Frequently asked questions

No…we can manage everything for you if required but equally, we’ll do whichever bits you need us to do. We can slot into your mature processes, roll out your training material and answer your interactions, essentially becoming an extension of your existing operation. Or we can take the whole requirement off you, revamp your training material, build your MI packs and deliver your requirements.

We are involved with training for every client we work with, but the role we take on depends on their preferred approach. For some clients we own the whole process, we design the training material, we deliver it and we ensure it is regularly updated, for other clients they upskill and accredit us to deliver their own material, so the process is totally consistent with their in house operation or other outsourcers. There are then many different approaches that sit somewhere between those two, and we can support them all. The most important thing is that we agree an approach that suits the client and ensures that we deliver the best service and get the best outcomes for their customers.

It depends on the client, like training we adopt a different approach depending on what the client needs. We are experienced working across a range of different scorecards and frameworks and work closely with out clients to ensure that our QA team are monitoring calls in line with their internal standards. The volume of monitoring is also variable, for some clients we follow an outcomes based model, for others it could be a risk based model or a set volume per Agent. We are totally comfortable adapting to the needs of our clients, or supporting them where they wish to put a model in place where they don’t already have one.

We ensure that assessments are included in all induction programmes, and if the client hasn’t included them we work with them to add them in. These assessments ensure that the learners are ready to progress from training, but also support them in understanding what areas they need to work on and what support they should be seeking. We make sure that all learners are feeling confident and ready to go live before they leave training, and provide any extra support that they need. A full handover is completed between training and Operations so that the grad bay and line managers know how training went and what areas they can support with.

Any time you put your brands in the hands of someone else, there are risks. A better question would be, is it safe to outsource and offshore with Sigma? We have been offshoring into Cape Town for nearly 15 years now, it’s the beating heart of our business and we know it better than anyone. From a data perspective, we are confident that our controls keep your data as safe as it would be in your own offices. From a customer experience perspective, our people are among the most enthusiastic, friendly and committed contact centre voices you could hope to hear and we work hard on cultural alignment and making sure our agents and relate to your customers. Finally, from a resilience perspective, our team on the ground is entirely local so we know the socio economic landscape inside out have a team of specialists committed to understanding, predicting and mitigating events that could otherwise impact service delivery. Our employee sentiment and ‘up time’ during covid, as an example, outstrips any other BPO in the City.

First of all we treat the client brand as if it were our brand and we treat that data as if it were our own. First there is expertise. Our DPO is a distinction qualified GDPR practitioner meaning we can provide guidance and consultancy to our clients for pragmatic, effective and compliant data protection. Next comes policy and training. All of our employees receive thorough training ensuring that institutionally we are informed, educated and prepared. Finally, comes control. We ensure that we apply “privacy by design and default” principles in all that we do, ensuring we have all the physical, practical, technical and organisational controls and measures in place to ensure your data is safe.

The set-up time can vary from client to client, but on average we would aim to have advisors into training within 6 weeks of the initial scoping session.

We pride ourselves on a partnership approach and throughout the set-up process we would work closely with our clients’ stakeholders to ensure a smooth set up, with zero impact to their customers and brand. It’s important that the setup is completed correctly and not rushed, to set the team up for success. We encourage our clients to be on the ground with the team, to support with knowledge transfer and to make our team feel like an extension of their business.

Accessing your systems from our offshore location is a seamless experience, designed to be as straightforward as working from your local office. We’ve partnered with industry-leading providers to invest in state-of-the-art connectivity technology and a robust IT infrastructure, ensuring global operations run smoothly and securely. Our solution is not just reliable but also highly resilient, built for scalability and adaptability to effortlessly adapt and flex according to your business needs. We work closely with our clients to make this process as easy as possible, ensuring that you receive uninterrupted, high-quality service no matter where you are in the world.