Key Takeaways

• Webhelp was founded in the year 2000 by Olivier Duha and Frédéric Jousset in Paris, and it is a leading business process outsourcing and customer experience company. The company offers its services across all market levels and targets clients of all sizes.
• Webhelp describes itself as a "people-first company" made up of fun-loving individuals. The company also prides itself on having an outstanding work environment. The company's motto, "think human," is applied all across the organization's operations.
• Webhelp has been pursuing aggressive expansion in recent years. The company has focused its latest efforts on penetrating new markets through various acquisitions, investments, and partnerships. Through these rapid expansions, Webhelp is attempting to solidify its position as the European market leader for customer experience (CX) and advance its objective to be among the top 3 players in the industry globally.

Introduction

Company Vision

• Webhelp was founded in the year 2000 by Olivier Duha and Frédéric Jousset in Paris, France. The company was originally created as a real-time support service before expanding into business support and call center operations services.

• By 2020, the company had expanded to over 50 countries and serves about 1,300 brands daily. Webhelp has remained a private entity all through its history despite acquiring 22 companies so far.

• In 2020, Webhel rebranded the company's image and redefined its vision statements. According to the organization, Webhelp is driven by its "vision to make business more human."

Services Offered

•  Commercial Assistance: This includes its customer service, complaint and claims management, crisis and disruption management, and loyalty management services.

•  Healthcare Services: This includes its patient support programs and pharmaceutical promotion and sales services.

•  Enterprise Services: This includes its B2B sales services, B2B care services, help desk and technical support services, and reverse logistics services.

•  Digital Services: This includes its content moderation services, content management, data annotation, digital activation, and community management services.

•  Payment Services: This includes its credit management, online payment management services, and debt collection services.

•  Legal Services: This includes its legal claims management services, privacy and legal services, and Know Your Customer (KYC) services.

 

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•  Technical Support Services: The company offers only technical support under this category. The company provides multilingual tech support for B2B, B2C, and B2E clients.

•  Sales: This includes its customer acquisition services, sales assistance, onboarding, customer retention, and upselling and cross-selling services.

•  Consulting Services: This includes its transformation program delivery services, digital strategy and UX services, and customer journey design services.

•  Analytics and Managed Services: This includes its customer insight services, analytics services, customer operations services, and people services.

•  Technology services: This includes its contact center technology services, automation services, and digital technology services.

Brand Values and Positioning

• The company's motto is "think human," and the philosophy is applied all across the organization. According to the company, "think human" means putting people first and empowering each person with the tools needed to grow and thrive.  

• The company believes in "going the extra mile" for its staff, clients, and customers, as the effort enables it to keep evolving and reaching new heights. Webhelp also presents itself as a "game-changer" in the industry, encouraging its employees to be creative and innovate, even at the risk of failing. According to the company's website, its brand values are commitment, unity, integrity, recognition, and striving to "WOW" its clients.

• Common phrases the organization uses in describing itself include "people first" and "leading global provider."
• Webhelp portrays itself as a people-centric organization, placing people, both clients and employees, at the core of its operations.

• On the other hand, the company also portrays itself as a market leader in the industry, especially in Europe. In a recent corporate statement released by the company, Webhelp stated that it is aiming for a global leadership position. In 2019, it reported revenue totaling €1.5 billion. In 2020, Webhelp declared that it generated over €1.6 billion, with plans to generate $2.4 billion by year-end 2021 and €3 billion by 2024.

• Webhelp offers its services across all market levels and targets clients of all sizes. It is present at the top-level, mid-level, and lower level of the industry. The company's top-level clients and global firms such as Google and Amazon make up 26% of its revenue. Mid-level clients and multinationals such as Samsung and HBO make up another 18% of its revenue. Lower-level firms and local companies make up 56% of its portfolio.

 

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• In addition, the company positions itself as a thought leader in the customer experience (CX) and business solutions industry. It regularly publishes white papers and articles on various issues affecting the industry. Between June 2020 and September 2021, Webhelp published at least two whitepapers relating to managing business process operations in the post-pandemic era.

Company Culture

• Webhelp describes itself as a "people-first company" made up of fun-loving individuals. The company also prides itself on having an outstanding work environment. Webhelp places significant importance on understanding each staff member so that it can help them perform better at their jobs. According to the company's website, every "Webhelper feels happy, valued, and recognized."

• Through its WebHealth campaign, the company encourages staff members to keep active, stay in shape, and engage in physical sporting activities to boost their health. The company's organizational culture is built on three core principles. They include providing support for the staff, valuing staff members, and inspiring the workforce.

• Webhelp supports its staff members in several ways. The company provides educational tools to facilitate the professional and personal development of its employees. It also ensures that staff members feel welcome at the organization. According to information provided on its website, the company loves diversity, and "everyone is welcome" to be a part of the organization.

• A significant aspect of the company's culture is valuing staff members. Webhelp ensures that deserving employees are acknowledged and rewarded for their commitment and outstanding work.

• The company's third pillar in its people policy is inspiring its workforce. Webhelp ensures that great leadership and communication exist at all levels. The firm also encourages its staff members to be involved in the organizational process and partake in the company's journey.

Glassdoor Review

• Webhelp has received over 1,900 reviews on its page, and the company maintains a fair rating on Glassdoor. Overall, 72% of employees approve of the CEO, 53% will recommend the company to a friend, and 40% believe the business has a positive outlook.

 

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Top Positive Perceptions

• The top pros for the company include learning about cloud technology, a great working environment, nice offices, and good communication practices in the organization. In addition, employees indicated that they appreciated the free sky service and 20% staff discount offered to employees of the company.

• Employees also rated the company above average on culture & values, and diversity & inclusion.

 

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Top Negative Perceptions

• The top cons for the company include low salary and long working hours. In addition, employees indicated that the company possesses a very unhealthy work atmosphere that leads to minimum work-life balance.

• Employees also rated the company below average in career opportunities, senior management, and compensation and benefits.

 

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Media perception

• In December 2020, Forbes did an interview with Dirk van Leeuwen, the CEO of Webhelp, where it described the company as the leader in outsourced customer relations in Europe. In the interview, Dirk van Leeuwen disclosed that Webhelp's ambition is to be in the global "top three in the sector within five to seven years."

• Webhelp also actively works to avoid media backlash. In April 2021, the company began negotiating a secret employment regulation order (ERO) to lay off 501 employees in Spain. Soon after, union representatives found out and publicly challenged the ERO, stating that Webhelp had no reason to embark on such a decision as it was able to increase its revenue by 23% in the previous fiscal year.

• Upon realizing that its application for ERO would be challenged by union representatives, Webhelp backtracked on half of the proposed layoffs to avoid further confrontation. In an official statement to Ara News, the company added that it would facilitate relocations to other divisions instead and encourage voluntary departures.

• The rest of Webhelp's media coverage has been focused on its recruitment exercises, humanitarian efforts, acquisitions, and awards. All news reports on the company have been neutral or positive, and the company has not been the subject of any damaging or negative report in the media.

Brand Execution

• Webhelp primarily promotes itself on its website. The company provides extensive documentation of its activities and processes on its website.

• Webhelp also regularly shares its ideas using videos on YouTube. It also occasionally uses the YouTube platform to promote its ads.

• The company is active on Instagram, where it shares videos and pictures of its office environment and employees. Webhelp is also present on other major social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Recent Business Expansions

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert Invests in Webhelp

• Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), an established investment holding company, acquired a majority stake, about 61%, in Webhelp for the sum of €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion).

• The deal, which was sealed in November 2019, allowed Webhelp’s co-founders Olivier Duha and Frédéric Jousset to retain their roles on the firm’s management team and to continue in their capacities as founding executive directors.

• The acquisition would help maintain and accelerate Webhelp’s “organic and external growth strategy.” It will also launch the firm into a new phase of “growth and investment” opportunities.

• GBL’s input will help move Webhelp from being a European champion to becoming a global leader.

• GBL’s acquisition of Webhelp was backed with around €1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) of debt financing, making it the largest leveraged buyout (LBO) transaction in France in 2019.

Webhelp Acquires Onelink

• Earlier this year, Webhelp acquired Onelink, a customer experience and BPO provider, at an undisclosed amount.

• The purpose of this acquisition is to expand Webhelp’s global footprint, allowing it to grow its revenue to over $2.4 billion annually. The firm will now have 190 locations “across 55 countries and more than 90,000 employees” globally.

• Webhelp will also tap into Onelink’s clientele, which includes top tech brands in e-commerce, fintech, fitness tech, and payment apps across the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

• Both firms are challengers and disruptors in the BPO industry and share a similar people-first culture. These similarities will drive innovation “in digital and technology-driven customer experience solutions.”

• According to Webhelp Group Managing Director Sandrine Asseraf, Onelink will help expand Webhelp’s footprint in hyper-growth tech sectors in the US, such as fintech.

Webhelp Partners with Microsoft

• In April 2021, Webhelp partnered with Microsoft to create 200 jobs in Cairo, Egypt.

• The purpose of this partnership is to acquire talent for Webhelp’s Egypt business, improving the branch’s employee count to 1000 by the end of 2021 and over 4,000 over by 2024.

• The partnership will be beneficial to the improvement, growth, and prosperity of both parties in the region.

Webhelp Acquires Dynamicall

• Webhelp, in March 2021, acquired Dynamicall and renamed it Webhelp Peru.

• The purpose of this acquisition is to penetrate the Latin American market and expand its services to “local and international Spanish-speaking markets and North America.”

• Previously Webhelp only had operations on the premises of its clients in Latin America (LatAm). However, with the acquisition of Dynamicall, the firm now owns two sites in the region.

• Webhelp merged Dynamicall with its existing Spanish team, which is now led by its SpanishCEO, Julio Jolin.

Webhelp Acquires Runway BPO

• In May 2018, Webhelp acquired majority shares in the nearshore firm, Runway BPO. The details of the acquisition remain undisclosed.

• The purpose of this acquisition is to expose Webhelp to the Scandinavian market and other international clients. Headquartered in Riga–Latvia, Runway BPO added to the organization nine multilingual centers and 1,000 employees across Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Spain.

• This acquisition is another geographical expansion effort to help Webhelp become a global leader. Runway’s founder, Nils Sundling, and CEO, Uldis Prieditis, continue to lead the team in the region.