The UK's Leading Outsourcing Group attracted to Scotland

*View Content in the Scotland: Shared Services & Outsourcing Location Series Capita Group Plc is one of the biggest BPO groups in the UK – can you give some background to your organisation and an overview of the services you are currently providing? The Capita Group Plc is the UK’s leading provider of integrated professional support service solutions. With 36,800 people at more than 250 sites, including 60 business centres across the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and India, the Group uses its expertise, infrastructure and scale benefits to transform its clients’ services, driving down costs and adding value. Capita is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (CPI.L), and is a constituent of the FTSE100 with revenues for 2009 of £2,687 million. Capita has around 3,500 employees in Scotland, across a range of sectors and is currently the 8th largest private sector employer in Scotland. Who are some of your customers? Capita’s main customer operations in Scotland are; Prudential, Pearl Group, AXA, BBC, Morgan Stanley. Why is Scotland a key location for Capita Group? What are the main benefits as a result of setting up services in Scotland compared to other global locations which might be deemed cheaper for the same services? We saw huge potential in Scotland, in the quality of the workforce, the proximity to areas where the majority of Capita’s operations are based and support from the Scottish Government and the communities that we wish to operate in. Some of the other key benefits we have found to doing business in Scotland include: The availability of a highly educated and capable workforce, impressive depth of skills and expertise in the key areas of focus for Capita. Strong infrastructure (especially technical infrastructure) and strong communications links. Interest from and practical support from Scottish Government Business opportunities and opportunities to expand the company’s existing operations have presented themselves in Scotland For Customer Service operations, our clients’ customers value the Scottish voice. We feel that it is important that where appropriate services are delivered as close to home as possible. How did SDI help Capita Group Plc establish itself in Scotland? / What services are they offering BPOs like you – which you believe to be highly beneficial? Capita has business operations in over 250 sites throughout the UK and in towns and cities across Scotland including Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow, Stirling and Aberdeen. It is growing strongly and therefore when new operations are established, choices about the most suitable location to support the new activity need to be made. SDI has helped Capita to establish itself in Scotland by: Offering support and advice when looking for business locations suitable for the delivery of services to new and existing clients. SDI articulates the industry areas of focus and priority for Scotland, which enables Capita to determine the level of fit with its needs. SDI also facilitates dialogue between business and Government in a business-friendly way. There have been changes in the BPO environment as a result of the recession – how has capital been affecting you and how are you overcoming any challenges as a result? Since the recession, all of our partners and clients in the public and private sectors have needed to maintain and improve services but have limited budgets with which to do so. In a period of such great cost reduction, we have found that flexibility is key. We have worked with our customers to develop solutions that fit their needs as well as delivering efficiencies. You mentioned the services you are providing earlier – what other markets are you hoping to move into (e.g. some Indian BPOs are looking to get into utilities and healthcare space) Where do you see your growth coming from next? In terms of doing business in Scotland, Capita is keen to grow its operations in the public sector space. In the rest of the UK, Capita does a great deal of work in the public sector and there is the same need to drive the efficiency agenda in Scotland as there is in the rest of the country and typically we help our clients realise 10-30% in savings. Capita also has a rapidly growing healthcare operation and currently works with over 300 NHS organisations across the UK. Growth in the healthcare space has been organic and through acquisitions, Capita is looking to continue growth in this sector. How will your presence in Scotland help you with this and what are the key tools organisations like SDI need to provide to assist this growth? We were attracted to Scotland because of the quality of the workforce and the range of skills available, Scotland also has strong infrastructure and communication links. SDI has already been extremely helpful in establishing and facilitating business relationships with the Scottish Government and articulating industry areas that are a key focus for Scotland, we hope they will continue to do so.

The UK's Leading Outsourcing Group attracted to Scotland

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