SINGAPORE-based call centre operator Teledirect Group is expecting 70 per cent growth in its sales of services in Malaysia this year.
Its chief executive officer and founder Laurent Junique said the company had just secured three contracts in the first quarter of this year.
“We foresee 70 per cent growth by December 31 2005 from 2004. For the past 10 years, Teledirect’s revenue has been growing at 40 per cent average annually,” Junique told Business Times in Kuala Lumpur.
He, however, declined to go into the specifics of his company’s financials.
Teledirect, which is an associate company to London-based advertising giant WPP Group plc, operates seven call-centres in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines and India. It has more than 900 workstations in Asia.
The London Stock Exchange-listed WPP Group plc has a 40 per cent stake in Teledirector since 1996. Being part of the WPP Group plc, Teledirect leverages on the clients of its sister company Ogilvy One, an advertising and public relations group.
Junique said in 2002, he invested RM3 million to set up Teledirect Telecommerce Sdn Bhd.
“These days, our average contract value is about RM1.8 million,” he said, while declining to reveal the total number of contracts the company has in hand.
Businesses which have capitalised on Teledirect’s services include banking, insurance, telecommunications, information technology and multimedia.
A teleservice’s success depends on the offer or promotion relevance of the product to the customer, Junique said. “Timing is also important. For example, if mail or literature on the product is received in the mail on Monday, then a call should be placed on Wednesday and not a week later,” he said.
After a campaign, salient information of consumer habits are fed back to Teledirect’s clients.
Junique said that Malaysia is well-positioned to be a hub for regional call centres as its community is multi-lingual. |