ISG
Contact centers in Europe and the U.K. are adopting remote work models and new technologies to address changes in consumer behavior and customer service in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG ) (Nasdaq: III ), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center – Customer Experience Services report for Europe and the U.K. finds major trends seen over the past 18 months, including consumers choosing digital channels over voice calls and employees working outside physical call centers, are likely irreversible. The contact center industry now must develop seamless, efficient omnichannel experiences for customers, delivered securely by decentralized workers and automated personas.
“Companies in Europe and the U.K. have begun to recognize they need new technologies and operating models to survive in a post-pandemic world,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “They have drastically changed their business approaches in the past 18 months and are accelerating their transformations.”
Enterprises in the region are increasing their use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, as well as automated personas in customer-facing roles, the report says. For secure and effective support by an increasingly remote workforce, companies are investing in real-time performance dashboards, automated coaching, agent performance analytics and gamification.
Geography plays a major role in the strategies of some contact center operators in the region, ISG says. European companies increasingly are turning to Eastern Europe for outsourcing, taking advantage of lower labor costs and local proficiency in other European languages. U.K. companies continue to favor India and other English-speaking countries, their traditional sources of offshore talent.
In the U.K., changes to the country’s IR35 regulations, which cover the use of temporary workers, disrupted the use of freelancers, digital consultants and experts and made the rules governing those engagements less clear. This complicated what has been a standard practice in the U.K.’s contact center industry. However, the changes also created opportunities for organizations willing to collaborate with providers, startups and technology vendors for nearshoring or offshoring of labor.
As in other regions, enterprises in Europe and the U.K. have had to adopt new working models that allow nearly all contact center agents to work remotely, the report says. These new models provide benefits including cost savings, access to talent, worker flexibility and higher productivity. Operators are making investments to address poor connectivity, background noise and security in remote work settings. With tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs), facial recognition, voice biometrics, screen monitoring and near environment monitoring, they are closing the gap in security between in-office and home-based work.
The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center – Customer Experience Services report for Europe and the U.K. evaluates the capabilities of 28 providers across four quadrants: Digital Operations, AI & Analytics, Work From Home Services, and Social Media CX Services.
The report names Atento, Capita, Firstsource, Sitel Group, Teleperformance and Webhelp as Leaders in all four quadrants. It names Majorel, Transcom and Wipro as Leaders in three quadrants each. Concentrix, Conduent and HGS are named as Leaders in two quadrants each.
In addition, Tech Mahindra is named a Rising Star—a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in two quadrants. Majorel and Wipro are named Rising Stars in one quadrant each.
Customized versions of the report are available from Capita , Firstsource and Sitel Group .
The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Contact Center – Customer Experience Services report for Europe and the U.K. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage .
About ISG Provider Lens™ Research
The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage .
A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.
About ISG
ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III ) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com .
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211112005422/en/
Link:
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Sinovac: Antigua Court Makes Interim Order Giving Board Control of the Company until the Trial of the Disputed 2025 Shareholder Meeting17.12.2025 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (NASDAQ: SVA) (SINOVAC or the Company), a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, today announced that the Antigua High Court has ordered that the directors Mr. Simon Anderson, Mr. Shan Fu, Mr. Shuge Jiao, Mr. Yuk Lam Lo, Mr. Yumin Qiu, Mr. Yu Wang, Mr. Andrew Y. Yan and Mr. Yin Weidong (collectively, the Board), will comprise the Board of the Company until the trial listed in late April/early May 2026. The Antigua High Court decision arises from a hearing that took place on 27 October 2025, at which applicants SAIF Partners IV L.P., OrbiMed Partners Master Fund Limited and 1Globe Capital LLC each sought injunctions to confirm the composition of their respective favoured Boards, pending determination of a dispute over the outcome of the Company’s Special Shareholders Meeting on 8 July 2025 (the SSM Dispute). The hearing of the SSM Dispute has been scheduled to take place in the Antigua High Court in late April/early May 2026, with judgment to be de
Akamai and Visa Collaborate to Build Trust in Agentic Commerce17.12.2025 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol to authenticate AI shopping agents and help prevent fraud across Akamai Cloud, strengthening the trust layer in agentic commerce Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, today announced a strategic collaboration with Visa (NYSE: V) to bring stronger identity, user recognition, and security controls to the emerging world of agentic commerce. Through its integration of Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol with Akamai’s edge-based behavioral intelligence, user recognition, and bot and abuse protection, the companies will deliver the identity, authentication, and fraud controls required to let merchants confidently welcome AI agents with commerce intent into their digital storefronts. As autonomous AI agents increasingly browse, compare, and purchase on behalf of consumers, merchants face a new array of challenges. Merchants must now be able to differentiate this new type of legi
Mercans Launches the World’s First AI-Powered Globally Intelligent Workforce & Leave Management Engine17.12.2025 11:50:00 CET | Press release
A Unified Platform That Converts Unevaluated Time Data into Country- and Client-Compliant Workforce Transactions in Real Time Mercans, a global leader in payroll technology, workforce management, and HR SaaS solutions, today announced the launch of its next-generation Workforce Management (WFM) and Leave Management Engine - the world’s first platform capable of evaluating unevaluated time and attendance data against any country-specific legislation and client-specific policy framework, and converting it into fully evaluated, payroll-ready time transactions. This breakthrough engine fundamentally transforms how organizations manage time, attendance, and leave across borders by eliminating manual rule interpretation, fragmented systems, and country-by-country customizations. Solving a Global Workforce Challenge Traditional time and attendance systems capture raw or unevaluated data - clock-ins, clock-outs, absences, and leave requests - but fail to interpret that data in context. The res
EIG’s MidOcean Energy Completes Acquisition of Interest in Canada from PETRONAS17.12.2025 09:58:00 CET | Press release
MidOcean Energy (“MidOcean”), a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company formed and managed by EIG, a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors, today announced the completion of its acquisition of a 20% interest in PETRONAS’ key entities in Canada. The transaction includes a 20% interest in the North Montney Upstream Joint Venture (“NMJV”), which holds PETRONAS’ upstream investment in Canada, and a 20% interest in the North Montney LNG Limited Partnership (“NMLLP”), which holds PETRONAS’ 25% participating interest in the LNG Canada Project. This strategic investment positions MidOcean across the LNG value chain, securing upstream resources and downstream liquefaction through the LNG Canada Project, with around 0.7 MTPA of associated LNG and potential to grow further. RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisor to MidOcean, and Latham & Watkins acted as legal advisor. About EIG EIG is a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastru
Nexo Announces Landmark Crypto Partnership with Tennis Australia for Australian Open and Summer of Tennis17.12.2025 09:00:00 CET | Press release
Nexo has signed a landmark multi-year deal with Tennis Australia, covering the Australian Open and the Summer of Tennis. The partnership delivers exclusive experiences, including a feature in the Coachеs Pod. The announcement continues Nexo’s rapid global expansion, following three other major sports partnerships in 2025. Nexo, the premier digital assets platform, has entered a landmark multi-year global partnership with Tennis Australia, becoming the Official Crypto Partner of the Australian Open and the Summer of Tennis, including the United Cup, Adelaide International, Brisbane International, and Hobart International. This agreement marks the first time a digital asset company has partnered with a Grand Slam tournament, affirming Nexo’s prestige, long-term vision, and leadership at the intersection of elite sport and digital assets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251216497915/en/ Antoni Trenchev, Co-founde
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom