StanChart to expand call centre operations of outsourcing hub Scope International

Standard Chartered, which runs India’s largest international bank, will significantly expand the call centre operations of its outsourcing hub Scope International in India. This expansion will support the Group’s ambitious growth plans in the country as well as other markets.

“Scope International has played a key role in Standard Chartered’s success in India and elsewhere. It has ably supported the Bank in rendering high quality customer service while boosting staff efficiency by streamlining operations. The upscaling of Scope International’s call centre operations will support the Bank’s plan to increase customer engagement,” said Neeraj Swaroop, Regional Chief Executive, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank.

Scope International will see an increase in the size and scale of its call centre operations in Bangalore and Chennai, which currently service customers in India and UAE respectively. Currently, both centres handle in- and out-bound customer calls and Chennai handles collection-related services for UAE. This will be expanded by March 2010. The staff strength in the call centre operations could double over the year from the current 1,100 people. This number will rise in the medium term as the call centre services more markets across the Standard Chartered footprint.

“Scope International in India has ably supported Standard Chartered’s evolution into the world’s leading emerging markets bank, providing the Group with scale, efficiency and talent. The company’s success has encouraged the Standard Chartered Group to progressively invest in adding capability and more markets. Today, Scope International supports most of the 70 countries in Standard Chartered’s footprint,” said Edwin Nevis, CEO, Scope International, India.

Scope International, the global shared services centre for the Standard Chartered Group, is an integral part of the bank and handles a wide range of value-added and complex services from anti-money laundering, to compliance, legal, and credit analysis. Scope International in Chennai is the largest of its three centres, the other two being in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Tianjin, China.

Standard Chartered Bank, India
Standard Chartered Bank is India’s largest international bank with 90 branches in 33 cities, a combined customer base of around 2 million retail customers and more than 2,000 corporate and institutional relationships. Key businesses comprise Consumer Banking, including deposits, loans, wealth management, private banking and SME banking; and Wholesale Banking, which includes cash transaction banking, treasury, corporate finance and custody services. For more information, visit www.standardchartered.co.in

Scope International
Scope International, the wholly owned Global Shared Services Centre of the Standard Chartered Group, and a pioneer in off-shoring knowledge-based services in the banking industry, began operations in Chennai in 2001. Scope has nearly 7,300 staff, about 9% of the Group’s workforce, and services most of the 70 countries where the Standard Chartered Group has a footprint. It is housed in world-class facilities across five campuses all of which incorporate international health and safety standards. Scope International handles a wide range of value-added and complex services from Banking Operations to supporting global HR processes, Finance and Accounting services, Software development and maintenance, and providing IT Service and Helpdesk support to the Group globally.