Computacenter given vote of confidence on outsourcing

UK organisations rate Computacenter second behind only TCS in customer satisfaction study

Computacenter's services aspirations enjoyed a boost after it beat off bigger names to finish joint second in a UK customer satisfaction index for IT outsourcing.

The reseller and services powerhouse was bested only by Indian offshore outsourcing giant TCS in the rankings, which probed more than 800 unique IT outsourcing contracts held by more than 260 UK organisations.

Computacenter achieved an overall service provider satisfaction ranking of 77 per cent, thrusting it up a place on the equivalent study last year.

TCS scored 80 per cent in the study, which was conducted by Whitelane Research in collaboration with PA Consulting Group, with Getronics in equal second on 77 per cent and Cogizant finishing fourth on 74 per cent.

Some 38 per cent of Computacenter customers said they would almost certainly renew contracts with the London-listed firm, which claimed it fared well in areas such as reporting quality, escalation effectiveness and proactivity.

In its most recent quarter, ending on 31 March, Computacenter saw UK services sales grow by 11 per cent year on year to £128m. Product sales still generated the lion's share, however - of its top line at least - growing five per cent to £232.6m.

"We are delighted to have been recognised as one of the top companies in customer satisfaction among IT spending organisations in the UK," said Kevin James, country unit director UK at Computacenter.

"It is a great recognition of the investment Computacenter has made in delivering top service to our customers. More so, we are pleased about our rise in the standings as it is testament to the work that we are doing to constantly improve how we work and relate to our customers."

The study claimed the outsourcing market is poised for continued growth, with 69 per cent of respondents saying they will continue to outsource at the same rate or more. Some 70 per cent of those quizzed said they use nearshoring or offshoring, a figure Whitelane said it expects will increase in the coming years.

Twenty-six IT service providers were ranked in this year's study.