MyBroadband
Rain has appointed Wipro as its customer support service provider and will outsource its call centre operations to the company from 1 November 2022.
Call centre agents that Rain employs directly will be transferred to Wipro.
Wipro is a New York Stock Exchange-listed company headquartered in Bangalore, India.
Rain currently employs 150 people in Bryanston and 300 spread between offices in Johannesburg and Durban.
MyBroadband learned of the company’s plans when several concerned staff members contacted us to express fears about the change.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the staff members said Rain operations chief Conrad Leigh informed them on Tuesday, 6 September that the call centre is being outsourced.
On Monday, the employees said they hadn’t received documentation to explain what was happening and feared losing their jobs or having their salaries cut.
Even if they kept their jobs for now, the staff were worried that Wipro would eventually lay them off.
Rain has assured that these fears are unwarranted.
“Our team will continue to be based here in South Africa. We have ensured job security for our staff,” a spokesperson for the company told MyBroadband.
“This new partnership gives us access to global expertise and will bring specialised skills to the Rain customer service team,” they said.
“As you are aware, customer service is extremely important to Rain, and we have been working hard to improve it over the years.
“However, we recognise the value that specialised partners bring in ensuring that rain delivers on its goal to continuously improve its customer service.”
Rain said it conducted a thorough tender process and is proud to announce a partnership with Wipro.
“Wipro is a global IT and BPO company, which specialises in not just BPO but also technology support with over 30 global centres across the globe, 247000+ employees and over 1400 active clients,” the spokesperson said.
“Wipro has been in South Africa since 2010, is a BBBEE level 2 contributor, and works with many top South African companies across various industries.”
One staff member told MyBroadband they wished Rain would offer them a voluntary retrenchment package, rather than face the uncertainty of what would happen a year after Wipro’s takeover of the call centre.
Rain said it is not retrenching as it ensured that all staff would keep their jobs.
News of Rain’s call centre outsourcing comes after staff accused the company last year of pressuring them to move from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Rain acknowledged that staff members were given the opportunity to move to Cape Town but denied allegations that anyone was pressured.
It also said no Johannesburg staff members would lose their jobs.
MyBroadband asked Rain again if it planned to shut down its Johannesburg offices in light of the Wipro outsourcing, and it responded with a simple “no”.
business process outsourcing (BPO) Conrad Leigh Headline Rain Wipro
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