Dnata Contact Centres, a part of Dubai-based travel services company Dnata, has recently acquired a 49% stake in global contact centre operator Mindpearl.

Published: 24 Jun 2008

Dnata Contact Centres, a part of Dubai-based travel services company Dnata, has recently acquired a 49% stake in global contact centre operator Mindpearl.

This acquisition will give Dnata access to contact centre operations in Barcelona, Brisbane and Cape Town, with the development of a new facility in the South Pacific due to come on-stream in 2009.

Together with the current Dnata Contact Centres operating in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Abu Dhabi, this geographical spread of operations will strengthen company's 24/7 capabilities, and a projected total capacity of more than 3,000 seats within the next four years.

Established in 1999, Mindpearl became an independently owned global contact centre outsource organization in 2006 and now provides services to American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Singapore Airlines, among others. These airlines all have extensive experience of working with Dnata, which is the general sales agent in the UAE for more than 40 airlines.

Dnata operates the ground handling at Dubai International Airport for more than 120 international airlines.

Steve Davies, Head of Contact Centres, Dnata said: "One of the concerns, with any outsourcing of contact centre services, has been the perception that calls would be handled by agents who don't speak the customer's native language, don't understand their concerns and share little empathy or cultural alignment with the marketplace in which they operate."

He added, "At Dnata we are committed to recruiting staff from a wide range of backgrounds from all over the world and training them to ensure these problems don't arise. By acquiring the stake in the Mindpearl Group, Dnata is gaining an international contact centre infrastructure, world-class telephony and service delivery models, together with expertise in training and additional travel and leisure products and services."

Dnata operates completely independently of Emirates.