Barely two months after opening its virtual doors, TransUnion’s South Africa Global Capability Centre (GCC) has started providing support to the company’s Canadian business and customers.
The GCC’s head, Avesh Singh, says the go-live was a ‘major milestone’ in the virtual centre’s development, and that the South Africa GCC is looking to expand into additional international markets later this year as demand for wider competencies such as marketing, IT, and analytics in various global TransUnion markets increases.
Singh says the GCC is gearing up to invest heavily in local talent as the global information and insights company looks to enable greater innovation and value for the clients and consumers it serves. TransUnion’s GCC in Chennai, India, launched in 2018, and already employs more than 1,000 people. The South Africa GCC is targeting similar growth.
“Our South Africa GCC has a skilled workforce, a sophisticated infrastructure and enabling environment, and strong ICT and digital capabilities which the wider TransUnion business, its clients and the consumers they serve are already benefiting from,” says Singh.
For TransUnion’s Canadian business, the South Africa virtual GCC hired additional staff, who provide a range of support services in both French and English.
“From planning, recruitment, hiring to IT, I have received nothing but best in class service. This has enabled us to have a smooth transition, and I’m looking forward to how we can continue to evolve this strategy for Canada,” says Lindsey Anslow, senior manager for TransUnion’s Canada operations.
Singh says South Africa had shown ‘an innate ability’ to develop operating models that provide continuity solutions to businesses, including ‘Work from Home’ models, increased office continuity and community-based operations. “The TransUnion GCC’s employees all work virtually, providing round-the-clock support in a safe working environment.”
Government has recognised BPO as a priority sector in South Africa and is in the process of rolling out a master plan, which will assist the sector in achieving its target of 100 000 additional jobs by 2023 and 500 000 by 2030.
Reshni Singh, the director of Global Business Services at South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (dtic), says the dtic is ‘delighted’ by the GCC’s Canadian expansion, which would result in significant job creation opportunities for the youth and contribute to the country’s export revenue.
“TransUnion is one of many global companies who are leveraging South Africa’s value proposition, which is underpinned by a large availability of good quality English-speaking talent, with high empathy, cultural affinity, and niche domain skills. We are confident that TransUnion will continue to grow in South Africa through its success in providing the best customer experience and next generational service delivery,” says Singh.