Teledirect: Media Clippings

May 15, Kuala Lumpur - Teledirect Telecommerce Sdn Bhd (Teledirect), a regional outsource contact centre, with SMRC Learning Alliance Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of SEG International (SEGi) Bhd and London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) International Qualifications (M) Sdn Bhd entered into a partnership to jointly develop Malaysia's FIRST Certified Professional Contact Centre Agent Programme, at a MoU signing ceremony held recently in Kuala Lumpur.

The MoU signing between Mr Francis Chung, Managing Director of Teledirect, Dr Chow Yong Neng, General Manager of SMRC and Mr Sean Leslie, Managing Director of LCCI Asia signified the commitment of the three parties in designing an accredited programme for the contact centre industry.

The brainchild of Teledirect, this certified professional Programme is aimed at elevating the contact centre agents' professionalism through the industry's Best Practice performance standards, and to further boost Malaysia's ranking in Asia Pacific as a distinctive outsource contact centre location.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the Malaysian contact centre industry is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5 percent throughout the forecasted period of between 2005 and 2012.

Chung said, "Malaysia is today an increasingly favourable location for contact centre activities after India and China, and this certification Programme will further strengthen our competitive edge as an outsourcing destination. With an accredited certification Programme, Malaysia is able to enhance its attractiveness as a contact centre destination that provides talented human capital with the necessary skill sets for an outsourced contact centre environment."

Chung added, "Given the common perception there is no career path in contact centres, this Programme will certainly elevate the value of a job in a contact centre and give a professional image to a contact centre career. According to callcentres.net, there will be a projected increase of 9,000 seats in 2007 for the Malaysian contact centre. This means that employability is almost assured to those armed with a certified professional qualification. This in turn will assist the Government in alleviating the country's unemployment rate of three percent by providing job and retraining opportunities".

Commenting on the strategic alliance with SMRC and LCCI, Chung said, "This industry driven multi-stage Programme establishes the standards and, validates the professionalism and high performance of a contact centre professional. Supported by SMRC, a leading educational body and LCCI, an international certification body, we are confident that this strategic alliance will lend tremendous credibility to the Programme, locally and regionally"

Sean Leslie also welcomed the collaboration by saying, "Continuous staff development is vital in today's rapidly evolving business world. LCCI always strives to ensure that its qualifications are at the cutting-edge of modern industry. This collaboration with Teledirect and SMRC allows us to enhance the international competitiveness of Malaysian contact centres and its agents."

Dr Chow Yong Neng said, "This smart industrial partnership between the three parties will ensure the development of skilled and talented Contact Centre Agents who would be career ready upon completion of the programme. SMRC is proud to help develop this Programme which will help to redefine the Contact Centre Agent's career as a profession."

Targeted at individuals who are interested to pursue a professional career in the contact centre industry, this Programme is slated to be a much sought after qualification.

The Programme runs for a duration of three full weeks; comprising two weeks of in-class learning followed by a week's attachment at Teledirect. Upon successful completion of the Programme, Teledirect is committed to offering employment opportunity to selected qualified agents.