Hello Transcom 2016

STEPPING UP
YOUR CAREER
Challenge yourself
at Transcom. P.14
SERVINGPEOPLE
INALLCHANNELSTHE ART OF DELIVERING OPTIMAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE P.18
THE WORLD
IS CALLING
lastminute.com serves
customers worldwide. P.6
WHY
TECHNOLOGY
REQUIRES
EMPATHY
P.22
CUS TO M ER C AR E I NS I GHTS/2016
Hello
TRANSCOM

I
and many of my colleagues get asked this
question a lot. Of course, we think we have a
pretty good idea. The funny thing is, though,
that we rarely ask our clients, employees or
competitors the same question. But recently we
did just that. Or, to be more precise, we asked an
external party to do it for us.
I’m happy to say that the results indicate that
Transcom’s position is very strong in terms of
the most fundamental thing we need to do, i.e.
to consistently deliver high-quality services
to our clients and their customers. In fact, this
was exactly the characteristic that respondents
highlighted the most. Among buyers as well as
competitors, Transcom was widely perceived as a
high-quality vendor, rated above peer average. In
addition to this, our flexibility in terms of meeting
ever-changing client requirements and our strong
local market knowledge were cited as key diffe-
rentiators for Transcom in the marketplace.
If you asked me, I would probably tell you about
all these things as being important differenti-
ating factors. But if I had to mention only one
thing that makes us different, it would have
to be our people. They are truly at the core of
our strengths, and I am reminded of this fact
every single day. I also get confirmation by the
great feedback we receive through our annual
employee survey, both in terms of praise and
suggestions for making Transcom an even better
place to work.
I realize that you might now accuse me of
throwing clichés around, since many CEOs
routinely boast about their people making all the
difference. But I honestly don’t think I’m making
an overstatement. Every year, we hire thousands
of new people on whom our business results
depend. During a typical month, our customer ex-
perience specialists handle approximately thirty
million interactions with our clients’ customers
in over thirty languages. Every hour of every day,
we rely on knowledgeable, motivated
people to deliver great customer expe-
riences, in any customer situation and
via any channel.
So if Transcom is better that
the competition, it is thanks
to our outstanding people. In
this magazine, you will meet
some of them.
Johan Eriksson, President
and CEO of Transcom
What sets Transcom apart from its competition?
What is different about your company?
HELLO!
Hello Transcom
is a magazine published by Transcom.
Here, we share stories from around Transcom,
and also exemplify how we work together with our
clients to enhance their business performance by
improving the experience of their customers.
Editor: Stefan Petterson, stefan.pettersson@transcom.com
Phone: +46 8 120 800 80
Production: Intellecta Corporate, www.intellectacorporate.se
Print: TMG Repro: Turbin Cover photo: Martin Dimitrov
www.transcom.com
2 Hello Transcom 2016

CONTENT4SMALL TALK
With 10 million customers per year, lastminute.com
has a huge need for customer assistance.
FROM AGENT TO
PRODUCT SPECIALIST
THE WORLD IS CALLING
Morten Halkjaer started
a new career in Riga.
A CHANGING MARKET
Customer care is
becoming more digital.
KEEPING
CUSTOMERS CLOSE
Samsung New Zeeland
uses empathy and great
listening skills.
OPTIMIZING SERVICES
Three questions to Johan Eriksson,
Transcom’s President & CEO.
SHARING
BEST PRACTICES
Customer experience is
a top priority for Cheryll
Aganda.
20 YEARS
IN BUSINESS
Transcom’s journey from local
company to a global
organization.
12-13
17
22-23
10-11
14-16
18-21
24-25
26-27
5
6-9
EVERYDAY
CARE
Read more
about Transcom
Cares.
STEPPING UP
YOUR CAREER
The career paths
at Transcom are plentiful.
MULTICHANNEL
INNOVATION
How can companies
provide optimal
customer care
given the rapid digital
transformation?
3Hello Transcom 2016

SMALL TALK
30MILLION
THE NUMBER OF
INTERACTIONS MANAGED BY
TRANSCOM´S AGENTS DURING
A TYPICAL MONTH.
VIDEO TUTORIALS IMPROVE
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Sometimes a film says more than a thousand
words.
Over the last five years, Transcom
Germany has been working with a leading satelli-
te navigation brand, offering technical assistance
to drivers who buy a GPS unit.
One of the most highly appreciated features of
the service is the production of video tutorials, or
short films that guide users through all stages of
using the software and hardware.
The operator sends the user an email with a
link to the video and provides assistance while
the video tutorial on the problem in question is
playing. So far around thirty video tutorials have
been made.
WORKING WITH GREAT
COLLEAGUES
What is the best
thing about working
at Transcom, Bashir
Isaak, team leader in
Borås, Sweden?
”The best thing is
working with such
great colleagues
every day. Having the opportunity
to coach my team members to a
better performance and following
their development, and being a part
of a big company that supports and
pushes you to perform your best
month after month.“
Read more personal stories at
blog.transcom.com
• Specialized competence
Boosting customer satisfaction
and reducing churn.
• Optimizing resources
Ability to focus on the
company’s core activities.
• Reducing cost and risk
Handling volatile demand more efficiently.
REASONS
TO
OUTSOURCE
CUSTOMER
CARE
SERVICES
Voice services represent around
65 percent of the market volume
today and are expected to shrink to
around 50 percent by 2020. Non
voice channels are expected to
grow from 35 to 50 percent.
Source: AT Kearney
Bashir Isaak.
MULTICHANNEL SOLUTION FOR WHIRLPOOL
Whirlpool Corporation, the largest
major appliance manufacturer in
the world, is going to implement
a call center integration pro-
gram across Europe and provide
seamless and consistent service
for customers in 19 countries.
Transcom will provide customer
care, sales and technical assistance
for Whirlpool’s full range of marke-
ted brands, with services delivered
through multiple contact channels.
2015 2020
NON
VOICE40%
50%
60%
VOICE
CHANNEL MIX
IN CUSTOMER CARE

M
oving from the warm tropical Philippines to the
freezing temperatures in Sweden may seem like
an odd choice for some. But for Cheryll Aganda, it
was an inspiring opportunity.
In November 2015, Cheryll Aganda moved to Stockholm
and started her job as global operational development
director at the Stockholm head office. Her main focus is
process standardization and optimization, while still sup-
porting efforts to strengthen Transcom’s value proposition
within Customer Experience.
“I am both happy and challenged in my new role,
because I see this as a fundamental platform for bringing
the regions together – not only to share best practices, but
also to collaborate and influence positive changes on the
customer and employee experience.”
In the Philippines, Cheryll Aganda worked as senior
director for Customer Experience Management. She feels
that the years she spent with the Asia Leadership team
allowed her to grow both personally and professionally.
“The topic of Customer Experience is often considered
as one of the primary selling points of our business. But I
believe that at Transcom, we have taken significant steps
to ensure that we fully execute on this value proposition.”
So, what are the biggest differences between the Philippines
and Sweden?
“The weather and the darkness. I arrived in November
and the sun sets already in the early afternoon! But I am
beginning to adapt to these changes.”
Ensuring that Transcom is bolstering its
customer experience is a top priority for
Cheryll Aganda.
Having
customer focus
FACTS/CHERYLL AGANDA
Age: 37.
Works as: Global head of operational development.
Education: Industrial Economics.
Lives in: Stockholm, Sweden.
Best thing about Transcom: It’s an organization that
promotes a very healthy balance between being
customer-centric and employee-centric.
TEXT: MALIN LARSHAMMAR PHOTO: JENNIFER GLANS
Hello Transcom 2016 5

WORLD IS
CALLING
Every day, thousands upon thousands of enquiries and requests pour into the client
assistance centers of lastminute.com group, a European leader in the online travel and
leisure industry. As lastminute.com group’s strategic partner for bookings and
customer care, Transcom has perfected the art of dealing with anything from
15 bicycles to zebras. TEXT: LOUISE NORDSTRÖM
7

A
s a customer care agent, you need
a lot of finesse and quick thinking,
not to mention diplomatic and lan-
guage skills. Big time,” says Giorgio
Bonafini, Operations Director of
lastminute.com group and speaking
from the company’s headquarters in
Chiasso, Switzerland.
The lastminute.com group offers a range of prod-
ucts including flights, hotels, holidays, city breaks,
cruises, car hire as well as other travel and leisure
related products. With services in 17 languages
and handling approximately 10 million customers
per year, the amount of client assistance services
delivered is huge.
Transcom has been acting as lastminute.com group’s
strategic partner, providing bookings and customer
service activities across Europe and North Africa
through voice, email and chat functions. Giorgio
Bonafini estimates that between 60 and 70
percent of the company’s customer management
is handled by Transcom via these traditional
channels. Phoning in is especially popular with,
for example, the Russians, he says.
“When it comes to our Russian customers for
example, my observation is that they want to be
sure and secure about what they have reserved,
and the procedures that are in place in the case
of a ‘what if’. There are a great deal of cultural
CAN I BRING
A LIVE ZEBRA WITH ME?
Customer: Hello? Can I bring a zebra with me
on the plane?
Transcom agent: Hello Sir, thank you for calling.
I will check this out right away, let me get back
to you.
Transcom agent calls airline, airline checks the
size-limit for animals to bring along. Airline
staff calls Transcom and delivers the news that
it’s not possible. Transcom agent calls customer
back.
- Hello again Sir, I am so sorry but a zebra
exceeds the size-limit for pets to be brought on
board. But you may bring your cat. Have a good
day Sir!
You have to be ready for virtually any situation and so it is fundamental
for us to have a solid supplier like Transcom who can guarantee us a high-
quality service all the time. Giorgio Bonafini, Operations Director of lastminute.com group
>>

differences in the way our clients contact us, and
why,” he explains.
And the nature of the questions and require-
ments that come through can almost be as varied
as there are destinations and activities to choose
from.
“We had this one customer who wanted to know
whether he could bring a live zebra with him on
board his flight,” Giorgio Bonafini recalls, noting
that the agent processing the enquiry then had to
contact the airline in question to check whether it
was actually possible.
“It’s important for us that agents go that extra
mile to ensure that we can offer our customers the
best travel and leisure experiences out there, but
no, in this case it just wasn’t possible. Animals of a
certain size couldn’t be brought along.”
There was also the case when a customer wished
to bring 15 bicycles with him in his luggage, or the
time when an airplane passenger wasn’t familiar
with having to adjust the time on her watch when
flying westwards.
“The client couldn’t understand how she could
possibly arrive at her destination before the time of
her departure. That took a bit of gentle explaining
about time zones,” he says.
Compared with just a decade ago, the evolution of
new technology and the increasing use of social
media have also added a whole new dimension
“It’s important for us
that agents go that extra
mile to ensure that we
can offer our customers
the best travel and leisure
experiences out there”,
says Giorgio Bonafini,
Operations Director
of lastminute.com group.
FACTS/LASTMINUTE.COM GROUP
• lastminute.com group is a European leader in the online
travel and leisure industry.
• It offers flights, hotels, holidays, city breaks, cruises, car
hire as well as other travel and leisure related products.
• More than 10 million customers book their travel and
leisure experiences every year.
• Its biggest markets are UK, Italy, France, Spain and
Germany, and its services are offered in 17 languages,
including Arabic.
when it comes to the courtesy, product know-how
and diplomacy skills required by customer care
agents – even for those who handle the conven-
tional channels like telephone and email services.
“Although we’re seeing an increased migration
towards social media, most people are still using
the traditional channels as a point of first contact.
But if they’re not happy, they may take to social
media which obviously can be very impactful,”
Bonafini explains, adding that his company
remains directly in charge of the group’s customer
care on the social
media channels.
“You have to be
ready for virtually
any situation and
so it is fundamen-
tal for us to have
a solid supplier
like Transcom who
can guarantee us a
high-quality service
all the time.”

A
s the distinction between products and
services is increasingly diminished,
a smooth and professional customer
service can make all the difference
in making a company stand out in a
fast-paced market. A friendly approach, coupled
with presenting solutions swiftly, can be vital in
retaining a customer.
In line with an increasingly digital world it
is important that the customer service sector
develops as well. Virtually all customers are
online today and they are used to getting instant
responses to their demands. What used to be a call
center market, where the focus was to provide fast
support, has evolved into a multifaceted opera-
tion consisting of general customer services, new
selling opportunities and keeping track of
invoices.
“In the past few years, the services
have changed and evolved. End custom-
ers are increasingly demanding that
solutions are immediately presented to
them via the channel that suits them,”
says Täpp Jonatan Matsson, partner at
consulting firm A.T. Kearney.
Täpp Jonatan Matsson has
researched the customer services market
MARKET
IN CHANGEThe global customer care outsourcing market is forecast
to grow more than four percent annually up to 2020.
Although digital services are becoming increasingly
important for the customer care industry, telephone
services are still expected to remain key. TEXT: JOHAN WICKSTRÖM
for several years and in the fall
of 2015, he presented a study on
the market development of the
sector.
“Services and support remain the
most important tasks, where the
customer will call the company.
But more and more companies
want help in finding new ways
to both retain and develop their customer relation-
ships. This might be done, for example, by phoning
a customer after a few months to follow up on
something, and to offer new services, but also meet-
ing customer demands by serving them through
digital channels.”
A.T. Kearney estimates the global annual turnover
for outsourced customer care services at around
€48 billion. But the potential is, in fact, much
greater considering that around 80 percent of all
customer service is handled in-house by companies
themselves. But an increasing number of companies
are now beginning to outsource it. There are several
reasons for this: To cut costs, to be able to focus on
their core operations and to benefit from the exper-
tise that specialized suppliers can provide.
“The global market for customer care outsourcing
CUSTOMER
CARE MARKET
Telecom and
financial services
account for more
than half of the
market for out
sourced customer
care services.
Telecom
32 %
Technology
10 %
Other
21 %
Travel 4 %
Retail 7 %
Healthcare 6 %
Financial
20 %
Täpp Jonatan
Matsson.

is expected to grow by more than 4 percent per
year up to 2020. Although the telecom and banking
sectors still represent the largest volumes, the retail-
and travel industries are now growing the fastest,”
Täpp Jonatan Matsson says.
The nature of customer service is gradually changing.
Interaction will increasingly be done via digital
channels, through for example phone apps, chats or
self-service functions.
A.T. Kearney’s studies show that while voice
services represent around 65 percent of the market
volume today, this number will shrink to around 50
percent by 2020.
“There is a clear shift toward the digital channels.
But I thought it would happen faster. This might
have to do with the fact that people still prefer to
call when dealing with more complicated issues,
like with invoices for example. And many of the
larger customers are still working in outdated
IT-environments which make such shifts a bit more
complicated.”
However, the market volume of emails is expected to
drop.
“Email will become less important. There are too
many interactions, going back and forth and so on,
and on top of that it’s a pretty expensive alternative.
It’s difficult to follow up on how a customer has
experienced an email exchange, and so the overall
customer experience suffers.”
The global market is dominated by about a dozen
large players where Transcom comes in just after
those who dominate the field. Among the biggest
companies there is quite an entrenched standardiza-
tion culture.
“But our studies show that Transcom is getting
incredibly good feedback when it comes to quality,
flexibility and the ability to find adaptable solu-
tions. I believe that partnerships and a proactive
approach will be the key to success for customer
services groups in the future,” says Täpp Jonatan
Matsson.
End customers are increa-
singly demanding that solutions
are immediately presented to
them via the channel that suits
them.
Täpp Jonatan Matsson, A.T. Kearney
>>
48billion euro
The global
annual turnover for
outsourced
customer care
services.
More and more
companies want
help in finding new
ways to develop
their customer
relationships.

”At first I was a bit hesitant to leave my beloved
Matteo with strangers. However, as a single
mother, I needed the help and I have never
regretted taking this opportunity. Matteo has
developed and learned a lot, he is happy to
mingle with the other children and is becoming
more and more responsible”, says Marjorie Furo.
Marjorie Furo is one of many employees in the
Philippines that recognizes the value of the child
care center. The Pasig site in Manila, where Mar-
jorie works, was the first BPO in the Philippines to
establish a 24/7 childcare center, where the em-
ployees can drop off their children while working.
The center is managed by registered nurses and
child psychologists.
The center was built in 2011 and to this day, the
facility is the only ones of its kind in the
Philippines. The center was originally planned
to be open for six months only, but the opera-
tions were eventually made permanent due to
outstanding support from both the Transcom
management and the employees. Due to its
success, Transcom now has child care facilities in
all of its sites in the Philippines.
“For employees to be able to give their best
at work, their worries should be minimized. For
parents, especially single mothers, child care
is among the highest priorities, and this is
the driving force behind the establishment of
the Transcom child care program”, says Siva
Subramaniam, Regional General Manager for
English-speaking markets and Asia-Pacific.
CARE EVERYDAY

Marjorie Furo playing with her son Matteo
at the Pasig site in Manila, Philippines.
TRANSCOM CARES
The Transcom Cares program was
initially started as a concept for
Transcom´s community engagement
activities in the Philippines. In 2013,
Transcom broadened the program’s
scope and it now has three prioritized
focus areas.
People development
The ability to attract and develop
top talents is business critical for the
company. To be recognized as a
responsible employer, attracting peo-
ple and strengthening the brand in all
local markets, is key for Transcom.
Equality & diversity
Being an employer that provides
equal opportunities to all is part of
the company DNA. Transcom strives
for gender equality, and diversity in
terms of culture and language –
which is fundamental for the service
delivery capability.
Community engagement
Transcom believes that getting
involved in the communities in which
it operates strengthens the employer
brand as well as maintains the com-
pany’s license to operate.
In addition to the focus areas
described above, Transcom is a
signatory of the UN Global Compact,
and fully supports its ten principles
with respect to human rights, labor
rights, environmental care and an-
ti-corruption work.
For more Transcom
Cares stories, visit
blog.transcom.com

There are a multitude of ways to challenge yourself as a Transcom employee, and
the career paths are plentiful. But one of Transcom’s real success factors is the fun
it offers its staff in the workplace.
CAREER
Stepping up your
team leader, a business manager or contact center
manager,” Rosana Garcia, global HR director at
Transcom WorldWide, explains.
Rosana Garcia started her own Transcom career
as an HR-manager for the contact center in Barcelo-
na. Today she is global HR director.
As Transcom focuses on weekly and monthly goals
for the majority of its employees, one of the most
important tasks for team-leaders is to coach agents
on how to improve their performance on a weekly
basis. Explicit goals are a part of Transcom’s strat-
egy since it makes it easier to link everyday work
with goals such as customer satisfaction and other
key performance indicators.
To motivate staff even more, every Transcom
office also offers motivational activities, such as
competitions and games.
E
very job at Transcom is important. But
there is one person that gets closer to
the customer than anyone else – the
agent.
“Ninety percent of our staff are agents
and Transcom would be nothing without
them,” says Cecilia Forzelius, HR direc-
tor for Transcom Northern Europe.
“Not only does a Transcom agent work with
customer service, he or she also works in a team
and deals with different kinds of customer support,
services and sales.”
Every new agent receives training according to the
services that he or she will carry out, including
product knowledge, system training, communica-
tion, and how to handle various customer contact
channels such as social media. Depending on how
difficult the job is, the training period can last from
anything from one to five weeks.
The next step on the Transcom career ladder is to
become a product specialist, and after that to work
either as a quality and time management specialist,
or a team leader. There is also the possibility to
coach new staff. Transcom recruits 90 percent of its
team leaders internally.
“If you are dedicated, committed and pro-
vide good quality services, you will always have
promotion opportunities. An agent can become a
TEXT: LINDA NYSTRÖM PHOTO: PETTER COHEN
>>

“If you are dedica-
ted, committed and
provide good quality
services, you will
always have promo-
tion opportunities”,
says Rosana Garcia,
global HR Director
at Transcom.

“Transcom believes that motivational activities
are key to the work environment. You should take
your work seriously, but it is just as important that
you have fun at your workplace,” says Rosana
Garcia.
To be considered for a promotion, Rosana Garcia
suggests embracing Transcom’s core values: pas-
sion, excellence and innovation.
“Be customer experience-oriented and always strive
to be excellent in what you are doing,” she says.
“It is important to remember that competencies
and capabilities are just as important as experi-
ence.”
Cecilia Forzelius has additional advice.
“Work hard and deliver from where you are at.
With our weekly coaching sessions, it is easy to
discover talent and high performers,” she says.
“Attitude, ambition and a willingness to learn are
equally important. Be clear about your goals, both
personally and professionally. Let your leader and
coworkers know that you want to take on larger
responsibilities, and that you want to advance
professionally.”
There are many ways to develop as a Transcom em-
ployee, whether you want to advance professionally
and/or personally. One option, for example, could
be to go and work in one of the other Transcom
offices in Europe.
“If you are a Swedish-speaking agent, for exam-
ple, you can work in the Transcom office in Riga
since they are in need of employees who speak
Scandinavian languages,” Cecilia Forzelius says.
Main learnings from
working at Transcom
1. People
2. Skills
3. Experience
4. Customers
5.Communication
Unique and/or most
attractive with the job
at Transcom
1. People
2. Experience
3. Colleagues
4. Customers
5. Opportunities
Description of Transcom
and the people working
in the company
1. Friendly
2. Good
3. Young
4. Nice
5. Different
Survey among 102 Transcom
agents across North Europe
during 2015.
“IT IS AMAZING TO SEE HOW THE COMPANY HAS THE SAME SPIRIT EVERYWHERE”
Silvia Fernandez González start-
ed at Transcom after finishing
university in 2001.
“Many of us are still colleagues
today. Together, we have
developed both professionally
and personally, which makes us
a great team,” says Silvia Fer-
nandez González, 37, contact
center manager for Transcom
in Léon, in Spain.
She embarked on her Transcom career in Jan-
uary 2001, starting out as a customer service
representative.
A year later, she was promoted to team leader
and in 2003 she became business manager.
“It is very important to be persistent. I applied
for the business manager position three times
before the opportunity arose,” she recalls,
adding she got married and had a child during
this time.
When she returned to work five months later,
she was promoted to contact center manager.
Silvia Fernandez González has travelled
the world with Transcom and has visited the
company’s offices in Sweden, Lithuania, Spain
and Portugal.
“It’s amazing to see how the company has the
same spirit everywhere. We work together, in
the same functional way to achieve the same
goals, but we are in different countries. This, and
meeting all the fantastic people in the offices
out there, is something I’m really grateful for.”
>>
Cecilia Forzelius.
Rosana Garcia
started her own
Transcom career as
an HR-manager for
the contact center
in Barcelona.
Silvia
Fernandez
González.

A
t the beginning of 2014, Morten Halkjaer
hit a crossroads in his life. He was living in
Denmark and was working as a manager
in a retail store. But he was dreaming of
more: He wanted to work abroad and take
the next step in his career.
In February the same year, he saw that Transcom
was looking for a customer service agent in Riga.
He applied and was called for an interview.
“I had the telephone interview on a Wednesday. I
started the following Monday and moved to Riga,”
Morten Halkjaer recalls.
It has only been two years since Morten Halkjaer
made the big move, but it’s been a period that has
been shaped by new experiences and thrilling chal-
lenges. Already in April 2014, Morten Halkjaer was
promoted to team leader. And in October 2015, he
was promoted again, to product specialist.
“Today my job is to ensure that our projects reach
specific results and targets. The job is very dynamic.
Among other things I coach team leaders, organize
competitions and hold classes.”
This week, Morten Kjærgaard Halkjaer has been
holding an introduction course for new colleagues.
During the course, he teaches them how to use the
company’s internal tools, goes through different
scenarios they might face in their job and arranges
role-plays. By the end of the week, the agents are
ready to take their first call.
“Everyone is so excited when they get to answer
a real call,” he says.
Morten Halkjaer is convinced that his experience
as a service agent and team leader has given him
lots of valuable skills that he can bring to his new
role as a product specialist.
“My background makes me understand the prob-
lems and questions my colleagues might have.”
In two years, Morten Halkjaer has
been promoted twice and now works
as a product specialist in Riga.
From agent to
product specialist
FACTS/MORTEN HALKJÆR
Age: 25.
Works as: Product specialist.
Lives in: Riga, Latvia
Comes from: Resen, Denmark
Best thing about Transcom: The colleagues and the great
atmosphere.
TEXT: MALIN LARSHAMMAR PHOTO: ANDRIS SPROGIS

How can companies provide optimal customer care during the
rapid digital transformation, when the customer experience is
becoming increasingly important? Transcom is continually
developing new solutions together with its clients – and has even
started an innovation lab.
T
he rapid digital transformation
affects all industries to some
extent. With more products
and more complex services, the
demands are increasing for a
flexible customer service that
can serve all channels on the
customer’s terms. At the same
time, the customer experience
itself has become an increasing-
ly important way for companies to set their prod-
ucts and services apart from their competitors.
More and more customer contacts are moving
from traditional voice conversations to digital chan-
nels. And those companies who can’t handle the
customers’ demands risk facing a stream of irritated
feedback on Twitter or Facebook.
“Digitalization and customer experience are the
two buzzwords in our industry. Digitalization is
leading us into a new phase where customer service
and the customer experience become even more
important. And the development is happening
quickly now”, says Philip Sköld, Chief Commercial
Officer at Transcom.
Today almost one fourth of Transcom’s turnover
is related to non-voice activities, and that number
will only increase.
“We serve our customers regardless of channel.
And the customer has to have the same experience
regardless of whether it is over the phone, chat or
mail.”
Customer experience is clearly a key concept for
Transcom. In order to continually improve the
customer experience, Transcom is working actively
together with its clients to come up with new inno-
INNOVATION
IN ALL CHANNELS
>>
TEXT: JOHAN WICKSTRÖM ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT HILMERSSON

vative solutions, like implementing smart technical
solutions or simplifying (and speeding up) process-
es while also educating and developing staff.
One example is when Transcom worked together
with a global electronics company to develop a web
based knowledge base to show customer service
staff how to solve all kinds of questions related to
the client’s products. The system led to more satis-
fied customers and a much quicker and smoother
work flow for customer support.
“Outsourcing customer service used to be largely
about cutting costs, but now quality is becoming
more important. That is why we are always working
with our clients to develop new services and deliver
more value”, says Philip Sköld and gives the follow-
ing example:
“If we notice, for instance, that a lot of com-
plaints are coming in about the same thing then we
can notify our client about that, analyse the reasons
and come up with suggested solutions. That way we
are creating a more satisfied end user at the same
time as we cut costs for our client. “
One key area, also as a direct result of digitalization,
is business analytics. Transcom handles about thirty
million customer interactions each month. That pro-
duces big data that is collected and can be analysed
in various ways.
“For instance, we can use this to analyse the en-
tire customer journey and see if there are any areas
where the client risks losing customers or where
there are unnecessary contacts”, says Philip Sköld.
The rapid digitalization is also the reason be-
hind the research project LeonarDo2.0.14, where
We serve our customers regardless of
channel. And the customer has to have the
same experience regardless of whether it is
over the phone, chat or mail.
Philip Sköld, Chief Commercial Officer, Transcom
>>
CONTACT CE
Hello Transcom 201620

Transcom and the University of L’Aquila have
worked together to create a kind of open innovation
lab to develop new tools and solutions that are easy
to use.
“It’s about finding new and efficient ways of
integrating digital applications, to gauge customer
attitudes by analysing texts and conversations and
following the customer journey through to the
decision-making stage”, says Emanuele Vitale, who
heads up LeonarDo2.0.14.
“We will use the digital system to improve and
strengthen customer experiences. We are moving
toward an increasingly digital world that will require
new tools. Customers have much higher demands for
service today. And whoever is dissatisfied can immedi-
ately spread that message via a tweet or on Facebook.”
One of Transcom’s collaborators in the project is one
of its clients, a large public sector organization in
Italy. The agency deals with more than 23 million
customer contacts per year, which are handled by
more than 2,000 people.
Transcom has about
1.5 million customer
interactions each
day. That produces
big data that is col-
lected and analysed
in various ways. And
the outcome of this
analytics can be
new forms of value
added services to
the clients.
Some of the lab tools are being tested here, in-
cluding a solution that integrates phone contacts
with natural language self service, chats, Skype,
webcall, mail, branch offices contacts and faxes
in one interface with single view of the customer
and with his analytics profile.
That shows which questions have been asked
and in which channels. And the system seems to
work well: customer satisfaction is high.
But of course future customer service is not
only about analysis and data. In the end it’s about
people meeting people – and that is more complex
than one may think.
“An important part of our project is about
developing new ways to support our staff, so they
can handle questions in the right way regardless
of the channel, the customer profile, the customer
behaviour, the customer sentiment and his jour-
ney with us: we are engaged in their experience.
The digital channels require different approaches
for each type of communication”, says Emanuele
Vitale.
Philip Sköld,
Transcom.
NTER
DATA/
ANALYTICS

Around 15 000 people call Samsung New Zealand’s customer service center each
month. Whether they need to understand how to work a washing machine or plug in a
TV, the Transcom agents need to be able to answer it all. And the job isn’t made easier
by the fact that technology has a tendency to push many a customer over the edge…
N
inety percent of our calls
come from customers who
are trying to resolve an issue
or log service jobs. This
means that they might have
tried troubleshooting on
their own first, then asked
a colleague or a friend, and
when that didn’t work they
called us. So by the time
they call in, they might be
pretty frustrated already,” Naveen Dowlath, head of
Services at Samsung New Zealand, explains.
“So as an agent you need to be very empathetic
and have great listening skills. You need to quickly
understand the customer and where he or she
might be coming from.”
Transcom has been in charge of Samsung New
Zealand’s customer service center since November,
2014. The agents, who are based in Transcom’s
center in Manila in the Philippines, are responsible
for taking all in-coming calls, operating the live chat
function and answering any query that has been
logged via Samsung New Zealand’s website. They
also handle remote management of some Wi-Fi-
based products, such as TVs.
“Our customer expectations are extremely high.
If something goes wrong many of them expect you
WHY TECHNOLOGY
REQUIRES EMPATHY
TEXT:
LOUISE NORDSTRÖM
PHOTO:
ALEX WALLACE
to get them a replacement or carry out services for
them within an hour, this is the standard we aspire
to achieve” Naveen Dowlath says.
And while an empathetic ear is key in dealing with
Samsung New Zealand’s customers, so is the ability
to swiftly and intelligently help customers solve
their problems.
Before a Transcom agent is even allowed to go
on cue, they undergo a minimum of four weeks
of training where they perfect their inter-personal
communication skills and learn the ins-and-outs
of all Samsung products. They are also regularly
required to participate in refresher courses based on
their product line of responsibility.
Transcom’s agents also have access to a Samsung
product laboratory located within meters from their
workstations where they, at any time, can go and
test, troubleshoot or simply familiarise themselves
with products.
“They need to know it all. The lab contains
everything from refrigerators and TVs to washing
machines and mobile phones. If they need to, they
can go there and troubleshoot while still having the
customer on the phone.”
Transcom also has team leaders present among
its agents at all times, ready to assist and support
their agents in the case that a particularly tricky
query or situation should come up.

“As an agent you
need to be very
empathetic and
have great listening
skills. You need to
quickly understand
the customer”, says
Naveen Dowlath,
head of Services
at Samsung New
Zealand.
Our customer expectations are extremely high. If something goes
wrong many of them expect you to get them a replacement or carry
out services for them within an hour, this is the standard we aspire to
achieve. Naveen Dowlath, Head of Services, Samsung New Zealand
>>
over the services for Samsung New Zealand two
years ago, the customer satisfaction scores have
increased “from the 70s to the high 80s”.
“We’re very pleased. They are very profession-
al and very keen to build relationships. They’ve
become somewhat of a family and are really easy
to communicate with. No request is too difficult for
them to handle.”
Every day, a third Samsung-contracted party
evaluates the services Transcom has carried out by
interviewing customers who have had a service job
completed after being in touch with an agent.
Naveen Dowlath says that since Transcom – which
also is in charge of Samsung’s customer care busi-
ness in Australia, Philippines, and the US – took
FACTS/SAMSUNG
• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd is
present in 84 countries and employs
307,000 people worldwide.
• Its products range from TVs, smart
phones, tablets, cameras, digital
appliances, printers, as well as
semiconductor and LED solutions.
• In New Zealand alone, an average of
15,000 contacts are made with the
company’s customer service center
each month. Transcom agents handle
all in-coming phone calls, the live
chat function as well as any query that
has been logged via Samsung New
Zealand’s website.

”An amazing journey”
Ulrika Björn is one of
the few who has been
working at Transcom
since start.
Why have you stayed at
Transcom for so long?
“It has been an amazing
journey for me personally. I loved my job
back then and I love it now. The develop-
ment possibilities are infinite and I have
probably worked at every single Transcom
department except IT.”
What is your best memory
from the last 20 years?
“One of many highlights during the years
was when I was awarded the prize for being
Transcom’s most loyal employee.”
How has the job
changed from 1995-2015?
“In 1995, we drew a line on a piece of paper
for every customer that called in and wrote a
manual note about the case. Today, all kinds
of customer data is available at the press of
a button.”
20CELEBRATING
YEARS IN BUSINESS
EXPANDING WORLDWIDE
Transcom acquires a majority share
in Spanish customer management
business, Gestel. This acquisition was
followed by several others around
Europe, North America and Asia
between 2002-2008. 2002
Ulrika Björn.
< 500 employees
Customer service for Comviq’s
mobile telephone customers in
Sweden
1 client, 1 contact center
in Karlskoga, Sweden
1995 30,000 employees,
100 nationalities, 33 languages
Global customer
experience specialist
52 contact centers, onshore, offshore
and near shore in 21 countries
2016
>

From its beginning in 1995, Transcom has evolved from a
single-country operation into a global organization spanning
21 countries, leading the way in customer experience management.
THE BEGINNING IN KARLSKOGA
Transcom AB was established by the Swedish invest-
ment company Kinnevik, to provide customer service
for Comviq’s cell phone customers in Sweden. The
first office was opened in Karlskoga.
NEW OFFICES IN EUROPE
Transcom Europe SA was
founded with offices in Sweden,
Luxembourg and Norway.
STOCK EXCHANGE LISTING
After a rapid geographical expansion,
Transcom was operating in 15 Euro-
pean countries by the end of 2001.
In the same year, Transcom’s shares
were listed on the stock exchange.
TRANSCOM CARES
Transcom Cares was established as
the overarching governance program
for Transcom’s Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) activities. Focus
areas include people development,
equality & diversity, and community
engagement.
LEADERSHIP
IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Strategic priorities going forward
are informed by our vision of being
recognized as a global leader in
customer experience. Strategic focus
on Europe and English-speaking
markets & Asia-Pacific.
1995
1997
2013
2001
2015

2015 was another strong year for Transcom.
Johan Eriksson, President and CEO, explains why
and what the company will focus on in 2016 and
beyond.
How would you summarize 2015?
”It’s not easy to sum up such an eventful year in
a few short words, but let me highlight our strong
focus on quality, which has allowed us to expand
our relationships with many of our clients during
the year, and win new ones. We signed a number of
new agreements in 2015, e.g. with lastminute.com
and Whirlpool.
During the year, we also focused on strengthen-
ing our organizational capabilities further in order
to support growth, continued operational perfor-
mance improvements and innovation.”
The market is changing quickly now – how does
Transcom manage the growing demands from the
clients?
”We are operating in a sector which is growing at an
attractive rate, approximately 4-5 percent per year.
At the same time, our industry is going through
massive change with the move to non-voice and
automated services. Transcom’s current market
position is solid, with a growing share of digital and
multichannel services. Change means opportunity,
but it is important that we continue to be adaptive
and proactive in response to changing conditions.
At the end of the day, success will depend on the
strength of our client partnerships. This is why one
of our key priorities is to continue to strengthen
Transcom’s position as a strategic partner for our
clients.”
Any change in strategy for 2016?
”We have chosen to focus on growing our presence
further in English-language markets. It will be a
particular focus on the United States, the largest
customer care outsourcing market in the world
by far, the United Kingdom, which is the biggest
market in Europe, and Australia.
In addition to this, we are targeting growth in
selected markets in Europe, where Transcom has
a very strong position to build on. We can offer
clients an industry-leading multilingual delivery
capability, based on a mix of onshore, near shore
and offshore contact centers.”
INSIDE TRANSCOM
DRIVING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
”We are continuously investing in improving processes, methods
and tools that help our people deliver better services with lower
risk, better quality and higher efficiency,” says Pär Christiansen,
Transcom’s Chief Operating Officer.
Watch the video clip here: 2015.transcom.com
”OUR INDUSTRY IS GOING THROUGH MASSIVE CHANGE”
“At the end of
the day, success
will depend on
the strength of
our client part-
nerships”, says
Johan Eriksson,
President and
CEO.
PHOTO:PETTERCOHEN

In order to be successful and create real
value, our aim is to truly partner with our clients,
leveraging best practices that are tailored to the
specific needs of each situation.
Philip Sköld,Transcom’s Chief Commercial Officer
Customer service and support
• Delivering service experiences
and technical support for our
clients’ customers.
Customer retention
• Preventing defection and maximi-
zing the lifetime of a customer.
Customer acquisition
• Acquiring new customers cost-
efficiently and building strong
customer relationships.
Cross- and upselling
• Identifying customer needs and
taking appropriate action.
Collection services
• Payment reminder calls
TRANSCOM’S
SERVICE PORTFOLIO:
>>
TRANSCOM WINS SEVERAL AWARDS
Transcom has won several customer care out-
sourcing awards in the last year. Here are a few
examples:
• Award for Best Outsourcer in Spain, in October
2015. In addition, Transcom also won the Gold
Award for Best Quality Management in the same
competition.
• Award for Best Supervisor (Team Leader) in the
contact center industry in Spain. The award was
handed out at the Fortius Awards Gala in Madrid
in February 2016.
• CRC Gold Award for Best Customer Care
Outsourcer – for the service we provide to one
of the largest Spanish banks.
• Frost & Sullivan 2015 Visionary Innovation
Leadership Award in Europe.
• Winner of Outsourcing stars 2015 competition
as best Contact Center in Poland. The ceremony
took place in Warsaw in January 2015.
blog.transcom.com
On Transcom’s corporate blog,
we share stories from around
the company. We also try to
exemplify how we work together
with our clients to enhance their
business performance by
improving the experience of
their customers.
MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT TRANSCOM
2015.transcom.com
This special website
replaces the traditio-
nal front section of
Transcom’s annual
report, giving you key
highlights from 2015.
You will also find
Transcom’s people
& sustainability report
here.

A global customer experience specialist...
...in 21 countries...
...operating 52 contact centers, onshore, off-shore and near shore...
..representing more
than 100 nationalities...
...employing 30,000 people...
...DELIVERING SERVICES IN 33 LANGUAGES...
...generating €626.5 million
revenue in 2015...
...listed on
Nasdaq Stockholm
(Mid Cap segment)
under ticker TWW…
transcom.com

Hello Transcom 2016

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Hello Transcom 2016