Electrical retailer AO shifts UK call centre roles to South Africa
Summary
AO World, a UK online electrical goods retailer, is moving up to 200 call centre jobs from the UK to South Africa to cut costs. The company reported a large increase in profits and is exploring new technology like robotics to make its business more efficient.Key Facts
- AO World plans to outsource up to 200 UK call centre jobs to South Africa to reduce rising labour costs.
- The company expects to save about £4 million annually from this move.
- Pre-tax profits rose by 145% to £50.5 million in the year ending 31 March.
- AO paid £20 million in special payments to shareholders.
- About 150 call centre roles have already moved to South Africa; 50 more are expected to shift soon.
- Complex customer service roles, over 100 of them, will stay in the UK.
- AO's total number of employees dropped by 340 to 2,800 due to business efficiency efforts.
- The firm is testing robotics in its warehouses and planning more automation to deal with rising costs.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.