1. Quality: talent expertise that aligns with our customers’ needs 2. Choosing the right location 3. Connecting with Barcelona

Why we’re betting on Barcelona for a top-tier customer experience

3 mins

June 10, 2022

By Panama Harris

Over the course of 2020, 78% of French consumers had to contact a customer service helpline for assistance with a product or service. This figure, collected by the French behavioral analysis firm Observatoire BVA, shows just how much this feature is not only important, but expected in an age where customers are now even more invested in their relationship with the companies they frequent.

The quality of your customer service can directly impact your business’ future. At Qonto, we understand that by dedicating time and energy into improving ours, we’re ensuring our overall success as a company. Which is why we’ve just opened a center dedicated to excellent Customer Service in…Barcelona.

In this article, you’ll find out the reasoning behind our choices from our experts. That, and which criteria are essential for settling on the appropriate location for your Customer Service center. In our opinion, there are three key elements for this type of project: focus on quality, be in the heart of the action, and create a solid structure for your talent.

1. Quality: talent expertise that aligns with our customers’ needs

From day one, Qonto has taken the position of concentrating first and foremost on customer relations. As a result, our teams have adopted an approach of constant self-improvement to support this mission. We also give them the means to solve even the most complex challenges directly at the source. This philosophy, which we call the Qonto Way, manifests itself as an obsession with customer experience. Here are some of its basic principles:

Availability. According to a 2019 BVA poll, 66% of French consumers believe that the wait time for speaking with a Customer Relations agent influences their loyalty to a particular brand. Our solution: reduce said wait time.

“Thanks to our experts in Barcelona we’ve managed to reduce the wait time on the chat from 4 minutes to 1 minute.”

Jordi Gudiol, Qonto COO

Competence. According to this very same poll, 44% of French consumers feel discouraged when they feel they have to repeat the same information multiple times during the same call. Our experts in Barcelona speak our customers’ local languages and can put themselves in their shoes.

“Barcelona is a rich source of talent that specializes in customer experience. It’s no surprise that tech giants specifically chose Barcelona as their Customer Service hub.”

Cristina Castañeda, Head of Operational Excellence at Qonto

Speed. For 39% of those interviewed, being redirected to another department - which in turn can prolong their wait time - can affect their loyalty towards a particular brand. To avoid this issue, we try to make sure we connect our customers with the right person from the start.

2. Choosing the right location

Just as California has Silicon Valley, Barcelona has progressively established itself as the main hub for customer service in Western Europe. According to data from French Tech and the Catalonian government, Barcelona is the city where tech solutions are being conceived and developed in Europe. And, more specifically, this is where tech giants like Google, Facebook or Accenture have set up their Customer Service offices.

It’s important to target a location that’s known for expertise in the field you’re looking for. In our case, that means:

Working with experts who have empathy
Giving our customers personalized support that takes into account the subtleties of their surroundings and proposing a made-to-fit solution
Expanding partnerships with well-established businesses to build off their existing expertise, like our partner PayFit

“By setting up our center in Barcelona, we’re opening ourselves to synergies with the customer support centers of other big businesses already present in the local market.”

Cristina Castañeda, Head of Operational Excellence at Qonto

3. Connecting with Barcelona

Excellent Customer Service is an obsession shared by every Qonto employee. It’s an ideology that’s based on the concept of problem-solving as a team - with a penchant for continuous growth. The way we see it, these values are priceless. Investing in customer service and cultivating a talent pool that genuinely enjoys helping and advising customers serves the greater purpose of building a resilient company structure. That’s why so many tech companies prize and seek out experts in Barcelona - they share these very same values.

Ever since the emergence of Covid-19, many French employees have chosen to relocate to Barcelona, according to the recruiting agency Qamyno. Both the living and work conditions are quite desirable, which these days ranks this Catalonian city as the ninth best place to live in terms of quality of life, according to a 2021 Ouest France poll.

“Setting up a hub in Barcelona gives us recruiters access to a very international and very qualified talent pool. As a result, we’ve been able to build out expert teams for each of our markets, as well as for our very specialized services (Onboarding, Tracking, Customer Delight, etc.). Our goal is to respond to our clients in a personalized way.”

Marjorie Boruel, Head of Recruitment at Qonto

Do you have a knack for listening, advising, or even just helping overall? Looking for work in an international environment that gives you the opportunity to further develop your skills every day? Join us in Barcelona.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Panama Harris

Panama is a Copywriter at Qonto with over 15 years' previous experience working as a freelancer around the world. Her mission is to take the mystery out of entrepreneurship and make it more accessible.