Exporting a world wide web of support

SINCE landing the world’s largest search engine provider Google as a customer three years ago, business has taken off for Cork firm Voxpro.

Now Ireland’s largest exporter of business process outsourcing, the company employs a staff of close to 400 and is aiming to achieve a turnover of €15 million this year.

Shortlisted for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the international category this year, the company has expanded rapidly over the last three years and is continuing to win contracts with US- based multinationals seeking partners in Europe to provide multilingual technical support, customer services and technical sales.

Some 80% of the company’s business now is with US -based multinationals. Customers who signed up since 2010 include Internet advertising company Double Click, online travel company Travel Zoo, Accenture, and data storage company Data Direct Networks.

Company co-founder and director Dan Kiely, said the company has doubled in size every year for the past three years.

“In 2010 we had a staff of 60; this has now increased to almost 400 and we hope to take on an additional 80 employees by the end of the year. We are currently recruiting multilingual technical graduates,” he said.

The company came into existence in 1995 when Mr Kiely and his wife Linda bought Pageboy Communications, which had been set up to provide paging services in the pre-mobile phone era.

In 2005 they bought Eirpage and rebranded the company as Voxpro Communications, expanding the rage of services and moving into the high-tech arena as use of Internet and email grew. In 2009 the company made its offering multilingual and in 2010 it moved to a larger premises at Riverview Business Park in Blackrock.

Now Voxpro offers services in 10 languages, including Japanese, and 82% of its employees are graduates, including web developers, software programmers and coders with the necessary skills to provide technical support.

Ms Kiely says the quality and skill of the workforce is a key part of the company’s success but finding people with the necessary skills can at times prove difficult.

In the region of 40% of the company’s business is in providing customer service for a range of companies.

“We provide services for a wide variety of organisations including 16 county councils in Ireland and we also arrange medical appointments for four hospitals,’’ reveals Mr Kiely. Customers in Ireland for shared services include Bitbuzz, Cubic Telecom and Vodafone.

Providing technical support is the largest part of the business, accounting for over 50%, while technical sales account for 10%. While technical companies account for a high percentage of Voxpro’s business, it also provides services for companies in the healthcare, financial and communications sectors.

Signing up Google in 2010 was a major boost.

“We started by doing a small project for Google; they came back to us when they wanted to outsource technical support. It gave us credibility, and provided a reference site, and a number of other large contracts followed,’’ says Mr Kiely.

Since moving to Blackrock the company has acquired two other premises in the business park. The most recent will provide space for an additional 50 staff and is set to become operational later this year. Mr Kiely says there is scope to add a further 300 desks for employees in this building.

The primary focus for Voxpro now in on targeting US companies expanding into Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Mr Kiely says Voxpro has been particularly successful in working with companies making their first foray into international markets. “We are very good at incubating small projects with 12 to 25 people and scaling up as a client requires,” he added.

Plans for 2013 include ongoing recruitment, as well as the setting-up of an office in the US. The Kielys are aiming to increase turnover by €5 million this year.

“We achieved growth of 100% in the last 12 months and are aiming to continue this,’’ added Mr Kiely.