Legal frameworks of content moderation around the world (Part 1)
Following increased pressure to protect the audience from harmful content, both large and small online platforms that mainly host User Generated Content have come under intense scrutiny from governments around the globe.
Depending on their size and capacity, different online platforms deploy two content moderation models to tackle this issue:
- Centralized content moderation – using this approach, companies establish a wide range of content policies they apply on a global scale with exceptions carved out to safeguard their compliance with laws in different jurisdictions. These content policies are implemented by centralized moderators who are trained, managed, and directed as such. Facebook and YouTube are examples of big internet platform companies using this model.
- Decentralized content moderation – this model tasks the users with the responsibility of enforcing the policies themselves. Being diverse by nature, this approach mainly enables platforms like Reddit to give their users a set of global policies that serve as a guiding framework.
Centralized models help companies to promote consistency in the adoption of content policies while decentralized models allow a more localized, context-specific, and culture-specific moderation to take place encouraging a diversity of opinions on a platform.
After failed attempts to push social media platforms to self-regulate, the German parliament approved the
Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) on 30th June 2017. Also known as the “hate speech law” the NetzDG took full effect as from 1st. January 2018. The NetzDG directs platforms to delete terrorism, hate speech, and other illegal contents within 24 hours of being flagged on a platform or otherwise risk hefty fines.
While the NetzDG encourages transparency and accountability of social media platforms it also raises concerns regarding the violation of the e-Commerce Directive and fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression. In a statement that was sent to the German parliament in 2017, Facebook considered the NetzDG draft submitted in 2017, to be incompatible with the German constitution by stating, “It would have the effect of transferring responsibility for complex legal decisions from public authorities to private companies”. (Source: businessinsider.com)
Following criticism from a wide array of activists, social networks, politicians, the EU commission, the UN, and scholars, the NetzDG is a controversial law that should be adapted with a grain of salt. Unintentionally, Germany created a prototype for Global Online Censorship from highly authoritarian states who have adapted the NetzDG to manipulate the freedom of speech on the internet by pushing their illiberal agendas camouflaged as moderation policies.
Find out more about this topic
This article is part of a series looking at legal frameworks around the world. The series will focus on countries legal amendments to moderate user-generated content in the following countries: U.S, U.K., Turkey, Australia, Nigeria, and China.
Want to discuss the specificities in your country? Get in touch with our experts to find out more.
Webhelp will recruit 600 young people in three months
Co-Founder of Webhelp Olivier Duha, discusses Webhelp’s program to recruit 600 employees over the next three months, with Enguérand Renault, journalist from the French magazine Le Figaro.
Webhelp – present in almost fifty countries around the world. The customer relationship specialist wants to train young people who are far from employment.
In the midst of a pandemic crisis, the customer relations specialist Webhelp has decided to step up its youth recruitment program.
“We are going to recruit 600 employees over the next three months. Out of a total of 3,900 employees, this represents a 15% increase in the number of employees linked to our new facilities.
We will offer part-time contracts for students, fixed-term contracts but also 10 to 20% immediate permanent contracts. Webhelp has a strong inclusion program by recruiting and training young people: people excluded from employment, in professional reorientation, or in a situation of disability.” explains Olivier Duha.
If Webhelp is speeding up its recruitment program, it is because the group has managed to get through the global COVID-19 crisis by adapting. Faced with the first wave of COVID-19 in the spring, Webhelp has succeeded in teleworking 85% of its 65,000 employees around the world. A rate today returned to 50%. Olivier mentions “we have been able to demonstrate that teleworking has not degraded the quality of service we provide to our customers. On the contrary, it allowed greater flexibility and an extension of working schedules”.
After a sudden air gap, Webhelp’s activity has picked up sharply and should end the year with growth close to 10%, as expected.
Digitalization of companies
“The pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of businesses. These had to align with the quality standards of customer service decreed by the pure players. Many companies have therefore decided to entrust their customer relations to us. I think this shift will increase and that the rate of outsourcing of this service will be revised upwards”.
Webhelp, which recently came under the control of the Belgian fund GBL, has a turnover of 1.6 billion euros with 180 customer relations centers in almost fifty countries.
“We should see many consolidations in our business.” Webhelp wants to participate in this move and be among the world leaders in the business behind Teleperformance. “We aim to double in size in 5 to 7 years”, concludes Olivier Duha, Co-Founder of Webhelp.
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- John Leighton, Head of Customer Service at easyJet
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- Nora Boros, Chief Sector Growth Officer at Webhelp
Telecats named as an Exceptional AI Solutions Provider by Frost & Sullivan
This report puts a great spotlight on Telecats and is a strong recognition of the company’s long-term commitment to invest in AI and delivering speech enabled solutions for accelerated customer experiences. Part of Webhelp Group since 2017, Telecats is headquartered in the Netherlands near top university Twente and partners with over 100 European leading brands such as DPG Media, easyJet, MSD France and MSD Vaccins, KPN and Webhelp itself, automating voice-based interactions. By implementing Smart IVR, Voicebots and Speech Routing, and other actionable use cases leveraging language modeling, Telecats redesigns the way contact centers operate.
Federico Teveles, Research Analyst – Information and Communications Technologies at Frost & Sullivan stated;
“Telecats’ remarkable technological capabilities are pivotal to its success in meeting market expectations. They have a successful track record of delivering advanced, custom conversational AI solutions to leading global enterprises, and exhibit exceptional customer satisfaction rates. Telecats incorporates a myriad of high-quality, forward-looking features that allow customers to optimize the customer journey and enhance agent experience (AX) and customer experience (CX). The acquisition by Webhelp has helped to position itself as a market leader.”
In this report, Frost and Sullivan has reviewed a wide range of companies in the entire European market and has paid a specific attention to the trends, opportunities, and challenges in the fast-growing industry of Voicebots and A.I. This study highlights Telecats in particular for the strong assets they bring to the table; a combination of highly developed technology skills, long-term business experience and its association with Webhelp, Europe’s leading CX and business solutions provider, bringing Telecats a unique positioning in Europe. With a focus on 2 client implementations, the report is a great demonstration of Telecats’ strong track record of delivering great AI-powered solutions to leading global companies.
Martijn Franssen, Director Digital Transformation KPN stated:
“The innovative speech solutions of Telecats fitted perfectly in the architecture required to bring KPN’s digital strategy to life within Customer Service. And importantly, we definitely see a Cultural fit. Telecats simply provides a flexible, modernized approach. The results we achieved with the voice and AI technology are proof of our unique cooperation. With a clear voice for Customer Service the customer literally becomes the center and basis of innovation in the field of customer contact.”
Telecats’ nomination as exceptional A.I. Solutions provider follows the recognition of Webhelp’s leadership, particularly in innovation, by the group’s top position in Frost & Sullivan’s RadarTM: European CX Outsourcing 2020 announced just a few days ago.
Frost & Sullivan recognizes Webhelp as a top player in innovation and growth
Global, reputed research & consulting firm Frost & Sullivan has awarded Webhelp with a top ranking in their 2020 Frost Radar™– CX Outsourcing.
Webhelp is positioned as a leader in both growth and innovation, earning recognition for its wide range of solutions across verticals and, importantly, its effective digital transformation services and technology-enabled solutions spurring client innovation, together with its consulting business, Gobeyond Partners.
Deepali Sathe, Senior Industry Analyst – Information and Communication Technologies at Frost & Sullivan stated:
“With its focus on AI, voice and predictive analytics and the use of advanced technologies to future-proof its solutions, Webhelp is able to compete effectively, while maintaining an open ecosystem of partners with a diverse mix of progressive partners to further spur innovation”.
Webhelp’s dedicated start-up CX program, The Nest by Webhelp, and the group’s strong focus on Technology enablement contribute strongly to driving innovation for all stages of a client’s development.
The group’s rapid growth, recognized by the close runner-up position in the Radar, propelling Webhelp to the European CX Outsourcing Services market leader position, and a prominent global position, has been driven through both organic growth, and strategic acquisitions. Today, Webhelp’s services portfolio covers not only Customer Engagement services, but a wide range of additional capabilities such as RegTech, digitization, AI and consulting. Its remarkable entrepreneurial culture has been at the core of the group’s success and vision to make business more human, through the right means for their clients.
Olivier Duha, co-founder and CEO of Webhelp said:
“As a purpose-driven company, we are thrilled to be awarded the honor of this leading position in the Frost Radar™. Our teams of passionate game-changers are constantly looking for ways to do things better, for our clients, their customers, and our company. Changing the rules of the game is a core part of our DNA, as recognized by our strong performance on the innovation index. By making sure the best technologies and innovations enable our people to make a real difference we are constantly moving forward in our quest to create amazing human experiences.”
The Radar is founded on the core value propositions of Growth, Innovation, and Leadership. The robust analysis audits over 1000 providers across 10 key criteria such as innovation scalability, customer alignment, vision and strategy. Each company is then evaluated on efficacy across these themes to determine how well they are positioned to drive growth in the future.
Webhelp strikes gold at the Engage Awards
Webhelp won the top prizes in the ‘Best Use of Training’ and ‘Best Partnership Solutions During a Crisis’ categories at this year’s Engage Awards. The leading customer experience and business solutions provider also won a silver award for ‘Most Effective Homeworking Programme’.
The gold award for Best Partnership Solution During a Crisis recognised Webhelp and its client Sainsbury’s Bank for developing a homeworking solution in record time. The rapid and smooth nature of that transition and the office-like environment created during the COVID-19 pandemic ensured that Webhelp has been able to continue to respond to more Sainsbury’s Bank customers and provide vital levels of support at a time when consumer demand was growing and COVID-19 was making a huge impact across the sector. This relied on the expertise of Webhelp’s IT team and the flexibility and commitment of everyone involved.
Lesley Millar, Head of Banking and Insurance Services, at Sainsbury’s Bank said: “Webhelp managed to mobilise homeworking for the entire contact centre over the course of a weekend, to help maintain a strong service to our customers and keep our colleagues safe. This was, for me, our most impressive and memorable response. This award celebrates a partnership that is a perfect fit for us. Not only is Webhelp aligned to our values, but its teams’ response to changing demands and priorities is exceptional.”
Webhelp’s Operational Learning and Development (L&D) team also won first prize in the Best Use of Training category, having moved from digital training at a baseline of less than 5% to a fully virtual solution in just 14 days. The team provided bespoke and channel-specific training for over 8,000 people working from home. Critical training was delivered to 1,500 new and displaced colleagues to support campaign redeployment and successful homeworking. The L&D team upskilled over 50 trainers into a virtual environment and created and deployed 85 core digital learning modules, along with 25 digital compliance courses.
The company also achieved the Most Effective Homeworking Programme silver award for keeping its people in the UK, South Africa and India safe during the pandemic while maintaining operational integrity for Webhelp clients. With over 12,000 employees, it was a substantial and complex challenge, which involved finding solutions for 2,150 colleagues in India within five days and 2,200 in South Africa in only three days.
David Turner, Webhelp UK Region CEO, said: “These awards emphasise the strength of the capabilities within our business and the dedication of our highly skilled colleagues. This year, more than ever before, we have seen the benefits of our commitment to making business more human. Webhelp’s game-changers accepted the challenges presented by the pandemic and embraced new solutions to ensure that we kept delivering for our clients. We are all so pleased that our teams’ efforts have received this recognition at the Engage Awards. It marks another special moment on Webhelp’s journey of rapid growth and constant innovation.”
The Engage Awards are recognised by the industry as the only awards programme, celebrating excellence in both Customer and Employee Engagement. The programme captures examples of excellence from organisations and individuals directly improving their strategies, retention, loyalty, productivity and bottom line performance.
Webhelp DACH - an outsourcing partner for companies in the DACH region and beyond
With changing conditions and the decreasing number of CX suppliers in the delivery market, customer experience management is becoming an emerging challenge for companies in the DACH countries.
In order to provide an excellent customer experience at this very time, it is necessary to find an experienced partner who can meet these requirements. However, the DACH region provides attractive onshore solutions and outstanding customer service for a wide range of industries.
With more than 20 years of expertise in business process and customer experience outsourcing, at Webhelp we focus on sustainable growth, investing in technology and developing lasting solutions – in partnership with and for our business partners and their customers.
This enables us to provide customised solutions and an exceptional customer journey.
This white paper “Driving CX Excellence in the DACH Region” examines the challenging conditions faced by companies in the DACH region and also highlights the potentials of a local onshore solution for your business, within the DACH market and beyond:
Webhelp DACH – Onshore solutions made easy!
Created in collaboration with Peter Ryan, Principal Analyst at Ryan Strategic Advisory, this publication provides information and insight for those who are looking for an experienced and established Customer Experience & Outsourcing partner for their business.
Peak Voices Part 2: Increased Service Demand in South Africa
A demand peak in Customer Service Management is expected during Black Friday, the festive season and beyond. In the second part of our South African colleagues from Engagement, Operations and Learning and Development teams at the heart of delivery for clients, share their enthusiasm, highlights and experience as they support customers during one of the busiest times of the year.
To keep energy levels up during this busy time we created 200 hype boxes, to be delivered to our colleagues who are currently working from home. Plus, our office based employees will be getting a sugar rush, games, lots of prizes to be won and recognition throughout the period.
I think my favourite moments from previous peaks have to be The Catwalk we held in the canteen and playing ‘spin the wheel’ with colleagues.
This year is a bit different, as my usual advice would be to wear comfortable shoes! But with Social Distancing many interactions will be virtual.
To me Black Friday is about shopping and getting value for money! At peak I love the atmosphere, the energy and most importantly recognising our people who are serving our customers.
We come prepared for every peak! I use the previous peak to anticipate delivery and to have adequate trainer resource ready to support our advisors.
Learning and Development is focused on giving people opportunities and this is what creates excitement in our space. Highlights are hard to pin down as every year the demand is much greater but it is always very exciting.
New personalities, a set of fresh eyes and most of all subject matter experts from the Operational space all add flavour to the training experience we provide.
Recently we have been delivering Induction Training and internal change requests are always coming through! However, I can honestly say that variation is always great. And, it has been fantastic to see how our Accredited trainers deliver across the new platforms.
A key lesson I have learned would be never under estimate the power of technology. Also – never underestimate the power of working together across all departments. Having all stakeholders around the table every week made a significant difference to the previous Peak 2019 delivery.
Plus, giving a trainer a camera and delivering from home has definitely brought the blended learning approach to the Learning and Development department.
Every peak is unique based on the training requirements. But this peak is different in that COVID has definitely accelerated our outputs to deliver the same level of Induction Training, but still conforming to social distancing regulations.
During Black Friday the Learning and Development Team supports operations, whether it is taking calls, supporting or managing teams.
Finally, I love the adrenalin rush and the hype of just supporting our customers.
To get ready for this peak we analysed our previous customer contact channels and optimised our digital platforms to ensure that the customer experience will be a smooth and effective journey.
By focusing on user skill sets, we have realigned our resources to ensure the most benefit for our client. Aiming for an exceptional peak by giving attention to the skills of our people and putting them in the right place, doing the right thing at the right time.
Based on my experience, the highlight of peak is always the amount of unity that is experienced during this time, not only within the campaign itself but within the organisation.
Operations is usually a very interactive space however during peak everyone seems even more engaged and there are so many initiatives and activities that encourage us to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
I believe there are always lessons to be learned through every period of change, and we have all worked hard to make each peak better year after year. This is possible due to the partnership we have with our client and also our collaborative approach to process improvements and change implementation to optimise the delivery and capacity for customer experience.
In our space, Black Friday means the start of peak, the beginning of an extremely busy and important time of the year where we need to ensure that we are providing quality customer experiences and influencing their issues positively more than ever with the stretched capacity of all work streams.
What I love most about peak is the energy and spirit that is felt throughout the period. There is an infectious sense of high energy and positivity.
We hope you have enjoyed this insight into how peak works at Webhelp, find out more in part 1 of this series, with voices from our Team Leaders, Facilitators and the Engagement and Project Teams.
Black Friday, the retail rush in the COVID era
Black Friday is an American consumer institution, where hordes of shoppers traditionally lined the streets waiting for the stores to open the day after Thanksgiving to pick up what they hope will be the bargain of a lifetime. In recent years Black Friday, closely followed by Cyber Monday, has heralded the global festive shopping rush. Here Brandon Aitken, CCO of Webhelp South Africa and India takes a look at how this year may be different, and the ways which our teams and the retail and logistics industries as a whole are preparing to meet an unprecedented online demand.
In the mainstream media, Black Friday is typically represented by crowded scenes of over-excited and frustrated shoppers, fighting it out for that last item on the shelf and stealing items from each other’s trolleys. But in reality, a huge amount retail activity takes place online, and this figure has been steadily growing.
According to Adobe, in 2019 US Black Friday online sales beat all previous records, at an astonishing $7.4bn, up from $6.2bn in 2018. CNBC reported that Cyber Monday was an even bigger day for online shopping than Black Friday, with sales totalling $9.2bn, up 16.9% on 2018.[1]
And, Barclaycard data reveals that the story was the same in the UK too, with Black Friday sales climbing by 16.5% last year, while Cyber Monday transactions rose by 6.9%. Their CEO Rob Cameron said:
“Our data shows that consumers have not only been buying more, but also spending more than last year – which will no doubt come as welcome news to the retail sector”[2]
It doesn’t take a huge leap to imagine that in 2020, Black Friday will drive even more customers onto their phones, tablets and laptops, as companies attempt to avoid crowded in-store events, to safeguard their customers in the COVID era, without losing retail sales.
With the global high-street restrictions still impacting on brick and mortar profits, a successful Black Friday via online channels is something all retailers will be hoping for.
At Webhelp, we are well prepared for this event. We have a highly successful track record of managing Peak Demand in customer service for the international retail and logistics brands we support. Behind the scenes, this success hinges on an incredible amount of preparation and hard work from our people and of course close collaboration with our clients. If you’d like to know more you can read just a few of our employee stories
We have four customer service centres in SA, offering a blended delivery solution with advisors both working from home and safely on site. Every year, leading up to the peak period and during the ‘eye of the storm’ we create an exciting atmosphere to support and motivate our people during the toughest time of their working year. We focus on motivation and ensure we reward people for their hard work.
Along with the energy and commitment of our people; technology and adaptability will obviously play a huge part in any response to increased service demands, and have a robust and reliable solution that has performed well both at peak and under crisis during COVID.
Webhelp has over 1,000 people working from home supporting 8 different international retail and logistics clients to ensure we are able to sustain support for their customers, and this can be adjusted in response to the evolving landscape of the pandemic.
The skills and expertise that our teams have shown in quickly reacting to changing customer demands really does set us apart and is reflected in the incredible feedback that we have received from our client partners. Commenting on our joint response to the pandemic Michaela Simpson, Customer Experience Director at Yodel reported that:
“Suddenly home shopping habits changed completely, as a result we have been effectively running at peak operation, which we usually spend a significant part of the year planning and laying out logistics for. However, we managed to switch this on in just a few hours and since then we have maintained very, very high numbers, well above our plan”.
It’s clear that this year, more than usual, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will create added pressures for the retail and logistics sectors, but in South Africa we have the talent and a stable infrastructure to help create success for our clients by providing their customers with an exceptional on-line shopping experience.
[1] Cyber Monday sales hit record $9.4 billion, Adobe says CNBC.com
[2] Black Friday 2019: What happened, where and why? Barclaycard.com
Webhelp Kosovo – Europe’s up-and-coming nearshore delivery market
Looking at it from a sector and size perspective, customer experience management is a challenging task for companies in the DACH countries. Operational challenges alongside macro-level (social level) disruptions have made the delivery of an excellent Customer Experience (CX) even more complex.
In addition to the tight labour market and rising operating costs, the greatest challenges are increased compliance demands and the rapidly shifting CX delivery models.
A future-oriented outsourcing service provider is characterized, among other things, by its choice of location, which is the perfect basis for outstanding customer service. For this reason, Webhelp has established several operations in Kosovo. Without doubt, Kosovo is one of the most significant and strategically beneficial business locations for the DACH market.
This white paper “Driving CX Excellence in the DACH Region” examines the challenging conditions faced by companies in the DACH region and also highlights the Kosovo region, a perfect choice for high-performance nearshore solutions:
Webhelp Kosovo – Nearshore solutions made easy!
Created in collaboration with Peter Ryan, Principal Analyst at Ryan Strategic Advisory, this publication provides information and insight for those seeking an experienced Customer Experience partner who is established and strategically positioned in the most relevant nearshore regions.