Outsourcing&More 38 January-February 2018

www.outsourcingportal.eu No. 1 (38) | January – February 2018 ISSN 2083-8867 PRICE EUR 6 (INCL. 8% VAT)

BUSINESS

Good Disruptions – how technology transforms BSS sector page 38

INVESTMENTS

Office Buildings of the Future page 48

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

A big little world of management page 74

AI, ongoing shortage of talent and the mind-boggling consequences of Brexit will be the BSS driver topics in 2018 Wiktor Doktór talks to Kerry Hallard, President of Global Sourcing Association page 34

Trusted IT outsourcing and solu�ons

Backup and archiving

Cloud Services

Informa�on and Systems Security

IT monitoring

Networks

Servers environment

HelpDesk

So�ware audits

Visit: eskom.eu | Call us: +48 22 486 36 63 | Send an email: sales@eskom.eu

INTRODUCTION

Editor-in-chief Dymitr Doktór dymitr.doktor@proprogressio.pl Managing Editor Kamila Czyżyk kamila.czyzyk@proprogressio.pl DTP Jacek Cieśliński Advertising reklama@outsourcingandmore.pl Published by PRO PROGRESSIO Editorial address ul. Sobieskiego 104/29 00-764 Warszawa www.proprogressio.pl

P: +48 22 213 02 45 F: +48 22 213 02 49 editor@proprogressio.pl www.outsourcingandmore.pl Print Drukarnia Jantar Legal support "Chudzik i Wspólnicy" An electronic version of the Magazine see the website www.outsourcingandmore.pl Selected photos come from shutterstock.com website Circulation 3,000 copies All rights reserved.

No copying, reproduction or photocopying allowed without written consent of the publisher.

The views expressed in this publication as well as the content of the adverts are not necessarily those of the editor.

Partners

@DymitrDoktor

Welcome to 2018!

2017 was a great year for BSS and outsourcing industries not only in Poland but also in Europe and other Countries. Among a number of trends outlined by the service providers, consul­ ting companies but also clients were such hot topics like auto­ mation, robotics, artificial intelligence, business transformation and many others. Besides the trends, especially the CEE region had challenges in recruitment area, especially in IT jobs. Both service providers but also recruitment agencies had to work hard to be able to complete the experienced software teams on time. It looks like those challenges will remain the same in 2018 and there will be a strong demand for more and more IT resources.

When it comes to robotics and in general the RPA processes the trends will continue, although still there are no visible chan­ ges in the area of work optimization within those companies who have implemented robots to support their operation acti­ vities. I must say I keep my fingers crossed for 2018 in this field and I hope to see great RPA solutions, which will grow signifi­ cantly from the theory to practical implementations.

We just start the next 12 months in very interesting times.

From one side there is still big uncertainty when it comes to ­BREXIT, from the other growing openness for nearshoring activities from Germany and Scandinavia, and from the other also implemen­tation of new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). We will definitely face very interesting business challen­ges in coming months and most of them we will ­describe on our pages.

Enjoy reading the first issue of Outsourcing&More in 2018, where we present you the interview with Kerry Hallard (CEO of Global Sourcing Association) and great articles focused on logistics, VoIP, employment of foreigners, AI, competences of the ­future and many more.

All the best for 2018!

Dymitr Doktór, Chief Editor

AUTHORS Maciej Piwowarczyk • Edward Nieboj • Marek Toporowicz • Krystian Bestry • Wiktor Doktór • Kerry Hallard • Dominik Arkuszewski • Michał Przybysz • Marta Kunikowska • Roger Andersson • Loredana Niculae • Michał Łakomski • Bartosz Pustuł • Małgorzata Kusyk • Monika Reszko

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

3

INDEX

BUSINESS

6

Rzeszów has connected Polish and Ukrainian Outsourcing Businesses

42

28

Changes to employment of nationals of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine

Pro Progressio has been changing and developing the sector of modern business services for five years

44

10

Promised Land for your logistics

Opening of Nowy Styl Group's Office Inspiration Centre

Outsourcing of logistics services in Poland.

12

SSC Lions: The Discovery’s way of business in Poland

16

Will robots replace ­accountants?

18

How is it going?

VoIP still in fashion – interview with Marek Toporowicz, Head of Integrations CEE.

An interview with Wiktor Doktór, CEO of Pro Progressio Foundation

34

AI, ongoing shortage of talent and the mind-boggling consequences of Brexit will be the BSS driver topics in 2018

Wiktor Doktór talks to Kerry Hallard, President of Global Sourcing Association.

20

Make your life easier! – Development of the business services based on competences

Interview with Krystian Bestry, CEO at Adaptive Solutions & Advisory Group

INVESTMENTS

26

46

A 70% sales increase thanks to AI. A business’s dream or a plausible scenario?

Investment news

48

Office Buildings of the Future Interview with Roger Andersson, ­Managing Director, Vastint Poland

38

Good Disruptions – how technology transforms BSS sector

How can state-of-the-art technologies support business processes to ensure that businesses achieve the desired results?

Today, businesses face a great challenge: on the one hand, they must meet the demands of a new-generation e­ mployees, and on the other hand, they want to win new customers and achieve the sales ­objectives. Currently, much is said ­about the impact of artificial intelli­gence on the development of the economy. How­ ever, we still do not know exactly in which areas of business its potential can be ­effectively exploited.

4

How did our life change due to smartphones? Tracing the technological impact is like observing your own face in the mirror – changes are so subtle, that cannot be seen daily, yet they inevitably occur.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INDEX

52

Romanian Business Services Sector is expected to grow faster than ever

The Romanian Business Services ­Sector and Outsourcing Market have experien­ ced significant development in ­recent years. The new investors saw that ­Romania has substantial advantages when it comes to technical capabilities of its workforce, along with the ­diverse language skills. At the same time, the existing business centers are expanding, making their activities even more sophisticated. This development movement is driving high demand for talent in the market, and it is expecting to grow even more in 2018.

54

Future looks bright for Szczecin

As a modern multifunctional hub of ­cutting-edge services and R&D ­operations, Szczecin is exploring inno­ vative industries. The City is implementing environmentally friendly solutions for a brighter future.

60

Gdynia with tailor made public transport

66

Commercial real-estates – all you need is a „click”

Gdynia is a modern and deve­loping city. It is inhabited by ambitious, well-­ educated and creative people appre­ciating high living standards.

62

People, experience, specialisation – Bydgoszcz strengthens its position on the BPO/SSC market

Bydgoszcz is one of the main modern ­business services sectors in P ­ oland.

The employment in BPO/SSC centres ­exceeded 10 thousand people in 2017 with 8 thousand working in IT companies. About 1.000 people is ­employed in financial and accounting centres, and another thousand in contact centre companies.

The consideration of the future of services in the commercial real-estates sector in Poland should start from answering a question what the real-estate market is going to look like and what are the prospects of development of its indi­v idual segments.

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

70

HR news

72

Competences of the Future

The future cannot accurately be predicted. We forecast based upon past trends but, with the increasing influence of disrup­ tive social and technical change, the past is becoming an ­unreliable guide. So how can we determine what competences will be needed to flourish in the future? How should we ­prepare ourselves to meet the challenges of a changing world?

Invest in agility, be open-minded, experiment, and a­ dapt to change.

74

A big little world of management

58

How does smart Poznan work?

2018 means smart homes, smart gadgets, and... smart cities. Poznan introduces the ideas of the city of tomorrow today.

64

The future of Łódź? Friendly, creative and dynamic city

Łódź - one of the largest agglomeration in the country, located in the ­heart of ­Poland and Europe that has been a subject to significant transformations in the last years – once a city known for its textile industry, it is becoming a place where an economy based on knowledge, technology and high-tech services prevails.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Studies show that the percentage of people with a psychopathic personality is three times higher in the management environment, and every 25th recognized businessman is a psychopath.

76

Recruitment Ads 5

BUSINESS

Rzeszów has connected Polish and Ukrainian Outsourcing Businesses On November 22nd, 2017 in ­Rzeszow’s ­H ilton Garden Inn Hotel the second edition of Polish-Ukrainian Outsour­ cing Forum has been organized. Over 200 delegates from Poland, Ukraine but also Germany, Serbia and United King­ dom participated all day event, which main goal was to discuss current and fu­ ture shape of the outsourcing industry in Poland and Ukraine.

The organizers of the Forum were Pro P ­ rogressio and CITYBELL Con­ sulting with Strategic Partnership of ­Rzeszow ­City. The event wouldn’t take place without support coming from Sponsors – the Main Sponsor – Deve­ lopres/SKYRES and Kinnarps with ­Cushman & Wakefield.

Polish-Ukrainian Outsourcing Forum is very important event on European map of events of modern business services sec­ tor. The conference received the Hono­rary Patronage of Ministry of Development of Poland, Rzeszow City Mayor, Podkarpa­ cie Voivode, Podkarpacie ­Marshal, Polish Investment and Trade Agency and Gene­ ral Ukrainian Consul in Lublin.

Above: Stanisław Sienko (Vice President of City of Rzeszów) presented economic and investment environment of the outsourcing sector in Poland and Ukraine.

Left: Welcome speech has been run by Stanisław Sienko – The Vice President of The City of Rzeszów.

The Forum has been supported by seve­ ral international Partners including RICS, Outsource People, BW Business B ­ ridge, ASPIRE, Lviv IT Cluster, Deutscher Out­ sourcing Verband, Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, IAOP and Polish Cities Association.

The Forum’s agenda has been prepa­ red in details to present Poland’s and ­Ukraine’s investment potential from one side and present best business practi­ ces and ­co-operation areas between Polish and Ukrainian service providers from another.

6

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Above: From the left: Pavel Obod (Sloboda Studio), Oleg Shkuropat (CIKLUM), Krzysztof Misiak (Cushman & Wakefield), Andrzej Trela (LeasingTeam Group), Richard Stephens (Poland Today).

Above: Richard Stephens from Poland Today has moderated the discussion about „open borders” for Ukrainian ITO and BPO companies.

Left: Networking zones made the conversations between participant much easier.

Left: Stanisław Sienko (Vice President of City of Rzeszów), Mariusz Tywoniuk (Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce), Vasyl Pavlyuk (General Consul of Ukraine), Iwona Chojnowska-Haponik (Polish Investment and Trade Agency), Łukasz Wąsikiewicz (PwC), Andrew Wrobel (Emerging-Europe) took part in the first discussion panel.

Right: The participants had the opportunity to get the professional relaxing massage.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

7

BUSINESS

The conference has been moderated by Anna Proszowska-Sala (CEO of CITYBELL Consulting) and by Wiktor Doktór (CEO of Pro Progressio), who both were running each of the parts of the Forum and sum­ marized the event at the end.

The business part of the Forum has been completed with three presentations ­focused on HR challenges, business support for Ukrainian companies w ­ illing to run business in Poland and Ope­ ration B ­ usiness challenges of companies who have the working teams located in both countries. Delegates of the Forum had also the opportunity to visit the most modern A-Class office building in Rzeszow – SKYRES Warszawska.

Thanks to the Forum in Rzeszow, many important and interesting information has been presented and new business contacts build between the Forum’s dele­ gates. What is the most important both Polish and Ukrainian companies declared openness for building business bridges and common business offer for clients from US and Western Europe.

Above: The business part of the Forum has been finalized with three presentations. Mariusz Tywoniuk has presented the role and support of Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce for Polish and Ukrainian companies.

Outsourcing&More had a great plea­ sure to be the Media Partner of the ­Polish-Ukrainian Outsourcing Forum in ­Rzeszow. Among other media Partners there were OutsourcingPortal, Poland Today, Emerging-Europe, Outsourcing -Journal, egospodarka.pl, qbusiness.pl, Rzeszów News and RMF Group. •

Above: Sebastian Niklewicz (ESKOM IT), Taras Petriv (PLVision), Aleksander Sala (KOLIBRO), Stephan Fricke (German Outsourcing Association) and Andriy Kerez (State Street Bank) talked about customers market for outsourcing industry.

8

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Above: Radosław Walas (Board Member, Developres) talked about the office market in the City of Rzeszów.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

9

BUSINESS

Opening of Nowy Styl Group's Office Inspiration Centre A new place full of inspiration for those who create modern office spaces has been erected in Cracow. Nowy Styl Group's Office Inspiration Centre is a place designed for holding unique meetings and inspiring discussions with experts, as well as exhibiting the latest furniture solutions in attractive arrangements.

In autumn, Nowy Styl Group initiated a se­ ries of meetings with the company's part­ ners and clients from all over the world.

So far, the Centre has been visited by rep­ resentatives from Germany, ­Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Czech Republic and Poland. The clients, architects and entre­ preneurs have had the chance to see three levels of the building, each of which performs a unique function.

Level 0, the MEET&GREET AREA has been arranged as a classic welcome zone com­ bined with a meeting zone for holding in­ formal meetings (that take place in a bar over a cup of coffee) and formal meetings held in conference rooms. Level +1, the OFFICE AREA is a model office inspired by the Activity Based Working concept and Nowy Styl Group's research findings and experience. Underground there is the WORKSHOP AREA – a zone for testing products and holding workshops focused on ergonomic solutions. In the area cove­ ring 500 m2 there are many chair, seat, cabinet and desk models, and here Nowy Styl Group's application #OfficeVR, which allows visitors to experience the com­ pany's solutions in a virtual office, has been installed.

The Office Inspiration Centre com­ bines timelessness and simplicity with the existing trend in designing inte­ riors. Architects Marek Dunikowski and Jarosław Kutniowski from the Cracow de­ sign studio DDJM created a concept that uses the available space to its full poten­ tial; the biggest advantage of the space was the surrounding greenery – espe­ cially the beautiful old trees, which were part of the former Fischer-Benis court and park complex. The building looks unique and elegant, thanks to the s­ imple and regular columnar construction, made of prefabricated white concrete, against a background of walls, which are made of dark wood and surrounded with lush greenery.

Above: The work zone of the Space Planning team has been arranged with the furniture line Levitate. Apart from standard workstations, architects have a huge table at which they consult projects at their disposal.

The building interiors, designed by Nowy Styl Group's designers Joanna Zapała and Sebastian Wiśniewski, contrast with the classic character of the building exterior.

– We wanted to use all means avai­lable to create a place where everyone would feel good – a place where people would experience with all their sen­ses. We deco­rated walls with greenery, so that nature could accompany us all year round. We ­also chose warm colours, as well as textures and accessories inspired by the home office design trend, to create a home-like atmosphere – say the designers.

Right: The Office Inspiration Centre is supposed to serve as a meeting place for all who create modern office spaces.

As the building's name suggests, the Office Inspiration Centre has been de­ signed as a space for inspiration. Nowy Styl Group invites architects, interior designers, entrepreneurs and everyone else who wants to gain knowledge and get ideas about the arrangement of office spaces to visit the Centre. You can do this by appointment. •

– The erection of the Office Inspiration Centre marks another stage of our continuous development – says Adam Krzanowski, President of Nowy Styl Group. – We would like to inspire and edu­cate our visitors.

Our experts are pleased to tell you about www.oic.nowystylgroup.com social trends that influence trends in designing offi­ces, innovative technologies used in the building and its interiors, or varied and functional spaces furnished with our products.

10

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Right: The building of the Office Inspiration Centre has been designed by the Cracow design studio DDJM and it makes reference to the historical architecture of the Bronowice district where it is located.

Right: Extra attractions such as poker and roulette awaited the guests during the opening event.

Right: One of the visitors' favourite places in the Centre is the chill-out zone where you can sit down with a cup of coffee and relax.

Left: The building of the Office Inspiration Centre has been designed by the Cracow design studio DDJM and it makes reference to the historical architecture of the Bronowice district where it is located.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

11

SSC

SSC THE DISCOVERY’S WAY OF BUSINESS IN POLAND

Word of admission: SSC Lions is a new project run by Pro Progressio and focused on the communication support provided to Shared Service Centres. On ­Outsourcing&More Magazines’ pages we will present business cases and interviews with leaders of Shared Services Centres, industry experts and consultants. Our interlocutors will provide the answers to the questions related to best business practises, project manage­ ment and employer branding.

In the fourth edition of SSC Lions we are presenting the interview with Maciej Piwowarczyk, Global Finance & Accounting Lead and GM of Warsaw GBS. This is the very first of the interviews with senior managers of the SSC and GBS as well as CoE world, who share their experience on O ­ utsourcing&More Magazine’s pages.

SSC LIONS

Outsourcing&More: ­Discovery… let’s d ­iscover few secrets.

The ­Discovery’s Global Business Services present in P ­ oland s­ ince…?

Maciej Piwowarczyk: The first ­p erson was on-boarded in December 2016, so 12 months ago.

In April 2017, we went offi­ cially live with service deli­very from Warsaw ­ G lobal Business Services. I went through quite a few transitions and I must ­admit that W ­ arsaw build out, it was a ­crazy and challenging r­ ide but v­ ery successful at the end. We mobi­lized 50 people within 4 m ­ onths across various functions i.e. PTP, Payroll,

14

Contract and Billing, OTC and Tax reporting. We de­li­ver most of Euro­ pean languages, but language is not the primary element of our Value Proposition. In fact, when attrac­ ting talents our key focus was on the people who are autonomous, decisive, can embrace the c­ hange and do not want their role to be regu­lated at 95% by process documentation. It is a well-known fact that media industry is an industry of creativity, diversity and humongous dyna­mism … No doubt our end stage ambition, is to put our operations into an organized process but it is journey for us. To be

realistic, we’ll never get to a point where IT or Engineering companies were, already many years ago.

Process is the king or “my way or high way” approach I came across many times in my past life, defi­ nitely does not fit into our culture.

Is Warsaw your only GBS center?

What do you do in Poland?

This year is the year for us going truly global i.e. today I have my teams based in Washington DC, Mexico City, Columbia, L ­ ondon, ­Warsaw and Bucharest… Additio­ nally, we’re currently in the process of integrating APAC into our global

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

SSC LIONS

GBS family. Proxi­mity to a customer is our primary focus so consequently ­Washington DC’s pri­mary focus is on US, ­Mexico City / ­C olumbia ­p rimarily on ­L atin America, London / W ­ arsaw / ­Bucharest on Europe. In last 3 years our ­scope evolved big ­time i.e. almost doubled. T ­ oday we’re talking ­mainly about PTP, ­Cash Management, Payroll, ­Contract & Billing, OTC, Strategic Sourcing, Techno­ logy, Credit Cards & Expenses, Tax plus we r­ecently formalized Center of Excellence for RPA plus build a foundations of CoE for Reporting & Analytics. Additionally, GBS organi­zation contributes the most to company’s working capital targets being a strategic focus of our Global CFO. And as we look ­into the future, we’re slowly ­getting ready to turn to a multifunc­tio­ nal organism.

change), Transition Management up to Service D ­ elivery, what resul­ ted in: • stabilization of People Agenda including retention levels • increased Customer satisfaction • healthy growth from 200 people to more than 500 people.

„LOOKING AT MY PAST 16 YEARS AND PREDICTING THE FUTURE, THERE IS ONE ELEMENT THAT IS CONSTANT I.E. PEOPLE WHO WERE, ARE AND REMAIN AT THE CORE OF WHAT WE DO. ”

In Discovery, I could surely call out a successful Warsaw build out from scratch in such a short p ­ eriod of time but all of it, it would be all too obvious. Hence looking at my past 16 years I would like to call out two primary achievements.

On a personal side, it is s­urely my ­Family. I am a happy husband and proud Dad of two boys. My secret recipe here, it is "my way" to an optimal life and work b­ alance.

And on a professional side, looking at my time in HP, Accenture, CBRE and now Discovery, I would say that people who I guided, helped, advised are my biggest success.

I am still in touch with many of my direct and indirect reports and seeing how they grow and develop makes me feel just fulfilled.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to the management of the GBS operations?

Once one of my colleague execu­ tive said that 1 year in our GBS / SSC / BPO industry feels like 5 years every­where else. I kind of agree as degree of change, industry evolution, ­degree of optimization, outside of comfort zone world and constant appe­tite for more is our daily reality but actu­ally I love it.

Looking at my past 16 years and predicting the future, there is one element that is constant i.e. P ­ eople who were, are and remain at the core of what we do. Hence the biggest challenge is to assure a True Vision, ­Authentic Leadership and Integrity in all what we do so that People do trust us and follow you. The future is hard to be predicted, but if you could describe the goal You men­tioned challenges, and for Discovery’s GBS Centre for what do you consider as your big- the next 12 months, what would gest success and/or implemented it be? innovation in your whole career There are three primary objecor recently in Discovery? tives for ­Discovery. As we own I could s­ urely come up here with now rights for next four ­Olympics, many examples i.e. complex and our first and primary focus is successful transitions I led for ­Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang great Clients in Accenture. I could (South ­Korea). I have no doubt surely mention a period I spent in that we will impress the viewer CBRE, where during 2 years only, being our customer, by showing we enhanced 150% and enabled sports in a new and revolutionary our Warsaw ope­rations with best way. ­Once you watch it yourself, practices across all ­areas including you’ll now know I mean. Second, design & implementation of Lean / it is to “go digital” where Eurosport Six Sigma function, HR (in­cluding player is our flagship product and L&D upgrade, Talent management there is more to come. And finally, ­Program or Recruitment engine we are to continue our optimization

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

journey to be ahead of the game as our industry evolves. In 2018, assuming all is going as planned, we’ll be executing a merge with Network Scripps, what will surely change the way we ope­rate across all business lines and locations. As GBS, my teams will surely play a role in all

three dimensions but an optimi­ zation area is obviously, where we will contribute the most.

For the end more personal question, but still in line with mana­ gement nature -what do you, as the professional and experienced BPO/SSC Manager, miss in Poland?

First, we as lea­ders, we must continue being real, hungry for growth and open minded… and we shall continue being ahead of the game vs. the speed of industry evo­lution.

Today, it is true that looking at scale, we’re a regional leader but many years ago Czech Republic was as well. Plus, scale does not matter as much as it used to any­ more. Let’s remember about it.

It would be great as well if more leaders from Poland, do step up to regional and global roles so that we can influence m ­ ore, own strategic agenda, truly partner with CFOs and lead the game globally hand in hand with our col­leagues from US, UK, N ­ etherlands or ­India. And finally, labour arbitrage, ­being still a primary factor for our growth, based on various analysis will be gone in 7-12 years. Hence, we must continue to push ourselves constantly to advance, challenge the past practices from the pers­ pective of tomorrow’s rea­lity, step even more into unknown areas to lead the game for our organi­ zation and our teams.

Thank you •

15

BUSINESS

Will robots replace accountants?

ARE WE DOOMED TO BE UNEMPLOYED IN THE FUTURE?

It is a bit perverse question given the current situation on the labour market but let us look at the situation in the 5-10 years’ perspective, then the answers will not be so obvious as today. Additio­ nally, often with age (with some greyish hair appearing) we tend to change our viewpoint as if naturally. We look at the world in the context of our children’s future, we wonder who they are going to be, what capabilities they will have?

Operating within the sector of servi­ ces for business we can clearly see that everything around us has been chang­ ing, in particular clients and their expec­ tations. Therefore, are we able to keep up with the changes and in consequence offer something which our clients will need and will they buy it from us after all? In other words – can we be optimistic about the future, or are we approaching our end?

Edward Nieboj, Managing Partner, Outsourcing Department, Grant Thornton

16

case of our business we deal with the cli­ ent, as an entity, in fact it is represen­ted by people. The people – management board or shareholders – take decisions concerning purchasing a given service.

There are often the following motiva­ tions behind their decisions: they want to get some problem solved or fulfil their dreams. As long as the things we offer fall within these two categories of needs then our professional services will prevail and there will be a demand for them. Another thing is whether our company will keep up with the ever changing needs and whether it will remain on the market.

WILL WE HAVE LESS PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE AND WILL WE STOP DREAMING?

In my opinion, definitely not. Maybe in the future we will have different problems and other dreams but they will always be there. Then from a perspective of a ser­ vice provider, it is a key issue whether our services will keep up with the clients.

Will we be able to propose solutions which will correspond to the problems WHY DO WE BUY? which are going to arise? Will we help in First of all, it is worth noting that pur­ fulfilling the dreams of our clients? An chasing decisions are always eventually example from the professional services made by individuals. Even if like in the sector. Changing legal regulations is one

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Despite the fact that there is a tendency to minimize a share of the human factor in manufacturing processes and customer service still in the next 5-10 years these people will be a key asset in our companies.

of the main sources of problems. Nobody expects that there will be no changes in regulations in the future. In 2017 the autho­rities imposed an obligation to send the VAT JPK (SAT-F) files, in short a list of invoices concerning purchase and sale which the company included in the VAT return for a given period. The change generated some problems at our clients.

First, it was necessary to prepare a list in a manner which corresponds to the VAT return. Next, send it to the office and ­reply to queries of office clerks and en­ sure that we used appropriately updated software. This is where the service pro­ vider steps in, as a partner who is capa­ ble of "taking this burden off the client's shoulders". This is the added value, based on a dynamic reaction to the on­going situ­ation and a flexible approach allowing the client to tackle their problems.

This is only an example related to the regu­lations a­ rea. There are many oth­ er areas which can ­allow us to excel.

It is sufficient to mention technologi­ cal innovations, development and in­ creasing human competences and also changes forced by a healthy com­ petitive environment.

increase. These are people who create and design unique products and services The existing demand on the services not machines. These state will prevail for market does not automatically guarantee a long time. that each and every company will remain in play and will be able to successfully Technology is the second key factor. face competition. The player who will be In our sector the words: automation, ro­ able to tackle problems in the quickest, botics and digitisation are ever-­present most efficient and convenient manner and used by everybody. We already or will help the clients fulfil their dreams use technology to work faster, deliver will win. In my opinion there are two main ­data to our clients and their employees, facts which will be of key importance as it e.g. client’s portal, workflow, in a sim­ comes to a competitive advantage. pler and more convenient manner. This is ­only the beginning and almost every­ People are the most important element. body who operates on the market keeps Despite the fact that there is a tendency asking the same question: what is going to minimize a share of the human factor to h ­ appen if we add an efficiently ope­ in manufacturing processes and custo­ rating Arti­ficial Intelligence to all that mer service still in the next 5-10 years we have or will we be ready to grasp these people will be a key asset in our the oppor­tunity offered by the Robotics companies. The rule that only an in­ ­Process Automation? I believe that in volved, satisfied employee will be able practice each and every sector may de­ to provide unique services to our clients fine an area for a wider and better appli­ will still a­ pply. Depending on the type cation of technology. of business the role of the employees will change slower or faster. There will Will we be unemployed? I believe that be less and less repetitive, simple acti­ certainly not, provided we are vigilant vities (they will be actually replaced by and flexible so that we are able to solve automation) but the number of tasks clients' problems and make their dreams which will require imagination, creativity, come true. • multi-dimensional look at problems will HOW TO REMAIN ON THE MARKET AND HAVE A PIECE OF THE PIE?

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

17

BUSINESS

How is it going?

VoIP still in fashion – interview with Marek Toporowicz, Head of Integrations CEE.

O&M: It would seem that the enchantment with VoIP services vanished a long time ago, but along with the development of the Internet and the speed of data transmission, we can observe a steady growth of IP-based voice services. Are VoIP services back in fashion?

Marek Toporowicz: Of course, it is hard to disagree with this. This first fasci­ nation actually took place when very fast Internet service began to be popular in the US and fixed-line telephony was rela­ tively expensive, so the use of telephones only via Internet was cheaper and more attractive. Later, this boom slowed down slightly by the development of GSM and a decrease in fixed-line call prices, but VoIP is still highly popular, mainly be­ cause of the lack of necessity to invest in special equipment and because of call prices. Statistical data show clearly that the VoIP market accounts for a few d ­ ozen per cent of all voice calls in countries such as the UK, US, Germany and France (ac­ cording to the PMR Research Report).

In 2015, the number of VoIP subscribers in Poland increased to 2.5 million users.

Analysts estimate that the global VoIP market will grow by 7% Y2Y. According to Tech.co’s report, small companies that have switched to VoIP telephony reduced costs of local calls by up to 60%. As we can see, the facts and figures speak for themselves – VoIP simply pays off and will continue to pay off, mainly due to the continuous development of the Internet.

Increasingly more services are offered in the cloud. We try to avoid servers and other devices in the offices of our companies. Does the same happen in the world of tele­phony? What is, for instance, a virtual telephone exchange?

In this case, outsourcing is a perfect solution. Servers and physical telephone

18

exchanges in offices can be replaced with services in the SaaS model. We do not miss out on anything – just the opposite: we gain quite a lot because a virtual tele­ phone exchange offers the same possi­ bilities as a physical one, and the costs of purchase of additional equipment are actually brought to zero.

A virtual telephone exchange is a m ­ odern alternative to obsolete devices and to telephones fixed to the desk with ­cables. By making use of a virtual tele­ phone exchange, our company keeps in touch with customers at all times, no m ­ atter where we are. A virtual tele­ phone exchange offers the same or even larger configuration possibilities as physical telephone exchanges do; their advantage lies in the lower price and the possibility of faster configuration via on­ line panel. It helps to handle even such practical matters as the transfer of our company’s office to another location.

There will be no more unanswered calls from customers.

Control of business calls in v ­ arious branches is often an almost key topic.

What can you say about the current market offer and demand for services such as call recording or call-back?

Currently, most call centres record calls. The demand for such services does not actually depend on the industry be­ cause, in the case of distance contracts, it is possible to maintain a high level of customer service or to pursue potential claims. Call recording or the installation of a call-back widget on the website is only a drop in the ocean of needs of the ­modern business sector. Dzinga went a step farther – we are beginning to in­ troduce the concept of Call Flow Manage­ ment onto the market.

This means a ­comprehensive view of ­communication in the company and choo­ sing tools in a manner that is integrated with systems and processes in the com­ pany. It allows the company to increase conversion and sales and makes it easier to create statistics or reports. The creation of such a holistic communication system results from current trends in online mar­ keting: the need for personalisation, auto­ mation in e-commerce, the constantly increasing use of the Internet on ­mobile devices and the fact that customers still prefer phone communication when they want to obtain detailed information about a product or service.

Purchasing a virtual telephone exchange is not enough; it is even more necessary to realise what solutions our company actu­ally needs and how these solutions can contribute to the growth of our busi­ ness. Dzinga offers a set of many tools that will be tailored to the needs of our customer with appropriate configu­ration.

We must remember that custo­m ers’ needs are different, depending on whe­ ther we provide services to a travel agen­ cy, a production enterprise expor­ting goods or an e-shop with sports equip­ ment. The goal of Call Flow Management is to realise the value of communication in the company and to extract the most out of it.

According to Tech. co’s report, small companies that have switched to VoIP telephony reduced costs of local calls by up to 60%.

In the past, IP phones used to stand on desks in many companies, but t­ oday, in the age of development of mobile devices, we can move a range of telephone services outside the o ­ ffice.

What are mobile appli­cations for telephone services and what is their purpose? And what is the demand for such services?

Mobile appli­c ations are a sort of translation of VoIP telephony into mobile

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

A virtual telephone exchange offers the same or even larger configuration possibilities as physical telephone exchanges do; their advantage lies in the lower price and the possibility of faster configuration via online panel. phones. Our fixed-line phone number can be configured in such a way that when someone dials our number, we can receive such a call by means of an appli­ cation installed on our mobile phone.

The advantages of this solution do not need much recommendation: regardless of where we are (abroad, even on ano­ther continent), we can always receive calls comfor­tably at fixed costs of up to seve­ ral groszy per minute. It is worth stressing that intra­company calls are free in such case. In addition, our Dzinga application offers many functionalities: you can ob­ tain bil­lings of conference calls, relay calls, pay, configure… The range of options is really broad and all of them are available for free. We particularly recommend our mobile application to those who work in the sales industry, call centres, service centres and customer service offices.

If we were to take a closer look at various industries and determine their interest in and demand for tele­ communications services, which industries would top such a list?

The biggest reci­pients are certainly call centres – they need a lot of traffic!

Technology is of considerable impor­ tance here (overloading, simultaneous

connections, multi-­channel numbers, etc.). A similar demand for ­modern tele­ communications solutions exists in companies performing all kinds of sales, particularly telemarketing (regardless of the industry). Other important mar­ ket players are customer service offi­ces because they often need sophisticated configurations or redirection to groups – something that we also can ensure. It is also worth mentioning e-commerce be­ cause VoIP and e-commerce are strongly correlated with the Internet. The huge potential for the use of VoIP is hidden ­also in tourism, the hotel trade, logistics or medical services.

are none) and calls also matter. In Poland, for example, a call from the United States costs approx. 8 groszy (gr) per minute, a call from Brazil 5 gr per minute and a call from Australia 10 gr per minute.

As in the case of any complex business solution, we can also discover its weak­ nesses – the first one is dependence on Internet access. This is the key matter because talking via VoIP without Internet access is virtually impossible. Another difficulty lies in the fact that VoIP is pro­ hibited for political or security reasons in some countries. There is also a risk of overloading your own Internet connec­ tion, or even the service of the Internet Finally, let’s try to make a small SWOT provider (VoiP can seriously limit or even analysis – what are the strengths and block traffic and bandwidth capacity). weaknesses of VoIP telephony?

The strengths of VoIP certainly include The awareness of the potential weaknes­ the effective use of technology, simpli­city, ses of VoIP solutions during the creation mobility and low costs. VoIP solutions of the strategy of your company will help are technologically more advanced than you to prevent them effectively in order physical solutions, which means that they to make unlimited use of all the possi­ can be configured much more easily (on bilities offered for the business sector by the basis of management via administra­ VoIP telephony.

Marek Toporowicz, tive panel). The advantage of mobility has Head of Integrations already been mentioned (apps and the Thank you very much. • CEE. principle ‘I talk where I am’). Moreover, lower costs of equipment (actually, there

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

19

BUSINESS

MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER! – DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS SERVICES BASED ON COMPETENCES Interview with Krystian Bestry, CEO at Adaptive Solutions & Advisory Group

Wiktor Doktór: To begin with, let’s present your company to our readers. Where did the idea for Adaptive come from?

First, there was a need... To be more precise, a demand for highly specialized expert skills and managerial compe­ tences in the still relatively new industry of business services.

The scale of growth of this sector in ­recent years – in Poland, the region and globally – has substantially exceeded all forecasts and estimates made by business analysts a dozen or even a few years ago.

Strong development of IT system and IT operations, programming or designing applications, similar to all types of cus­ tomer service in the telecommunications or banking sector has been observed for more than 20 years now, and has been associated with the growth of these in­ dustries and technological development in the 21st century, the centralization of other business support processes and, ­recently also, basic operations in the model of shared services centres has been a surprise to many. The peculiar popularity for outsourcing and off­shoring of process operations to more attractive locations in terms of costs emerged at large international corporations some 10-12 years ago, that was also the time when the biggest players in this market entered Poland and other countries from

20

our region. At the same time, a large number of projects have a very “delicate” nature for parent companies, because they are linked with employment reduc­ tion in Western European countries or the United States. Many initiatives are kept secret, even within own organization’s structures, until the very last moment.

Hence, this is not conducive to active corporate communication regarding the nature of established service centres, and it generates a certain form of opposition in relations between companies from the sector, and also brings about questions in local labour markets and misunder­ standing with reference to the role and the scope of services offered by such new units.

Even today, when the sector of modern technology services, business services and outsourcing is the third biggest in­ dustry in Poland, we still have to deal with a high level of unawareness as regards the actual business activity of the com­ panies from this industry; we encounter many stereotypes, including – and this may be considered significant – not o ­ nly from representatives of the world of busi­ ness, and administration science, but also from representatives of consulting companies or market analysts! Remarks about the low complexity of operations and absence of added value, about a doubtful future of the sector or the risk

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

21

BUSINESS

Medium-sized or smaller regional companies have started following in the footsteps of international corporations and have begun to realize that without business support centralization their competitiveness, as well as ability to adopt new solutions, drops drastically.

of transferring an increasing number of services to Asia, are just a few exam­ ples of complete ignorance and today’s ­approach presented by many internation­ al companies in this respect.

Despite a substantial contribution made

by BPO/ITO companies or an ­increasingly greater number of organizations, which through their actions improve the aware­ ness of the market with regard to the characteristics of work and professional career opportunities created by services centres, the recognizability of the sector and its attractiveness for potential em­ ployees are still not at the highest level.

22

Meanwhile, the market of shared services is developing very dynamically, by at least 20% year to year, in each country from our region, in Asia or in South America. ­Medium-sized or smaller regional com­ panies have started following in the foot­ steps of international corporations and have begun to realize that without busi­ ness support centralization their compe­ titiveness, as well as ability to adopt new solutions, drops drastically.

Hence, the growth scale of the sector, the objectives concerning sharing know­ ledge between companies, and poor communication with the labour market

as regards needs and opportunities have led to noticeable shortages of quali­ fied process experts of the medium and ­higher level, and shortages of specific managerial competences, skills in com­ plex change management and business transformation or operational manage­ ment at services centres.

The idea to establish Adaptive Group emerged from the scale of identified needs, with the increasing importance of services centres and, hence, the increa­ sing expectations of the parent organi­ zation in terms of the new services these shared services centres already provide

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

The future of business services is associated with integrated services, which means deeper centralization, combining indi­vidual and highly fragmented service lines with one another, and the appli­cation of ­technology in ­their operation.

or will begin providing in the near fu­ • Speed of action; ture. ­Today’s innovativeness and ability • Flexible business model. to adapt to changing market needs is di­ rectly proportional to the competences For us, consulting activity is not an end a given organization has or can have at in itself; the actual value comes from the support in solving real problems, its disposal. taking over responsibility for running Working for many years with leading transformation programmes or periodic corporations on transforming business mana­gerial and operational support with processes, including transferring and a contractual obligation to achieve set building large operational centres in aims, irrespective of our level of engage­ ­Europe, the United Stated, India, ­China or ment. This is what motivates us.

Africa, we came to the conclusion that it was high time to open a competent con­ Our entire team is recruited from the sulting company in this part of the world candidates we have cooperated with that would guarantee help to shared before or who have been recommended services centres in achieving success by our clients. All employees of Adaptive at every stage of their development. S.A.G. have several to a dozen or so years Companies often notice challenges but of experience working in the sector of do not know how to cope with them; business and technological services – they ­often work out business plans with­ often for the companies that pioneered out ­being aware of the challenges they this model of operation on a global scale. may be facing.

We have also worked out a list of compa­ nies – business partners and several hun­ So, what do you actually do? What ser- dred of process experts – that we often vices do you provide? engage in our operations or recommend The value we deliver is based on many to our clients. years of practical experience, a proven methodology of building shared services Innovativeness of the solutions we pro­ centres, including business transition be­ vide is based on excellent knowledge of tween locations, process transformation, the market of business services and pro­ managerial competences, and conti­ cess transformations, monitoring of the nuous monitoring of trends and the best best operational practices and techno­ solutions in the market. logical trends – we use our long-standing experience in the sector of commercial As part of our collaboration with ­clients, services for the BPO/ITO business sup­ we provide mostly services related ported by current cooperation with re­ to building and implementing an ope­ cognized market analysts. ration strategy for shared services cen­ tres, standardization and centralization We are aware of the fact that time is the of support departments (such as finance, greatest value in the contemporary world. accounting, purchasing processes, HR or Time, which means speed of action and IT), project realization, knowledge trans­ adaptation to changing needs. It some­ fer, optimization of processes, effective times happens that we have to orga­nize monitoring and process improvements, teams for our clients’ projects within as well as creating and implementing just a few hours in order to either sup­ communication strategies or employer port strategic discussions or responding branding initiatives. Furthermore, we to on-going urgent operational needs. help to select suppliers of technological solutions and, often, to make decisions Our flexible business model is based not and seek outsourcing partners. only on working at a given client’s head­ quarters but, most of all, on a detailed What distinguishes a competent con- identification of objectives, expectations sulting company in the market? and challenges of every organization as The five most important elements well as joint discussion regarding oppor­ include: tunities and risks of the solutions defined.

• Responsibility for the results of con­ Depending on needs, we are able to en­ ducted projects; sure competence-related, specialist and • Managerial competences and technological support as well as opera­ a broad range of process experts; tional aid to help eliminate specific prob­ • Innovativeness of solutions; lems in our client’s organization.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

23

BUSINESS

When talking about characteristics and trends another question comes to mind. Where is the outsourcing and business services sector heading?

The future of business services is asso­ ciated with integrated services, which means deeper centralization, combining individual and highly fragmented service lines with one another, and the appli­ cation of technology in their operation.

Everyone, without exception, should use the platforms for knowledge exchange that already exist such as the “SSC Lions” initiative – a unique networking project, which allows smaller centres to demonstrate their presence on the map of shared services but also, and perhaps most of all, provides access to the experience of other organizations.

24

R&D centres, analytical centres and, hope­ fully, for the designing of automated solu­ tions for business services.

Not only globally but also in centres based in Poland will we observe auto­ mation of simple standardized processes based on algorithms or repeatability of actions. Especially due to the fact that this is no longer secret knowledge but “open source” solutions or “code free” The whole world is talking now about applications. robots and artificial intelligence; this di­ rection can also be clearly seen in the out­ Will robots take away our jobs? sourcing sector. Many companies already In countries like Poland robots can use cloud databases, analytical appli­ even generate more work for ­people. cations based on technological solutions, Please remember that many years automatic processing and reporting ago ERP systems provided companies modules, or robot-supported systems of with a platform for data integration; knowledge management. Certainly, this shared services centres also guarantee trend will continue to reinforce, parti­ a platform enabling integration and cularly due to the fact that with reference coordi­nation of key elements of business to business support processes we have operations. Technological solutions have been observing increased popularity been strongly affecting our industry in of the approach based on the so-called recent years, e.g. optical character reco­ design thinking, i.e. continuous con­ gnition (OCR) systems eliminate to a sig­ struction of prototypes of new solutions, nificant extent the manual introduction including technological, and testing them of data, the use of cloud-stored databases in practice, improving and reinventing. have provided users with access to data in This favours innovation. real time, while mobile applications have enabled personalized access to data and In response to expectations regarding an information. increased effectiveness of business ope­ rations, an ability to implement new pro­ Just like the solutions mentioned above, jects quickly, comprehensive support of robotics will also guarantee labour cost the parent organization, and enabling the saving through the elimination and auto­ automation of services on a large scale, mation of successive operational areas further standardization of processes will – thanks to the application of designed algorithms and artificial intelligence be a significant factor. modules. Still, someone has to design Surely, we can expect the continued these algorithms. Just as a centralization development of shared services or of processes provides access to better use BPO centres, because this business of resources, robotics provides business model opens the path to the full inte­ services centres with, on the one hand, gration of processes and the application a potential for greater effectiveness and, of techno­logy also in the environment on the other hand, new areas of business of services. The commercial outsourcing support with the application of techno­ market will still develop intensely based logies. It seems that robotics will rather on an increasingly greater scope of ser­ serve as a cure for manpower shortage, which is noticeable in many countries, vices provided. or for unfavourable demography, rather Where is Poland in all of this? than an actual “thief” of jobs.

Poland is still the leader in our part of Europe and the world in terms of the How to acquire competences of number of operational units; for many the future? companies it is also the main country Most importantly, it is necessary where research and development cen­ to shorten the path of their acquisition. tres with business transformation func­ tions are established. Several years ago, We need to remember that most of the we demonstrated our chief assets as an challenges and problems an organi­zation attractive place to establish production faces someone has already solved; hence, units; then, we became one of the top getting the precise knowledge or infor­ places for business operation and logis­ mation about “how” these problems can tics centres; now it is time for expert and be solved is of crucial importance. In the

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Please remember that many years ago ERP systems provided companies with a platform for data integration; shared services centres also guarantee a platform enabling integration and coordination of key elements of business operations.

event of services centres, many challen­ ges repeat themselves, especially due to the fact that these organizations are at varied levels of advancement.

The companies that have been ope­ra­ ting the outsourcing model for a dozen years, have an appropriate scale and an established model of action, must look for unique competences which enable the combination of future technologies with advanced analytical processes, whereas smaller services centres, which have been operational for a short time, should draw from the experience of the sector; they need to share knowledge, not be afraid to ask for help, participate in special events, like the BSS Tour, or workshops, webcasts and other solutions dedicated to that.

Everyone, without exception, should use the platforms for knowledge exchange that already exist such as the “SSC ­Lions” initiative – a unique networking project, which allows smaller centres to demon­ strate their presence on the map of shared services but also, and perhaps most of all, provides access to the ex­ perience of other organizations. There is always room for that. Especially when both knowledge and competen­ces are right at your fingerprints nowadays and you do not have to look for them in knowledge for your organization, and the darkness. eliminate a greater part of risk in the pro­ cess of implementing own ideas. Hence, In this context, making use of services the title of today’s interview and, at the of professional consultants and their same time, the motto of Adaptive Group: resources is also advisable; this way, MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER! you can not only save time, but also im­ plement a solution, ensure resources and Thank you very much. •

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

25

BUSINESS

A 70% sales increase thanks to AI. A business’s dream or a plausible scenario?

How can state-of-the-art technologies support business processes to ensure that businesses achieve the desired results? Today, businesses face a great challenge: on the one hand, they must meet the demands of a new-generation employees, and on the other hand, they want to win new customers and achieve the sales objectives. Currently, much is said about the impact of artificial intelligence on the development of the economy.

However, we still do not know exactly in which areas of business its potential can be effectively exploited. Here is an example of using the Autonomous Digital Assistant solution at one of the outsourcing market leaders.

WHY AI? human mind. During a conversation, One of the largest BPO companies a digital consul­tant gathers data valuable in ­Poland decided to implement in its from the point of view of the customer’s structure an AI solution which can en­ needs and sales objectives. gage both customers and employees in a way so as to ensure the most effec­ tive combination of their potential.

It is Alfavox Aalia, an Autonomous Digital ­Assistant system which, based on the arti­ ficial intelligence mechanisms, accurately identifies customers’ needs while opti­ mising the work of people. The bot works perfectly where it is necessary to perform routine activities which, when performed by people, are in a long run demotivating and result in their poorer performance.

A noticeable decrease in employee turnover is a benefit of the human-robot collaboration.

MEASURABLE RESULTS

Aalia, implemented in the Contact Center structure of a large outsourcer, supports the following three areas: sales services, after-sales services, and debt collection projects. The bot supports customers in several languages via chat channels and by phone. Aalia is to directly con­ tact the customers exactly when they expect it. It instantly interprets the in­ tentions of the customer on the website and responses in real time by holding a constructive dia­logue at the level of the

26

Thanks to this, the company gains 25% of additional customers whom it would lose if it was not for the fast response of a smart system. In addition to direct contact and order processing, the Aalia bot maintains multi-thread­ ed e-mail corres­pondence, and thanks to the use of advanced Business Intelli­ gence mecha­nisms, Machine Learning,

and extensive biometric methods, it effi­ ciently autho­rises customers. Quick veri­ fication of customers saves their time which otherwise would be spent on extensive formalities and answering the same, ­often tiresome questions. By em­ ploying Alfavox Aalia, the outsourcing company now performs twice as many tasks with the involvement of the same number ofemployees.

SALES DUO

One of the challenges faced by the com­ pany before the implementation of the Autonomous Digital Assistant solution was high turnover of consultants and de­ creasing sales volumes. The reason for this was often occupational burnout. Consul­ tants were making daily over 100 enga­ ging telephone calls, frequently involving the same or similar topics. The question arose how to motivate employees and ensure their development in order for them to achieve satisfactory results and stay in the company for longer. Within a few months from the implementation of Alfavox Aalia in the sales team, a signi­ ficant increase in conversion and a grea­ ter involvement of consultants in the customer service process was observed.

By taking over some of the processes associated with the initiation of the first contact with the customer, the bot quickly identifies their needs, steers the con­ versation in the right direction, and then redirects the contact to a human.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

A noticeable decrease in employee turn­ over is a benefit of the human-robot colla­boration. The robot took over some of repetitive activities which demoti­ vated Contact Center agents. Now, they can take on ambitious tasks to fully focus on customers’ problems. By taking over some of the processes associated with the initiation of the first contact with the customer, the bot quickly identifies their needs, steers the conversation in the right direction, and then redirects the contact to a human. Thus, the consultants deal with specific matters and finally provide services to customers based on compre­ hensive information collected earlier by Aalia. As a result, depending on the pro­ cess, the company achieves a sales con­ version rate of 30%-70%.

CONSCIOUS DEVELOPMENT

Today, artificial intelligence is a stra­ tegic field for any business and sector of the economy. In order to develop and achieve satisfactory results, the compa­ nies can take advantage of great poten­ tial of the state-of-the-art technologies.

However, before taking a decision on the selection of the right solution, it is worth analysing which areas of the business can be optimised by Autonomous D ­ igital Assistant solutions and which should re­ main in the hands of man. The modern

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

world is full of creative and ambitious people who every day strive to create something special. We believe that sus­ tainable development is possible thanks to a combination of the genius of the human mind and the best technologies.

Therefore, thanks to cons­cious collabo­ ration between a man and a digi­tal consultant, outstanding sales ­results are now a plausible scenario. • PW, Outsourcing&More

27

BUSINESS

Pro Progressio has been changing and developing the sector of modern business services for five years An interview with Wiktor Doktór, CEO of Pro Progressio Foundation

28

On 12 December 2017, five years had passed since the establishment of the Pro Progressio Foundation – a unique business environment institution, the main aim of which is to support the ­deve­lopment of the outsourcing and ­ m odern business services sec­ tor. The statu­tory objectives of the ­Foundation have been clear since the first day of Pro Progressio’s activities, and they are still considered to be the road­ map for all ongoing projects. The main statutory objectives include: (1) the pro­ motion of Poland as a location for the BPO/SSC sector; (2) outsourcing-related education; (3) promotion of service pro­ vides as well as direct and indirect busi­ ness environment institutions.

This is how a concept was worked out to build an organisation that, on the one hand, would start responding and reac­ ting to those needs, would have ambi­ tious objectives, and would conduct an operation that would have a real impact on the development of the BSS sector in Poland, Europe and the world.

Kamila Czyżyk, Outsourcing&More: In December 2017, Pro Progressio had been present on both the Polish and European markets of modern business services for 5 years. Now is a good time to sum up what has been achieved so far as well as to go back to the beginning. How did it all start?

Wiktor Doktór: I love to talk about that.

After many years of working for different companies in different positions where I was dealing with business services and outsourcing, I had the impression that many things were m ­ issing in this ­market. Starting with access to know­ ledge about how extensive this market was, who it represented, what to look for during activity development, and ending on the knowledge regarding methods of promoting BPO companies.

Now, when we know how it all s­ tarted and after you have mentioned a lar­ ger group of people who have been responsible for the development of Pro Progressio, can you tell us who these people are?

There are many such people in our case. I am glad that we surround our­ selves with smart people who are passio­nate, knowledgeable and have varied experience they wish to share with ­others. I am happy that we can count on the support of these people –not only on their praise but also on their constructive criticism. I have the ­honour of leading the Management Board of the Founda­ tion, but a captain is no-one without his crew and without the institutions and people who influence what the ship looks like and how it sails through the ocean of

Bearing the aforementioned in mind, we gathered a group of people, drew a map of what we wanted to achieve and when we wanted to achieve it, and started putting words into action. After five years, I must admit I am extremely satisfied with what we have achieved so far, and we have still a lot of objectives and challenges ahead of us.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Since the beginning, our main aim has been to build strong connections in Poland and globally.

We do not consider ourselves the ”alpha and omega”, but – although it may sound immodest – we are very good at networking and knowledge exchange.

photo: Adrian Czyżyk

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

29

BUSINESS

business challen­ges. I like the s­ aying that we are as strong as the people who surround us. And we are sur­ rounded by the best of the best.

The Foundation Council is composed of Dariusz Doktór, my father and also the Founder and Chairperson of the Foun­ dation Council. The remaining members of the Pro ­Progressio ­Council are ­Henryk Dąbrowski (PISA) and PhD ­ A ndrzej Świątecki (University of Warsaw).

The Programme Board of the Founda­ tion includes Barbara B ­ ojewska (Profes­ sor at the ­Warsaw School of Economics), Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz (Presi­dent of the Polish Bank Association, dr ­honoris causa Warsaw School of Economics), and Mateusz Chudzik (law firm Chudzik i Wspólnicy Radcowie Prawni).

Pro Progressio has also had a chance to develop thanks to the collaboration with a large number of sector exports, who find the activity of the Foun­dation very akin to their own nterests.

These experts include among ­others: Romek Lubaczewski (PwC), Piotr R utkowski (SourceOne Advisory), ­ ­Maciej Buś (Polish Call Center Forum), ­M ariusz Wiśniewski (CBRE), Stephan ­Fricke (Deutscher Outsourcing Verband).

One of the main objectives for Pro ­Progressio is to provide support for Polish cities and towns in acquiring BSS investments. What does the Foundation do in this area?

That is true – one of the most im­ portant objectives of the operations of Pro Progressio is to support business development in Polish cities. Since the beginning of our operations, we have collaborated closely with media such as for example the OutsourcingPortal and the Outsourcing&More magazine.

One year ago, we took over the portal and the magazine, hence they have be­ come our media channels, which we now use to communicate the invest­ ment attractiveness of Polish cities in a better way. Additionally, we actively promote Poland and urban agglomera­ tions during domestic and foreign con­ ferences and semi­nars as well as during talks with potential investors. This is an ­area Pro P ­ rogressio considers to be one of its priorities; furthermore, it is constant­ ly evolving. During the last five years, the Foundation has promoted Poland during business events in France, Germany, Great Britain as well as India, Ukraine, Lithuania, Romania, and Bulgaria. ­Independently or in cooperation with our Business Part­ ners we have organised business sem­ inars in Bangalore, Berlin, Vilnius, Lviv, and London.

30

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

The flagship event organised by Pro P ­ rogressio is the Outsourcing Stars Gala (http://www. ­outsourcingstars. pl), which now also includes a one-day conference called The BSS Forum (http:// ­bssforum.com/). When organising these events, Pro Progressio has received support from the Focus Event Agency, which we would like to wholeheartedly recommend to others. There is special “chemistry” between us, and ­jointly we have organised the G ­ ala events, which are considered to be the O ­ scars of the BSS sector in Poland. We are proud of our initiatives. The next Forum and ­Gala will And how does your collaboration with be held very soon – on 25th ­January other countries look?

2018 in Gdynia.

The last five years have been a period during which Pro Progressio has esta­ blished numerous international relation­ ships and partnerships. Thanks to them, knowledge about the Polish BSS market has been propagated beyond the bor­ ders of Poland. In addition, the Founda­ tion has been developing its knowledge and competences in the scope of BPO/ SSC/ITO and R&D. At the ­present time, Pro Progressio is a Partner for organi­ sations such as: IAOP (the Interna­ tional Association of O ­ utsourcing Professionals), G S A (the Global ­Sourcing Association), DOV (Deutscher ­Outsourcing Verband), Lviv IT ­Cluster, Emerging-Europe, ­Q uigleyMedia, SSON/ I QPC. Additionally, we collabo­ rate c­ losely with the Scandinavian-­Polish Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise ­Ireland, and with other organisations that focus on modern business services.

In addition to conferences, Pro P ­ rogressio Since the beginning, our main aim has has also organised a series of business been to build strong connections in breakfasts that popularise the know­ ­Poland and globally. We do not consider ledge about outsourcing in areas such as ourselves the ”alpha and omega”, but – law, banking, customer service, sales and although it may sound immodest – we project management. Those events were are very good at networking and know­ partnered by, among others, the Polish Bank Association, the law firm Chudzik ledge exchange. i Wspólnicy, Art. P.M., Grupa Nowy Styl, p erformance Regarding networking and the ex- Sandler Training, Tele­ change of knowledge, you are an Polska, Mellon Polska, NEC, Invest in organiser of many confe­rences and Pomerania, the Marshal's Office of business events. What are they ­Warmia and Mazury. and who participates in them?

Indeed, Pro Progressio is the a­ uthor During the business breakfasts held of many initiatives that we organise to­ in Polish cities, we presented special gether with our Partners. They include: reports entitled „Development of the business breakfasts, semi­nars, work­shops BPO and SSC sector”. These reports and conferences. We have held d ­ ozens were prepared for Wrocław, Poznań, of such events in the last few years. Rzeszów and Warsaw.

During the last year, we launched a series of events entitled “The BSS Moreover, Pro Progressio actively sup­ Tour” (http:// www. ­bsstour. com/) in five ports the sports initiative under the Polish cities. ­Almost 1000 ­participants name of the BVB Cup (Beach Volleyball took par t in the conferences. Business Cup). This project has been It is our great pleasure to collaborate directly with the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (formerly known as the Polish Information and Foreign Invest­ ment Agency), Invest in Pomerania, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Łódź, Lublin, Kielce, Częstochowa, Rzeszów, Opole, Poznań, and Gdynia; less regularly, but still with great pleasure, we work in partnership with Olsztyn, Elbląg, Piła, and Radom.

At Pro Progressio we are open to deve­ loping a relationship with other cities and towns that would be interested in BSS investments.

Since 2017, we have opened the Pro Progressio Club more to shared services centres by launching the SSC Lions project, the objective of which is to provide support in Employer Branding and SSC popularisation as a workplace.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

31

BUSINESS

implemen­ted in the Tricity area for sev­ The educational projects implemented eral years now and its main objective with the support of Pro Progressio i­ nclude is to propagate the idea of Work-Life among others: ­Balance. More and more companies from • lectures during the OMLA ­project (Outsourcing Market Leaders the BSS ­sector join the initiative every ­Academy) – (Warsaw School year; Pro P ­ rogressio, besides organisa­ of ­Economics); tional support, also takes part in the beach volleyball competition. We have • lectures for postgraduate students “Modern Business Services” – (Univer­ never made it to the final, but we will sity of Technology and Humanities continue fighting. in Radom); The final of the Outsourcing Stars con- • lectures for MBA students from the University of Lausanne test takes place during the G ­ ala which in ­Switzerland; you have already mentioned. Can you tell us something more about • ambassadorial programme at higher education institutions (Jagiellonian this project?

University, University of Silesia, ­ Since the very beginning of our ope­ University of Gdańsk, Maria rations, Pro Progressio has been award­ ­Skłodowska Curie ­University in ­Lublin); ing the fastest developing outsourcing companies, shared services centres, • participation in the WorkGate project – (Poznań); and business environment institutions, including cities, property developers, • lectures during Entrepreneurial Days at the Maria Skłodowska Curie and real e­state agencies. The ­Outsourcing University – (Lublin), Stars contest serves this particular pur­ pose (http://www.­o utsourcingstars. • lectures during Entrepreneurial Days at the University of Białystok. pl/konkurs/). The contest is a non-­ commercial project; the companies and local-governments taking part in it com­ Pro Progressio compiles a series of re­ pete in 13 categories. It is one of very ports during scientific studies and edu­ few initiatives in Europe that focus on cational programmes. They include the business services sector and, at the a series of publications entitled Focus same time, awards in an objective way On, the objective of which is to high­ the ­organisations that have recorded the light the investment attractiveness of best growth levels in the last 12 months. Polish cities and towns. Reports dedi­ cated to the following cities and towns Every year, the finals of the contest take have been published so far: Łódź, Lublin place during the official Outsourcing (2 editions), Poznań (3 editions), Tricity Stars Gala, which so far has been held area (3 editions), Bydgoszcz (2 editions), in Warsaw and Lublin. As I have already Szczecin, Częstochowa, Rzeszów (2 edi­ mentioned, the next Gala will be held in tions), Elbląg, Olsztyn, Opole (2 editions), Gdynia on 25 January 2018. I am eager Piła, Radom, and Kielce. to know who will win this year, because many organisations have applied, inclu­ Besides the Focus On reports, we ding some organisations that have not ­also c­ arry out detailed analyses and stu­dies dedicated to higher education. taken part in the contest before.

So far, we have published reports regard­ Education – this is one of the areas ing foreign languages studies at Polish where Pro Progressio’s participation ­higher education institutions (2015), re­ is also visible. ports dedicated to students of IT studies Yes, that is true. The last five years in the academic year 2015/2016 (2016), have been a period of hard educational and a report about economic trends at work for us and a period of developing Polish universities (2017). relationships with Polish institutions of higher education. Active involvement in The Foundation’s portfolio also includes entrepreneurial days, job fairs as well as specialist reports and analyses of areas in individual educational projects is ex­ such as office real etate and industry lite­ tremely important for Pro Progressio, and rature, for example: this area is being constantly developed. • An analysis of literature regarding outsourcing – based on the contents Furthermore, we support PhD students in of “Outsourcing Bibliography” their scientific work; we comment on and www. ­outsourcingportal.pl (2013). analyse sector reports, and keep a register of dissertations dedicated to outsourcing • Worldwide journals dedicated to outsourcing and call centres (2015). in our OutsourcingPortal.

32

• The Top Level Offices: Poland 2017: Pro Progressio & RICS Real Estate Report (2017).

You have mentioned the ­ m edia ­channels managed by Pro Progressio, ­including our magazine.

A year ago, Pro Progressio acquired two major media of the outsourcing sector in Poland, i.e. OutsourcingPortal. eu and the Outsourcing&More maga­ zine. Thanks to the Foundation, these ­media have changed and adapted to the needs of the market, delivering the most important and most interesting infor­ mation about business services. For a year now, OutsourcingPortal.eu has ­also been operating in Romania, where it has reinforced its position as the leading platform of the outsourcing sector in that country. At Pro Progressio, we make our best efforts to ensure that the contents presented in the media are objective, educational, and have a direct impact on the development of entrepreneur­ ship. We promote non-commercial texts, case studies, and interviews with leaders of the modern business services sector.

We incessantly encourage PR agencies and companies to cooperate with us.

Members of the Pro Progressio Club and a series of other organisations both from Poland and abroad benefit the most from our media.

Besides the media, we create and ­manage other business tools and solu­ tions. Pro Progressio implements new tools supporting business each year. The tools c­reated and con­ tinually developed include among ­o thers the multi-language platform Best2Invest (www.­B est2Invest. org) and the Event ­Tiger system for arran­ ging meetings d ­ uring business events (www. eventtiger. eu).

Pro Progressio Club – this initiative has accompanied Pro Progressio since the very beginning. What is this Club?

Pro Progressio has been managing the Club for five years of its operations.

At the beginning, it was entitled the Outsourcing Club, but after some time we renamed it to Pro Progressio Club.

The Club creates and develops opportu­ nities for collaboration between its mem­ bers, as well as serving as a networking and media-related platform that enables promotion, communication and dissemi­ nation of knowledge about business ser­ vices and about the members of the Club themselves. The Club is open to both

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

large corporations and small businesses, consultancy agencies, investor service and every member is treated according centres, BPO companies, shared services to the same principles. centres, call contact centres, and other entities face every day.

This is one of a very small number of ini­ tiatives in the Polish and European market Since 2017, we have opened the that combines elements of Consulting, Pro ­Progressio Club more to shared ser­ Advisory, Business Support, Promotion, vices centres by launching the SSC Lions Education, and Networking in the sector project, the objective of which is to pro­ of modern business services. The first vide support in Employer Branding and letters of the concepts mentioned above SSC popularisation as a workplace. create the word CASPEN – and this is the name of the membership package The awards you have received are a tesat Pro the Progressio Club. Members of timony to your perseverance. What are the Club make it possible to popularise you most proud of? knowledge about the world of modern Within the last five years, Pro business services, BSS locations in Poland, ­Progressio has been awarded a number technology, personal data protection, of distinctions, recommendations, letters work mobility, process transformations, of gratitude and awards for its contri­ and the many other issues HR compa­ bution to the development of entrepre­ nies, real estate agencies, IT companies, neurship in Poland. The recognition the

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Foundation and I myself are most proud of is the award given by the Polish Invest­ ment and Trade Agency for the best Busi­ ness Environment Institution in Poland in 2016. Such awards motivate us to work harder, build new bridges connecting en­ terprises, and think creatively to make the outsourcing and modern business servi­ ces sector in Poland develop even faster.

We hope that our contribution in the deve­lopment of entrepreneurship will serve many cities and companies, and we are intending to supply the required fuel for successive interesting projects.

Thank you for the interview. I am ­keeping my fingers crossed that the years to come will bring many inte­ resting challenges. •

33

BUSINESS

AI, ongoing shortage of talent and the mind-boggling consequences of Brexit will be the BSS driver topics in 2018 Wiktor Doktór talks to Kerry Hallard, President of Global Sourcing Association.

Wiktor Doktór: The outsourcing world keeps on changing, and we see a number of trends. In 2017 AI and RPA had significant media coverage: will they also be the hot topic in 2018?

Kerry Hallard: Absolutely – though it's important to remember (difficult some­ times in the face of all the hype!) that they aren't the only hot topics... Artificial intelligence and automation are trans­ forming this industry and the pace of that transformation continues to accele­ rate. Thus far robotic process automation (RPA) has really been the big story, and we already see solutions in the market­ place with fascinating capabilities and huge potential being implemented in more and more organisations globally.

Indeed, at many if not most large organi­ sations RPA is now at least at the "proof of concept" stage and we're moving along the maturity curve at a very healthy pace.

This trend will clearly deepen and broa­ den this year as engagement continues to grow and as existing techno­logy im­ proves and becomes ever more sophis­ ticated – and a new raft of even more powerful solutions comes to m ­ arket.

However, probably the most exciting developments will come as AI moves fur­ ther into the mainstream: although "AI" and "automation" often get lumped in to­ gether in this space, AI is a different and infinitely more powerful beast and one longer in gestation: thus far AI adoption has lagged behind that of techno­logy like RPA but things are changing fast, and we'd expect 2018 to be a huge year for artificial intelligence.

34

Take-up of this kind of tech will grow this year as buy-side organisations become more comfortable and familiar with what automation can – and cannot – do for them, and as those responsible for cre­ ating and refining outsourcing contracts continue to develop a deeper under­ standing of the compliance and risk rami­ fications of this technology. Meanwhile providers will continue to pour vast – and growing – sums into R&D in this area – and to put substantial effort into working with their customers to identify new areas of potential value, bringing automation into all sorts of uncharted territory.

One trend that's going to make a lot of waves is blockchain.

What other trends do you notice currently? Is there something new that we should expect this year?

There's always something new in out­ sourcing and business services! Every day, let alone every year, sees something new come into the global a­ rena – ­whether it's a new software solution, a new centre opening up, a new take on putting to­ gether a contract... So I suppose the most important trend would be something like

"the continued acceleration of change, evolution and growth in the industry".

Getting into specifics, one trend that's going to make a lot of waves is block­ chain. Many people – even plenty in this community – would know of blockchain primarily because of its role as the foun­ dation technology for Bitcoin, but its po­ tential applications within business go far beyond that and it's a technology of huge significance for sourcing and services.

The GSA has already done a lot of work in this area (and we'll be doing plenty more in 2018, so watch this space!) and we're expecting blockchain to be generating a lot of media coverage and community attention this year and in future.

Another very important trend – one that's not at all new for 2018 but which will have a big impact on the industry this year – is the ongoing shortage of talent at many levels in developed economies (which of course provides an oppor­tunity for out­ sourcers with access to ­multi-geography talent pools) and in a fair few offshore service delivery locations too (which con­ comitantly creates something of a chal­ lenge for many providers). This is proving especially problematic at the middle management stratum. Expect to see re­ cruitment process outsourcing and con­ tingent labour companies thri­ving this year as buyer organisations call for help getting the right people in place; expect, also, more and more resources being di­ rected towards training and professional development to facilitate more optimal internal recruitment.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

Obviously, here in the UK 2018 will be dominated by Brexit and all its mind-­ boggling consequences – and that ­applies just as much, if not more, to sour­ cing and outsourcing as anywhere else.

There are so many ramifications right across the sector, and they're so complex, that it's impossible even to scratch the surface in an interview like this – but it's safe to say that key questions like trade barriers, movement of labour, regu­latory structures and many more will be ago­ nised over by countless organisations on both sides of the English Channel, and we'll all be hoping to get some kind of clarity on these issues as soon as possible.

The Global Services Association is based in London. What does the CEE’s outsourcing market look like from your perspective?

Outsourcing in the CEE region is now a familiar option, and a respected one, for many buyers in Western Europe and beyond, and the fundamentals re­ main strong: a large and well-skilled talent pool, nicely culturally and geo­ graphically aligned with home markets, available at costs which are still compe­ titive (though rising), in a secure and ­business-friendly environment. Obvious­ ly the region is not entirely homogenous, and it's absolutely vital to remember that the CEE region is made up of a number of distinct countries (some quite large with their own internal variations) each with its own idiosyncrasies, pros and cons: one thing the GSA has been stressing for some time is the importance of differen­ tiation through branding so, for example, potential buyers can become more aware of Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, Slovenia etc as individual markets rather than thinking merely of "outsourcing to CEE" – which can lead to a failure to take full advantage of a location's particular benefits.

While generally speaking the prospects continue to be good (especially as more and more work is done to move the re­ gion's collective proposition up the ­value chain – utterly crucial, considering the impact automation is likely to have on the old headcount-based model which has traditionally been the cornerstone of services offshoring) there are neverthe­ less a few clouds on the horizon for the region, most notably perhaps the shifting political landscape in Poland and the on­ going conflict in Ukraine (and, perhaps, on a broader level the region's relation­ ship with Russia). Addressing potential in­ vestors concerns regarding such matters will be vital if the region is to have the success it wants and needs in 2018 and beyond.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

35

BUSINESS

Kerry Hallard at BSS Tour Rzeszów (September 2017, photo: Adrian Czyżyk)

36

We know you are travelling a lot and running projects around the world.

You have already mentioned CEE: what do other regions or countries look like when it comes to outsourcing opportunities and/or challenges?

In some aspects, the world of out­ sourcing looks very similar wherever you are, in the sense that there are some macro-level challenges (and oppor­ tunities) affecting everyone: we've talked about the impact of automation which will have consequences in every corner of the world, but many other trends and events – Brexit, US isolationism, the rise of China to name but a few – also reach right across boundaries (with different impli­ cations for different regions of course).

Moreover the general outsourcing prop­ osition remains strong everywhere: the ability to provide high-quality, secure services at a good price point is just as much of a benefit in Bangladesh as it is in Bulgaria and everywhere else.

detail on a comprehensive level in an inter­view: there is simply too much going on! However, one thing which can and must be done is the continued improve­ ment of communication and dialogue between professionals from different parts of the world so we can all learn from each other and apply those learnings where appropriate to the challenges we each face in our particular environments.

A global outlook is now indispensable when it comes to solving local problems and capitalising on local opportunities; the announcement of the GSA's first Global Sourcing Summit & Awards in South Africa in March 2018 is an indi­ cation of how important we feel to be the maintenance of such international dia­logue between all the countless dis­ tinct corners of this industry, while our ­inaugural Top 30 rankings (to be pub­ lished in January 2018) will shine a light on those locations which are outperfor­ ming their neighbours and competitors.

On the other hand every region, every ­location – every organisation, even - has its own issues with which to contend.

Again it's impossible to go into any real

Casting a quick eye across some of the most important offshoring destinations, we can see some interesting activity in India, with a strong digital agenda ­being

displayed by both domestic players and multinationals with a presence on the subcontinent. A couple of years ago, India looked at times like something of a "rabbit in the headlights" paralysed by trepidation about the likely consequen­ ces of automation, but while it's still not the quickest to transform the Indian mar­ ket is looking much more optimistic as we head into 2018. On the other hand, China still remains a puzzle in terms of its inability to take off as a genuine global business services powerhouse: it's doing a fantastic job in manufacturing, coding, but remains an also-ran in many fields – however, much of this may simply be the result of a firm focus on its (gigantic) ­domestic market.

South Africa is an interesting example of a market transitioning rapidly from voicebased service provision to a ­broader ­customer-service BPO and shared ser­ vices location. It's not yet a huge space in terms of the number of professionals currently deployed but can punch above its weight thanks in part to good cultural alignment with target markets. Mean­ while Latin America continues to be

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

a very strong and extremely important nearshore option for North American orga­nisations, but thus far hasn't made (nor perhaps needed to make) many in­ roads into the European market (beyond some significant work in Spain and Por­ tugal). This region too has good cultural synergies with Europe and some impor­ tant linguistic assets, so the potential is there for more success on this side of the Atlantic should a concerted effort be made.

South Africa is an interesting example of a market transitioning rapidly from voicebased service provision to a broader customerservice BPO and shared services location.

Outsourcing service providers are h ungry for new contracts – and ­ ­also hungry for the know-how. What would be your recommendations of what to do - and what not to do - for CEE-based outsourcing companies who would like to start working with UK-based clients?

Firstly, don't panic over Brexit!

We don't know the full details yet but whatever happens after the UK leaves the EU, the demand for offshored and out­ sourced services will still be strong (per­ haps much stronger!). Stay involved, keep up to date with what your customers and prospects are expecting from Brexit and stay confident that you will still have an attractive proposition for UK firms in the post-Brexit era.

(that is to say, indispensable) and the UK has always been a society where "it's not what you know, but who you know". If it's not feasible to set up a UK footprint (and having boots on the ground will always be an advantage) getting over to the UK for conferences when possible – and certainly attending those in your home countries which attract UK professio­nals – is key, as is leveraging relationships you may have with any employees of UK organisations (either buy- or sell-side) who are based where you are.

One very basic – yet terrifyingly costly – error many organisations make is not to get marketing material checked over by native speakers: substandard E­ nglish is a real no-no since it immediately cau­ ses the reader to question the writer's capa­b ilities and attention to detail.

There's no point going to all the expense of marketing only to waste it through shoddy communication: do the little things right and you'll win approval and, hopefully, deals.

Service providers are one group; ­another is cities which are looking for new investors representing BPOs/SSCs or R&D organisations. Which, from your perspective, are the locations the BSS industry will be most interested in in 2018 – and what would you advise to city representatives to increase their investment appeal?

Without wanting to repeat myself, in­ vestors will always be interested in stable places with large, highly skilled talent pools available at a competitive cost.

Smaller locations with fewer potential hires available may want to focus on spe­ cific niches within the broader services umbrella rather than going up against their larger neighbours, but first and foremost it's about doing the basics right: • work with employers and educatio­ nal institutions to develop talent in a targeted manner; • have the infrastructure (and a ­business-friendly planning policy for when new infrastructure is required) necessary to attract the kind of organi­sation you want (a large talent pool is useless without good offices for that ­talent to work in); • encourage conferences and other knowledge-sharing opportunities to keep the location in touch with the wider community (and as a branding exer­cise – developing a distinctive brand is key as I mentioned earlier).

investors, and of course such things can't really hurt (anything in this day and age which boosts the bottom line will get people's attention) – however, compared with things like access to ­talent, such incentives tend to be pretty far down the priority checklist when it comes to ­making a decision re locating ser­ vice delivery, so I would advise those in charge of marketing locations to the wid­ er world not to get too hung up on the incentives side if other elements of the proposition need greater attention. One kind of incentive which is definitely worth pursuing is local support for professional development (for example, if the region creates a fund which would-be inves­ tors can a­ ccess as long as it's spent on trai­ning): that ticks a couple of boxes at a time when, as I have said, investing in development is simply a must.

It's worth adding, too, in relation to the branding piece I just mentioned, that marketing remains an area of under­ performance for many locations – there's no point in being a high-potential service delivery location if nobody's ever heard of you! So I would recommend being both more active and smarter in marke­ ting both nationally and internationally.

Yes, there's a cost to that – but compared with the cost of being left behind it's negli­gible at most... This is especially im­ portant in Poland right now as smaller (Tier 3) cities are coming to the fore (in part because of a certain saturation in larger locations). Buyers tend to look at "region, country, city" in that order – and as the industry has matured and profe­ ssionalised, many people will now already have reached the "country" stage before starting any conversations, so cities need to be promoting themselves harder and ever to get and stay front of mind.

Poland is an especially dynamic ­market and, like the rest of the outsourcing and service delivery space, is experien­cing a rapidly evolving ecosystem with a lot of potential for start-up success. This is a great situation – but it's not with­ out its challenges, one of which is the need to demonstrate an ability to work to industry norms. Concepts like the GSA's Global Sourcing Standard, driving demonstrable flexibility, agility, good governance, good relationship manage­ ment on both buy- and sell-side, are very useful in this regard and we look forward to robust adoption in this region as a di­ verse set of organisations seek to prove their capabilities to an equally diverse group of buyers.

More generally, do whatever you can to build not just a deep understanding of the various sector landscapes in the UK, but a good relationship with key in­ dividuals – not just those within client and prospect organisations, but also the major thought leaders in UK outsourcing (be they advisors, analysts, academics or anyone else). Networking remains as im­ Some locations fall over themselves offe­ portant in outsourcing as it has ever been ring tax incentives, grants etc to potential Thank you very much. •

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

37

BUSINESS

Good Disruptions – how technology transforms BSS sector

disruptions indeed became a name for digital innovation. In a nutshell, disrup­ tion means solutions or service which breaks the established patterns, rather than just becoming better versions of its predecessors.

Examples? Robots and bots, RFID im­ plants injected under a skin, blockchain, self driving vehicles and other connected devices creating so-called the Internet of Things. According to Deloitte's report, a family with two children at home will posses over 50 electronic devices until 2022. This proliferation is visible in all industries; starting from the office equip­ ment, going through the healthcare, transportation and communication, fini­ shing in the finances.

How did our life change due to smartphones?

Tracing the technological impact is like observing your own face in the mirror – changes are so subtle, that cannot be seen daily, yet they inevitably occur.

In technology, we usually see the chan­ ges once they will get deeply rooted in our habitual patterns. Smartphones are an excellent example: they are claimed to spread faster than any other techno­ logy in human history.

This is how it goes with industrial revo­ lutions. Such progressive inventions like steam engine, electricity or a personal computer have revolutionized modes of production and employee's everyday life.

Mass migrations, manufactures and the computerization paved the ways of work This increase affected way we communi­ and leisure, mutual communication and cate, our attention span, even sleep ­cycles private identity. and a development of youth's speech apparatus. According to scientists from the University of Texas, mere presence of smartphones lowers brain processing power. Namely, it just makes us dull.

But there is much more to come: we will experience more relevations with an matchless impact. Let's get ready for big changes in work rhythm and company's structures. Technology will also make the job market tremble.

Big data analytics caused new jobs to loom up like a data scientist, the sexiest job of the 21 century according to Harvard Business Review.

According to Klaus Schwab – a founder of Recent accumulation of technological World Economic Forum – recent changes discoveries was announced as the Digital experienced by humanity over decades are only an introduction to what awaits or Forth Revolution. us. Including the scale, reach and com­ ON THE FORTH REVOLUTION plexity. Does such a cheeky diagnosis What's the difference between modifi­ is justified? cation and transformation? Modification is about creating a change within the DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES system, leaving its essence untouched. By Technological development lost its l inear predictability long time ago. contrast, transformation cracks open the ­ foundation and provokes series of conse­ Now it proceeds with an exponential quences embracing the whole (­super) rate, as sta­ted by Schwab. Manifold dis­ structure. ruptions are a drive for such growth;

38

Let's explain a role of disruptions by an example of blockchain, in many respects the firstborn child of digital economy.

Blockchain is completely new way of pro­ viding and securing financial servi­ces. Its foundation shakes well established rules of proceeding with transactions and storing sensitive data. Shares, bitcoins and electricity can be exchanged with­ out third parties like banks. Blockchain was proclaimed to remodel finances in the same way facebook revolutionized internet communication and content distribution. Deloitte's analysts forecasts that government will use this system to charge the taxes before 2023, whereas four years later 10% of global GDP will be stored in different block chains.

This system can be seen as a digital equal of a steam engine. Yet, in the past one invention changed the global indus­ try, and now distinct disruptions occurs simul­taneously and engages all bran­ ches of production and services. That's why Klaus Schwab used the phrase of an expo­nential rate.

BIG DATA

Big data is a second vital factor of the Forth Revolution. A proliferation of ­data led to a situation, where information generated during last two year's period

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

exceed the total amount of data gene­ rated ever before. How can we possibly imagine the speed of a further advance?

Big data is a mass record of human inter­actions and behaviors: millions of conversations, sequences of clicks and taps, scrolled photos and online game's encounters stored in huge databases.

Read cleverly, they can be a source of in­ sights, invaluable for every industry. Big data contains not only consumer beha­ viours, but also raw patterns of our thin­ king and cognition.

IT'S OUT THERE, BUT HOW TO DIG IT OUT?

Big data analytics caused new jobs to loom up like a data scientist, the sexi­est job of the 21 century according to H ­ arvard Business Review. Enhanced by AI, human brain can scan through tera­ bytes of data and squeeze the juice out.

Nevertheless, artificial intelligence needs it's own magic as well. It is machine lear­ ning, subdiscipline where robots are adapted to learn with decreasing super­ vision of human expert. Since the elabo­ ration of neural network, a computing system inspired by a way mammal brains are operating, robots can learn inde­ pendently and create their own algo­ rithms. Here, scientists coined the term "deep learning" or "deep structure lear­ ning". What we, humans, have been left with is the cherry on top – drawing ma­ chine's to certain databases, customizing their research, writing meta-algorithms and analyze the results. That's why Elon Musk, Google, Facebook (FAIR – ­Facebook AI Research) invests millions and millions in deep learning.

Pomeranian example of taking these oppor­tunities is Senti-One, based in Gdańsk. Founded in 2011, currently ac­ tive on 35 markets, Senti-One offers big ­data analytics directed to online dis­ cussions and social media activity, all enhanced by deep learning. Senti-One's tools enables a centralization of data re­ garding the brand, and furtherly reforge them to conclusions reinforcing their image on the market. Thanks to big data, SentiOne can offer such futuristic services like "image crysis protection".

Business Services Sector stands between the industries from its beginnings, brid­ ging communication and connections with different parties. As such, BSS can be seen as a doorman, letting international assets and digital technology inside of real estate markets, language schools,

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

39

BUSINESS

consulting companies, jobs agencies and much more. According to Deloitte's re­ port, OPS will be in the epicentre of Digi­ tal Revolution's hurricane. Such position will lead to synergic advancement of all "satellite" sectors around the business services.

R&D centers are environments highly favourable for technological innova­ tions, especially when cooperating with education institutions in Science Parks.

Hence, R&D can apply the newest tech achievements to different industries and processes of big companies, forging In 2017, the city new solutions to business. Thanks to the of Gdańsk offered support of city of Gdańsk, it even reached PLN 200k to com­ the cosmos!

panies willing to design solutions linked with satellite technologies and dedicated to sea and land transport.

First Pomeranian project conducted ­under the brand of Space3A was m ­ ainly focused on startups. Success of an ini­ tiative opened the way to transport industry, significant in Pome­rania due to sea ports located in Gdańsk and ­Gdynia.

In 2017, the city of Gdańsk offered PLN 200k to companies willing to d ­ esign solutions linked with satellite techno­ logies and dedicated to sea and land transport.

Taking care of the transparence, Space­ 3ac published a list of "challenges"; inno­vations requested by regional com­ panies. What we have on the whitelist are: the Internet of Things, VR, big data and intelli­gent supervision and more! Such presentations shows clearly what's nee­ ded, so the daredevils can respond.

Managers interviewed by Klaus Schwab speaks unison: a speed of technological advancement creates manifold challen­ ges in terms of structure organization.

Especially when new tech is implemen­ ted straight into the teams and business units.

Global Business Services model was close to its fulfillment when technology exposed new tracks to improvement.

GBS' massive digitalization integrates big data analytics and robotic process automation – that's why, as mentioned before, global business centers (espe­cially ope­rations) are in the heart of recent transformations. As Deloitte's analysts reported, work rearrangement in GBS will be a test for employee's flexibility. They will need to shift into new tasks, in many ways fundamentally different than these performed so far.

40

Finally, handling business unit powered by "digital workforce" reveals whole new dimensions of managing. Auto­ mation also creates new paths of process optimization. Here, efficient analytics is the crux, including fast cycle of feedback, drawing conclusions and eventual pivots along the way.

So how modern companies can adjust to Digital Revolution and cash its fruits?

Adaptation can take de­cades, since tech­ nology-saturated world questions the mere notion of stability.

Until now, technology removed 800 thou­ sands of jobs, creating over 3.5 million in reward. According to Oxford Univer­ sity's research, 47% of current positions will disappear from the market in next 10 years. In addition, 66% of elementary school students will take jobs present­ ly unknown for the market. In future, strong accent on combination between skills and competences is expected. This kind of a qualification mix will be able to ­handle new processes. Thus, interdisci­ plinary skills will be highly appreciated, as well as a multifaceted education and experience.

People will need to find themselves in highly dynamic hiring conditions, inclu­ ding work environments shared with ro­ bots and bots. So-called Robotic Process Automation ignites imagination, both as a threat for current jobs and complex process of embedding the robots to the company structure.

How does it look like in practice? Air­ Help is a company that provides legal services to airline passengers who have experienced a flight cancellation, delay or overbooking when traveling into or out of the European Union. Due to high amount of claim, company created LARA, a robot-lawyer, whose activity is based on algorithms built on thousands of legal procedures conducted in 30 European jurisdictions. Being a result of a collabo­ ration of lawyers, analytics and software developers from AirHelp team, LARA can assess if the claim is strong enough to be proceed in the court.

LARA, a robot-lawyer, whose activity is based on algorithms built on thousands of legal procedures conducted in 30 European jurisdictions.

A robot is familiar with different legal sys­ tems. Each decision is enriching the bank of cases, obviously used for further pro­ ceedings. As a robot, LARA is completely invisible – the only sign of her presence

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

and trainings – offers a wide range of soft and professional skills. Companies such as Amplify, Knewton or edX are taking advantage of innovative learning meth­ ods and MOOC knowledge organisation (massive open online courses). IT is again highlighted: well designed re-skill and up-skill courses will be crucial to handle disruptions which are to come.

Many of these jobs are Business ­Services Sector specialists – a way of earning ­money chosen by a jillion of millen­nials.

The tsunami of junior positions occurred due to technology restrictions. A few years ago, automation of these highly repetitive jobs were not possible. People were neces­ sary to conduct the process end-to-end , but soon they will be replaced by robots.

An automation of these proces­ses will free a mass of human resources, transferring are automated messages sent to custo­ them back to the talent pool. mers. LARA's messages are not distur­ bing for passengers, some of them even Junior specialists hired in BSS are just a part of workforce which will be chal­ wrote back. lenged by upcoming changes. Let's in­ Currently, tasks performed by LARA are clude drivers replaced by self driving handled by a team of legal specialists. An vehicles, machine operators, cashiers optimisation of robot's capacity would and waiters and more jobs susceptible lead to significant reduction of employ­ for RPA. Growing presence of robots ees, followed by an increase of produc­ in the economy will result in massive tivity and higher precision of predication migrations, this time within the job market. Where can we find the maps (from 91% to 95%). which will ease the reorientation on the In this way, RPA is ought to eliminate new territory?

73 millions of jobs from American mar­ ket before 2030. Yet, it is not a change for Education is the answer, of course if ad­ worse. We can expect much more posi­ justed to the conditions of digital era. tions to come, both in terms of quantity So-called learn-tech – educational infra­ and diversity. structure available through e-platforms

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Infoshare Academy – learning i­nitiative present in 5 Polish countries, head­ quarters in Gdańsk – teaches classi­ cal and new programming languages through the dialogue with experts.

Info­share (Infoshare Academy is located within this foundation) organizes a tech conference, the biggest one in CEE. Courses o ­ ffered by Infoshare Academy are tailored to everchanging job market.

Re­garding IT, knowledge and skill may be not enough, it a­ lso need to be adjus­ ted in the specific positions. I­nfoshare ­Academy's cour­ses are doing it during the process of lear­ning. Infoshare Academy not ­only hires experts to lead the courses, but ­also sustain the communication with the companies and offer training which fami­liarize teams with Scrum and Kanban methodology.

Digital revolution is on already. Every upcoming year will be a feast of changes suffusing all dimensions of economy and business. Despite terabyte-sized data­ bases and intelligent analytical tools, experts are knowing their boundaries: we still have no clue in what reality our children and grandchildren will live. •

Invest in Pomerania Al. Grunwaldzka 472 D 80-309 Gdańsk +48 58 32 33 260 investinpomerania.pl

Dominik Arkuszewski, Marketing Specialist – Business Services

41

BUSINESS

Changes to employment of nationals of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine On 1st January 2018, changes were intro­ duced to employment of foreigners in Poland, including nationals of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. As the last group of employees is highly popular among Polish employers, and in order to simplify I shall herein­after refer to Ukrainian nationals. It should, however, be remembered that the legal regulations applicable to them also apply to the other states named above.

Changes to employing Ukrainian nationals have been implemented by the act of 20th July 2017 on amending the act on employment promotion and labour market institutions.

42

Changes to employing Ukrainian natio­ nals have been implemented by the act of 20th July 2017 on amending the act on employment promotion and labour market institutions. Its main objec­tive is to implement the directive of the European Parliament and the ­Council no. 2014/36/ EU of 26th February 2014 on the conditions of entry and stay of third-countries' nationals for the pur­ pose of employment as seasonal ­workers and to counteract occurring abuses, ­effectively manage economic migration and improve the standards for employ­ ing foreigners.

Generally, as a prerequisite to em­ ploy a foreigner in Poland, they must hold a work permit issued by a woje­ From 1 st January 2018, employment woda [­regional governor]. However, there based on these grounds will have signi­ ficantly changed. The procedure of are exceptions to this rule. registering declarations on intended In case of Ukrainian nationals, the key employment of a foreigner has not been exception till the end of 2017 was laid repealed, as initially planned, but control down in the regulation of the ­Minister of public authorities on employment of of Labour and Social Policy of 21st April foreigners has been extended. Also the 2015 on instances when foreigners can be procedure related to short-term work on employed in the territory of the ­Republic of the basis of declarations registered with Poland without obtaining a work permit. county employment institution has been According to that regu­lation, foreigners tightened. could work on the basis of declarations on intended employment of a foreigner That is because the altered procedure is registered by the employer with county based on stronger legal grounds which employment institution, for a period not results from an act and not a regu­lation. longer than 6 months within 12 subse­ Also mechanisms to prevent abuse have been introduced. Registration of quent months.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

act shall stipulate the types of work. Ini­ tially, these were supposed to be works in ­agriculture, gardening and tourism.

Such a permit shall be issued for a fixed period which cannot be longer than 9 months in a calendar year. However, the act assumes an option to extend.

of applications for seasonal work, which shall also be accessible to consuls. That shall allow consuls for easier verification of certificates from future employers which foreigners submit when applying for entry visas. After arrival to Poland, when a foreigner reports to the em­ployer, starosta shall issue a seasonal work per­ A seasonal work permit can be applied for mit without verification of additional by nationals from all third states. The im­ conditions, the only requirement would plemented directive allows for keeping be to present confirmation of their entry to Poland and their address during the stay in the territory of Poland.

The new regulations assume for ­starostas holding registers of declarations on ­employing foreigners, work permits and seasonal work permits. Within the regis­ ters, records of declarations and permits are held. These tools shall facilitate con­ trol of declarations issued.

The act also grants significant powers to the Minister in charge of labour mat­ ters. The minister can, after arrange­ ments with other ministers, define in a regu­lation a maximum number of work permits, seasonal work permits or decla­ rations on intended employment of ­forei­gners which can be issued in a year by wojewodas, considering needs of the labour market, national security and public order issues and the rule of com­ plementarity for employing foreigners against Polish nationals.

The amendment to the act has also introduced a new type of permit: for seasonal work.

The aforementioned quotas can apply to particular regions, professions, types of employment contracts for foreigners or types of operations, according to Polish Classification of Businesses (PKD), which the employer of foreigners runs.

a declaration can be refused (by an ap­ pealable decision) and an obligation has been imposed to notify about foreigner's commencing or not commencing work (subject to sanctions). Also a fee shall be paid on registration of a declaration (on completing this paper, a planned amount was PLN 30).

preferential solutions for nationals of se­ lected countries, e.g. by exempting from the obligation to obtain information from starosta [county mayor] that the em­ployer's staff demand cannot be sati­ sfied based on registers of unemployed and individuals looking for work, or about a negative result of recruitment arranged for the employer (so called: labour mar­ The amendment to the act has also in­ ket test). Poland is planning to apply ease troduced a new type of permit: for sea­ measures for nationals of the aforemen­ sonal work. That permit can be issued tioned six states. to a foreigner who performs certain works in Poland on the basis of a con­ In order to avoid frauds, an application tract with an entity which is seated or for seasonal work permit is lodged by lives, has a branch, facility or other form the employer to starosta who verifies of organised business in the territory of employment conditions. If those are met, the R ­ epublic of Poland. A bylaw to the the application is registered in the record

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

At the same time, continuation is facili­ tated of cooperation with a foreigner ­after the lapse of the period of work based on declaration, which should en­ courage to employ foreigners on the ­basis of employment contracts. Should an employer who employs a foreigner on the basis of a declaration wish to con­tinue the cooperation, then after an appli­cation for work permit has been lodged,the work performed shall be deemed legal throughout the entire period of awai­ting the wojewoda's decision. This should ­allow for continuing employment with the employer, regardless of how much time the procedure takes.

Also it has been decided that monthly wages for a foreigner working on the basis of a work permit must not be lower than the wage – ­also in cases of working on the basis of civil law ­contracts. •

Michał Przybysz, legal trainee in the Law Firm "Chudzik i Wspólnicy Radcowie Prawni" sp.p. www.chudzik.pl.

43

BUSINESS

Promised Land for your logistics Outsourcing of logistics services in Poland.

Geographical location, availability of modern warehouse spaces and com­ petitive personnel costs make Poland an attractive place for investors. Accor­ ding to warehouse market reports, over 2.5 million sq m of logistics space was leased in Poland from January until the end of September 2017, which is a 15% increase in comparison to the same ­period last year. Continued develop­ ment of road infrastructure and open­ ness to foreign investments in also small towns create a positive image of Polish economy.

In our experience, we can say that contract logistics services are attractive to companies that are aware of the need for further development and want to entrust their logistics to an external company.

COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS

Poland is a popular location for interna­ tional distribution centres among repre­ sentatives of various industries. Locating distribution centres in Poland is consi­ dered particularly advantageous for logis­ tic projects in the online sales business.

The choice of location is largely deter­ mined by the closeness of markets and courier hubs as well as employee availa­ bility. Logistics projects for e ­ -commerce usually serve a few or several European markets, and their operation involves logistics operators, courier services providers and subcontractors such as temporary-work agencies or warehouse infrastructure providers. Continued growth of internet sales, which gradu­ ally replaces traditional sales channels, suggests that the coming years will bring further development and specialisation of logistics services for online sales.

Marta Kunikowska, Marketing Manager in Rhenus Logistics S.A.

44

Apart from the representatives of the production and trading sectors, Polish market has also seen an influx of both new companies and branches of inter­ national logistics operators. Poland is ­becoming a strategic location for logistics services providers, which testifies to the importance of Poland on the logistic map of Europe.

In our experience, we can say that con­ tract logistics services are attractive to companies that are aware of the need for further development and want to entrust their logistics to an ex­ ternal company.

A client who chooses to outsource con­ tract logistics services usually e ­ xpects to receive a comprehensive s­ervice i.e. warehousing, preparation of ship­ ments according to client's order, handling returns and a broad spec­ trum of added ­value services. Clients from the ­e -commerce channel expect ­also a number of additional processes such as personalised orders or adding greetings cards. The criterion of size does not always apply here. Logistic operator may offer solutions for both large and small companies – large logistics pro­ jects in dedicated distribution centres as well as smaller logistics projects as part of multi-user solutions. In both cases, cooperation with an operator creates an opportunity to optimise logistics costs.

Cooperation with a logistics operator offers a high degree of process flexi­bility and a stable level of operating costs, while maintaining a high quality of pro­ vided services.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

BUSINESS

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

In the case of projects that require a con­ siderable number of employees, many companies face the challenge of main­ taining a high degree of flexibility in sea­ sonal peaks. The current trends show that ensuring an adequate number of quali­ fied employees is a key criterion in the choice of logistics services provides. Fur­ thermore, there are also projects that are limited only to outsourcing em­ployees.

Human resources is an important factor in large international projects for the e-commerce channel. In our expe­rience, the biggest challenge faced by the e-commerce channel are seasonal peaks which require the warehouses to become several times more efficient, while main­ taining the highest quality of processes.

Logistics during seasonal peaks requires not only proper preparation, but above all experience that can only to be gained over time. Developing human resource management procedures, managing temporary workers, appropriate infra­ structure planning or re-organising space in a warehouse require time and commit­ ment. Services provided during seasonal peaks serve as a litmus test for the profes­ sionalism of a logistics operator.

CHOICE OF SUPPLIER

Outsourcing of logistic services is an im­ portant choice – one that testifies to the maturity of the organisation that wishes to focus only on its key activities. In our experience, companies which decide to outsource logistics are seeking to opti­ mise their processes, increase the scale of their activities or entirely reorganise logistics across the company. In such a situation, providing a comprehensive logistics solution which encompasses the entire supply chain is key: starting with transport from the country of pro­ duction, followed by sea, air or land shipping, customs, warehousing, prepa­ ration of shipments in accordance with the orders of a wholesale or individual client, up to handling returns. The foun­ dation of success for any company is the satisfaction of its customers, and effi­ ciently organised logistics is one of the elements that creates positive customer experience, which is important in every sales channel and every industry. Com­ panies that decide to organise a tender for logistics services should, above all, clearly determine its needs and goals, and then choose a credible and experienced service provider – one that will be able to react flexibly to the company's chan­ ging needs, and thus allow for its further development. •

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

45

INVESTMENTS

INVESTMENT NEWS Browary Warszawskie: launch of construction of B and C residential buildings

Echo Investment has signed a general contractor agreement with Eiffage Polska Budownictwo (EPB) concerning two residential buildings which are to be developed in the quarter of the streets: Grzybowska, Wronia, Chłodna and Krochmalna.

The contract worth nearly PLN 79 mln concerns the construction of two buildings (B and C), which will include 287 apartments with areas ranging from 28 to 113 sqm. The work has already started and its completion date is Q2 2020.

Browary Warszawskie is a project which is under construction in a special place in the centre of Warsaw, where the city’s future meets its past. On the one hand it includes new, developing projects and infrastructure, on the other – traces of historical, urban development featuring good energy from former craft and industrial successes. This is where the Haberbusch & Schiele brewery was established in 1846. It was the largest one in the Polish Kingdom and one of the most important ones on the brewing map of Europe, it ope­rated until the Second World War. The new development concept which was created by Echo Investment will return the entire quarter to Warsaw and its residents.

While respecting the history and striving at the restoration of the natural continuity of the city development the project creates frames for modern, mixed-use urban environment. The developer invited the renowned JEMS Architekci studio to create the design.

New Quality of Office Space in Industrial Facilities

Experts note that the buildings of old factories and industrial plants, which after modernization gain a new life, are usually designed as multifunctional complexes. Walter Herz specialists point out that such investments are currently being implemented mainly in the

46

districts of Śródmieście, Wola (nearby building located on Na Ostatnim Groszu center) and Praga. They admit that these Street in Wrocław right after the completion types of projects have numerous supporters of the fit out work which is in progress. among tenants who are looking for uncon­ The West Link office building is being ventional space. developed in the Fabryczna district, near One of the Warsaw investments that have the West Gate facility, the construction been renovated the longest and based of which finished in 2015. The project enjoys on revi­talization of historical industrial a lot of interest among tenants and investors facilities, is ­Koneser Praga Center. The – the facility is 100% occupied. The office revitalization of the former Warsaw Vodka building was sold to Griffin Premium RE Factory, located on a 5-hectare plot at at the stage of construction.

Ząbkowska Street in old Praga, is being developed in stages. Koneser includes both Warsaw – office market residential and commercial buildings. The of the future complex offers retail and service space, event­-exhibition space, gastronomic and cultural facilities, as well as over 25 thousand sq m of office space. Moreover, Moxy Warsaw Prague with 140 rooms is to be opened next year, in the renovated building of the former distillery.

According to Walter Herz experts, investments in Praga are an inte­resting market proposition due to the unique atmosphere of the pre-war buildings, but also excellent location in well-connected city points, near the station of the second metro line.

In the very center of Warsaw, thousands of flats, offices, shops, res­taurants and a small brewery will be built in the immediate vicinity of Grzybowska and Wronia ­Streets in the former Warsaw Brewery.

The multifunctional investment is carried out in the area where ­Haberbusch and Spectacular facilities that are currently under ­Schiele brewers operated in the 19th century. construction in Warsaw, will in a few years After the war the facility became Warsaw provide one of the most modern office bases Brewery. The saved, historic buildings, in Europe. among others, former brewery and cellars Urban progress that has taken place in which the beer was aged, will be restored. in ­Warsaw over the last decade is visible The project, apart from apartments, will at ­every turn. The resources of the Warsaw bring 4 thousand sq m of retail and service ­office market have doubled during this time area and 50 thousand sq m of office space and exceeded the level of 5 million sq m in two cascading office buil­dings on the side of space. Warsaw office buildings are brand of Grzybowska Street. new, while in Western Europe, such buil­ dings are several dozen years old.

According to Walter Herz analysts’ calcu­ Hilti with its seat in West Link lations, there are now around 830 thousand sq m of office space under construction in the agglomeration. This is a result that the city has never seen before. However, the demand for Warsaw offices has never been so large. Market absorption is impressive, as evidenced by the dropping vacancy rate. The capital of Poland is starting to gain recognition of the world's largest companies, Hilti, a global leader in system solutions for which is confirmed by the recent decision professionals representing the construction of JP Morgan bank to transfer part of its ope­ industry, has chosen Echo Investment’s ­office rations to Warsaw. building for one of its key shops under the Walter Herz experts note that we now have name of Hilti Store. According to the conthe opportunity to observe a ­breakthrough tract, the company is to move into the office moment in the history of the Polish market

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

and change the status of Poland, which has up until now been the borderline between the developing and the developed ­markets. With the decision of FTSE Russell, to be ­announced next year, our country will advance in the classification to become the developed market.

Walter Herz specialists note that the construction of the Varso project is underway in the center of the city. It will provide ­Warsaw with the highest building in the European Union. Varso Tower will take the place L ­ ondon's The Shard. The project includes the implementation of several office buildings that will provide almost 150 thou­ sand sq m of modern space. A substantial share of the large-scale investments among the current Warsaw projects, means that most of the buildings that are under construction will be completed in 2019-2020.

Advisory firm JLL highlights the results on the retail market in Poland for 2017

Platinium Business Park Office Complex - all in gold

The largest investment undergoing ­development Project

City

GLA (sq m)

Galeria Młociny

Warsaw

76

Forum Gdańsk

Gdańsk

62

Libero

Katowice

45

Gemini Park

Tychy

36,6

Color Park

Nowy Targ

27

Nowa Stacja

Pruszków

26 800

Results comparable to 2016. 20 new foreign brands and over 330,000 sq m of shopping centre space delivered to market. Retail trans­action volume exceeded €1.9 billion.

Total retail stock in Poland currently totals 13.8 million sq m GLA, the majority of which consists of shopping centres – 408 such Echo Investment’s sales projects account for nearly 9.8 million sq m. The remaining formats and delivery results higher include retail parks and stand-alone warehouses: 3.8 million sq m, than planned and outlet centres: 0.24 million sq m.

In 2017 Echo Investment sold 1,427 apartThe Polish retail market remained strong in the fourth quarter ments – 54% more than in 2016. The Comof 2017. The market saw growth of 236,000 sq m of new GLA across pany delivered 1,006 apartments to clients, all retail formats, accounting for appro­ximately 51% of total new what indicates over 120% of growth. stock deli­vered in 2017. In Q4 2017, five new shopping centres The 2017 results are higher than the previous entered the market and four more were extended. declaration to the investors, when the comThanks to recent openings, shopping centre density in Poland now pany envisaged 1,300 apartments sold and stands at 255 sq m per 1,000 inhabitants although this is still below app. 925 apartments delivered to clients. the Western European average (266 sq m / 1,000 inhabitants).

Echo sold 531 apartments and delivered keys Exemplary market debuts of 2017 included the opening of to 610 apartments in Q4 2017 alone. a store with a full offering of the American Victoria’s Secret brand In Q4 2017 alone Echo Investment marketed in ­Arcadia, the entrance of the British toy chain Hamley’s and 7 projects including nearly 900 apartments. the debut of Russian fashion brands from the Melon group: Befree, Three of these projects are under construcZarina, Love Booking in Galeria Północna as well as the Spanish tion in Warsaw: another stage of Browary Sfera in ­Wroclavia.

Warszawskie, the RE:SET project near Prime shopping centre rents, which refer to units of 100 sq m the largest business districts and Widoki ­earmarked for fashion & accessories and located in the best per­ ­Mokotów overlooking the Morskie Oko Park. forming assets in a given city, remain the highest in Warsaw (up to Good reception of the developer’s projects €130 / sq m / month). JLL anticipates that prime rents in Poland’s places Echo Investment higher and higher other ­major markets, which currently range from €45 / sq m / month on the list of the largest residential deve­ to €60 / sq m / month, will remain stable in the short- to mid-term. lopers in Poland.

Source: JLL, Q4 2017

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Platinium Business Park office complex owned by Allianz and managed by Allianz Real Estate Germany has completed its certi­ fication process. Each of the five buildings of the complex received a renowned LEED Gold certificate, confirming comfortable working conditions and energy efficiency.

The certification process was conducted

by Colliers International.

The certification process started in 2016.

Within one year Platinium 1, 2, 3, 4 received certificates, with Platinium Business Park 5 having been certified during construction as Core and Shell project. Platinium Business Park with 4 EBOM (Existing Building Operations and Maintenance) certificates is the first existing office complex in Poland to be certified in LEED Campus programme ­adjusted to multiple buildings on a single site. Within this certificate the procedures are standardized to ensure coherent, proecological strategy of property management.

Platinium Business Park consists of five Class A office buildings offering a total of 58,400 sqm of leasable space. It is located in the prime office district of Mokotow, near the intersection of Domaniewska and Woloska streets. The complex provides comfortable public transportation access through the bus and tram stops, metro and railway stations as well as easy access to the airport and downtown Warsaw.

47

INVESTMENTS

Office Buildings of the Future Interview with Roger Andersson, ­Managing Director, Vastint Poland

Outsourcing&More: Business parks are presently very popular both among tenants and their employees, and they are more and more often preferred to individual office buildings. When one looks on your company’s deve­ lopment history, one can notice that you have also turned into this direction. Why has Vastint decided to build business parks rather than single ­office buildings?

Roger Andersson: We decided to develop office parks because there were lack of such product in Poland.

We were actually one of the first in ­Poland who came up with idea of large scale inno­vative Business parks. First time was when we acquired the plot for Business Garden in Warsaw in year 2000 followed by the acquisition of Business Garden in Poznan and Wroclaw. We have a strong believe in business parks as they offer dif­ ferent product and possibilities then an individual office building. In an low rise business parks complex we can offer tenants bigger and more efficient floor plans, low add on factor, expansion po­ tential, wide range of hospitality service and a huge green garden for activities and much more.

And how will be situation develop in the next years? What will tenants expect of modern office buildings?

In addition to the standard criterion, i.e. the location, companies will conti­ nuously pay attention to flexibility and functionality of office space, building safety and comfort. Although comfort, even in the current sense of the word, this is not enough. Tenants will expect intelli­ gent and innovative solutions promoting creativity and effectiveness of employees.

With the generation change observed on the labour market, the working environ­ ment will have to make employees more

48

emotionally involved, enable social con­ tacts, improve their health and wellbeing.

More and more often they will also as­ sess the surroundings of the buildings and expect additional amenities and green areas, in particular due to the fact that such amenities are appreciated by their employees.

Let’s then reverse the question and look on the issue from the perspective of architects and developers. What do you think they will take into consi­ deration in the future in creating optimum working space?

Both architects and developers have a significant impact on the quality of the environment which people work. It de­ pends on them whether at our work place we are surrounded by unique architec­ ture, whether we have access to bicycle paths, parking lots and necessary ame­ nities. Although innovative solutions are accepted relatively slowly in Poland, I am convinced that modern trends in organi­ zation of offices and the related desire to create friendly space for employees will not only become increasingly popular but will become a standard. Developers wishing attract and keep clients will have to increase the attractiveness of their buildings and create working space and the closes vicinity thereof in such manner as to ensure that the users have a sense of balance between their professional and personal lives. Future offices will not only offer work stations but also a broad range of amenities. Employees will have more access to green areas where they will be able to rest and relax.

Wishing to preserve the innovative nature of the Business Garden complexes, we are trying to create working environment where it is possible to obliterate the stiff boundaries between work, leisure and

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS family life. We celebrate Women’s Day, Fat Thursday or St. Nicolas’ Day with our tenants. We organize family events such as outdoor theatre plays or Children’s Day picnics. In support of our tenant’s wellbeing strategies we promote active lifestyle, organizing bike days and make it possible for their employees to use bicy­ cles free of charge. This year events such as the Sports Saturday – combination of a breakfast market with healthy food and physical activities in the garden – were orga­nized for the first time. In the gardens which constitute an inseparable element of the Business Garden complexes we en­ sure sports facilities which may be used during a lunch break to clear one’s mind and get a little exercise after sitting at one’s desk for several hours. We increase amenities for bikers, open medical cen­ tres and kindergartens.

With the generation change observed on the labour market, the working environment will have to make employees more emotionally involved, enable social contacts, improve their health and wellbeing.

When new office buildings are constructed a lot is being said about LEED and BREEAM certification. What do you think about it? Is it necessary to obtain such certificates and is it so important to obtain them as is commonly believed?

We treat sustainable construction very seriously. It is one of the main elements of the long-term strategy of our organi­ zation. We believe LEED and BREEAM certificates to be simple and simulta­ neously objective tool to assess a buil­ ding in terms of environmentally friendly solutions. It is a quality guarantee, which is already a standard in the Polish com­ mercial real estate market.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

49

INVESTMENTS

Modern technical solutions and increased standard energy saving systems translate into lower operating costs. In the Business Garden in Poznań, which has recently under­g one the certification process, owing to high quality and energy per­ formance of the materials used to make facades as well as the use of appropriate technical solutions, including an energy saving air-conditioning system, buildings use approx. 46% less energy than normal office buildings designed in accordance with ASHRAE requirements. We estimate that the solution as simple as the instal­ lation in toilets of flow-limiting taps will allow us to save approx. 6.8 M of litres of water per year in this complex. Economic benefits cause that the green buildings are leased out faster and are more popu­ lar among investors. Moreover, they en­ sure better comfort and quality of the internal environment, i.e. through the increased efficiency of the ventilation sys­ tem, better thermal comfort and access to natural light.

The beginning of a year is a good time for summaries. Form Vastint’s perspective, when you analyse the last year, which sectors are represented most often by tenants of modern office space and will this trend continue in the next year?

Our projects are chosen mostly by pharmaceutical and medical companies, financial institutions and companies from the broadly understood BPO/SSC sector. Just this December, John Deere, a large American agriculture company, opened its Business Service Centre in Vastint’s Business Garden in Poznań and plans to employ 120 people. Another tenant in the same complex is Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), which opened financial and administrative services center for Europe. Last year we signed an agreement with Credit Agricole which leased 15,000 m2 of space in Business Garden Wrocław. The new location will accommodate the headquarters of Bank Credit Agricole, European Leasing Fund and CA Insurance. The largest tenants of this complex include also Capgemi­ ni, which signed a lease for more than 13,000 m2 and Becton Dickinson, a global leader in medical technology.

Which towns in Poland is Vastint pre­ sently looking on with the intention to develop new office projects there?

We operate mainly in large cities.

We have recently invested in acqui­ sition of extensive development sites in Warsaw, Poznań, Gdansk, Wrocław and Katowice. Further, we are considering entering the Krakow market and do not exclude the possibility of developing pro­ jects in smaller Polish towns. All depends on the attractiveness or the location which is assessed by our team on a case by case basis.

Wishing to preserve the innovative nature of the Business Garden complexes, we are trying to create working environment where it is possible to obliterate the stiff boundaries between work, leisure and family life.

Vastint’s involvement in particular regions will still grow particularly in towns where demand for modern office space is gro­ wing. It is due, on the one hand, to the fact that the Warsaw market will expe­ rience increased supply of office space, and on the other we believe that the de­ mand for space in regional cities generat­ ed by the shared services sector will still remain at a high level.

Thus far, and we have been operating in the Polish real estate market for almost 25 years, we have concentrated mainly on office and hotel projects. This year we started the construction of the first resi­ dential project. We see the potential of this market sector in Poland as a chance for further development of the company, and therefore we are treating it as an in­ evitable and natural step in the long-term development strategy. We believe that there is still quite a lot of space in this sector, and a company with Scandi­navian roots may bring a lot of new qualities.

Companies rendering outsourcing ser­ vices or creating business service centres, just like financial institutions are now one of major employers in the Polish market.

I am convinced that they will constitute the major and – more importantly – dy­ namically growing group of office tenants Thank you. • in Polish in the next few years.

50

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

51

INVESTMENTS

Romanian Business Services Sector is expected to grow faster than ever The Romanian Business Services Sector and Outsourcing Market have experienced significant development in recent years. The new investors saw that Romania has substantial advantages when it comes to technical capabilities of its workforce, along with the diverse language skills. At the same time, the existing business centers are expanding, making their activities even more sophisticated. This development movement is driving high demand for talent in the market, and it is expecting to grow even more in 2018.

THE BUSINESS SERVICES SECTOR IN ROMANIA

According to the latest CBRE report on Business Services destination in ­Central Europe, Romania is one of the most im­ portant targets for business services providers in Europe. The country is well known for providing quality services such as BPO, ITO, SSC or R&D, due to the local environment that ensures the balance between cost and quality. Bucharest is one of the leading city destination for companies offering outsourced services.

The A.T. Kearney’s Global Services Loca­ tion Index™ top 20 ranked Romania as the 3rd in Europe and 13th globally for ­financial attractiveness, people skills, and availa­bility of business environment.

More­over, the same ranking placed ­Romania 1st in Europe and 6th globally for the number of certified IT specialists per total population.

The exceptional growth that we’ve seen in the past few years in Romania has been fueled initially by lower costs of personnel and the ease of setting up new delivery centers. Over time, the cost benefits remained an essential factor in the decision process, but it has been overtaken by ­other advantages, centered around the qua­lity of the workforce, the multi-language skills, as well as the ability to deliver more advanced services.

Additionally, the 2016 BPO index creat­ ed by Cushman & Wakefield placed Ro­ mania in the first place for the mature outsourcing market. This position is al­ so supported by the latest ABSL report on

52

outsourcing industry, which revealed that more than 90% of the companies parti­ cipating to the study would recommend Romania to potential investors as a great place for conducting operations. Aside from to the lower costs and qualified per­ sonnel, they also based the recommen­ dation on the appropriate working mindset and attitude of employees.

ROMANIA’S CENTRAL BUSINESS SERVICES AND SECTORS

The ABSL and KPMG study conducted in 2016, highlighted the main business services and sectors existing in Romania: • Financial services, ­banking, insurance (16%) • Technology and Telecom (15%) • Industrial and consumer goods (14%) • Business and ­professional services (13%) • Consumer services (11%) • Utilities, energy and b ­ asis materials (11%) • Healthcare (8%) • Public sector (5%) • Other services – logistics, transportation, automotive, pharmaceutical, etc. (7%) Each of them is expected to grow in the next few years due to the increasing tendency of international companies to outsource or invest in Romania as a strategic move.

to the same ABSL report in 2016, more than half of the companies included in their study said that they are planning to expand their operations in other cities, while almost 40% already have expansion plans, but also stabilization and optimi­ sation of the current activities.

Moreover, Romania won’t stay behind when it comes to digitization. The ten­ dency to integrate various IT services into the business processes is not some­ thing new for Romanian BSS market.

According to one A.T. Kearney study, by 2020 all industries will invest massi­vely in IT solutions at varying levels. That change will determine Romanian com­ panies to give more importance to the IT personnel. Almost half of companies are expected to include in their board committee the CIO. The effects of the new approach are evident: more atten­ tion for the customers and significantly higher response rates.

FUTURE TRENDS AND EXPECTATIONS At the moment, the implementation of Romanian companies included in the autonomous processes reached a ­level business services sector have bigger plans of 90% of the Romanian companies, for the future than ever before. According as one ABSL report shows. The level of

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS will determine which factor will drive the most significant changes, the truth is that every company will have to adapt to the new market requirements, which means more employees.

THE HUMAN CAPITAL TRENDS IN ROMANIAN BSS

The significant rise of employment will ­also determine the adoption of new stra­ tegies and perspectives. The most recent Deloitte report on Human Capital trends revealed that in the middle of this busi­ ness transformation, marked by an acce­ lerated rate of change, companies would organize, lead, motivate and manage the 21st-century workforce according to the latest trends. The report highlighted ten significant trends for the global human capital market, but only three will change the rules in Romania.

The digital transformation we are expe­ rien­cing is creating the need for conti­ nuous learning, which is the most important trend in the business sector.

By providing current and future em­ ployees with ­access to courses and ­other learning instruments, companies will show that they f­ully understand what the future of lear­ning implies and can adapt accordingly.

Given the impressive growth of various Romanian industries, the labor market is more and more valued by companies planning to expand. According to A ­ BSL, the approximate number of jobs in ­R omania’s BSS is estimated to reach Additionally, the future legislative and 200.000 by 2020 from 80.000 in 2017. fiscal changes are expected to support even more the growth of business ser­ Moreover, the ABSL report revealed vices sector and outsourcing market in that by the end of 2018 more than 90% Romania due to the increased budgetary of the Romanian companies will in­ incentives, access to grants and subsidies, crease the headcount from 30.4 thou­ increased government support, flexibility sand to 34.8 thousand. The total pool ­ uman resources is anticipated to in­ in hiring, decreased corporate and labor of h taxes, facilities for headcount increasing. crease by 14% in 2018 compared to the previous year.

auto­mation is also perceived by the busi­ nesses as given them a higher level of organizational maturity because it shows that they are trusty and adaptable to the latest market trends.

THE RISE OF EMPLOYMENT IN ROMANIAN BSS

Although nine in ten business servi­ ces centers in Romania use automation to lead their business better, employ­ ment in the industry is growing fast.

The increasing degree of advancement in the processes provided in Romanian centers also means that companies are looking for skilled people while using new automation tools for simple and ­repetitive operations.

Some key drivers will influence the em­ ployment forecast significantly in the future. It seems that the implementation of new business areas is one of the most important drivers, mentioned by 35% of companies. Also, the external demand for products and services, as well as the global restructuring plans, will determine enterprises to increase the number of per­ sonnel to maintain their position on the market. Even if the organizational model

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

The second trend refers to the e­ mployee experience, which started to be very important in the Romanian BSS. Cre­ ating a memorable experience for the em­ployees means engagement, organi­ zational culture, work with purpose and reward. The study showed that the re­ ward component no longer drives the business sector employment. It seems like the engagement, as well as the integra­ tion of social, community and corporate programs in the employee ­experience, is more important.

The last trend showed by the study is being the organization of the future.

The business services sector companies will be determined to stay agile, as well as highly flexible in allocating resources for various projects. That will help compa­ nies to remain competitive no matter the other environmental changes.

The Romanian Business Services Sector will reach new degrees of development in the year to come. Its attractiveness re­ ported by the current investors and com­ panies will help the country eco­nomy grow even more. Also, the adoption of the global trends such as digitization or the importance given to the human capi­ Loredana Niculae, tal, are transforming Romania into the CEO NNC Services perfect environment to conduct new pro­ Romania cesses and operations. •

53

INVESTMENTS

Future looks bright for Szczecin As a modern multifunctional hub of cutting-edge services and R&D operations, Szczecin is exploring innovative industries.

The City is implementing environmentally friendly solutions for a brighter future.

Szczecin’s economic development and competitiveness rest on modern techno­ logies, so the City has been supporting R&D centres and business support insti­ tutions, and investing in its IT infrastruc­ ture. Recently, Szczecin has become one of the most popular destinations for BPO, SSC and ICT facilities. As a result, in its Deve­lopment Strategy the City has offered special assistance for the sectors that are driven by knowledge.

to align its curriculum with the needs of the market and employers. Students will be on their way to landing their dream jobs, as the School adopts a modern approach to education, inviting entre­ preneurs to participate in classes and encouraging companies to share their technological resources and to offer job placements and training. Third-grade students will undergo eight-week-long on-the-job training. Cooperation with

One of the core efforts made by Technopark Pomerania to support the development of the IT sector in Western Pomerania are specialist IT training and management courses.

Over the last few years, the IT industry has become the leader in terms of new jobs and growth rate. Today, nearly all areas of work and life in general rely heavily on technology. Analysts predict that by the end of 2020, job demand in this sec­ tor will be twice as high as the number of professionals available to satisfy it.

Poland is now in need of some 50,000 IT professionals.

In order to meet this demand, Szczecin has established its Secondary Techni­ cal School of Digital Technology, where young people will learn how to create and deploy digital technologies. The School will leverage its potential by closely coope­rating with the business sector

54

programmes, it creates optimum condi­ tions for rapid growth. Technopark Pome­ rania embraces the commerciali­sation of knowledge and technology transfer by encouraging networking between the academic and business worlds, and fos­ tering knowledge and awareness of this businesspersons who teach practical subject matter among relevant stake­ classes will help develop a modern cur­ holders and the general public. riculum and offer job placements and training in local companies. Moreover, In addition to day-to-day interactions the School has partnered with the local between the member companies of the IT Cluster, which brings together more Western Pomerania ICT Cluster Associ­ than 80 IT companies from Szczecin and ation, and search for parties interested the region, to provide its students with in cooperation with universities, the City on-the-job training opportunities. has launched publicity campaigns in the media and directly fostered the deploy­ The School has also established close co­ ment capacity of development-related operation with Technopark Pome­rania, an units of Westpomeranian universities, organisation located nearby and suppor­ and the flow of information between ting the development of IT companies. these two sectors, both of which are of As a modern centre of innovation, it helps key importance for innovation. new businesses and technologies grow.

With its cutting-edge, extensive infra­ Day-to-day interactions and coope­ration structure and comprehensive support with the member companies of the

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

Szczecin commits itself to promoting e-mobility, also, here active is a leading Scandinavian manufacturer of electrical vehicle charging stations.

Szczecin is also known in the Polish online community for “Netcamp”, Internet Industry Development Foundation, which is committed to fostering development and integration of the IT industry in the region.

­Western Pomerania ICT Cluster also en­ courage businesspersons to become in­ volved in the education provided at universities. One of the core efforts made

by Technopark Pomerania to support the development of the IT sector in Wes­ tern Pomerania are specialist IT training and management courses. Course pro­ grammes are developed on the basis of the analysis of the most popular IT technologies and project management methodologies, as well as current needs in relation to professional education and certification for the staff and man­ agement of the companies operating in the Technopark and the Western Pome­ rania ICT Cluster. Training courses cover, e.g., well-known management methodol­ ogies, such as SCRUM, PRINCe2, ITILv3, programming languages, such as ­JAVA and PHP, and ISTQB courses for pro­ fessional software testers. Technopark has organised 25 such training events, which attracted more than 350 Westpome­ ranian IT specialists and managers.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Szczecin is also known in the Polish on­ line community for “Netcamp”, Internet Industry Development Foundation, which is committed to fostering deve­ lopment and integration of the IT indus­ try in the region. As part of this mission, since ­November 2007 it has organised inspiring Netcamp meetings for IT profes­ sionals, startups and students interested in deploying innovative technologies in business.

Believing that “Silicon Valley” is a state of mind, it seeks to popularise this con­ cept by way of promoting knowledge exchange, cooperation and networking.

Netcamp, in cooperation with infoShare Academy, has set up the Westpomeranian Programming School which offers inten­ sive programming courses (bootcamps).

The objective is to have 100 programmers trained in Szczecin each year.

With a view to strengthening edu­ cation, science and business for the

55

INVESTMENTS

development of the service sector, knowl­ edge exchange and sustainable develop­ ment, the Faculty of Management and Eco­nomics of Services at the Univer­ sity of Szczecin has been implementing the “SERVICE INTER-LAB Knowledge and Inno­vation Transfer Cenrtre for the Services Sector” project. The SERVICE INTER-LAB Centre is to combine the functions of a scientific unit, an education facility, a research and development cen­ tre, a knowledge and technology transfer centre, a business incubator and a busi­ ness support institution, ensuring access to the latest knowledge and, most of all, to high-tech infrastructure. Fostering good economic life practices, it provides students with an opportunity to learn through practical experience, to establish contacts with prospective employers, and to acquire expertise necessary for their ­future career.

In February 2018 three free-ofcharge and generally-accessible EV charging stations are planned to be established.

Szczecin undoubtedly displays a poten­ tial for bringing together a dynamic ap­ proach and creativity, as well as vast space and peaceful atmosphere of a city friend­ ly to people and nature. The urban space arrangement, with lots of green ­areas and parks, and the numerous oppor­tunities to have a little rest, can hardly be over­ estimated on the national scale. In the interest of natural environment, Szczecin has initiated a pilot project which will pro­ vide an insight into how air temperature changes in various spots of the city.

Representatives of the City have signed a letter of intent with representatives of two limited-liability companies, Re­ viveMachines sp. z o.o. and EmiTel sp. z o.o., with the aim of implementing a ­p ilot project entailing the vertical launch of the Smart City Internet of Things application. Szczecin is the first Polish city to test this solution.

The principal objective of the pilot project is to verify the possible introduction of technologies to monitor threats resul­ting

56

from climate changes in Szczecin, and the future use of the Internet of Things as part of the solutions implemented in the City with a view to supporting smart city development. The basic scope of the pro­ ject covers remote and automated tem­ perature measurement in 10 spots in the City, along with data transfer, database registration and visualisation through a dedicated application tool. The possi­ ble applications of innovative techno­ logies will also be tested as part of the project, including the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN, in LoRA variant), a horizontal IoT application, along with a dedicated vertical application for tem­ perature measurement and visualisation, and cloud infrastructure for data proces­ sing (Amazon Web Services). Sensor de­ vices have already been deployed within the Szczecin urban space. They will be used to analyse the phenomenon of the ­urban heat island (UHI) which is one of the nega­tive consequences of urbani­ sation and human activity concen­tration in u ­ rban areas. Urbanised areas, charac­ terised with high-density housing, and with the shortage of green areas and water bodies, tend to have higher tem­ peratures than rural and suburban a­ reas which are much greener. The project, implemented without the financial in­ volvement of Szczecin, will have been completed by the end of January 2018.

Such projects are likely to foster the practical implementation of the Urban Plans of Adaptation to climate changes, the monitoring of variable temperature changes in the City and non-­developed areas, and the creation of policies re­ garding the sales of areas intended for development. Such measures may which provides for designing, within ­also influence the establishing of electric an innovative partnership, an inexpen­ bus routes in the City. sive Polish electric bus that Szczecin could purchase as one of the first cities In 2017 Szczecin commenced project in Poland. preparation activities resulting in the pro­ jected financial involvement in the field On 30 June 2017 the National Centre of electro-mobility between 2017 and for Research and Development conclu­ 2023, exceeding PLN 60,000,000 (with ded an agreement with the Szczecin a significant share of external resour­ City Commune and Szczecińskie Przed­ ces, e.g. on vehicles, transport fleet and siębiorstwo Autobusowe “Klonowica” charging infrastructure). As part of the Sp. z o.o., regarding the joint implemen­ project entitled “The purchase of electric tation of the zero-emission public trans­ bus fleet, including 5 electric ­buses” in port programme. 2017 also brought the 2020 Szczecin is to acquire five 12-m-long commencement of work connected with electric buses. In January 2017 a decla­ infrastructure projects, necessary for the ration was made regarding the partic­ proper functioning of electric buses in ipation in the “Zero-Emission Public Szczecin. transport” research and development programme launched by the National Aiming at reducing the amount of Centre for Research and Development, exhaust fumes released into the air,

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

Boulevards of Szczecin

Szczecin has taken eco-friendly mea­ sures to moder­nise its fleet and pur­ chase electric cars. In 2017 the city purchased 8 electric vehicles (EVs), and in February 2018 three free-of-charge and ­generally-­accessible EV charging stations are planned to be established.

This will make it easier for residents to charge their vehicles. Further work is currently being conducted in connection with extending the EV charging system in the city. It is planned that additional two fast-charging and four slow-charging stations will be opened in 2018. Analyses of the potential station locations and the availability of energy sources in selected areas are now in progress. In cooperation with the ENEA Group, the city has iden­ tified 11 spots in the urban space where EV charging stations should be erected in the first place.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

In comparison to the majority of Polish metropolises, for Szczecin it is another consistent activity to enhance the city environmental standard, today rated as one of the best ones.

Over the last dozen years, the extensive water quality improvement scheme, worth more than 1 billion Polish zloty, has been implemented. Following the example of Vienna, waste management ­problem has been solved through deve­ loping the modern waste incineration plant that produces electrical power.

Most system heat sources based on gas and biomass have been upgraded, too.

New parks, squares and fountains are built in the city. These are some of the projects Szczecin builds its competitive advantage on among the newcomers and investors. •

Urząd Miasta Szczecin Plac Armii Krajowej 1 70-456 Szczecin tel. (+48 91) 435 11 64 fax (+48 91) 435 11 65 www.invest.szczecin.eu

57

INVESTMENTS

HOW DOES SMART POZNAN WORK? 2018 means smart homes, smart gadgets, and... smart cities. Poznan introduces the ideas of the city of tomorrow today.

ITS – i.e. the Intelligent Transport System – keeps track of traffic volume on particular streets of Poznan and controls traffic lights in an appropriate way depending on the situation, giving priority to the incoming buses or trams.

– The residents of Poznan are moving more and more often in an environment saturated with high technologies implemented by public and private entities, using devices providing access to a lot of data, actively and passively participating in a great movement of information exchange and use – says Michał Łakomski, City of Poznan Mers' Proxy for Smart City.

Poznan is a city that implements the smart city concept very effectively. It is based primarily on the development of IT technologies that increase the inter­ activity and effectiveness of urban infra­ structure by analysing and processing information on the functioning of all entities forming the city. In Poznan, tech­ nological achievements are used in many ways. Thanks to the implementation of a comprehensive project "e-mi@sto" within the strategic programme "Digital Poznan", customers of the office and of­ ficials themselves have gained the possi­ bility of using faster electronic circulation of documents and information. The city has thus increased the efficiency of digital public services, while reducing financial and environmental costs.

It en­ables renting bicycles from stations loca­ted in attractive locations of the city with the help of the PEKA card (inte­ grated card, which serves as a ticket for public and railway transport, and bicycle ren­ting) and a modern pre-paid system.

Poznan has ambitious plans for f­urther implementation of smart city elements.

The city will become more open to a­ ccess to information sources, but it will also im­ plement standards of data exchange and build analysis systems based on the big data systems. – This way we intend to improve the quality of collected and shared data, as well as create conditions for the development of innovative urban servi­ces provided – we hope – through a gro­wing market of local innovative companies and entrepreneurs – summed up City of Poznan Mers' Proxy for Smart City, Michał Łakomski.

ECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Ecology plays an important role in de­ signing smart cities. Support for the deve­ lopment of renewable energy sources, reduction of exhaust emissions and cre­ ation of a green public space to improve the quality of life matters within the Urban transport users were among the framework of ecological activities. first to benefit from the smart city con­ cept. ITS – i.e. the Intelligent Transport Since August, 2017 an electric per-min­ System – keeps track of traffic volume on ute scooter rental has been operating in particular streets of Poznan and controls the city, and since October also a car per-­ traffic lights in an appropriate way de­ minute rental which allows to participate pending on the situation, giving prio­rity in car-sharing with the help of a dedica­ to the incoming buses or trams. ted app. Thanks to them, congestion on the streets of Poznań is reduced and the Encouraging residents to use pub­ number of parking spaces in troublesome lic transport and cycling is one of the areas is increasing. main directions of the city's develop­ ment strategy. Poznan is gradually Poznan was the first city in Poland moder­nising public transport, while al­ to launch an app for monitoring air d ition. It provides up-to-date so implementing the Poznan Municipal con­ Bicycle (Poznański Rower Miejski) project. ­data on conta­minants and a forecast for

58

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

Source: multimotionstudio

the ­coming days. The "Atmosphere for Poznan" (Atmosfera dla Poznania) app prepared by the Environmental Protec­ tion Department of the City of Poznan is available for all mobile devices. Since De­ cember the fight against smog in Poznan has also been supported by a mobile par­ ticulate matter meter. With its help, the Municipal Police checks the quality of air in many locations on a daily basis and can carry out inspections more effectively.

Poznan’s investments are more and more often showing an effective approach to the green infrastructure, which is ad­ ditionally supported by the partici­pation in the European Connecting Nature pro­ gramme, whose aim is to disseminate nature-based solutions in cities.

THE FUTURE OF THE CITY IN ITS CENTRE

An innovative “Center Project” cover al­ most all elements of the smart city con­ cept. The project, which aim is to revitalize the city centre of Poznan, was preceded by social consultations with residents and entrepreneurs. It involves the reconstruc­ tion of tram routes and calming the ­traffic in the strict downtown area. The aim is also to narrow down the road in order to broaden pavements and build cycle paths, introduce greenery, but also to re­ build the underground infrastructure. As a result of these activities, the centre of Poznan will be revived and its former commercial and service functions will be restored. The value of the investment is over PLN 100 million, the completion of the second stage is planned for 2022.

More changes in the centre of Poznan are planned. The reconstruction of ­Kolegiacki Square, which is to become a natural extension of the Old Market Square, is ongoing. The metamorphosis of the City Hall courtyard, which has be­ come a square open for all residents from a crowded car park, where now cultural events and festivals take place.

Poznan was the first city in Poland to launch an app for monitoring air condition.

INVESTMENT BOOM

Another interesting investment for Poznan residents is the revitalization of Rataje Park. It is the largest park built in Poland after 1989, now regaining its former splendour. What the residents of the northern part of the city are wai­ ting for the most, is the construction of a new tram line to Naramowice. The route with 8 new stops will enable thousands of Poznan residents to reach the city centre efficiently. The total cost of the in­ vestment is over PLN 400 million and its completion is planned for 2022.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Changes in the city are also an effect of actions taken by the commercial sphere.

In the coming years, the Poznan real es­ tate market is expected to reach take up 100 thousand square metres of ­modern office space. The most antici­pated in­ vestment project is the Nowy Rynek (New Center) complex (by ­Skanska), the construction of which started in 2017.

After the rapid commercialization of the Maraton building, Skanska deci­ded that firstly an office building will be built from among the six buildings of the com­ plex with a housing, service and office fun­ctions. The office building will have ­a pprox. 25 thousand square ­m etres.

Other investors in the office ­market ­also decided to increase the scope of their projects. Further buildings of the Pixel complex (Garvest) are under con­ struction and will reach the market in May 2018. Second stage of Business Garden (Vastint) is being built as well.

Investor Relations Thanks to a large supply of office space and an impressive number of students and graduates, Poznan is an attractive city for investors from the modern servi­ ces sector. The hotel industry is also noti­ cing this potential. The best-known hotel chains are planning or have already star­ ted to build new facilities (e.g. Hilton, Marriott), the city is also known for its boutique hotels. All of them will consti­ tute an interesting offer, both in terms of accommodation facilities for the manage­ ment staff as well as conference facilities. •

Department City of Poznań 1 Za Bramką Street 61-842 Poznan p: +48 61 878 54 28, inwestor@um.poznan.pl www.poznan.pl City of Poznan Mers' Proxy for Smart City Michał Łakomski 17 Kolegiacki square 61-841 Poznań, Poland tel. 61 878 53 29 michal_lakomski @um.poznan.pl

59

INVESTMENTS

Gdynia with tailor made public transport Gdynia is a modern and deve­loping city. It is inhabited by ambitious, well-­educated and creative people appre­ciating high living standards.

An undisputable asset is the seaside lo­ cation at the intersection of the most important trading and transport routes of the Central and North Europe. Other features that distinguish Gdynia are an open and supporting business-financial surroun­ding, pro-innovativeness and attrac­tive prospects for development.

It is clearly seen in business rankings such as the one by Financial Times Group published in 2017 by fDi Magazine where ­Gdynia ­triumphed again.

well as on Kwiatkowski Route, new ones will appear on Morska, Wielkopolska and Chwaszczyńska streets.

The modernity of transpor t in ­Gdynia does not only mean the custo­ mers’ comfort – these are also green solu­ tions. Already in 2007 first CNG powered buses appeared here. Gdynia is among three Polish municipalities where trolley­ buses are used. Since 2009 trolleybuses with alternative power supply have been present as well. Their advantage comes All these factors determine a very positive from the fact that during a ride, the ve­ image of the city in Poland and Europe. hicles’ batteries are charged, what allows According to the Social Diagnosis of 2015 by professor Janusz Czapiński, as much as 87 percent of Gdynia inhabi­ tants are happy with where they live – it is an unprecedented result on the natio­ nal scale. Gdynia citizens appreciate their city for many reasons. They claim that it is easier here to find an interesting job, good schools and comfortable accommo­ dation. They enjoy sea, forests and hills by their windows, accessibility of services and efficient transport.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Gdynia City Hall Investor Support Division ul. 10 Lutego 24 81-364 Gdynia Phone: +48 58 668 20 18 politykagospodarcza @gdynia.pl www.gdynia.pl

60

One of the most efficient public trans­ port systems in Poland started to arise in the ‘90 in Gdynia. Its development and management were based on insight re­ search and analysis, and most of all – on the opinions of the inhabitants – users of particular bus and trolleybus lines. ­Gdynia has become a pioneer in moni­ toring current needs of customers and adjusting the system to the conditions of road and living infrastructure. At the same time, acknowledging the fact that hitherto possibilities to improve the ­public transport (e.g. through the modifi­ cation of timetables) have used up, other changes in traffic organization have been introduced – building and separating bus-lanes and privileging public transport at crossroads. Bus lanes were introduced on Kielecka and Małokacka streets, as

According to the Social Diagnosis of 2015 by professor Janusz Czapiński, as much as 87 percent of Gdynia inhabitants are happy with where they live – it is an unprecedented result on the national scale. to ride without being connected for as much as 50 kilometres and reach districts and streets with no overhead wires. These trolleybuses – also called hybrids – have become a trademark of Gdynia. In the nearest future their share in the transport services of the city is about to grow.

TRISTAR system (intelligent traffic mana­ gement) – operating in Tricity since 2015 – is also important when it comes to the efficiency of public (as well as indi­ vidual) transport. This modern solution has a huge impact on capacity and se­ curity on main routes in Gdynia, Gdańsk and Sopot.

POMERANIAN METROPOLITAN RAILWAY

Two new train stations of the Pomera­ nian Metropolitan Railway have just been opened in Gdynia: Gdynia ­Stadion

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

TRISTAR system (intelligent traffic management) – operating in Tricity since 2015 – is also important when it comes to the efficiency of public (as well as individual) transport.

and Gdynia Karwiny. Thanks to this in­ vestment, Gdynia citizens may bene­ fit from the new transport axis in the metropolis and the region in a broader scope. The Karwiny station has a huge meaning not only for the inhabitants of this district. Together with a planned in­ tegration junction there it will take over the traffic from districts and locations outside the Tricity Ring Road and from Sopot. Thanks to i.a. a multi-storey carpark an interchange point will be crea­ted where passengers could leave both cars and bicycles in order to continue their travel by Pomeranian Metropolitan Rail­ way. It will greatly decrease the traffic at the heavily filled route to the city centre.

And the Gdynia Stadion station is not on­ ly an easy way to and from cultural and sport events taking place at the city sta­ dium and Gdynia Arena, but also a com­ fortable commute for employees of the ­Łużycka Office Park and the Pomeranian

Science and Technology Park Gdynia, is all the time on the move – opposite where majority of outsourcing or ICT to private cars which stand unused most of a day. This is a project of a huge poten­ companies are located. tial, and already next cities wish to join it, CAR-SHARING including Reda, Rumia, Wejherowo and Car-sharing was introduced in ­Tricity Pruszcz Gdański. in October 2017 on the initiative of ­Gdynia authorities. Currently its custom­ METROPOLITAN BICYCLE ers use low emission vehicles, including Already next year Gdynia inhabitants will hybrid ones. Until 2020 they are sup­ start riding metropolitan bicycles. The city posed to be replaced with electric vehi­ will receive more than one thousand cles. The city consequently implements bikes. The project “Building Metropolitan eco-friendly solutions limiting the num­ OMG-G-S Bicycle System”, co-financed ber of cars in the city. Car-sharing may from EU funds, includes creating a sys­ also be an attractive alternative to com­ tem based on a fleet of public bicycles pany cars and a way to decrease the num­ together with necessary technical and ber of cars occasionally used. In the end ICT facilities. 14 municipalities from the it all limits car traffic – especially in the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metro­p olitan overcrowded city centres. Experiences Area will receive almost 3,900 fourth from European cities where this service generation bicycles equipped with GPS has already been introduced prove that modules and e-lock. 1,100 of them will one car-sharing vehicle replaces 4-10 pri­ come to Gdynia. • vate cars. Its main advantage is that it

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Car-sharing was introduced in Tricity in October 2017 on the initiative of Gdynia authorities.

Currently its customers use low emission vehicles, including hybrid ones. Until 2020 they are supposed to be replaced with electric vehicles.

61

INVESTMENTS

People, experience, specialisation – Bydgoszcz strengthens its position on the BPO/SSC market Bydgoszcz is one of the main modern business services sectors in Poland.

The employment in BPO/SSC centres exceeded 10 thousand people in 2017 with 8 thousand working in IT companies. About 1.000 people is employed in financial and accounting centres, and another thousand in contact centre companies.

In autumn this year, Frosta with its production company that has been operating in Bydgoszcz since many years, announced the creation of an international service centre.

The entrepreneurs mostly appreciate the convenient location of the City and the human potential along with modern infrastructure for running business ope­ rations and support from the authorities.

The distinction received from the Associa­ tion of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) in December only proves the substantial contribution of the City to the dynamic development of the sector of modern business services in Poland. – It confirms the power and experience of the City in providing global IT, financial and custo­mer services – says Edyta Wiwatowska, the Chairperson of the Bydgoszcz Regio­nal Development Agency (BARR), responsi­ ble for the economic promotion of the City. – As part of the “Bydgoszcz open to outsourcing” campaign, BARR is continuing activities oriented at guaranteeing appropriate conditions for the development of existing investors and attracting new entrepreneurs – she adds.

THE GROWING SIGNIFICANCE OF RE-INVESTMENTS

Bydgoszcz Regional Development Agency Unii Lubelskiej 4C St. 85-059 Bydgoszcz p: +48 52 585 88 23 barr@barr.pl www.barr.pl

62

Two areas of development in the sec­ tor of BPO/SSC can be observed in ­Bydgoszcz. First, there are new compa­ nies that are opening their branches in the City. The exam­ples of the recent in­ vestments on the Bydgoszcz market are PGE ­Systems – the IT centre providing services to the entities being a part of PGE group, or Great Call company which provides contact centre services for such companies as AIG – one of the big­ gest insurance companies in the world. ­Second, international production com­ panies, which have already been running

their business successfully in the City of ­Bydgoszcz, are expanding their opera­ tions by intro­ducing services. In ­autumn this year, Frosta with its production company that has been operating in ­Bydgoszcz since many years, announced the creation of an international service centre. The new ­centre will provide ser­ vices to the entire Frosta capital group worldwide, mainly in the financial area.

In the context of regional cities, reinvestments from companies which already operate in the modern business services sector in Poland are going to be the main driving force in the coming years.

Apart from that, in September, the com­ pany launched one of the most modern food production lines in the world. The in­ vestments that Frosta already carried out and is planning to realise shows that in­ vestors include Bydgoszcz in their longterm goals and development plans.

In the context of regional cities, re-­ investments from companies which already operate in the modern busi­ ness services sector in Poland are going to be the main driving force in the ­coming years. This, in turn, creates huge oppor­ tunities for cities such as B ­ ydgoszcz, which open their doors and present a ready investment proposal that includes access to office infrastructure, specialists, academic institutions and offer a good “work-life balance” to the entrepreneurs and employees.

CONVENIENT OFFICE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WELL-EDUCATED STAFF

The dynamic development of the BPO/ SSC infrastructure is a good incentive for investors. In the last few years, many spaces have been created where the companies can run and develop their businesses. Currently, there are approx.

74.000 m2 of modern office spaces in the City. In the first quarter of 2018, this ar­ ea will grow by another 20.000 m2 (Ark­ ada Business Park and Immobile K3) and more than 50.000 m2 of office area is cur­ rently at the planning stage.

An extremely important factor for the development of the sector in any city is the human capital. Being the lar­ gest academic centre in the Kuyavian-­ Pomeranian Voivodeship and actively supporting cooperation between busi­ ness and education, Bydgoszcz offers entrepreneurs access to well-qualified staff with skills suitable for their needs.

Nearly 33.000 students study in the City with 2.500 of them at IT specializations.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

Numerous linguistic courses allow to get the language skills for them to work in in­ ternational environment. Qualified mana­ gement staff is trained on post-graduate studies in finance and accounting, IT, logistics or management that are rea­ lised by local universities in cooperation with companies from various industries, e.g. iQor, Nokia, Asseco or Atos. The City has a well-developed technological and scientific base which is an important ele­ment for companies wishing to open their offices on the Brda River.

Bearing in mind the long-term develop­ ment of the IT sector, Bydgoszcz focuses on the development of human resour­ ces that will be able to support IT, tele­ communications and outsourcing companies in the future. Since this starts already at the secondary education lev­ el, there are several courses which are ­being realised under the patronage of such companies as Atos, iQor or Nokia.

The tailored curricula focus greatly on practical learning and skills to use the ac­ quired knowledge during internships in the ­patron companies.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECTOR THANKS TO SPECIALISATIONS

Modern business services are currently moving towards more and more com­ plex processes, the creation of pioneering and systemic solutions on a global scale and R&D. This is also visible on the local market. A team of programmers from the Bydgoszcz branch of Nokia deve­ loped a Broadcast Message Centre which gained a global recognition when Ame­ rican authorities used it to send the first text arrest warrant. The development of global companies also has a positive impact on the local businesses. TELDAT – a company from Bydgoszcz – developed specialised IT solutions for the military sector used in the next-generation ­Patriot missile defence system. Also PESA, an in­ novative electro-engineering company, has a highly-specialised R&D department.

The modern business services sector is truly changing the local economy. Global companies which provide services from Bydgoszcz not only take part in unique projects on a global scale, but also give the perspective for further development for the entire sector. The accompanying spectacular increase in employment from 1.000 people in 2010 to more than 10.000 in 2017 is the best recommen­ dation for the future activities undertaken by the City to attract further investments and stimulate the further develop­ ment of the BPO/SSC sector in the local ­structure. •

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

63

INVESTMENTS

The future of Łódź?

Friendly, creative and dynamic city Łódź - one of the largest agglomeration in the country, located in the heart of Poland and Europe that has been a subject to significant transformations in the last years – once a city known for its textile industry, it is becoming a place where an economy based on knowledge, technology and high-tech services prevails.

A PLAN IS NECESSARY...

In 2012, while creating a vision of our city in the future, the Integrated Deve­lopment Strategy for Łódź 2020+ was deve­loped that was the first overall project defining long-term challenges and problems. It is also an attempt to answer the following question: what are we aiming at and what do we want to achieve in the next years, having specified capabilities and culti­ vating the civilization heritage of Łódź?

The document is a basis for thorough planning of urban investments and local government activities.

64

The vision framed in the strategy is to ­create: “a friendly, creative and dyna­mic city of sustainable development, with good life, work and investments conditions, while simultaneously benefiting from its historic, infrastructure and creative potential”.

The Integrated Development Strategy for Łódź 2020+ is founded on three pil­ lars determining priority areas of activity: economy and infrastructure, society and culture and space and environment.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

It is worth checking on how the created ideas are gradually being realized and how they involve the most important challenges for the city regarding impro­ ving the quality of life of its residents, creating sustainable public transport net­ work, revitalising urban space, develop­ ing social participation, or imple­menting efficient management of the city.

of development. It means the academ­ ic Łódź with a dozen or so institutes of higher education, large academic faculty and more than 70 thousand students. It is a great capital for the future that needs to be used. New production branches in the electrical engineering industry and logistics, key for Łódź in the recent years, are being extended with BPO ser­ vices and new technologies. A lot of post-­ industrial buildings have already been transformed into modern office buildings.

Creative thinking in economy requires looking for new investors from the fields based on innovation and new technolo­ gies. The inno­vative BioNanoPark, that is a part of the Technopark Łódź complex, where science and business intersect, has already been developed.

changes are clearly visible. In the vicini­ ty, there are buildings of the revitalised former EC Łódź power plant, where, in its east part, you can already visit the most modern planetarium in the country that has already presented the famous exhi­ bition of L­ eonardo da ­Vinci’s inventions.

The National Centre for Film Culture has its seat here as well. The Centre is prepar­ ing a great Polish ­cinema gala event and other film attrac­tions. In EC1 West, the Science and Techno­logy Centre is going to be opened in January. It will offer in­ teresting educational paths.

New production branches in the electrical engineering industry and logistics, key for Łódź in the recent years, are being extended with BPO services and new technologies.

The attractive, save and healthy Łódź, ­according to the strategy, is focused on improving the quality of life of its resi­ dents due to increasing attractiveness of public space, revitalisation of the key are­ as of the city, use of natural environment potential and development of sustain­ able public transport. The main objec­ tive is complex revitalisation of the city centre through implementation of con­ secutive programmes, such as “The City of Tenement Houses” and the so-called ­area revitalisation in the city centre of Łódź divided into 8 city blocks.

CREATIVE ACADEMIC CITY

Łódź is consistently working, waiting for its great renaissance and welcomes tour­ ists and guests to numerous festivals and cultural events. The city authorities en­ courage to visit Łódź and invest in here and to take up challenges in an enterpri­ sing, friendly and unique city, with rich traditions and multicultural roots.

The active, learning and creative Łódź, that is an increase of social and cultur­ al capital due to the development of education, enhancing the activity of residents and an increase of social par­ ticipation, is the second strategic pillar

When you get off the train or bus at the Łódź Fabryczna station, which is one of the important elements of the New ­Centre of Łódź, the grand scale and the ongoing

At the moment, due to consistent imple­ mentation of the adopted strategy, effec­tive use of EU funds and, above all, commitment of many people: residents, entrepreneurs, officials, as well as the academic community, the cultural, edu­ cational and infrastructure potential and the potential of the availability of qualified staff is rated highly in specia­ list reports. Numerous awards that the city has won in 2017, almost 3000 buil­ ding permits issued in 2017, and entirely new investors offering next hundreds of new jobs are the best proof for that. •

INNOVATIVE INDUSTRY AND THE NEW CENTRE OF ŁÓDŹ

Łódź – creative, full of energy, with ­daring projects and good prospects for the future, where it is worth investing and meeting unique challenges. This is the ­image of the city that the adopted strategy promotes. Now, the energy that formerly transformed Łódź from a small village into an industrial metropolis gene­rates new and important projects in the area of business, culture, education, and tourism.

The modern business sector based on innovation and talents is a great chance for thousands of young people, university graduates, as well as companies specia­ lising in new services. After the textile in­ dustry declined, the city had to search for a new way of development and focused on the electrical engineering industry, production of household appliances, ser­ vices for BPO sector, IT, logistics, as well as unique cultural and artistic traditions.

Now, Łódź is focused on modern creative industries, deve­lopment of the fashion, design, and art indu­stries, and, for the following years, an investment depicting the new age in the history of the city is planned. The main strategic objectives of the first pillar is the New C ­ entre of Łódź project, that is full use of social and eco­ nomic potential of areas of 100 ha around the new modern Łódź ­Fabryczna railway station, where top-class business centres are already emerging.

REVITALISATION AND FRIENDLY SPACE

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

After the textile industry declined, the city had to search for a new way of development and focused on the electrical engineering industry, production of household appliances, services for BPO sector, IT, logistics, as well as unique cultural and artistic traditions.

Revitalisation is the key word to solve many, including social, problems of the city that has unique architectural sub­ stance. Hundreds of tenement houses, dozens of old factories, palaces and v­ illas located in the big-city area are going to regain their former glory.

Investor Service and International Cooperation Bureau Piotrkowska 104a Str 90-926 Lodz p: +48 42 638 59 39 fax: +48 42 638 59 40 e-mail: boi@uml.lodz.pl

65

INVESTMENTS

Commercial real-estates – all you need is a „click” The consideration of the future of services in the commercial real-estates sector in Poland should start from answering a question what the real-estate market is going to look like and what are the prospects of development of its indi­vidual segments.

When driving across the streets of War­ saw, Kraków or Wrocław, we can see tall buildings rising, so we immediately get the impression of a dynamic develop­ ment of the office buildings sector. When we visit another newly opened mall, we see the retail boom. New enormous ware­ houses constructed next to highways prove that the logistics sector is doing pretty well. However, is the f­ uture of the sector as bright as deve­lopers would like it to be?

On the Polish market, the prospects of the warehouse and logistics sector, related directly to the overall economic growth, seem good. The future looks particu­ larly bright if we take into consideration a low saturation of the warehousing market, as compared to more developed markets, and the growing importance of Poland as a transit country. Another supportive factor is the development of roads thanks to the funds assigned in the EU budget for the construction of the ­Polish expressways and highways.

ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR COMMERCIAL AND ­OFFICE PROPERTIES EQUALLY OPTIMISTIC?

In the light of impending changes in the applicable law (Sundays free of shopping, the increase of a minimum remuneration, the restrictions imposed on develop­ ment of pharmacy chains), the malls will certainly face a little revolution in their approach to the tenant mix formula, as well as a fierce struggle for customers.

The malls with a complicated layout of passageways, which can ”suck” the cus­ tomer in for several hours of shopping, are in retreat. New customers expect the shopping to be convenient and fast and the mall should ensure additional

66

services, which allow merging comforta­ flexible working options (home-based ble shopping with entertainment or han­ work or non-standard working hours) and dling other needs. they apply other solutions that consist in workplace sharing (hot desking).

The pressure exercised by the on-line trade grows and it happens not ­only WHAT IS THEN THE FUTURE OF THE in the electronics and home applian­ SECTOR OF REAL-ESTATE SERVICES IN ces sector, but increasingly in the SUCH MARKET SITU­ATION? IN WHICH ­fashion, footwear and food segments DIRECTION WILL THE PROPTECH too. The popularity of on-line shopping SECTOR, OFFERING TECHNOLOGICAL grows every year and its market share SOLUTIONS FOR REAL-ESTATES, GO? increases, but there is a good news for In the area of lease, flexibility seems to be the malls: the Poles still favour the so- the key word. Tenants will look for office called “Web-rooming” (the customers find and commercial spaces that would offer a product online, and then they go to the them the possibility of expansion (or re­ store to try it on). Thus the idea of virtual duction) and the opportunity to tailor the fitting rooms, which are supposed to faci­ space to current needs. The first results of litate shopping at the mall, eliminating such change in approach are already visi­ the necessity to carry several pieces of ble in the shortening of the lease term clothes to the fitting room and providing accepted by owners from 5 to 3 years. the possibility to verify, whether a given The services of creative design agencies item is available in a particular store. that develop offices layouts or even de­ sign the entire buildings in the ­manner The market of office space, which has that allows for a flexible modification been growing so dynamically in recent of office space, its merging, dividing or years, in the worst-case scenario, is a step changing their designated function, may or two away from the burst of a bubble gain importance. inflated by global lessees from the sectors of shared services and business processes Real-estate agents are less and less fre­ outsourcing. If one really sees black, then quently referred to as intermediaries, the growing pressure on the increase of and increasingly often defined as cus­ remuneration will make the companies tomer advisors. It is a direct consequence switch to markets that offer cheaper la­ of change in the nature of their work: the bour. It is confirmed with the information agent should not only find the office or from the labour market, which frequen­ commercial premises that correspond tly present a gloomy picture of employers to the current needs of the tenants, but having trouble with finding employees. it is his job to find out what are the pros­ In the best-case scenario, the market will pects of development of the custom­ have to cope with the changing working er’s company and the sector in which it style of the new generation. The com­ ope­rates, in order to be able to account panies struggle to adjust to the require­ for potential business development sce­ ments of employees desperately sought narios in his search for appropriate space. after, and at the same time they try to re­ The agent can prepare a suitable offer for duce the overhead costs, so they offer the tenants with the support of the offer

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

INVESTMENTS

management systems, which present the available spaces not as separate modules, but in the context of their surroundings both within a building, as well as the ­direct vicinity of a real-estate.

The agent’s partner at the other side of the negotiating table, namely the asset manager representing the building’s owner and responsible for the develop­ ment of the tenant mix, should also ac­ count in his strategy for the variability of the tenants’ needs. The adjustment to the market requirements will be based on such planning of duration of individual lease contracts, which will allow to offer to at least a part of tenants the option of office space increase in a few years’

The market of office space, which has been growing so dynamically in recent years, in the worst-case scenario, is a step or two away from the burst of a bubble inflated by global lessees from the sectors of shared services and business processes outsourcing. time. In order not to get stuck in a time-­ consuming analyses of tables, the asset manager should make use of the business intelligence solutions, which will present him the current progress of negotiations in a visual form (ideally in the form of a three-dimensional holographic image of the building), showing clearly how the decisions taken influence the future of a real-estate.

The business intelligence solutions will also allow the asset manager to manage the real-estate’s maintenance costs in a more effective manner. This is the place for a contribution into the technological development of business on the part of property and facility management com­ panies, which will offer a system-based management of the real-estate utilities, allowing to adjust the functioning of air-conditioning or lighting to the cur­ rent number of individuals staying in the building or to the forecast weather change. The costs of services provided for the real-estate will drop significantly thanks to the replacement of expen­ sive cleaning staff or security officers by cost-effective robots. The implemen­ tation of robots in rendering services in the buildings is no longer a sci-fi tale.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Real-estate agents are less and less frequently referred to as intermediaries, and increasingly often defined as customer advisors.

67

INVESTMENTS

Technological solutions are in place (­Boston Dynamics), the only barrier in their popularisation is the cost, although for instance drones are already quite frequently used as support for security agencies protecting large real-estates.

Bartosz Pustuł, Management Board President NAI Estate Fellows

68

Property managers, who live under constant pressure of keeping the main­ tenance costs as low as possible, will ­also have to lower their own costs. It will not happen however at the expense of quality, but thanks to automation of processes. The financial services related to r­eal-estates (invoicing, mailing, set­ tlements, payments, debt collection) will be entirely automated, and the program­ ming of data in the financial services sys­ tem will take place already at the stage of negotiation of lease agreements, which will eliminate unnecessary costs and at the same time will allow to trace the im­ pact of a current state of negotiations on the real-estate’s NOI in the “live” mode.

so dynamic that it is not possible to fore­ see with high certainty, what the world is going to look like in 10 years from now, which is exactly the time that has passed from the debut of the first iPhone – the phone without which one can hardly ­imagine the world today.

The suppliers of equipment and software for the real-estate already offer a series of solutions intended to increase the satis­ faction of employees working in office buildings or of customers visiting the malls. Applications that provide the possi­ bility to order food or book a car, in the car-sharing system, become increasingly popular on the market, let alone the auto­ matic operation of all electronic equip­ ment in the office from one’s smartphone.

The market develops also in the aspect of geo-location solutions, which facilitate a quicker identification of local services or even individuals. The smartphone appli­ cations trace and identify customers in the malls (with their consent), presenting It is difficult to predict which cutting-edge to them personalised commercial offers technological solutions the real-estate on the basis of the history of previously sector will utilise in the nearest future. visited stores or earlier on-line purchases.

We can imagine some of them already, but a part of them are still only con­ Although it is hard to anticipate where cepts. The technological development is the technological development will lead

us, there is one thing that seems con­ sistent and timeless in the real-estate sector. Both the asset managers, as well as the property managers will change themselves and services they offer to the real-estates owners in such a way, to respond best to the requirements of custo­mers – the tenants and the users of buildings. Now it seems that the deve­ lopment will go towards digitalisation of the field of professional services for busi­ ness and their adaptation to solutions popularised by the social media and producers of smartphone applications.

It seems that we are witnessing the emergence of a completely new level of servi­ces in the real-estate sector, where various options can be selected with a “click”.

But is it really the future of the commer­ cial real-estates? In the times of a dynamic growth of online shopping, the increasing popularity of flexible approach to workplace and a more effective logistics, which allow planning deliveries to the customer straight from the factory, is it really so difficult to imagine the world with no shopping malls, office buildings and warehouses? •

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

HR NEWS New Executive Manager of Construction & Property division at Devire

Cushman & Wakefield announces promotions in its Office Agency

Piotr Capiga

Adam Schroeder

Marcin Siewierski

Paweł Strzemecki

Oracle, Apple, BMS, DAF, WestRock, IC Group, Dentsply Sirona, Hasbro and JDA. He previously worked for Ernst & Young business advisory department, specialising in performance improvement of leading companies on the Polish market. In the past, he completed internships in DTZ, SAP and JLL. Paweł holds a bachelor degree in Finance and Accounting from the Warsaw School of Economics, a bachelor degree in Management from Warsaw University, and two master degrees in Finance and Accounting and in International Business from the Warsaw School of Economics. Paweł is currently doing doctoral studies at the Warsaw School of Economics.

In November 2017, global real estate services firm Cushman & ­Wakefield announced promotions to Associate in EMEA. In ­Poland, promotions were awarded to four Office Agency specialists: Piotr Capiga, Adam Schroeder, Marcin Siewierski and Paweł Strzemecki, following a rigorous scrutiny of their work performance, Kamila Czyżyk bacame a new Operations Director expertise and cooperation with clients. at Pro Progressio Piotr Capiga joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2013. He specialises in advising office tenants and is responsible for coordination of office space selection processes and lease negotiations. Piotr has been involved in many complex transactions, actively supporting Bartłomiej Rozmus has been appointed Exesuch clients as Alior Bank, AXA Ubezpieczenia, TMF, ­Mondelez, cutive Manager at Devire recruitment ­agency, ­American Express, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the taking responsibility for the Construction U.S. ­Embassy. Over the last three years, he has transacted more than & Property division. Bartłomiej has over 50,000 sq m of modern office space as a project leader or co-leader.

13 years of experience in the industry. He pre- Piotr is a lawyer by education. He graduated in Law and Admini­ viously worked as manager at Wyser, Adecco, stration from Warsaw University and completed post-graduate and as consultant at Hays, specializing in studies in real estate brokerage. He has written nearly 70 articles recruitment of management and engineering and expert opinions on the Warsaw office market. staff. In his current role, Bartłomiej is respon- Adam Schroeder commenced his professional career with Cushman sible for managing demanding recruitment & Wakefield in 2015, having assumed responsibility for business processes for Devire’s clients from the real development on the Tricity market. Adam is one of the most expeestate and construction market. rienced real estate brokers on regional markets, and over the last seven years he has been responsible for office space selection and optimization, lease negotiations and renegotiations on the commerColliers International has cial property market for such clients as Thomson Reuters, the Energa strengthened its management Group, Amazon, CitiBank, UTC F&S, ING Bank, Millennium Bank structure in Poland and Randstad. In Tricity, Adam has completed 71 transactions for Leading global commercial real estate servimore than 80,300 sq m. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield’s At the beginning of the year Kamila became ces firm Colliers International, announced team, he had been co-responsible for commercialisation of Tricity’s Operations Director at Pro Progressio. that it has strengthened its management Olivia Business Centre for five years. Adam graduated in Philosophy, Kamila is responsible for company devestructure in Poland. In recog­nition of their and in Investments and Real Estate from the University of Gdańsk. lopment, contact with clients and manages business achievements and contribution He has also completed a Huthwaite International training course.

The Pro Progressio Club. She is also the to building company value, all nine of the Marcin Siewierski joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2014 and is res­ Managing Editor of Outsourcing&More Colliers’ Partners in Poland will now be reponsible for business development on the Wrocław market. He has Magazine. Kamila supports Pro Progressio ferred to as Senior Partners, which is a newly more than 16 years of commercial real estate experience. His clients development for over three years – earlier created position. include XL Catlin, Synexus, Polkomtel, Segro, CCIG, Nationale as an Operations Manager. Before joining The new Senior Partners are as follows Nederlanden, Capgemini, Infor, Work Service, GlobalLogic and Pro Progressio team, she had worked in (according to seniority): Robert Karniewski Generali. Marcin has managed many leasing transactions, reneadvertising industry as a Project Manager.

(Regional Markets), Ewa Czarnecka (Valugotiations, relocations and business space optimisation projects in – I have a great pleasure to work with Kamila ation & Consultancy), Paweł Skałba (Office regional cities. He previously gained professional experience at BNP for many years. She is an experienced manaAgency), Maciej Chmielewski (Industrial Paribas Bank and mBank. Marcin graduated in Law and Administra- ger with perfect understanding of outsourcing & Logistics), Sylwia Pędzińska (Workplace tion from the University of Rzeszów and completed post-graduate and modern business services sectors’ needs.

Innovation), Piotr Mirowski (Investment studies in real estate appraisal at the University of Science and Kamila is the strategic member of our team Services), Tomasz Kasperowicz (Industrial Technology in Krakow. and I am very glad that she has a continuous & Logistics), Marta Machus-Burek (Retail Paweł Strzemecki joined Cushman & Wakefield in 2014 as a Senior opportunity to create and develop many Pro Agency) and Jonathan Cohen (Project Consultant. He represents tenants in office space acquisition. Paweł Progressio projects – said Wiktor Doktór, ­Management). has advised such tenants as CITI Service Center, T-Mobile, KMD, CEO of Pro Progressio.

70

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Walter Herz provides specialized consulting services in commercial real estate.

We support Polish and international companies in all aspects of tenant representation, like improving functionality of the office, renegotiating lease agreements, optimizing costs and subleasing.

Tenant representation

Space optimization

Relocation management

Workplace strategy

Process coordination

Cost analysis

Project management

Please visit our website www.walterherz.com and download the latest map of office facilities and institutional tenant guide.

For more information call us 22 11 200 11

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

Competences of the Future The future cannot accurately be predicted. We forecast based upon past trends but, with the increasing influence of disruptive social and technical change, the past is becoming an unreliable guide. So how can we determine what competences will be needed to flourish in the future? How should we prepare ourselves to meet the challenges of a changing world?

Invest in agility, be open-minded, experiment, and adapt to change.

The World Economic Forum forecasts that one third of skills that will be desirable in 2020 for most jobs are not key today.

In addition, the global competitiveness report for 2016-17 ranks qualified em­ ployees as 6th of the most important ­Polish development barriers, 8th in earlier years. Given that OECD research indicates 65% of all children starting education ­today will work in jobs that do not yet exist, we are facing a great challenge in preparing for that future.

Małgorzata Kusyk, CEO/Founder, Agile PMO

72

WHAT COMPETENCIES WILL BE CRITICAL IN 5, 10, OR 20 YEARS?

Taking into account the development of artificial intelligence, automation and dig­ italisation, it will be skills that cannot be easily automated that will be increasingly

importance. This new environment for­ ces a new way of thinking and new defini­ tions of roles, including that of the Project Manager. Organisations need to recog­ nise that it is no longer enough to fo­ cus their talent hiring and development on only technical project management skills. Project Managers need to have the ability to deal with ambiguity and to lead strategic initiatives that drive change in their organi­sation. To succeed today, apart from tech­nical project manage­ ment skills, Project ­Managers also need leadership capabili­ties and strategic and With increasing complexity and the business management proficiency. ­ever-increasing pace of change, project management as a discipline is gaining THE PMI TALENT TRIANGLE® in value and moving away from being The Project Management Institute niche to becoming an area of stra­tegic (PMI) Talent Triangle® captures this critical to success. In addition to tech­ nological knowledge, it will be critical thinking, effective communi­cation, col­ laboration and creativity, and in particu­ lar creative problem-solving techniques to deal with rising complexity. In all of this, however, the key will be agility, openness to change, and readiness for continuous learning. Nowadays we are looking for employees with the ability to constantly reinvent themselves, who are comfort­ able with change and able to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

new employer-desired skill set, which is a combination of technical, leadership, and strategic and business management expertise. Today’s employers need project practitioners with leadership and busi­ ness intelligence skills to support longrange strategic objectives. According to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession® report, when organizations focus on all three skill sets, 40% more of their projects meet goals and original business intent.

Therefore, a new Transition Manager role has emerged, responsible for carry­ ing out the entire process of migration to its successful conclusion. Because the transition is a project, it is subject to the same rules of project management as any other project; so the Transition Manager is really a specialized Project Manager.

To be a Manager of the transformation processes, you must first gain experience in the role of the Project Manager. Tran­ sition Manager is the role that combines A NEW BUSINESS SECTOR working in an international, multicultural Business process outsourcing (BPO) and and virtual environment with elements of shared services centres (SSC) is a ­rapidly both change and project management. growing sector of the economy, be­ coming an attractive business solution WHAT COMPETENCES ARE WORTH for many organizations. These companies INVESTING TODAY? decide to move some of the processes Project management will be one of them, to specialized external entities to be able although in a new version. Today’s Project to focus on their key, revenue-generat­ Manager should be a leader of change ing business. Business centres employ in and transformation. However, most of ­Poland around 244,000 people and con­ the current project management pro­ tinue to grow, creating 20,000 jobs each grammes on the market focus mainly on year. More vacancies appear in financial methods, tools and techniques (one side or technologically complex global pro­ of the triangle). They rarely teach mana­ jects creating job opportunities for thou­ gers how to lead people through change. sands of experts whose work is difficult You can hardly find any learning modules to automate. on leadership, including dealing with un­ certainties and ambiguities, conducting difficult conversations or managing the socio-political complexity in which tran­ sition projects are conducted. There is very little on how to build and develop successful global distributed teams or on facilitation techniques. Unfortunately, most project management training pro­ viders have not noticed that the world of project management is changing around them and still focus on technical project management knowledge such as how to use MS Project, which is widely available on the Internet.

The World Economic Forum forecasts that one third of skills that will be desirable in 2020 for most jobs are not key today.

Many of these projects are transitions or transformations. Transition in the context of the shared services sector is the ­end-to-end process of transferring know­ledge, systems, and operations from the client to a specialized servic­ es unit. Very often, such transitions are accom­p anied by a type of transfor­ mation, from a change in how pro­cesses are structured, through to the use of new technologies to drive organizational culture change.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

CHANGE MANAGEMENT IS A MUSTHAVE SKILL FOR EVERY LEADER

What should we learn, if we want to become more competitive in the global job market? Focus should be given to the skills most Project Mana­ gers lack. The a­ uthor’s experience has been confirmed in a study conducted in New Zealand, which is also reflected in Polish and European conditions. Proba­ bly not surprisingly, as much as 39% of respondents of the survey highlighted that leading change in their organisa­ tion is a top gap, while 34% identified difficult conversations and conflict man­ agement as missing key competences.

Another 30% of research participants highlighted the importance of politi­ cal ‘smarts’ and resolving 'grey' issues.

And 27% responded that communica­ tion is still a challenge. Here I would like

to draw attention speci­fically to the tech­ niques of active listening and non-violent communi­cation (NVC) used in agile and teal organisations. Talking about facts, emotions, feelings and requests is still a challenge in Poland mainly due to our tendency to take a judge­mental position.

Since the world is rapidly changing and the future cannot be easily predicted, what we can do is to possess skills that

Business centres employ in Poland around 244,000 people and continue to grow, creating 20,000 jobs each year.

are difficult to automate, but above all we must be agile. Agile is not a process or a methodology. It is a way of thinking, a philosophy of life – being supportive, trusting, open, honest and authentic.

It is a willingness to change ourselves, to learn, and to be open to experiment and adaptation. It is not something you do. It is something you become.

The agile state of mind is a mind shift.

It requires that you let go of some of your current mind-set. Where does that agility mind-set come from? It comes from life, from the need to adapt and optimize ourselves to the constantly changing conditions under which we live and work.

And all forms of life behave like this. „It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin.

To succeed, you must switch off your inner autopilot, challenge your e xisting assumptions and beliefs, ­ overcome your own discomfort, and reach a new level of agile thinking in how you adapt to the challenges of tran­ sition and ­transformation. •

73

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

A big little world of management In Polish language, the word "leadership" is declined by all cases. So maybe with the upcoming new year you should take under the microscope your individual "case"?

A BIT ABOUT AN IDEAL

Research shows that nearly two-thirds of managers feel discomfort in their relation­ship with employees. Courage, charisma and emotions are creating a triangle – in a healthy case it is equi­ lateral. This balance allows you to take care of yourself and then others. Neither the field of study nor the number of di­ plomas guarantee that you will be the perfect manager. It is said that an ideal manager is a man who knows everything about something and something about everything. In the eyes of employees, he/ she should be able to support, under­ stand, manage, and be an authority for them. Such a manager is noble, consis­ tent and organized in his own life. He/she looks at the problem with a distance, al­ ways finds a solution that gives space for development, but never leaves people in need. Phew .... I got tired of this wish list.

THE IDEAL DOES NOT EXIST, PSYCHOPATHS DO

Have you ever met people who are in­ credibly charming in their lives, but at the same time are enchanting with the way they dominate? Such people have an extraordinary style of communication that makes you admire them for how well they adapt to the situation and for their ability of adjusting in all circumstances.

At nights, you think about how they are doing it, that they never, ever are over­ driven by their emotions. Respected, admired, considered charismatic leaders, make you want to follow them on fire, but on the other you have a deep sense that something is wrong. And rightly so, be­ cause although they do not show traits that often arouse fear, it happens that they are psychopaths.

In a sense, it is a taboo subject, but it is worth knowing. According to Dr. Paul ­Babiak from New York City, the psycho­ pathic nature is a personality disorder that affects 2-3% of the population. Stu­dies show that the percentage of people with

74

a psychopathic personality is three times higher in the management environment, and every 25th recognized businessman is a psychopath. Is it c­ urable? No. Why? Because the deficits that charac­terize this personality are permanent. One of them is the emotional deficit, which means that such people do not feel fear or other emotions that allow buil­ding relation­ ships. They do not assimilate ­m oral norms, but they perfectly understand what they feel and how others react emo­ tionally. That's why they are doing so well in all s­itu­ations, they say what o ­ ther ­people want to hear and at the same time subtly ­addict others to themselves, which is helped by their unusual predis­ position to arouse in ­others the allu­sive feeling of guilt.

NARCISSIST – THE FIRST FLOOR TO NORMALITY

The legend of narcissist you remember from primary school says that he was in love with himself. He ruthlessly looked at the surface of the water, like in the mirror to enjoy his beauty. Psychology, how­ever, sees it differently. Narcissism arises when at an early age the child does not grow out of the phase of omni­ potence and domination, which a­ rises as a result of discovering the ability to walk and ­exerting influence on the surrounding environment. The thin line between excessive praising a child or constant emphasizing disability causes that both styles of upbringing may lead to so-called narcissistic trauma. In adult life, we encounter an insecure person

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

who experiences criticism as a failure or, on the contrary, self-­confident, with ten­ dencies to humi­liate others with the con­ viction of its own superiority. Both types are at risk of excessive sense of their own meaning, constant fantasies about their own achievements, jealousy and awai­ ting admiration.

in the corporate world. On the other hand, there are also studies that empha­ size that narcissistic managers tend to be more creative and introduce many inno­ vations. However, their role ends when there is a need to evaluate it – as a rule they are already somewhere else. Psy­ chology itself has many more questions about what psychopathy and narcissism are. The thing is to not let the intensity of these features deprive us of pleasure, and the other sense of value.

The results of the scale used to measure the features described above indicate that 1 percent of women and 3 percent of men meet all the criteria of psychopathy.

Therefore, the point is not to be afraid, but to understand that both the intensity of these features, as well as the moment

Studies show that the percentage of people with a psychopathic personality is three times higher in the management environment, and every 25th recognized businessman is a psychopath.

Such a manager will not care about the good of the team, and even if it is so, his/ her purpose of doing that is to satisfy its own need for recognition. However, let's not go crazy. "Norma" is a relative term, and in each of us there is a need for recognition and acceptance.

IS IT DEFINITELY EVIL, OR WHERE THERE IS BALANCE

According to the author of the book "The good psychopath’s guide to success", Dr. Kevin Dutton, having psycho­pathic features is becoming more and more common in the world of global business.

The writer points out that having such qualities as ruthlessness, self-confidence, lack of scruples or lack of empathy is nowadays necessary to achieve success

of the phenomenon, in order to choose by yourself, in what relations you want to be. Here in a few words, I am giving suggestions for those who for real in­ tentionally build themselves and their careers, and the new year is a good time to verify assumptions and introduce amendments to the plan.

Specify your "why". The motives of the activities vary. However, without reali­ zing them you will blindly wander in directions that can lead to frustration instead of fulfillment. It is said that if you do not know where you want to go, you will never get there. Personally, I often say that if people would answer this ques­ tion more often, they would be happier.

So, ask yourself why are you a manager?

Why do you want to manage people?

To what extent is the goal in itself, and to what extent is the tool on the way to the goal. Performing this task definitely raises enthusiasm, dynamism, energy and ardor, which will pull along others.

Define your communication style.

Research by the Harris Poll Institute in­ dicates that two-thirds of managers feel uncomfortable in communicating with employees? Often it is caused by the lack of awareness of your own style. Are you activating, improvising, p ­ lanning or avoiding? What are you doing in your relationships? – I suppose leader­ ship at one time mean muscles, but ­today it means getting along with people – ­M ahatma G ­ andhi said, and it's hard to disagree with him. You will do it when you discover other styles and adapt your message to them. First, however, what you need to do is get to know your own natural way.

Expand the flexibility zone. You will of their manifestation, is culturally condi­ hear many trainings about going out­ tioned, changes over time and depends side the comfort zone. It automatical­ on the circumstances. ly fills us with fear and we do not even realize how many things we give up in this way. After all, nothing pleases us WHAT TO DO? SO, START WITH "I" If you've come it all the way here, then more than a sense of security. However, congratulations. People with predis­ there is a diffe­rent, more ecological way positions that I described above would of r­ eaching for new ones - expand your rather not do it. For they know better. flexibility, make new friends, turn on cu­ Yes, you can smile now. Nevertheless, riosity and take even the smallest step. you read this paragraph, because maybe Fear of failure or the unknown will defi­ you actually met such people, or worse nitely weaken and you will enjoy anoth­ you have such a boss. How to deal with er success. such a case – this is a topic for a book.

I am talking about this issue, because With the ending of the first month of the mental health is something that is par­ new year, I wish you joy, peace and fulfill­ ticularly endangered in our times. Once ment. And in times of weakness, because again, I stress that the most important is everyone has them, go back to your "why to under­stand the causes and strength you do it". •

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

Monika Reszko, Communications Expert, Business Psychologist.

75

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

Recruitment Ads RECRUITER:

CONTACT: EWELINA SUMIEC RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT IT M: +48 723 303 021 EWELINA.SUMIEC@PEOPLE.COM.PL

IT Security Architect (Up to 20,000 PLN gross employment contract or 20,000 PLN net + VAT / month)

Main tasks: • • • • • • •

Participation in creating and development of IT security standards throughout company.

Performing penetration tests and audits of infrastructure and application security.

System susceptibility scanning and analysis of security risks and gaps.

Implementation and maintenance of tools supporting security tests.

Taking part in development projects of the Security Department, cooperation with other IT units.

Reviewing IT projects for compliance with IT Security Standards.

Ad hoc technical support in the area of IT security for employees of other organizational units.

Expectations: • Practical experience in performing security audits and penetration tests (blackbox / whitebox), source code audits, forensics analysis, web application tests (OWASP).

• Extensive knowledge of issues related to the security of applications and systems, technologies and solutions.

• Knowledge of tools supporting invasive security tests (eg. Metasploit).

• Knowledge of decompilation techniques and reverse engineering.

• Knowledge of risk analysis techniques, analysis of threats and vulnerabilities of IT infrastructure.

• Knowledge of technologies related to the security of Internet Connectivity.

• Ability to create a policy of security requirements, writing technical documentation and reports.

We Offer: • • • • • •

76

Employment based on a contract of employment or a B2B contract.

Possibility to develop skills and knowledge in an organization with high standards.

Taking part in innovative and cutting-edge projects.

Attractive social benefits package.

Financial bonuses.

Providing trainings and certifications in the field of IT security.

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

CAREER & DEVELOPMENT

RECRUITER:

CONTACT: SŁAWOMIR KOŁODZIEJSKI SKOLODZIEJSKI@DEVIRE.PL

CEO (Fintech) (28,000 – 32,000 PLN / month)

Key requirements: • • • • • • • • •

Educational background in IT / Technology (preferably) and / or Finance, Economy, Econometrics, Mathematics Experience in lending, scoring, and banking industries Knowledge of PSD2, GDPR, AML5 principles Understanding of KYC and AML principles Understanding of SaaS Business Model (if you had to google "what is SaaS" - stop here) Superb presentation skills and can comfortably speak in front of large (>1000 people) audiences Fluent Polish and English Analytical Flexible

Other requirements: • • • • •

Working on site in Warsaw office 25% travel Willing to use OS X or Linux Some programming skills (nice to have) Understanding of html/JavaScript/http/web/screen scraping (nice to have)

We Offer: • • • • •

Competitive salary tailored to your skills and experience Great benefits package Challenging and rewarding role in a multicultural environment Working in a place of innovation, speed, high growth and high performance Amazing office view and modern working tools

Outsourcing&More | January – February 2018

77