Cristina Man, General Manager, Valoris Center: Coaching not only accelerates personal development and sparks innovation but also fortifies a workforce, rendering it more adaptable to the ever-evolving business terrains

This year is poised to mark a significant upturn for the BPO sector, with Romania emerging as an increasingly preferred hub for the deployment and expansion of multilingual services catering to various domains, including customer support, back-office operations, administrative tasks, and other corporate functionalities.

In this evolving landscape, our unwavering commitment is towards our team members, particularly in an era where the preference for hybrid work arrangements outpaces traditional telecommuting, and the return to office-based work is witnessing a resurgence not seen in the previous two years.

Equally paramount is our dedication to infrastructural integrity. This commitment serves as a bedrock of trust for our clients, who rely on us as their outsourcing ally, confident in our deployment of cutting-edge technological solutions and secure practices. Furthermore, ensuring the robustness of our ecosystem—spanning personnel, technology, and pivotal partnerships—stands as a foremost agenda for the year 2024.

Though it might echo a familiar refrain, the reality remains that customers continually elevate their expectations for quality, driven by escalating end-user demands, the rapid advancement of technologies, and intensifying market competition.

The surge in demand for multilingual offerings is undeniably fuelling business expansion. Additionally, a notable uptrend is anticipated in hybrid services, which amalgamate human insight with AI prowess. This fusion is poised to propel business growth further by delivering an optimal mix of human empathy and AI precision, thereby enhancing the customer support journey.

Furthermore, there’s a burgeoning call for enhancing productivity via automation, aimed at achieving significant cost efficiencies. Valoris embarked on its journey as a contact center, morphed into a BPO entity, and is now on the path to becoming a pivotal strategic ally for the majority of our clientele.

Acknowledging the critical need to function as an essential extension of our client’s enterprises, we endeavor to synchronize our outlook with theirs—grasping their needs from their distinct vantage point while simultaneously preserving our unique identity as a BPO service provider.

Our teams embrace the innovativeness of an entrepreneur and the operational excellence of a corporation, while always contributing as a collaborative team member. Our aim is for continuous self-improvement, striving to be more adept today than the day before. In every interaction, regardless of context, bring respect to the forefront. This holistic approach combines the agility of entrepreneurial thought with the precision of corporate action, fosters team unity, promotes perpetual growth, and cultivates a culture of respect, setting the foundation for both personal and organizational success.

This year, leaders within the BPO realm need to shift their focus towards fostering a coaching-centric approach rather than adhering to traditional management tactics.

This strategic pivot is aimed at cultivating an environment enriched with empowerment and trust. Coaching not only accelerates personal development and sparks innovation but also fortifies a workforce, rendering it more adaptable to the ever-evolving business terrains. Such a workforce is essential for thriving in competitive markets and achieving high levels of employee contentment.

The recent years have underscored the priceless value of time, teaching us the critical importance of harmonizing our personal and professional lives. Striving for this balance is imperative, ensuring mutual benefits and fulfillment at the culmination of each day.

A pivotal achievement was the strategic reconfiguration of our organizational structure, aimed at bolstering our capacity to undertake and excel in large-scale projects. It is with profound pride that I highlight the agility and innovative spirit of our team. They have not only embraced but also propelled our vision forward, demonstrating remarkable adaptability and a unified commitment to elevate our performance to unparalleled heights.

In 2023, Valoris reaffirmed its position as a leading BPO entity in Europe, garnishing local accolades alongside securing a bronze for “Best Supporting Team” at the prestigious European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards (ECCCSA). The year also marked a significant milestone with the full automation of key projects, underlining our pledge to refine and enhance our operational processes.

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

This quote by Steve Jobs has consistently guided my approach as a business leader, proving its usefulness repeatedly. Even in 2024, as I observe my professional team blossoming, I keep this mantra – recognizing that we employ competent individuals not to impose their actions but to utilize their insights in achieving our common goals.