Computer technical support desks around the world are being asked the same question day in day out, and it€™s my guess that the answer is the same time after time.

€œI am having trouble with my computer, please can you help me?€ says the caller. €œTurn it on and off again€ says technical support.

However, as much as technical support centres the world over could save millions of man-hours by pre-recording the €œturn it on and off again€ mantra, the world of tech support would become even more complex if it had to be delivered in a multitude of different languages.

In the UK you can already find outsourcers offering multi-lingual capabilities. But finding one that can offer multi-lingual capabilities on mass is not so easy and for good reasons. Take a moment now to think of all the friends you know that can speak two or more languages. My guess is that you can count them on one hand. For those that you€™ve counted, how many would you say were fluent? This is the problem that outsourcers and companies in the UK and other countries face, where do they go to find a truly multi-lingual and well educated workforce?

Well the simple answer would be to find a call centre with a multicultural workforce so diverse it would make Enoch Powell turn in his grave. But how many contact centres are there in the world that can offer mass inbound/outbound services in over 10 languages? Well until a few years ago, these could also be counted on the fingers of one hand, but today in the stag party capital of the world, you€™ll find one such multi-lingual call centre that is thriving thanks to a truly global workforce.

ICON Communication Centres in Prague has become one of the shining lights of the multi-lingual call centre industry in recent years. ICON currently serves numerous clients both large and small through its two centres in Prague and Bruno offering multi-lingual support in over 20 languages. Formed in April 2003, with its first call being made on 3rd June 2003, ICON was not only the first, but is still the leading contact centre outsourcer in the Czech Republic. It€™s a  company that was formed as a result of enormous passion for the call centre industry; identifying, seizing and nurturing the opportunity that presented itself within Eastern Europe, a virgin call centre territory that perfectly compliments (not competes against) onshore & offshore propositions presently available.

One of ICON€™s leading visionaries is Managing Director Helen Hickin. €œBefore settling on the Czech Republic we looked at sites all over Europe to find the right formula to make Icon different from any other call centre in the world. We needed the right multicultural mix, low operating costs to be able to compete globally and a near shore locality to our primary marketplace in the UK. We quickly established that Prague€™s population boasted a high proportion of self motivated British ex pats, Australians and Americans; who have English as a first language and are empathetic with the culture of key UK and US business environments. Crucially though, we knew there were an abundance of Czech nationals who are fluent in not only English and north European languages but French, German and eastern European languages. This unbeatable package is what makes ICON unique in the marketplace enabling it to offer services not found in traditional call centres in the UK or US.€

Although it may seem that ICON have found the dream base with which to build its call centre empire, Hickin makes it clear that they€™ve had their fair share of obstacles along the way.

Recruitment is one of the hardest jobs to get right in any call centre, but recruiting so many different language skills raises its own complications. However, ICON takes a simplistic view on recruitment and selects its communication team members specifically on their ability to hold a stimulating conversation; they therefore do not preclude anyone from the interview process if they do not hold a suite of academic qualifications. However it€™s interesting to note that ICON is attracting academically bright individuals with c. 80% of their Communication Specialists holding a degree qualification. Again, this is another benefit of their chosen location, with 8 universities and many independent research centres in Prague, ICON is in the education and research centre of the Czech Republic.

Tanja Stegmaier manages the recruitment side of the ICON business and is herself fluent in English and German. Tanja credits her ability to find the right people to the educational infrastructure with the country. €œThe Czech Republic devotes special efforts to increasing language skills and the proportion of secondary-level students studying English is as high in vocational courses as in €œacademic€ areas, and at 95% is high by European standards. However it€™s interesting to note that over 76% of university students learn one foreign language, 20% learn two and 4% learn three or more languages. I€™ve also found the Czech workforce to be well motivated with a high responsiveness to training and an interest in continuous professional and personal growth. With statistics like these and a thriving ex-pat community it makes my job of finding the right people with the right language skills that bit easier.€

ICON is not alone in promoting the benefits of a low cost well educated workforce. To date companies such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, Proctor & Gamble and Panasonic are following ICONs lead and investing in the Czech Republic. The company has a bright future ahead of it as it continues to expand its multi-lingual service to more companies, offering the best of UK practice with all of the advantages of offshore but none of the disadvantages.

 

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