a discontent for the "overly comfortable."

Service Serves Us – In a nutshell, your success depends on making someone else's life better. If you are focused on yourself, success is ephemeral. If you develop a spirit of "otherness", your needs will be more than amply met. From your experience could you narrate some specific best practices of companies to deliver customer service excellenceHaving written six books on the topic it may be a challenge to be brief, however, at the core it starts with leaders who genuinely believe that service matters and stay the course to deliver that service across all economic conditions.

Those leaders exemplify a service mindset; they are humble, positive, compassionate, and aspiring toward service perfection. They articulate a compelling and credible message about service greatness and link that message to cultural values, and make all business decisions through the lens of how their choices affect customers (including decisions about employee selection). Beyond that, leaders make it clear that service elevates the human condition for both those receiving and those giving. What’s your take on the concept of Customer Lifetime Value? Does sustained service excellence impact customer lifetime value positively?I encourage my clients to estimate Customer Lifetime Value (while annual customer spend rates can often be captured, the value you derive from each customer's referral patterns often has to be somewhat inferred – as is the case with customer lifecycle factors). I also think it is important to treat all customers well but reward loyal customers by elevated service experiences. Customer lifetime value can guide variable policies on amounts you set aside for service recovery or even return policies.

Joseph Michelli is a well renowned professional speaker, business consultant and author of best selling business books like ‘The Starbucks Experience’, ‘The New Gold Standard’, ‘When Fish Fly’ and ‘Prescription for Excellence’.

Dr. Michelli is a well acknowledged thought leader in the area of customer experience. He recently was recognized by Focus as “one of the top five Customer Service Influencers to Track in 2011.” He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver and his Masters and Doctorate from the University of Southern California. He is an avid music lover, a drummer and plays in a band in Colorado Springs.

Think Tank

4

Aegis redefines digital media experience, forays into social media engagement serviceLeading industry analyst firm Gartner estimates that by 2015 more than half of the world's formal contact centers will include a level of real time customer participation and engagement in the service process. Cloud computing in general and Software as a Service (SaaS) will open up new opportunities to introduce social media into the customer service contact center. Staying ahead of the curve, Aegis has launched its Aegis Social Media Engagement Solution (ASMES), an unique offering of comprehensive ability in listening, analyzing and engaging with a brands end users via a single solution. ASMES is built on four distinctive components Technology, Analytics, End User Engagement and Domain Intelligence, thus strengthening its basket of solutions for clients. Aegis expands in the Philippines with its new tower in CebuAegis expanded its presence in Philippines with the addition of its new facility – Aegis Tower in Cebu. It aims to add 3000 more jobs taking the total headcount in Philippines beyond the 15000 mark making it one of the largest private employers in the country.

Aegis’s greenfield expansion in Philippines has a lot to do with businesses in a variety of industry sectors, both domestic and offshore. It is increasingly looking for efficiency improvements across all their operations along with the right experience, which is opening up fresh opportunities for skilled outsourcing providers. Aegis Tower is not only the first company-owned BPO building in the Philippines but also boasts of being one of the first BPO green buildings in the country.

Aegis strengthens its Global Footprint – Enters UK and European Outsourcing MarketAegis launched its European presence with a new customer service center in City Towers in Manchester, UK. This move will create 600 new jobs in Manchester and will offer a full range of tailor made solutions to clients, spanning customer facing and back office functions. Unlike many outsourcing companies, Aegis focuses on being a balance sheet partner for its customers, providing improved end user experience and associated business transformation. This is reflected in its philosophy of “citizens serving citizens”.

Location Decisions for Outsourcers

Awards

Joseph Michelli can be contacted on info@aegisglobal.com

Insight about a framework for Customer Experience Management

You have spoken about the subtle distinction between caring for and about customers - how do you see organizations deal with these two dimensions? "Caring for" a customer means getting it right for the customer and being operationally excellent in ease, efficiency, accuracy, and overall product/service quality. "Caring about" the customer refers to the emotional connection that comes from organizations that select, train and encourage employees to focus on the growth and development of customers (not just transactions that concern immediate wants and needs).

A lifecycle approach to customer care is the starting point of leadership. Do you want immediate sales or customers for life? If you desire the latter, you have to care "about" customers as much as you care “for" them.

Could you interpret the often used phrase “Culture eats strategy for lunch” for today’s businesses? The phrase is used quite often by the CEO of Zappos; personally, I have expanded the phrase to say that "culture also eats strategy for breakfast and dinner." Let's face it, most employees who have been in corporate life for any period of time have experienced frequent changes in leadership and shifting strategies and initiatives. Some employees simply wait out the programs and leaders they don't like, knowing, "this too shall change."

Culture is the way things get done in an organization. Investing in constructive culture change is the way great organizations change. If you think of long term business success as a sailing adventure, culture is your ship and strategy is the plan that allows you to adjust to the winds of change.

Strategy is important but failing to invest consistently in your boat is fatal!

Could you talk a little bit about the five leadership principles that combine into a “Prescription for (service) Excellence”?In my book titled ‘Prescription for Excellence’ I have spoken about leadership principles at UCLA Health System and includes the following:

Commit to Care – This principle talks about leaders demonstrating ‘caring’ and not just talking about it. It addresses the importance of leaders getting out of their offices to show their caring for staff and actively asking customers about their experience.

Leave No Room for Error – Great service organizations challenge staff to seek "perfection." Granted that no organization can serve a flawless product without service breakdowns, but why not set

The Indo – American Chamber of Commerce honours Aegis as the Best Indian Company in US in the Technology Sector for pioneering the next generation of outsourcing focused around end user customer.

NASSCOM, which is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce for the IT-BPO industries in India, ranked Aegis # 4 in the top 15 BPOs in the country.

Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific recognizes Aegis with Contact Center Outsourcing Services Provider of the year 2011 for demonstrating outstanding performance in the region.

Aegis has been conferred with the esteemed “Golden Peacock HR Excellence Award 2011” in the IT/ITES category.

IT Outsourcing Services Market remains optimistic, projects 6.9% growthGlobal uncertainty will not slow down the growth rate of the IT Outsourcing Services Market, says an online survey by Gartner. The market is expected to reach $313.2 billion in 2011, a growth of 6.9% over 2010 and will reach a compound growth rate of 4.6% by 2015. Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Rolf Jester says that the projected $313.2 billion valuation of the industry shows its optimism.

The survey also found that between 60% and 64% of providers nominated cloud investments in the top three ITO investment priorities for 2011. The survey included 47 ITO providers representing 62% of the total ITO market.

Source: Gartner

South African BPO industry set for growth The approval of 10 projects worth $150 million has given a growth impetus to the already expanding Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry in South Africa. The grants will be used over a period of 3 years to create over 70,000 jobs which will have to be in place for at least 3 years. While South Africa is fast cementing its place as a potential outsourcing market, India is still the top destination for back-office projects. Source: bpoindustry.net

Asian BPO market to earn US $17.47 billion in 2015 Technology analyst Ovum finds that strong growth in emerging economies such as India, Greater China (includes Taiwan and Hong Kong) and South Korea is driving the global market forward, as these regions capitalize on the benefits of BPO. Asia-Pacific's BPO market is set to reach revenues of US$17.47 billion in 2015, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% from the US$11.18 billion it hit in 2010.

Source: Ovum

Dear Customer,

It is an absolute joy to bring to you the sixth edition of Insight.

Even in a world fraught with uncertainties, some principles continue to hold true - Enhanced customer experience is the

only differentiating factor in the services industry today. The moot point however, is how to go about creating such an

experience. So, we decided to focus this edition of Insight on the theme of "Experience.We make it easy".

In Think Tank, we feature an interview with Joseph Michelli, an author and business consultant who focuses on the topic

of customer experience. Michelli talks to Insight about a framework for Customer Experience Management and how it

influences Customer Lifetime Value.

A customer's first experience with a brand is framed with a purchase or usage of a brand's products and service. It is the

repeated interactions with a brand's contact center, store and online presence, which further strengthen or weaken the

brand value. These experiences result in the customer being happy, indifferent or dissatisfied based upon the expectations

from a brand and the level of engagement. One can thus visualize customer experience as a continuous sum of all

engagements versus ever changing expectations. Companies need to constantly assess customer experience,

maintaining it just above the patience threshold for optimum business results. Thus, identifying and managing every touch

point with the customer is fundamental to attaining an organization's customer experience goals. This excellence therefore

holds the key to creating a "happy" experience for a brand.

Building on the mantra "Experience.We make it easy", Aegis has

set up a JV with STC, named Contact Center Company. We

discuss this partnership in more detail in Case in Point.

We also bring to you the latest happenings at Aegis and the

industry in Buzz Factor.

We hope you enjoy reading this edition and, as always, look

forward to your feedback and views.

Anil Modi

President (MENA) and Global Head

Marketing and Strategy

Frost & Sullivan

Aegis Speak

2

Industry Buzz Aegis Buzz

Buzz Factor

3

the bar for perfection. This is a particularly important message in the book which is based in the healthcare industry where service breakdowns can result in death or disfigurement.

Make the Best Better – There has been much research done on what moves a once great company to the brink of extinction. Often a major factor is the loss of entrepreneurial restlessness. Polaroid a company that created a "game changing" immediate picture technology became overly content with the greatness they possessed in their niche and were slow to move into the digital world. This principle goes to "horizon thinking" and a discontent for the "overly comfortable."

Service Serves Us – In a nutshell, your success depends on making someone else's life better. If you are focused on yourself, success is ephemeral. If you develop a spirit of "otherness", your needs will be more than amply met. From your experience could you narrate some specific best practices of companies to deliver customer service excellenceHaving written six books on the topic it may be a challenge to be brief, however, at the core it starts with leaders who genuinely believe that service matters and stay the course to deliver that service across all economic conditions.

Those leaders exemplify a service mindset; they are humble, positive, compassionate, and aspiring toward service perfection. They articulate a compelling and credible message about service greatness and link that message to cultural values, and make all business decisions through the lens of how their choices affect customers (including decisions about employee selection). Beyond that, leaders make it clear that service elevates the human condition for both those receiving and those giving. What’s your take on the concept of Customer Lifetime Value? Does sustained service excellence impact customer lifetime value positively?I encourage my clients to estimate Customer Lifetime Value (while annual customer spend rates can often be captured, the value you derive from each customer's referral patterns often has to be somewhat inferred – as is the case with customer lifecycle factors). I also think it is important to treat all customers well but reward loyal customers by elevated service experiences. Customer lifetime value can guide variable policies on amounts you set aside for service recovery or even return policies.

Joseph Michelli is a well renowned professional speaker, business consultant and author of best selling business books like ‘The Starbucks Experience’, ‘The New Gold Standard’, ‘When Fish Fly’ and ‘Prescription for Excellence’.

Dr. Michelli is a well acknowledged thought leader in the area of customer experience. He recently was recognized by Focus as “one of the top five Customer Service Influencers to Track in 2011.” He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver and his Masters and Doctorate from the University of Southern California. He is an avid music lover, a drummer and plays in a band in Colorado Springs.

Think Tank

4

Aegis redefines digital media experience, forays into social media engagement serviceLeading industry analyst firm Gartner estimates that by 2015 more than half of the world's formal contact centers will include a level of real time customer participation and engagement in the service process. Cloud computing in general and Software as a Service (SaaS) will open up new opportunities to introduce social media into the customer service contact center. Staying ahead of the curve, Aegis has launched its Aegis Social Media Engagement Solution (ASMES), an unique offering of comprehensive ability in listening, analyzing and engaging with a brands end users via a single solution. ASMES is built on four distinctive components Technology, Analytics, End User Engagement and Domain Intelligence, thus strengthening its basket of solutions for clients. Aegis expands in the Philippines with its new tower in CebuAegis expanded its presence in Philippines with the addition of its new facility – Aegis Tower in Cebu. It aims to add 3000 more jobs taking the total headcount in Philippines beyond the 15000 mark making it one of the largest private employers in the country.

Aegis’s greenfield expansion in Philippines has a lot to do with businesses in a variety of industry sectors, both domestic and offshore. It is increasingly looking for efficiency improvements across all their operations along with the right experience, which is opening up fresh opportunities for skilled outsourcing providers. Aegis Tower is not only the first company-owned BPO building in the Philippines but also boasts of being one of the first BPO green buildings in the country.

Aegis strengthens its Global Footprint – Enters UK and European Outsourcing MarketAegis launched its European presence with a new customer service center in City Towers in Manchester, UK. This move will create 600 new jobs in Manchester and will offer a full range of tailor made solutions to clients, spanning customer facing and back office functions. Unlike many outsourcing companies, Aegis focuses on being a balance sheet partner for its customers, providing improved end user experience and associated business transformation. This is reflected in its philosophy of “citizens serving citizens”.

Location Decisions for Outsourcers

Awards

Joseph Michelli can be contacted on info@aegisglobal.com

Insight about a framework for Customer Experience Management

You have spoken about the subtle distinction between caring for and about customers - how do you see organizations deal with these two dimensions? "Caring for" a customer means getting it right for the customer and being operationally excellent in ease, efficiency, accuracy, and overall product/service quality. "Caring about" the customer refers to the emotional connection that comes from organizations that select, train and encourage employees to focus on the growth and development of customers (not just transactions that concern immediate wants and needs).

A lifecycle approach to customer care is the starting point of leadership. Do you want immediate sales or customers for life? If you desire the latter, you have to care "about" customers as much as you care “for" them.

Could you interpret the often used phrase “Culture eats strategy for lunch” for today’s businesses? The phrase is used quite often by the CEO of Zappos; personally, I have expanded the phrase to say that "culture also eats strategy for breakfast and dinner." Let's face it, most employees who have been in corporate life for any period of time have experienced frequent changes in leadership and shifting strategies and initiatives. Some employees simply wait out the programs and leaders they don't like, knowing, "this too shall change."

Culture is the way things get done in an organization. Investing in constructive culture change is the way great organizations change. If you think of long term business success as a sailing adventure, culture is your ship and strategy is the plan that allows you to adjust to the winds of change.

Strategy is important but failing to invest consistently in your boat is fatal!

Could you talk a little bit about the five leadership principles that combine into a “Prescription for (service) Excellence”?In my book titled ‘Prescription for Excellence’ I have spoken about leadership principles at UCLA Health System and includes the following:

Commit to Care – This principle talks about leaders demonstrating ‘caring’ and not just talking about it. It addresses the importance of leaders getting out of their offices to show their caring for staff and actively asking customers about their experience.

Leave No Room for Error – Great service organizations challenge staff to seek "perfection." Granted that no organization can serve a flawless product without service breakdowns, but why not set

The Indo – American Chamber of Commerce honours Aegis as the Best Indian Company in US in the Technology Sector for pioneering the next generation of outsourcing focused around end user customer.

NASSCOM, which is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce for the IT-BPO industries in India, ranked Aegis # 4 in the top 15 BPOs in the country.

Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific recognizes Aegis with Contact Center Outsourcing Services Provider of the year 2011 for demonstrating outstanding performance in the region.

Aegis has been conferred with the esteemed “Golden Peacock HR Excellence Award 2011” in the IT/ITES category.

IT Outsourcing Services Market remains optimistic, projects 6.9% growthGlobal uncertainty will not slow down the growth rate of the IT Outsourcing Services Market, says an online survey by Gartner. The market is expected to reach $313.2 billion in 2011, a growth of 6.9% over 2010 and will reach a compound growth rate of 4.6% by 2015. Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Rolf Jester says that the projected $313.2 billion valuation of the industry shows its optimism.

The survey also found that between 60% and 64% of providers nominated cloud investments in the top three ITO investment priorities for 2011. The survey included 47 ITO providers representing 62% of the total ITO market.

Source: Gartner

South African BPO industry set for growth The approval of 10 projects worth $150 million has given a growth impetus to the already expanding Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry in South Africa. The grants will be used over a period of 3 years to create over 70,000 jobs which will have to be in place for at least 3 years. While South Africa is fast cementing its place as a potential outsourcing market, India is still the top destination for back-office projects. Source: bpoindustry.net

Asian BPO market to earn US $17.47 billion in 2015 Technology analyst Ovum finds that strong growth in emerging economies such as India, Greater China (includes Taiwan and Hong Kong) and South Korea is driving the global market forward, as these regions capitalize on the benefits of BPO. Asia-Pacific's BPO market is set to reach revenues of US$17.47 billion in 2015, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% from the US$11.18 billion it hit in 2010.

Source: Ovum

Dear Customer,

It is an absolute joy to bring to you the sixth edition of Insight.

Even in a world fraught with uncertainties, some principles continue to hold true - Enhanced customer experience is the

only differentiating factor in the services industry today. The moot point however, is how to go about creating such an

experience. So, we decided to focus this edition of Insight on the theme of "Experience.We make it easy".

In Think Tank, we feature an interview with Joseph Michelli, an author and business consultant who focuses on the topic

of customer experience. Michelli talks to Insight about a framework for Customer Experience Management and how it

influences Customer Lifetime Value.

A customer's first experience with a brand is framed with a purchase or usage of a brand's products and service. It is the

repeated interactions with a brand's contact center, store and online presence, which further strengthen or weaken the

brand value. These experiences result in the customer being happy, indifferent or dissatisfied based upon the expectations

from a brand and the level of engagement. One can thus visualize customer experience as a continuous sum of all

engagements versus ever changing expectations. Companies need to constantly assess customer experience,

maintaining it just above the patience threshold for optimum business results. Thus, identifying and managing every touch

point with the customer is fundamental to attaining an organization's customer experience goals. This excellence therefore

holds the key to creating a "happy" experience for a brand.

Building on the mantra "Experience.We make it easy", Aegis has

set up a JV with STC, named Contact Center Company. We

discuss this partnership in more detail in Case in Point.

We also bring to you the latest happenings at Aegis and the

industry in Buzz Factor.

We hope you enjoy reading this edition and, as always, look

forward to your feedback and views.

Anil Modi

President (MENA) and Global Head

Marketing and Strategy

Frost & Sullivan

Aegis Speak

2

Industry Buzz Aegis Buzz

Buzz Factor

3

the bar for perfection. This is a particularly important message in the book which is based in the healthcare industry where service breakdowns can result in death or disfigurement.

Make the Best Better – There has been much research done on what moves a once great company to the brink of extinction. Often a major factor is the loss of entrepreneurial restlessness. Polaroid a company that created a "game changing" immediate picture technology became overly content with the greatness they possessed in their niche and were slow to move into the digital world. This principle goes to "horizon thinking" and a discontent for the "overly comfortable."

Service Serves Us – In a nutshell, your success depends on making someone else's life better. If you are focused on yourself, success is ephemeral. If you develop a spirit of "otherness", your needs will be more than amply met. From your experience could you narrate some specific best practices of companies to deliver customer service excellenceHaving written six books on the topic it may be a challenge to be brief, however, at the core it starts with leaders who genuinely believe that service matters and stay the course to deliver that service across all economic conditions.

Those leaders exemplify a service mindset; they are humble, positive, compassionate, and aspiring toward service perfection. They articulate a compelling and credible message about service greatness and link that message to cultural values, and make all business decisions through the lens of how their choices affect customers (including decisions about employee selection). Beyond that, leaders make it clear that service elevates the human condition for both those receiving and those giving. What’s your take on the concept of Customer Lifetime Value? Does sustained service excellence impact customer lifetime value positively?I encourage my clients to estimate Customer Lifetime Value (while annual customer spend rates can often be captured, the value you derive from each customer's referral patterns often has to be somewhat inferred – as is the case with customer lifecycle factors). I also think it is important to treat all customers well but reward loyal customers by elevated service experiences. Customer lifetime value can guide variable policies on amounts you set aside for service recovery or even return policies.

Joseph Michelli is a well renowned professional speaker, business consultant and author of best selling business books like ‘The Starbucks Experience’, ‘The New Gold Standard’, ‘When Fish Fly’ and ‘Prescription for Excellence’.

Dr. Michelli is a well acknowledged thought leader in the area of customer experience. He recently was recognized by Focus as “one of the top five Customer Service Influencers to Track in 2011.” He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver and his Masters and Doctorate from the University of Southern California. He is an avid music lover, a drummer and plays in a band in Colorado Springs.

Think Tank

4

Aegis redefines digital media experience, forays into social media engagement serviceLeading industry analyst firm Gartner estimates that by 2015 more than half of the world's formal contact centers will include a level of real time customer participation and engagement in the service process. Cloud computing in general and Software as a Service (SaaS) will open up new opportunities to introduce social media into the customer service contact center. Staying ahead of the curve, Aegis has launched its Aegis Social Media Engagement Solution (ASMES), an unique offering of comprehensive ability in listening, analyzing and engaging with a brands end users via a single solution. ASMES is built on four distinctive components Technology, Analytics, End User Engagement and Domain Intelligence, thus strengthening its basket of solutions for clients. Aegis expands in the Philippines with its new tower in CebuAegis expanded its presence in Philippines with the addition of its new facility – Aegis Tower in Cebu. It aims to add 3000 more jobs taking the total headcount in Philippines beyond the 15000 mark making it one of the largest private employers in the country.

Aegis’s greenfield expansion in Philippines has a lot to do with businesses in a variety of industry sectors, both domestic and offshore. It is increasingly looking for efficiency improvements across all their operations along with the right experience, which is opening up fresh opportunities for skilled outsourcing providers. Aegis Tower is not only the first company-owned BPO building in the Philippines but also boasts of being one of the first BPO green buildings in the country.

Aegis strengthens its Global Footprint – Enters UK and European Outsourcing MarketAegis launched its European presence with a new customer service center in City Towers in Manchester, UK. This move will create 600 new jobs in Manchester and will offer a full range of tailor made solutions to clients, spanning customer facing and back office functions. Unlike many outsourcing companies, Aegis focuses on being a balance sheet partner for its customers, providing improved end user experience and associated business transformation. This is reflected in its philosophy of “citizens serving citizens”.

Location Decisions for Outsourcers

Awards

Joseph Michelli can be contacted on info@aegisglobal.com

Insight about a framework for Customer Experience Management

You have spoken about the subtle distinction between caring for and about customers - how do you see organizations deal with these two dimensions? "Caring for" a customer means getting it right for the customer and being operationally excellent in ease, efficiency, accuracy, and overall product/service quality. "Caring about" the customer refers to the emotional connection that comes from organizations that select, train and encourage employees to focus on the growth and development of customers (not just transactions that concern immediate wants and needs).

A lifecycle approach to customer care is the starting point of leadership. Do you want immediate sales or customers for life? If you desire the latter, you have to care "about" customers as much as you care “for" them.

Could you interpret the often used phrase “Culture eats strategy for lunch” for today’s businesses? The phrase is used quite often by the CEO of Zappos; personally, I have expanded the phrase to say that "culture also eats strategy for breakfast and dinner." Let's face it, most employees who have been in corporate life for any period of time have experienced frequent changes in leadership and shifting strategies and initiatives. Some employees simply wait out the programs and leaders they don't like, knowing, "this too shall change."

Culture is the way things get done in an organization. Investing in constructive culture change is the way great organizations change. If you think of long term business success as a sailing adventure, culture is your ship and strategy is the plan that allows you to adjust to the winds of change.

Strategy is important but failing to invest consistently in your boat is fatal!

Could you talk a little bit about the five leadership principles that combine into a “Prescription for (service) Excellence”?In my book titled ‘Prescription for Excellence’ I have spoken about leadership principles at UCLA Health System and includes the following:

Commit to Care – This principle talks about leaders demonstrating ‘caring’ and not just talking about it. It addresses the importance of leaders getting out of their offices to show their caring for staff and actively asking customers about their experience.

Leave No Room for Error – Great service organizations challenge staff to seek "perfection." Granted that no organization can serve a flawless product without service breakdowns, but why not set

The Indo – American Chamber of Commerce honours Aegis as the Best Indian Company in US in the Technology Sector for pioneering the next generation of outsourcing focused around end user customer.

NASSCOM, which is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce for the IT-BPO industries in India, ranked Aegis # 4 in the top 15 BPOs in the country.

Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific recognizes Aegis with Contact Center Outsourcing Services Provider of the year 2011 for demonstrating outstanding performance in the region.

Aegis has been conferred with the esteemed “Golden Peacock HR Excellence Award 2011” in the IT/ITES category.

IT Outsourcing Services Market remains optimistic, projects 6.9% growthGlobal uncertainty will not slow down the growth rate of the IT Outsourcing Services Market, says an online survey by Gartner. The market is expected to reach $313.2 billion in 2011, a growth of 6.9% over 2010 and will reach a compound growth rate of 4.6% by 2015. Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Rolf Jester says that the projected $313.2 billion valuation of the industry shows its optimism.

The survey also found that between 60% and 64% of providers nominated cloud investments in the top three ITO investment priorities for 2011. The survey included 47 ITO providers representing 62% of the total ITO market.

Source: Gartner

South African BPO industry set for growth The approval of 10 projects worth $150 million has given a growth impetus to the already expanding Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry in South Africa. The grants will be used over a period of 3 years to create over 70,000 jobs which will have to be in place for at least 3 years. While South Africa is fast cementing its place as a potential outsourcing market, India is still the top destination for back-office projects. Source: bpoindustry.net

Asian BPO market to earn US $17.47 billion in 2015 Technology analyst Ovum finds that strong growth in emerging economies such as India, Greater China (includes Taiwan and Hong Kong) and South Korea is driving the global market forward, as these regions capitalize on the benefits of BPO. Asia-Pacific's BPO market is set to reach revenues of US$17.47 billion in 2015, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% from the US$11.18 billion it hit in 2010.

Source: Ovum

Dear Customer,

It is an absolute joy to bring to you the sixth edition of Insight.

Even in a world fraught with uncertainties, some principles continue to hold true - Enhanced customer experience is the

only differentiating factor in the services industry today. The moot point however, is how to go about creating such an

experience. So, we decided to focus this edition of Insight on the theme of "Experience.We make it easy".

In Think Tank, we feature an interview with Joseph Michelli, an author and business consultant who focuses on the topic

of customer experience. Michelli talks to Insight about a framework for Customer Experience Management and how it

influences Customer Lifetime Value.

A customer's first experience with a brand is framed with a purchase or usage of a brand's products and service. It is the

repeated interactions with a brand's contact center, store and online presence, which further strengthen or weaken the

brand value. These experiences result in the customer being happy, indifferent or dissatisfied based upon the expectations

from a brand and the level of engagement. One can thus visualize customer experience as a continuous sum of all

engagements versus ever changing expectations. Companies need to constantly assess customer experience,

maintaining it just above the patience threshold for optimum business results. Thus, identifying and managing every touch

point with the customer is fundamental to attaining an organization's customer experience goals. This excellence therefore

holds the key to creating a "happy" experience for a brand.

Building on the mantra "Experience.We make it easy", Aegis has

set up a JV with STC, named Contact Center Company. We

discuss this partnership in more detail in Case in Point.

We also bring to you the latest happenings at Aegis and the

industry in Buzz Factor.

We hope you enjoy reading this edition and, as always, look

forward to your feedback and views.

Anil Modi

President (MENA) and Global Head

Marketing and Strategy

Frost & Sullivan

Vol. 6 December 2011

Global Footprint

Do write in with your feedback on Insight to info@aegisglobal.com

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERSAegis Limited

Essar House, 13th Floor11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi

Mumbai – 400 034Maharashtra

INDIA

Phone: +91-22-6660 1100Fax: +91-22-2354 4490

Contact Information

India and Sri Lanka : Philippines :North America : South America : Europe : Africa : Australia and New Zealand : info@aegisglobal.com

+91 40 6616 6220+63 2 885 8000

+1 877 892 3447 +54 115 080 8000+ 44 161 242 6881

+27 11 461 9154+61 3 9256 5000

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Case in Point

THE CLIENTSaudi Telecom Company (STC) is the largest telecom operator in the Middle East providing full-fledged telecommunication services. Apart from being the leading national provider of telecommunication services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, It is also the first operator in Saudi Arabia to offer, mobile and data services. The company owns a huge infrastructure of communication networks and works in 10 different markets through its subsidiaries and affiliates. STC has access to more than 100 million subscribers.

CUSTOMER CHALLENGESSTC had enjoyed the status of a solo operator in Saudi Arabia for a long time. From the mid 2000’s however, newer players, including Mobily and Zain, entered the market and began competing in the Saudi Telecom market. Though STC continues to be the market leader, the company is aware of the need to provide a differentiated customer experience to maintain this position. STC chose Aegis as its partner to implement what the company believes to be a game changing initiative, after a rigorous and elaborate selection process.

AEGIS APPROACHTo service this strategic requirement, Aegis and STC formed a joint venture called Contact Center Company (CCC) with two centers across Riyadh and Jeddah in KSA. Under this joint venture, Aegis was mandated to offer its expertise in customer experience management in a dedicated manner to STC subscribers, including customer support and telemarketing services. CCC’s contact center is well equipped with the latest technology platforms and adherence standard tools coupled with Aegis global expertise to top notch processes and enhance STC’s end user experience.

5

Enriching Customer Experience Through "Service Excellence"

The traditional call center approach was challenged by Aegis’ highly efficient business models that guarantee excellence scientifically and objectively. Thus leading to improvement in CCC customer resolution scores within the desired thresholds

As a nascent brand, CCC had to also manage employee apprehensions, considering they were pivotal to ensure the right customer experience. Hence, CCC took several measures to retain, train and motivate its 500 + employees across its centres.

CCC employees were trained at different Aegis centres for imbibing global work practices. In addition, skill enhancement and cross-cultural training was provided to optimize process performance, CCC reinforce employee belief and ensure transfer of Aegis’ best practices across its centres and processes. This improved customer and employee experience using an outside-in approach. CCC also carried out a well-orchestrated marketing and media campaign to build the CCC brand in the Saudi market.

Through Aegis’ rich integration and delivery expertise and STCs leadership in the region, CCC was able to provide a CLM solution involving out of the box process optimizations and vertical-specific features and functions, exclusively designed to deliver top notch services to STCs end customer.

RESULTSThe innovative idea of creating a new venture resulted in an improvement in STC customers’ experience. With Aegis at the helm, the process of customer engagement was enhanced, leading to multiple levels of customer touch points. In addition, well trained agents and better processes have led to a significant improvement in customer being answered within desired thresholds, and Aegis led process re-engineering and technology enhancement helped resolving customer concerns by a significant percentage, thus leading an improvement in the STCs Customer Experience Metric.

G lobal Headquarters C entersC ountry Headquarters

Argentina:> Tucuman> Cordoba> Bahia Blanca> Mar del Plata> Buenos Aires City (2)

Saudi Arabia:> Riyadh> Jeddah

India:> Noida> Gurgaon> Lucknow (2)> Hyderabad> Bangalore (3)> Hazira> Ahmedabad> Pune> Mumbai (2)> Kolkata (2)> Jamshedpur> Bhopal> Srinagar

Philippines:> Baguio> Cebu (2)> Manila (3)

New Zealand:> Auckland

Australia:> Melbourne (3)> Sydney

South Africa:> Johannesburg (2)

UK:> Manchester

UAE:> Dubai

Costa Rica:> San Jose

US:> Irving, TX (2)> Killeen, TX> Port St. Lucie, FL> Fairmont, WV> Joplin, MO> Sierra Vista, AZ> New York, NY> Los Angeles, CA

Sri Lanka:> Colombo

We understand the importance of making timely decisions with correct choices in every discipline to maintain our leadership role in the industry. In

this connection, our partnership with Aegis is an effort towards reaching that level of distinction.

CCC is expected to bring advantages in meeting top industry standards and providing unparalleled service to our customers in the near future. In line with STC corporate strategy, the CCC operation will be translating into enhanced customer experience. Moreover, this commitment will soon start realizing advantages in the strategic, operational and financial dimensions, while benefitting employees.

I am optimistic of the value that would be created by the partnership and resulting superior performance of CCC and STC.”

Dr. Fahad, VP Strategy

Vol. 6 December 2011

Global Footprint

Do write in with your feedback on Insight to info@aegisglobal.com

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERSAegis Limited

Essar House, 13th Floor11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi

Mumbai – 400 034Maharashtra

INDIA

Phone: +91-22-6660 1100Fax: +91-22-2354 4490

Contact Information

India and Sri Lanka : Philippines :North America : South America : Europe : Africa : Australia and New Zealand : info@aegisglobal.com

+91 40 6616 6220+63 2 885 8000

+1 877 892 3447 +54 115 080 8000+ 44 161 242 6881

+27 11 461 9154+61 3 9256 5000

Cop

yrig

ht 2

011,

Aeg

is L

imite

d. A

ll rig

hts

rese

rved

www.aegisglobal.com

Case in Point

THE CLIENTSaudi Telecom Company (STC) is the largest telecom operator in the Middle East providing full-fledged telecommunication services. Apart from being the leading national provider of telecommunication services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, It is also the first operator in Saudi Arabia to offer, mobile and data services. The company owns a huge infrastructure of communication networks and works in 10 different markets through its subsidiaries and affiliates. STC has access to more than 100 million subscribers.

CUSTOMER CHALLENGESSTC had enjoyed the status of a solo operator in Saudi Arabia for a long time. From the mid 2000’s however, newer players, including Mobily and Zain, entered the market and began competing in the Saudi Telecom market. Though STC continues to be the market leader, the company is aware of the need to provide a differentiated customer experience to maintain this position. STC chose Aegis as its partner to implement what the company believes to be a game changing initiative, after a rigorous and elaborate selection process.

AEGIS APPROACHTo service this strategic requirement, Aegis and STC formed a joint venture called Contact Center Company (CCC) with two centers across Riyadh and Jeddah in KSA. Under this joint venture, Aegis was mandated to offer its expertise in customer experience management in a dedicated manner to STC subscribers, including customer support and telemarketing services. CCC’s contact center is well equipped with the latest technology platforms and adherence standard tools coupled with Aegis global expertise to top notch processes and enhance STC’s end user experience.

5

Enriching Customer Experience Through "Service Excellence"

The traditional call center approach was challenged by Aegis’ highly efficient business models that guarantee excellence scientifically and objectively. Thus leading to improvement in CCC customer resolution scores within the desired thresholds

As a nascent brand, CCC had to also manage employee apprehensions, considering they were pivotal to ensure the right customer experience. Hence, CCC took several measures to retain, train and motivate its 500 + employees across its centres.

CCC employees were trained at different Aegis centres for imbibing global work practices. In addition, skill enhancement and cross-cultural training was provided to optimize process performance, CCC reinforce employee belief and ensure transfer of Aegis’ best practices across its centres and processes. This improved customer and employee experience using an outside-in approach. CCC also carried out a well-orchestrated marketing and media campaign to build the CCC brand in the Saudi market.

Through Aegis’ rich integration and delivery expertise and STCs leadership in the region, CCC was able to provide a CLM solution involving out of the box process optimizations and vertical-specific features and functions, exclusively designed to deliver top notch services to STCs end customer.

RESULTSThe innovative idea of creating a new venture resulted in an improvement in STC customers’ experience. With Aegis at the helm, the process of customer engagement was enhanced, leading to multiple levels of customer touch points. In addition, well trained agents and better processes have led to a significant improvement in customer being answered within desired thresholds, and Aegis led process re-engineering and technology enhancement helped resolving customer concerns by a significant percentage, thus leading an improvement in the STCs Customer Experience Metric.

G lobal Headquarters C entersC ountry Headquarters

Argentina:> Tucuman> Cordoba> Bahia Blanca> Mar del Plata> Buenos Aires City (2)

Saudi Arabia:> Riyadh> Jeddah

India:> Noida> Gurgaon> Lucknow (2)> Hyderabad> Bangalore (3)> Hazira> Ahmedabad> Pune> Mumbai (2)> Kolkata (2)> Jamshedpur> Bhopal> Srinagar

Philippines:> Baguio> Cebu (2)> Manila (3)

New Zealand:> Auckland

Australia:> Melbourne (3)> Sydney

South Africa:> Johannesburg (2)

UK:> Manchester

UAE:> Dubai

Costa Rica:> San Jose

US:> Irving, TX (2)> Killeen, TX> Port St. Lucie, FL> Fairmont, WV> Joplin, MO> Sierra Vista, AZ> New York, NY> Los Angeles, CA

Sri Lanka:> Colombo

We understand the importance of making timely decisions with correct choices in every discipline to maintain our leadership role in the industry. In

this connection, our partnership with Aegis is an effort towards reaching that level of distinction.

CCC is expected to bring advantages in meeting top industry standards and providing unparalleled service to our customers in the near future. In line with STC corporate strategy, the CCC operation will be translating into enhanced customer experience. Moreover, this commitment will soon start realizing advantages in the strategic, operational and financial dimensions, while benefitting employees.

I am optimistic of the value that would be created by the partnership and resulting superior performance of CCC and STC.”

Dr. Fahad, VP Strategy