The customer really is king

Best Managed Services Provider	BT Global Services
Last year's winner:	NTT Communications
Business segments:	Hybrid data center services, contact management solutions, unified communications, connectivity, security services, professional services
CEO:	Luis Alvarez
Key stats (FY ending March 31, 2015):	Revenues of £6.8 billion ($10.7 billion), down 7%; EBITDA of £1 billion, up 1%.

Anyone in the regional/global managed services business will tell you that it’s hard to stand out in a highly competitive field offering similar kinds of services. In the case of BT Global Services - no stranger to the TA Awards winner’s circle - and the APAC region, the judges pointed to things such as a leading edge in innovation, strong professional capabilities and the ability to deliver differentiated industry-specific solutions at the local level.

Kevin Taylor, BT Global’s president of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, doesn’t argue with any of those, but says that for him, the real differentiator is putting the customer front and center of everything.

“Our network is at the core of what we provide, and our product categories are organized around what our customers need,” he says. “We deliver value to our customers by combining our products and services with industry-specific solutions and consulting expertise. We have made progress in improving customer service. By increasing the speed of delivery of our main products, we improved our Right First Time measure.”

That strategy has paid off handsomely in the last 12 months, Taylor says. In that time, BT Global integrated BT Security and BT Conferencing into its fold, launched new solutions including security, cloud-based and unified communications services, and won new business from companies like Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines and DHL. As it happens, this year marks BT’s 30th year of operations in Asia-Pacific, and it has no intention of slowing down now, says Taylor. “We believe that the year ahead holds endless possibilities for us to sustain momentum and cement our leadership position in the region.”

Judges’ comment

“This year’s winner stood out in a highly competitive field for its extensive coverage and innovative products geared for local markets, resulting in healthy growth of revenues and new business.”

VIDEO: TELECOM ASIA AWARDS 2015 CEREMONY

Telecom Asia Awards 2015 Winners: