Automotive component manufacturer Johnson Controls has inked a seven-year deal with IBM Business Consulting Services to manage its customer contact centre operations.
Previously, the 17-seat call centre was managed in-house. Eight Johnson staff have been shifted to work under IBM BCS as part of the project, leaving nine internal staff to remain within the in-house call centre.
Johnson Controls managing director Karl Mahoney said the partnership with IBM allows it to substantially boost the capacity of its contact centre using the IBM call centre infrastructure.
"IBM have worked with us for business processes and the infrastructure that supports it but we were running our call centre off our own infrastructure," Mahoney said.
"By transitioning extra staff to the IBM call centre our customers are not only serviced by people familiar with their operations, but also the staff have significantly expanded career opportunities now that they are part of IBM's large contact centre operation."
Former Johnson Controls staff will move to IBM facilities in Brisbane and Ballarat this month.
The outsourcing of call centre operations is being sold by both firms as a way to enhance customer service and reduce the maintenance costs within Johnson Controls, and a way to grow business in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.