Dnata Contact Centres has acquired a 49% share holding in Mindpearl Group. This acquisition will give Dnata access to contact centre operations in Barcelona, Brisbane and Cape Town, with the development of a new facility in the South Pacific due to come onstream in 2009. Together with the current Dnata Contact Centres operating in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Abu Dhabi, this geographical spread of operations will give the company true ‘follow the sun’ 24/7 capabilities, and a projected total capacity of more than 3,000 seats within the next 4 years.

The new strategic partnership will have no direct effect on the day-to-day trading of Mindpearl.  The decision has been made to continue the partnership under the Mindpearl brand with its almost 10 year track record across the globe. Established in 1999, Mindpearl became an independently owned global contact centre outsource organisation in 2006 and now provides services to American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Singapore Airlines, among others. These airlines all have extensive experience of working with Dnata, which is the general sales agent in the UAE for more than 40 airlines.  Dnata operates the ground handling at Dubai International Airport for more than 120 international airlines.

One of the factors which will distinguish Mindpearl from similar organisations in the marketplace is the multiple nationalities and diverse cultural capabilities of employees within the group.  With the ability to operate in more than 20 spoken languages, Mindpearl will ensure customers are dealt with in their native language.

Head of Contact Centres, Dnata, Steve Davies said: “One of the concerns, with any outsourcing of contact centre services, has been the perception that calls would be handled by agents who don’t speak the customer’s native language, don’t understand their concerns and share little empathy or cultural alignment with the marketplace in which they operate. At Dnata we are committed to recruiting staff from a wide range of backgrounds from all over the world and training them to ensure these problems don’t arise. By acquiring the stake in the Mindpearl Group, Dnata is gaining an international contact centre infrastructure, world-class telephony and service delivery models, together with expertise in training and additional travel and leisure products and services. These locations - Cape Town, Brisbane, Barcelona and the South Pacific, are perfect for us because each one offers a pool of high quality local talent, enabling us to expand our operations, without compromising on our very high quality and standards.”

Mindpearl, CEO, William Pattison, has more than 20 years’ experience in the contact centre industry and is an aviation industry specialist. “We are very excited about the new partnership with Dnata Contact Centres. Dnata has an unrivalled reputation in the travel industry and we see this strategic alliance as a way of expanding operations from our traditional customer base of airlines. At the same time, Dnata’s experience in the travel industry in the Middle East will be of particular interest to airlines wishing to actively enter the market in this region.  Dnata’s commitment to training and investment in the best staff and technology available are key factors for success in the contact centre outsourcing and offshoring markets.  We anticipate the joining of the two global players will prove to complement one another and benefit the industry globally,” says Pattison.

Although much of the early business is expected to come from airlines and the wider travel industry, Mr. Davies from Dnata, who himself has a background in the UK financial services contact centre industry, does not see the company as being limited to that sector.

“The contact centre outsourcing and offshoring services are growing tremendously in many industry sectors. Once companies realise the quality of service and efficiencies of cost offered through the combined strengths of Dnata and Mindpearl, I am sure we will see interest from companies operating in a range of markets,” he said.
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