Saravanan Belusami, Chief Executive Officer PT VADS Indonesia. With 30 years of experience under his belt in business, technical and management, Saravanan has served in the full spectrum of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Telco’s and Customer Experience (CX).
Saravanan is no stranger to BPO industry. He has expertise in various field such as sales related activities, Customer Experience Management and Transformation, people management and daily Operations. He has managed outsourcing services of over 3000 seats in Malaysia and currently heading the BPO business in Indonesia with more than 6000 employees.
He is a Certified Professional Technologist received from the Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT), COPC Certified Professional Manager and a member of board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). In his current capacity he is focusing on the transformation journey that is looking at the customer experience end to end delivery and not to compromise on quality. His blended experience from the Managed Services in Telco environment together with next wave of outsourcing services is an area he is working on right now.
He has participated in many awards from different type of Contact Centre associations such as Contact Centre Association Malaysia (CCAM), Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), Contact Centre Association Singapore (CCAS) and also Contact Centre World Association (CCWA).
Saravanan has won many awards in the individual and team categories as listed below:
Industry Award for Contact Centre by CCWA – 2016
Talent Corp – Best CSR project – People with Different Abilities (PWDA) – 2016
Contact Center Association of Malaysia (CCAM) – Best CSR Project – 2016
Industry Award for Contact Centre by CCWA – 2015
Gold Winner – Best Customer Service – Mega Contact Centre in CCWA – 2015
Gold Winner – Best Mega Contact Centre in Contact Centre World Association (CCWA) – 2015
Silver Winner – Best Contact Centre Leader in the World (CCWA) – 2015
Gold Winner – Best Contact Centre Leader in Asia Pac (CCWA) – 2015
Telekom Malaysia Group CEO award – July 2014
Gold Winner – Best Mega Contact Centre in Contact Centre World Association (CCWA) – 2014
Silver Winner – Best Outsourced Contact Centre (CCAS) – 2014
Best outsourcing Project of the year by Outsourcing Malaysia – 2013
Best Contact Centre above 100 seats by Contact Centre Association Malaysia (CCAM) – 2013
Munirah is an MBA graduate from UK, majoring in Human Resource Management. She is a member of International Who’s Who of Professionals and Life Member of International Business Leaders. She has a total of 25 years working experience.
An experienced personnel in the areas of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Customer Experience Management (CEM), Human Performance Management, Strategic Management, Business Process Redesign, Sales & Marketing and Project Management. Her exposure includes both local and foreign assignments with 15 years’ experience in the Banking Sector and has worked and consulted with include BPO, insurance, telecommunication, property development and leisure vacation & hospitality.
She is the Founder/President & CEO of Brandt International, which specializes in the areas of Business Transformation Consulting and Outsourcing with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta and Manila. She is an experienced Facilitator, Human Performance Strategist, Service Quality Management & Change Management practitioner for the past 25 years having conducted numerous training and consulting assignments in CRM, Customer Service Management, Customer Experience Management and Organization Development assignments, both locally and overseas. She is currently a sought-after Speaker and Advisor to various Contact Centre & BPO Associations/Industries in the region, namely Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.
Her contribution has been recognized by numerous awards organizations:
Master Entrepreneur Award 2021
APEA Asia Pacific Enterprise Award (Regional Edition)
10 Best Aspiring CEOs in 2020 by Industry Era •
Top 3 Nominee for the prestigious “EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018 (Malaysia)”.
“Women Leadership Award” for Business Process Outsourcing Sector in 2018.
“Top 30 Women Achievers & Leaders-Malaysia” 2017.
The “Women Leadership Achievement Award” at the WWLCA-World Women Leadership Congress & Award 2015
Inaugural “Malaysian Women of Excellence Award 2014”
Immediate Past President of the Call Centre Association of Malaysia (CCAM) COPC Certified Implementation Leader CIAC Certified Strategic Leader Group CIO of TDCX, Executive Vice President for Malaysia and India
Byron has over 20 years of experience in the Contact Centre Industry leading and running renowned outsourcing providers in Malaysia, India, and the Philippines. Byron has had the distinction of being the President, Vice President and Secretary of the CCAM during his time with the association. He holds an MBA in Information Systems, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Computer Studies.
Today, Byron is the Group CIO of TDCX, a well-recognized and respected boutique CX provider, specializing in delivering superior Customer Experience to some of the worlds most recognized brand names. His expertise in verticals such as telecommunications, banking, insurance, FMCGs, technology and government contact centres make him ideally suited to the responsibility of leading over 3000 of TDCX Malaysia’s best people.
Prior to his career at TDCX, Byron led and managed the outsourcing contact centre business for a large Malaysia outsourcing provider with a footprint in Malaysia, India and Philippines. His experience covers strategic management, digital transformation, customer experience management, business development and people development honed over his 20 years of work in outsourcing.
Byron is committed to the development of the contact centre industry and presently serves in the capacities of:
Founding Member of Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) since 2019
Advisor to and immediate past president of the Call Centre Association of Malaysia (CCAM)
Recipient of the Career Achievement Award from CCAM
Panel Judge of Contact Centre Awards in Asia for over ten years (China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia)
Byron speaks at various events for Contact Centre development and in the development of young individuals through some of the local universities in Malaysia. He has spoken online via COPC and to aspiring young minds from INTI University, Taylor’s College and Multimedia University of Malaysia
Byron has represented Malaysia, speaking at Contact Centre events all around Asia, Europe and has even participated in government level identification of business delivery as far away as Honduras in Central America
When not working, Byron rides motorcycles with a charitable motorcycle club (Helang Motorcycle Club of Malaysia) where he serves to plan out and execute community work mainly with orphans and the elderly in Malaysia and Thailand.
Raymond is the Founder & CEO of Daythree Business Services. He specializes in providing strategic management direction, particularly in the field of digital transformation strategy and management.
He has guided several technology companies from ‘start-up’ to becoming leading technology players in the industry. Amongst his many key achievements, Raymond managed one of the largest healthcare informatics implementations in Malaysia and played key role in realizing the IT Outsourcing agenda of a major state government in Malaysia.
Having originated from a corporate finance background, Raymond has strong working and practical knowledge in finance, accounting and banking. He holds a Master of Business Administration majoring in Strategy & Planning. He is a Chartered Accountant, registered with CPA Australia and Malaysian Institute of Accountants.
Raymond is the author of several articles and research papers. He was twice selected by peers in the industry as ‘Best Thought Leader’ in 2017 and once again in 2019 – an award reserved for recognizing leadership aimed at external positioning of the individual’s competencies in delivering value.
Raymond is a member of MDEC’s Talent Expert Network Panel – appointed for his knowledge and expertise in digital technology. He serves as Councillor at PIKOM, the National Tech Association of Malaysia, and is also a member of the Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators’(MAICSA) Training Professional Development Committee.
Additionally, he is the President for Contact Centre Association of Malaysia. He also serves as Treasurer of Outsourcing Malaysia and chairs her annual flagship conference committee, GBS Summit.
Above all, he is a sports enthusiast and has a deep passion for music.
July 23, 2021 – Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) present Leaders Talk discussion by the theme “Millennial Leaders in Contact Center”. CC-APAC invited professional speakers to the Asia Pacific contact center.
One of the speakers is Lily Shen, Senior Vice President of HSBC Global Contact Center Shared Operation, China Region. Lily began the discussion with her explanation about the working style of millennial leaders. Lily Shen said that about 70% of employees in her company are young employees. She also explained that the working style of millennials, in general, is quite adequate, attractive, and dynamic.
In addition, Lily also shared what she and her team focus on for millennials. The focus consist of nine future skills: curiosity, creativity, connectivity, customer engagement, human development, communication impact, transformation change, resilience, and growth.
Lily also shared three tips about how to become a strong leader in contact center. If millennials decide to progress in the contact center, they must know it is a very challenging but meaningful business. It is emotional, needs a lot of connectivity, and the human touch is precious in business. Contact center has a crucial role in all kind of business, especially in this covid situation. Therefore, the first tip to be a strong leader is to add or link the purpose of contact center with the individual, then they will find a way to learn and also to grow.
The second tip, Lily knows that millennials focus more on instant return. We can challenge them to understand the efficient looking, especially the future trend of digital interaction that is linked with the human touch. This challenge makes them know how far they can understand that they focus and how far they can progress their careers.
Last but not least, do not just learn from the senior. Millennial leaders must build their own leadership style and branding. Be yourself and show respect to people. Lily also shared that diversity is a strength and a core value in contact center. The customers are diversified and we are all diversified, so build your own leadership style and then it would be great. (ANF)
July 23, 2021 – The second Leaders Talk organized by Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) discussed “Millennial Leaders in Contact Center.” We invited four speakers, who are professionals from the Asia Pacific contact center.
One of the speakers is Joyce Poon, Vice President of CNCCA (China), Vice Chairlady of HKCCA (Hong Kong) & CEO of Equity Global Consultants Ltd.
Joyce said millennials are tech-savvy and are actively attached to the digital world, such as social media and gaming. Not only that, but they are also independent with a strong entrepreneurial mindset. Millennials show concern about the work environment with friendly teams, learning & development opportunities, and work-life balance.
She said that we should empower the millennials to be future-fit by building up their soft skills, such as empathy, collaboration, coaching, persuasion, creativity, adaptability, and more. We should offer learning opportunities for hard skills, such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, UX design, and even video production. They can be role models and leadership brands for contact centers.
Joyce also gave some tips for millennial leaders who are struggling in this pandemic situation. She said millennial leaders are very agile and resilient, and there are many opportunities for them to be involved in digital transformation. They can be the key enabler for digital success, and millennials can make a better work environment for future generations.
She wants to challenge millennial leaders to move from a “know-it-all” culture to a “learn-it-all” culture and nurture their “Growth Mindset.” As the Chinese proverb says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” We need to nurture the culture in contact centers.
For millennials, you must take a chance, and Joyce hopes we can strive together to create a better workplace and a better experience for the next generation. She said that she feels grateful because we can do it together for the generation coming behind us. The last message to millennial leaders is: “you gain the upper hand and good luck in getting ready for a brighter future,” said Joyce. (ANF)
July 23, 2021 – Interactive discussion initiated by Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC), Leaders Talk: Millennial Leaders in Contact Center which invited four professional speakers in the Asia Pacific contact center.
One of the speakers, who is invited in this discussion, is Sarun Vejsupaporn. He is the President of Thai Contact Center Trade Association and the CEO of NICE Call Company. The company is engaged in telemarketing and healthcare industry.
He also shared stories about millennials in Thailand who are so brave and talk a lot. He also has the key success to develop millennial leaders which are attitude, training, and incentives. With a good attitude, millennials will be easier to be trained so that they have good skills, then practice what they have thought. If they pass on the training, they will get what they want, such as incentives.
Sarun gave some tips about what you should do, if you have a lot of millennial leaders in the company. First, treat them as friends regardless of what they have been achieved. Do not tell them that you are his or her boss, they will not listen to you. If you consider them as brothers or sisters, they will listen to you. The second tip is you should listen to them first before you tell them to do a job or do something. Do not give them orders, but it is better to give them the targets.
Third, let millennial leaders find their ways to achieve their own goals. Do not tell them, immediately, what they have to do. The fourth tip is support what they ask for and read some of their recommendations.
Next tip, give them more authority to supervise their team because that is what they want as a leader. They want to have the authority to control and get their team moving forward. The sixth one, give them reward or appreciation as soon as possible when they have done a great job or got success in achieving something.
One more tip from Sarun, millennial leaders are fast and aggressive. Therefore, you should keep them exciting, like a horse which will run faster when they feel ignitable. Then the last one is, if they are not the right one, do not try to change them because it will waste your time. (ANF)
July 23, 2021 – In this Leaders Talk, the Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) discussed about “Millennial Leaders in Contact Center”. We invited four speakers who are professionals in the Asia Pacific contact center industry.
One of the speakers is Gratiano Yeung, Chief Customer Officer of Thai Insurtech Roojai.com, from Thailand. In Thailand, Gratiano said millennials have courage to speak up and accept challenges. Every month, her company holds monthly meetings for their agent/staff with managers to discuss about their working conditions. The goal is to make all employees feel heard by giving them the opportunity to speak. Roojai.com also provides training and certification to improve their employees’ skills.
Further discussions about the right time to assign an agent contact center to another department. Gratiano said that 2 years is enough time for an agent to be assigned to another department. During this time, they can learn various knowledge from contact center teams and other departments. Before getting the assignment, they must go through the interview process first. “If they apply for those positions, they still need to go through a proper interview by the department head,” Gratiano said.
Gratiano shared some tips and gave motivation for millennials. She talked about her concerns. First, she thinks people in general prefer to stay in their comfort zone, so Gratiano thinks we need to challenge ourselves. Just like her, she challenged herself to leave her home country to a foreign country and built start-up business from the scratch.
It does not mean that you must leave your country for a change, but she thinks it is always good to ask yourself, what you can do for make things better. The second is digital transformation in the contact center. She thinks, as a leader we also need to be humble to learn and equip ourselves very well.
Gratiano believes that these days, a lot of contact center still use on premises solution or still have legacy system. Roojai.com has been decided to give up the heritance system from their parent company then started their own solution contact center. It allows us to have more flexibility. The key is do not be afraid to make changes. We must try to think outside the box and always challenge ourselves. Gratiano said it is going to make a difference, so go ahead. (ANF)
Friday, July 23, 2021 – In this Leaders Talk, the Contact Center Associations of Asia Pacific (CC-APAC) discussed about “Millennial Leaders in Contact Center” by inviting four professional speakers in the Asia Pacific contact center.
This discussion was presented by Andi Anugrah, as Chairman of ICCA Indonesia. First panellist is Joyce Poon, Vice Chairlady of HKCCA Hong Kong & CEO of Equity Global Consultants Ltd. The second is from Thailand, Sarun Vejsupaporn, President of Thai Contact Center Trade Association & CEO of NICE Call Company. The next panellist is Lily Shen, Senior Vice President of HSBC Global Contact Center Shared Operation, China Region. Then the last one is Gratiano Yeung, Chief Customer Officer of Thai Insurtech Roojai.com.
The discussion was started with an explanation of the working style of millennial leaders in the contact center. Lily Shen said that about 70% of employees in her company are young employees. She also explained that the working style of millennials in general is quite effective, attractive, and dynamic. They are quite influential in their work system and highly appreciate the work-life balance.
According to Joyce, millennials have an interest and are actively attached to digital things, such as social media and gaming. Not only that, but they also have a very strong entrepreneurial mindset. Millennials are also more concerned about the work environment with friendly teams, job training, and development opportunities, and work-life balance.
In Thailand, Gratiano says millennials have the courage to speak up and accept challenges. So, every month, her company holds monthly meetings for their agent/staff with managers to discuss about their working conditions. The goal is to make all employees feel heard by giving them the opportunity to speak. Roojai.com also provides training and certification to improve the skills of their employees.
Sarun also shared stories about millennials in Thailand who are so brave and talk a lot. However, there are challenges if we talk specifically about contact center. Millennials are very hardworking, but don’t know much about targets. They only know, if the company has a budget, such as a bonus, then they will reach the given target.
The next discussion is how to deal with millennial leaders. According to Joyce, millennials in contact center should improve their soft skills to face the future, such as empathy, collaboration, persuasiveness, creativity, and more. They also need to learn hard skills about technology and data analysis, such as UX design or video production.
In addition, there are two important processes that must be considered by company when dealing with millennials. First, how they get through the training and how they understand their needs. What they need and what they expect from the company. This is done to achieve the balance between the two in achieving the company’s goals.
As same as Joyce, Lily states that we must truly understand their aspirations, as well as understand their ability gaps. The way Lily does for them there are two aspects, one of which is build their exposure. Expand their exposure and make them have stronger connectivity with others outside of the contact center in order to support their careers.
In addition, Lily and her team also focus on nine future skills, such as curiosity, creativity, connectivity, customer engagement, human development, communication impact, transformation change, resilience, and growth.
Another opinion from Sarun, he has the key success to develop millennial leaders. The key is attitude, training, and incentives. The first thing is attitude. With a good attitude, millennials will be easier to be trained so that they have good skills, then practice what they have thought. If they pass on the training, they will get what they want, such as incentives. Mention what incentives they will receive in the future to encourage their spirit.
Gratiano also agreed with other speakers regarding career. Agents must be given the opportunity or career path to become leaders. In this case, Roojai.com also has a career path where agents are welcome to apply for jobs in other positions or teams according to their abilities. Their company also provides a month-long basic training agent consist of inbound, outbound, social media, and other competencies to develop their skills. This training is very important for them, so they can understand the entire customer journey and provide the best experience for customers.
Gratiano explained that in the current pandemic there is a challenge for contact center because they must enforce their employees to work from home. Lack of visibility and monitoring of what they do at home and how to control data security. This is when the role of technology is needed. She explained about the technology used by his contact center company. Her company uses Cloud, so they can work from anywhere. They can keep an eye on the agents via their CRM system. The technology allows them to know the details of activities, reports, and other functions of the agents.
In the middle of the discussion, there was a question from a participant regarding the high turnover rate of millennials. According to Sarun, this can be overcome by making competitive salaries especially for millennial agents. Also give other offers, such as travel gifts, meal vouchers, and others. Companies should give them more benefits to overcome the high turnover.
In addition, Joyce also argues that turnover can be handled by managing their work, having good allocation, giving clear targets, as well as training or coaching. Millennials also have pressure to compete with gen Z. So, the solution is company must equip them with hard and soft skills like Joyce mentioned earlier.
The next discussion is how to be a good leader for millennials. Lily says that a good leader is has strong character and self-esteem, so they can have experience and be inclusive leaders. Inclusiveness means respect diversity. Leaders should be able to connect everyone on the team with all their diversity with respect and care. In addition, millennial leaders must also have a lot of sense in terms of connectivity and knowledge. Another important thing is have a heart to help in providing sustainable excellent service and become a role model in the team.
Further discussions about when is the right time to assign an agent contact center to another department. Gratiano said that 2 years is enough time for an agent to be assigned to another department. During this time, they can learn various knowledge from contact center teams and other departments. Before getting the assignment, they must go through the interview process first. “If they apply for those positions, they still need to go through a proper interview by the department head,” Gratianosaid.
Different from Gratiano, Lily says that her company gives agents 18 months to learn through this transfer system, “Our kind of standard time range would be 18 months,” Lily said. According to her, millennial leaders should be given some opportunities to change frequently by make some modifications, facilitate their wishes, and let them choose. This is the environment millennials want, so they don’t get bored easily.
At the end of the discussion, each panellist give some tips to millennial leaders, so they could adjust their abilities in the contact center.
Do not miss the next Leaders Talk with topic of discussion “A Leader’s Roadmap to Contact Center Success” on August 27, 2021. Please check CC-APAC Instagram for further information. (ANF)
