Bharti takes IBM, Tech Mahindra for customer care services...announces African call centers

Bharti Airtel said it has selected IBM, Tech Mahindra and Spanco for providing customer care services in the 16 African countries where the telco has a presence following its acquisition of Zain Telecom early this year. An agreement is expected to be finalised soon, Bharti Airtel said in a statement, declining to give financial details on the deal. As per the agreement, Bharti Airtel -- which owns and operates the "Zain" brand in 16 countries across Africa -- will outsource core customer services to these three firms, including call centre and back office processes.

"The outsourcing of customer service operations will play a key role in making Bharti Airtel competitive in Africa as it focuses on making mobile communications affordable," it added. The widespread adoption of the BPO model by Bharti Airtel across its operations in Africa will have tangible benefits for development of the sector in each country and will create additional job opportunities and help develop local talent, the statement added. 

Currently, over 4,000 people have been engaged by Bharti Airtel for customer service operations in Africa. Going forward, the number of people employed for Bharti Airtel's customer service functions will increase as the Indian telecom major expands its network and customer base. The mobile telecommunications operator currently has over 40 million customers in Africa and is targeting a subscriber base of 100 million by 2013. 

"The BPO model has significant benefits for our customers, the countries in which we operate and their economies. Partnering with organisations on such a massive scale will galvanise the BPO sector in Africa and be a catalyst for growth in the sector," Bharti Airtel CEO (International) and Joint Managing Director Manoj Kohli said. This is the second major partnership announced by Bharti Airtel in the African subcontinent. In September this year, Bharti selected IBM to build and manage IT systems to power its mobile communications network across 16 African countries. 

According to a Deloitte report, less than 40 per cent of Africans have access to a mobile phone. However, demand is growing at the average rate of 25 per cent annually and a 10 per cent rise in mobile penetration could increase the gross domestic product of developing markets by 1.2 per cent. The three firms selected by Bharti Airtel collectively employ over 90,000 people for BPO services in more than 100 countries. In Africa, Bharti Airtel has operations in Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

In a related development, Bharti Airtel's global CEO has also said that the Indian company will be bringing call center jobs to Africa after buying out a major mobile phone provider on the continent. Manoj Kohli told journalists Monday that partnerships with IBM, Tech Mahindra and SPANCO will bring outsourced support jobs to Nigeria and other nations to bolster its recently purchased Zain network. 

Company officials estimated several thousand call center jobs would start immediately, with more in the future. Kohli declined to offer a value on the deal. Bharti has 183.4 million customers across 19 countries, making it the world's fifth largest telecommunications company. Bharti closed a $10.7 billion deal in June with Kuwait-based Zain to take over its holdings in Nigeria and 14 other African nations.