Category: Raya Customer Experience

Global Accelerators Network (GAN) announced that Raya CX’ FutureTECH accelerator has joined its world’s most prominent network. By joining GAN, Raya CX’ FutureTECH accelerator – operated in partnership with the venture builder Openner – gives the early-stage tech startups in the Egyptian market a promising opportunity for comprehensive exposure and access to a broad network of startups, founders, and investors from all over the world.

“I could not be more excited to welcome Raya CX to the GAN community. Raya CX has proven itself to be one of the most effective ways for startups to launch their companies. I am so impressed by their leadership team and how they’re thinking about having a powerful impact on the Egyptian community. Needless to say, great things seem to be in store for Raya CX and all the startups they get to work with,” stated Patrick Riley, GAN’s CEO.

Ahmed Refky, CEO of Raya CX expressed his happiness that Raya FutureTECH has joined the network of the Global Accelerators Network, giving the participating startups, a better chance for international exposure besides offering promising prospects for innovation and business development.

The Global Accelerators Network (GAN) provides the startups with access to its massive community that comprises the largest group of accelerators, partners, and investors in over 120+ cities across six continents. Becoming a part of GAN provides the founders with a rich array of resources and exceptional experiences from around the globe.

A training camp will be launched by the beginning of September to choose startups that will be taking part in the first phase of the program that begins in October and takes place during the following three months.

Raya FutureTECH shall enable the participants to run several PoCs and ensure their solutions are in line with the Raya CX’s innovation vision. In addition, participants will have access to Raya CX’s research and data system, and hands-on support to scale their business, offered by Openner – the program’s main partner.

Raya FutureTECH program also provides joint financial support from Raya and Openner, up to 1 million EGP, as well as several boot camps that focus on designing tailored growth plans and 1-1 coaching for startups’ founders, guided by Openner’s expert team. In addition, Raya CX will also hire a dedicated team to develop the accelerator’s program to ensure more cooperation and coordination between its experts and the startup’s founders.

(Cairo – July 2021) Under its strategy to further expand its operations in global markets, offer premium services, and attract new clients, the BOD of Raya Customer Experience (RCX) – a subsidiary of Raya Holding for Financial Investments – has unanimously approved launching a new company operating in the USA.

The new company is to be called Raya Customer Experience, LLC and shall be registered in the state of Delaware, USA.

Promoting RCX’s presence globally has always been a goal we sought over the years, and we had been waiting for the timely chance to have a distinguished presence in the US market, given its importance in the outsourcing industry, said Medhat Khalil, Chairman of Raya Holding for Financial Investments, commenting on the decision to establish the new company. Today, we announce our official presence in this promising market and start providing our services there. Meanwhile, our endeavors to acquire operating outsourcing companies in the market go hand in hand with launching our new company, and launching our new company will not discourage us from acquiring existing corporations in different markets, he added.

Ahmed Refky, CEO of RCX, has expressed his pleasure with this step, stressing the importance of expanding in the US market. RCX operates in five countries around the world; Egypt, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, and today, U.S. is added to our global presence map. It is a positive step to increase the company’s footprint, especially with its expansion in the US market, he said.

“RCX’s operations focus on promising industries, especially the medical sector, e-commerce, the automotive sector, Fin-Tech, and banking sector, among a wider spectrum of industries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the United States of America,” said Refky.

The company is adopting an expansionary strategy that aims at providing comprehensive outsourcing services efficiently from all over the world.

Celebrating Raya’s development role and activities within its framework of social responsibility, and affirming Raya’s humanitarian efforts, Tariq Center for Rehabilitation and Autism in the United Arab Emirates has announced that Raya Contact Center – Dubai, a subsidiary of Raya Holding for Financial Investments, was chosen this year to win the title of “Ambassador of Hope” in Zayed Humanitarian Day, that is celebrated annually on 19th of Ramadan.

It comes as a part of the fifth course of Zayed giving campaign for E-Assessment for Autism, organized by Tariq Center for Rehabilitation and Autism. The campaign aims at overcoming the plight of differently-abled and Autistic children, promoting their integration as part and parcel of society, developing their talents and capacities, and building their self-confidence. The campaign also includes social awareness about autism and supports the families of differently-abled persons.

The trophy shield of Raya was received by Maggi Dewedar, RCC’s Support Functions Director and Hossam Fouad, General Manager of RCC Gulf. As an “Ambassador of Hope”, Raya covers the treatment costs of three children in developing countries and supports their education journey.  

Ahmed Refky, Chief Executive Officer of Raya Contact Center, has expressed his pleasure with the recognition gained by RCC in the UAE, as a key provider of customer experience solutions in the UAE and Gulf countries. He stressed Raya spares no efforts to give back to the community, not only in Egypt but in several developing countries as well. “The primary objective of our participation is to ensure that people with autism have the highest standard of physical and mental health, especially in developing countries, where autistic persons suffer from the scarcity of public health centers for autism and the high cost of treatment in the private health sector, given the reduced support and interest of governments,” he said. 

“That is where the participation of the business sector comes into play, in cooperation with supporting countries and institutions. Like the overall population, people with autism face the same health problems, besides their need for special health care. Also, the importance of awareness, community participation, and government involvement is reflected in protecting this vulnerable group from the risk of violations and assaults,” he added.

UAE has decided to name the 19 of Ramadan of each year as “Zayed Humanitarian Day”, marking the anniversary of the death of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in commemoration of his highness and to honor of his role in establishing humanitarian giving efforts in the UAE. 

Consistent with its strategic vision that aims to strengthen brand equity of businesses ambitiously attempting to satisfy customers, RAYA Contact Center (RCC) announced that it has been selected by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), based in the USA, to join the 2021 Global Outsourcing 100 list, as one of the world’s best outsourcing service providers. This acknowledgement is a substantial achievement globally and it further builds on RAYA’s significant contributions to the outsourcing industry worldwide.

Honoring RAYA Contact Center with this recognition comes as a crown of its great progress, as one of the key players in the field of outsourcing globally. The company offers top-notch customer support and technical solutions in 25 different languages across high-tech global sites spanning three continents. In 2020, RCC has achieved a new customer growth rate of nearly 150%, which is consistent with the criteria of the ranking, determined by a panel of IAOP members with extensive experience in selecting the best outsourcing service providers.

Choosing RAYA Contact Center for this recognition in 2021 was based on four judging categories; including customer references and satisfaction with the service rendered. Already, RCC has received great praise from customers for the service provided; Awards and Certifications won by the company, which recognizes the company’s contributions to this promising sector; the technology used by the company, as multi-channel customer experiences, chatbots, and robotic process automation (RPA); and finally, the assessment process considered corporate social responsibility (CSR) in RCC and how it contributes to achieving sustainable development goals, through providing sustainable employment opportunities in addition to training and qualifying university students to meet the requirements of the labour market. 

 “Choosing the right partners is more important than ever”, said Debbie Hamill, CEO of IAOP. Therefore, the inclusion of RAYA Contact Center to the list of the world’s best outsourcing service providers is a sign of customers’ confidence in the company.

“We are extremely proud that our company has acquired such a prominent position in the 2021 Global Outsourcing 100”, said Mr  Ahmed Refky, CEO of RAYA Contact Center, commenting on the announcement. “The fact of gaining this acknowledgement by IAOP is a testament to the dedication of our team and its ability to innovate and enhance customer-centricity”.

“Moreover, this high-value international acknowledgement is a piece of evidence for the progress of RCC, concerning offering innovative solutions and prominent customer care over the past years. We are looking forward to maintaining our international position in this promising field, therefore, RAYA is keen on expanding its footprint in the GCC and beyond the region, and as was disclosed in late 2020, the company has submitted non-binding offer to acquire a call center company in the Arab Gulf region. Now, we are pleased to announce that RAYA Contact Center has completed the Due Diligence process and is currently in the negotiations stage prior to submitting a binding offer, after taking into consideration all the related legal and regulatory requirements to conclude the transaction. The company is expected to complete the acquisition process by the beginning of Q2, 2021”, Mr. Refky added.

Through a new concept of the industry, RAYA Contact Center provides outsourcing services, offering call center and back-office services, internal sales channel management, and professional services while meeting the needs of customers in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and North America in more than 25 different languages.

Also, by the end of 2020, the company managed to include about 5,500 employers, an increase of nearly 25% from 2019, in order to raise work efficiency and meet the requirement of new projects.

The company operates across different geographies through its 10 facilities, of which 8 are located in Egypt, in addition to a facility in Dubai, UAE, and another in Warsaw, Poland.

RAYA Contact Center is standing in line with global CX leaders and professionals as a finalist for three of the most competitive Gulf Customer Experience Awards (GCXA) ‘21. Brought by Awards International, the GCXA™ celebrates the incredible work of CX professionals across the Gulf – and gives them a chance for recognition. As a CX professional looking to celebrate its achievements and expand its knowledge, RAYA Contact Center, one of RAYA Holding’s subsidiaries, is proud of its significant contribution and seizing these unmissable globally- recognized opportunities!

Even though the two CX-focused categories that RAYA Contact Center is participating in are extremely competitive, we are proud to announce winning the Gold Award for CX in Times of Crisis and Silver Award in CX Team of the Year.

Following this huge success, Ahmed Refky, RAYA Contact Center’s CEO, has expressed being happy about receiving these two awards saying: “We’re proud of the announcements that crown our hard work with these two awards from one of the most influential CX-evaluation boards for CX professionals all over the globe. Our joy lies in the fact that we have taken into consideration all the possible scenarios when dealing with the pandemic outbreak. From the very beginning, we have foreseen the importance of having a well-established plan to compact COVID-19. The process had various stages, and the most important one was defining a collective framework that ensures the continuity of operations. Frequent reviews of the framework were conducted to maintain flexibility when needing to alter the methods applied.”

The company has shown huge flexibility and adaptability in difficult times when ensuring that its employees are safe and business continuity is sustained when the COVID-19 outbreak started. The company has been a finalist in the Employees at the Heart of Everything category. Excelling at each and every category impresses not only the GCC region, the GCXA ‘21 participants, but also the company’s employees who are jubilant to be part of the company’s global success.

“It is an honor to be awarded the Gold Award for CX in Times of Crisis, recognizing our hard work during COVID-19. It is a foundational cornerstone for our CX transformation journey. I give wholehearted thanks to my team, and the judges, of course.” Ahmed Refky – CEO

This region’s premier celebration of CX excellence is held in Dubai on 15th and 16th February 2021, giving Ahmed Refky, RAYA Contact Center’s CEO, Hossam Fouad, GCC General Manager, and Mina Habib, the Head of Marketing, the chance to celebrate its success with the team and learn more about the rapid progress in Customer Experience (CX) over the last year, and anticipate its progression for years to come. RAYA Contact Center contribution is so much more than attending an Awards ceremony – it’s the most significant celebration of CX in the Gulf and beyond.

RAYA Contact Center celebrates winning the Best Automotive Customer Service Provider award from The Global Automotive Awards for its outstanding achievements and superior performance throughout 2020.

The company is a leader in the automotive vertical, managing 15 automotive accounts that serve top-notch car makes across Egypt and GCC, since it provides a wide range of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solutions.

Alaa El Shafei, the Chief Operating Officer at RAYA Contact Center, said that “Although the pandemic hit hard and the current situations were uncertain, the automotive sector has a great opportunity to rise, benefiting from the changing buying behavior of the customer in-person and digital. To proactively supply their requests, establishing a Business Development Center (BDC) and integrating technology is the future of digitizing the automotive industry.”

Moreover, Alaa El Shafei, also added that a whopping 67% of 2020 GCC car buyers cited online research as their main medium of information before approaching a showroom, as reported by YallaMotor. So, the fact that automotive companies are now getting fewer leads than before urges them to thrive at aligning their sales strategies with the digital services they are providing.

The company’s innovation in the automotive industry has attracted global attention, as it succeeded at combining digitization, customer experience (CX), and customer satisfaction. It has expanded its services to include a BDC for the automotive sector to handle sales calls and digital leads. Building strong relationships with customers is essential to closing automotive business deals and growing sales.

In conclusion, the transformations of buyers’ behavior within the automotive industry cannot be overlooked by companies, especially as businesses grow more aware of the benefits of digitizing some of the automotive operations. Since digitization is taking over multiple verticals and industries, and automotive business leaders definitely see BDC conquering a huge part of the industry for years to come.

In continuation in the preventive and precautionary measures taken by Raya Contact Center, one of the subsidiaries of Raya Holding For Financial Investments, to confront the emerging coronavirus (COVID-19), the company affirmed that its human troops are the real wealth of the company, which must be preserved and provide all means of comfort and safe work for all.

Commenting on these measures, Ahmed Refky, CEO of Raya Contact Center, confirmed that since the spread of the coronavirus, the company has begun to formulate new work scenarios to ensure the continuity of work in an efficient manner while providing a safe and healthy work environment for all employees of the company. These measures have helped in the workflow due to the speed in taking the necessary preventive measures and following the safety standards. Through this, Raya has been a haven for its customers and the focus of more companies’ interest to become their customers in the future to ensure the continuation of their business.

Refky added, we have developed all scenarios for the spread of the coronavirus and its consequences from the start and have included most of the events and their repercussions in our risk management plan. Our plan included several points that were keen to achieve in parallel, the most important of which was defining a comprehensive framework to ensure the continuity of operations, with a permanent review of the plan and its challenges with care and resilience to deal with the wide range of potential impacts that could result from the pandemic.

The safety of the team was the only way to sustain and move forward with expansion plans, he continued. Therefore, the company sought to spread awareness and knowledge about the potential risk of the coronavirus pandemic among its employees, by providing the necessary information about the definition and how to prevent and deal with the potential danger. Since the beginning of the crisis, it has sought to preserve the safety of its employees and spare them any potential danger by gathering information about the travel of its employees inside or outside the country, and the returnees from the epicenters of the virus have been put under observation until they prove their safety.

On the other hand, Raya Contact Center has taken many proactive measures in accordance with the guidelines approved by the World Health Organization and the Egyptian government in all its locations, including: sterilization and disinfection of all communication service centers with the knowledge of specialized companies periodically, and encouraging their employees to work from home for those whose work does not require attendance on a daily basis, and the distances between the employees’ sitting places have been restructured with a minimum of one square meter. In addition, taking measures to clean and sterilize the call center speakers on a continuous basis, especially before and after each work shift, and measuring the temperature of the employees upon entry. Any employee suspected of having symptoms of the disease is examined directly by the attending physician at the company’s headquarters and denied entry to the workplace.

On the other hand, the company has reduced operations at its headquarters by providing its services remotely, and has also transformed all recruitment and training procedures into remote, in order to reduce mixing.

The company also launched a dedicated human resources platform that enables all employees to communicate with all management personnel to answer and discuss questions and inquiries remotely. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has taken several bold measures such as disbursing salaries for the month of March ahead of schedule, and has also disbursed the annual benefits increase to its employees with the April salaries with retroactive effect from January 2020. In addition, providing a cash allowance for Internet packages to support remote workers, and the heroes working on the sites have also not been overlooked by sharing free daily meals or cash allowances during curfew periods. Raya announced that it would not allow any harm or complacency with any person that might cause the spread of infection or harm to any member of their family and community, as such, the company stressed the need for all its employees to wear protective masks.

In 2016, Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Yasser El Kady, and Raya Holding Chairman and CEO, Mr. Medhat Khalil, and Red Sea Governor General Ahmed Abdullah along with the management team of Raya Contact Center, inaugurated Raya Contact Center’s new delivery site in Hurghada, Red Sea governorate. The new delivery site is located in Hurghada’s downtown district. Raya has strategically decided to expand its Operations in Egypt to a Tier 2 City. Hurghada is the Capital of the Egyptian Riviera on the Red Sea, one of the major tourist destinations in Egypt, and is 4-5 hours away from Cairo. The site is located in downtown Hurghada with access to all modes of public transportation. It is a 4 floor building with a total capacity of 600 seats.

The building is equipped with the latest infrastructure and technology, video conferencing facilities and wireless network access. The building encompasses high state-of-the-art security features including digital, fire-fighting, access control and 24-hour manned security to ensure the safety and security of all employees, company assets and business resources. The location will be offering Arabic and English support for the Middle East and GCC markets in addition to other European languages including German and Russian to support the European market. Raya’s focused processes from the Hurghada site will include Customer Support, Order Management, and Technical Support services for the telecom, fast food, white goods, travel and the public sector.

In today’s competitive market, the travel and transport industries acknowledge the need to minimize operational costs and retain availability in order to maintain a competitive edge. This requires making every customer interaction count. To achieve this, delivering excellent customer experience is required to keep customers brand loyal and leverage repeated business. Raya brings in-depth experience in delivering exceptional Travel Business Process outsourcing services for clients across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Our newly introduced BOP solutions have helped travel, airlines, and transport companies and service providers to increase cost savings, customer satisfaction and operational inefficiencies. The many services in this sector Raya supports cover processes like:

• Reservations and ticketing.
• Package customization.
• Cross selling and renewals.
• Membership and loyalty programs.
• Complaints management.
• Web, chat and email support.
• Claims processing.

Our travel industry solutions are geared towards airlines, online travel agencies, hotel chains and transportation service providers. At Raya, we pride ourselves on our tailored solutions geared towards helping our clients achieve better return from each customer interaction, while ensuring the highest quality standards and customer satisfaction for our clients’ brands.

With an aggressive five-year growth plan, Raya Contact Center has successfully continued its location expansion strategy roll out to focus on new key markets in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In line with such a challenging objective, Raya Contact Center has recently launched in 2016 its new contact center delivery sites in Warsaw, the talent rich and industrial heart of Eastern Europe, as well as ramped up its capacity in Dubai, the Middle East’s business hub, and Hurghada, Raya’s newest delivery site in Egypt’s Red Sea Capital, launched in 2015. The move strengthens Raya Contact Center’s position ahead of its competitors, and promises even more footprint expansions in the next few years. Raya Contact Center is always keen on choosing strategic locations for its contact centers to help maintain its position as the leading cost-efficient multilingual business process outsourcing and contact center service provider in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Raya Contact Center has identified the below goals for its 5 Year Strategy.

• Become a distinctive Multi-regional and Multilingual BPO player within EMEA.
• Build a sustainable leadership position as a “Champion” in the GCC region.
• Extend leadership by becoming a “Challenger” in the European market.
• Aspire to pursue a “Global Challenger” path.