Peter De Boer has been the new Director of Operations at Vanad Interactions since July of this year. He joins Vanad's BPO division during a period almost entirely focused on transformation.

 

De BoerFormerly of Yource, he has worked in customer contact for the past 25 years. He has a financial background and, by his own account, is “crazy about numbers”. His very first introduction to customer contact was as a customer contact employee; subsequently, he became responsible for placing customer contact employees at a temp agency. Later, he went on to work at SNT in Enschede, Cendris, and Cendris BSC; at the latter company, he was responsible for operations.

“There we significantly increased revenue and invested in internationalization – think of Spain and Suriname. Cendris was later acquired by Yource.” This summer, he moved from Yource to Vanad. There, his appointment is part of the transformation process of Vanad Interactions.

 

What do you like about working in the BPO sector?

That is a question you regularly get asked in your private life as well. What appeals to me is the combination of numbers, people, and results. Collecting and interpreting figures and then translating them into the right actions. Despite all the dynamics in customer contact, the challenge for me is to become more predictable. I enjoy being part of a winning team, or a team working towards one. Seeing that the right actions lead to better results is what energizes me. It helps that I worked on the phone myself as a student. So I know what it is like to talk to customers. Nowadays, of course, AI tooling has been added to that.

 

That brings us to the changing Dutch BPO sector. How is it developing currently?

“In this sector, you are among the winning parties if you manage to create a good combination of existing BPO knowledge and experience, technology, and internationalization. With Archie, the AI ​​platform from Vanad Interactions, and locations in the Netherlands, Turkey and Suriname Vanad has a good foundation. I have gained considerable experience in inter-country collaboration over the past few years, so there is a great task for me at Vanad Interactions. Which contacts are best suited to which location? Nowadays, that has nothing to do with simple or complex, easy or difficult, but rather with the extent to which technical knowledge, empathy, and cultural understanding are required. In the past, there was also a strong focus on capacity in terms of seats. It shows how the BPO market is currently changing.”

 

Are we moving towards a model where you route per customer contact – for example, to an agent at a specific location or to a voicebot? Are there already clients from whom you receive the full mandate for sourcing and routing?

“Clients aren't there yet, but that is a model you could work towards. I think we need to create proof for that model first. It is common practice for clients to look at the cheapest location. But something still needs to happen on the employee side as well: for example, providing proof that AI is a valuable tool that allows you to help your customers better and faster.”

 

For an increasing number of Dutch BPO firms, growth is primarily realized abroad. Is this also the case for Vanad Interactions?

The traditional model in which BPO companies sell as much capacity as possible is changing. The winners are parties that can create a good mix of good people, good technology, and international deliveredThis means continuously adjusting based on the latest developments. That is different from reorganizing or restructuring. BPOs regularly look at questions such as 'are we still in the right place?' and 'do we still have the right competencies on board?' This also applies to Vanad, and in particular to our staff organization. It is also getting to work with AI and automation, for example in the recruitment process. Or consider the rollout of HR self-service using Archie. Part of the WFM work can be automated or moved to more favorable locations – or both. And at the same time, we are investing in new competencies, technology, and team members. We are recruiting extensively through our sister company. Inspire, which specializes in staff and management positions in customer contact. Our organization is being restructured and will gradually start working differently.”

 

More and more BPO players are also taking a more critical look at which clients they want to serve. Is this also the case at Vanad Interactions?

You need to work with clients who are a good fit for you, depending on the stage you are in. Some client relationships develop in a certain direction, making it increasingly difficult to continue working together as equal partners. For example, when our role becomes increasingly limited to providing capacity. That aligns less and less well with the direction in which we are developing. In this regard, you make all kinds of trade-offs and, of course, look at the contribution to the margin, but just as much at the alignment in values ​​and norms.

 

Are there still BPO parties willing to act as capacity providers?

“Every BPO player is in a different phase of this transformation. And every offering creates its own demand; I am convinced of that. It is fine if there are BPOs that specialize in providing high-volume capacity. Fortunately, the largest group of clients takes a more nuanced approach. They are looking for added value. However, the extent to which this is the case differs considerably from one outsourcer to another. If an outsourcer feels they have to take the place of the service provider, things become complicated. And outsourcers can, of course, also change during a relationship. Sometimes you see that a new board member brings new energy, even in existing outsourcing relationships.”

 

To what extent is the BPO transformation influenced by changes on the end customer side, i.e., the consumer you interact with?

“That end customer is increasingly using ChatGPT and related solutions. I notice that I encounter AI output more frequently in LinkedIn posts: it is all starting to look the same. The older consumers we speak to at Vanad Interactions are increasingly capable of handling digital tools well. The telephone remains a favorite contact channel, however, for when there are real problems. Whether the way consumers make purchases is also changing due to AI is difficult for me to say at this moment. But this is also one of the developments we are monitoring closely, because it can influence the customer contact business.”

(Ziptone/Erik Bouwer)

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