ST. CATHARINES, ON,
Jan. 15, 2020 /CNW/ -
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has opened an intelligent
operations centre in the Niagara region that serves as the hub for
its newly launched intelligent sales and customer operations
business.
Spanning 68,000 square-feet in downtown St. Catharines, the new "Niagara North"
location is Accenture's second in the region and the company's
third intelligent operations centre in Canada, with similar sites in nearby
Thorold, Ontario ("Niagara South")
and Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The company plans to create an additional 100 local jobs by
2021 to support a variety of business functions such as
marketing, sales, customer care and IT support.
Local officials and community groups are expected to attend the
centre's opening event today, with St.
Catharines' Mayor Walter
Sendzik taking part in the ribbon-cutting.
"On behalf of the City of St.
Catharines, I want to thank Accenture for this incredible
investment in our city, which not only brings much needed jobs, but
also plays an important role in bringing more people to our
downtown," says Walter Sendzik,
Mayor of the City of St.
Catharines. "The arrival of Accenture in downtown
St. Catharines sends a powerful
signal about the transformation that we have seen here in recent
years, and we are proud of the fact that a Fortune 500 company with
a global reach like Accenture's has chosen our city for this
intelligent operations centre."
Other attendees expected at today's opening
include business leaders, like Metrolinx and Enbridge,
which have embarked on innovative initiatives with Accenture, using
emerging technology, shared services models and process innovation
to drive sustained growth. For example, working with
Accenture, Enbridge was able to reduce the call volume at its
customer care centre by 20%, significantly reducing the cost to
serve each customer.
"Through our partnership with Accenture, we've been able to
transform how we serve our customers with cutting-edge solutions
and leading support capabilities provided by our team in the
Niagara region," said Darren
McIlwraith, director of customer care operations at
Enbridge.
Designed with collaboration and co-creation in mind, the new
centre includes open areas with interactive digital surfaces,
immersive demonstration space and theater seating for larger
groups.
Emphasizing the well-being of employees — Accenture was recently
named one of Canada's Top 100
Employers for the 10th consecutive year — the
centre offers sit-to-stand desks, two wellness rooms, a mothers'
room, a meditation and prayer room with a foot-washing station, a
café and green areas. The site also has a fitness room equipped
with treadmills, an area for yoga and Zumba classes, and a games
room featuring ping-pong, air hockey and a pool table.
"We've been in the Niagara Region since 2001 and are thrilled to
expand our footprint in the heart of St.
Catharines with new employment opportunities for the deep
talent pool and a new service offering for our clients," said
Jeffrey Russell, president of
Accenture in Canada. "In today's
competitive customer landscape, we help our clients reinvent
themselves with intelligent operating models, using the newest
technology solutions to deliver value by working side-by-side with
them to reimagine their futures and solve their biggest
challenges."
New Offering Leverages Accenture's Human-Machine Operating
Engine
The newly launched intelligent sales and customer
operations business offering helps organizations achieve
sustainable growth by eliminating silos across marketing, sales and
customer service to power consistent, relevant interactions across
all touchpoints and channels within the customer lifecycle. The new
offering leverages the company's proprietary human-machine
operating engine, SynOps, to deliver new user experiences across
all customer touchpoints.
Danielle Moffat, who leads this
offering for Accenture Operations, said, "Sustainable growth has
never been more important to companies than it is today. Digital
disruption and changing customer expectations have accelerated the
need to reinvent sales and service. With the customer lifecycle no
longer linear, companies are expected to engage and meet customers
in their channel of preference and provide relevant interactions
that demonstrate an understanding of their needs. Now is the
time for companies to mobilize to an integrated front office,
capitalizing on data, digital levers and engagement channels to
drive growth and customer loyalty."
Accenture has approximately 5,000 people in Canada, including approximately 600 in the
Niagara region supporting a variety of regional and global clients.
Its new intelligent operations centre in Niagara is connected to a
network of more than 50 delivery locations worldwide that
seamlessly bring the best of the company's investments to clients
anywhere in the world.
Accenture's intelligent sales and customer operations offering
was recently ranked No. 1 in HfS' "2019 Top 10 Digital Front
Office" report.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched
experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions — underpinned by the world's largest
delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business
and technology to help clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 505,000 people
serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us
at www.accenture.com.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture and
its logo are trademarks of Accenture.
SOURCE Accenture