Sri Lanka’s resilience throughout the COVID-19 epidemic and subsequent economic challenges demonstrated the aptitude and readiness of the country’s IT/BPM industry and its people. Sri Lanka has a growing reputation as a compelling destination for IT/BPM services, with global leaders setting up operations in Sri Lanka or partnering with Sri Lankan IT/BPM providers.
Italy-based Amplifon recently led a global procurement process for a Business Process Management (BPM) specialist, ultimately choosing to partner with Sri Lanka-based Infomate. While the global multinational could have had its pick of any outsourcing destination, it chose Sri Lanka. In an interview, Amplifon Director of Corporate Procurement Shehan Thambimuttu and Infomate Chief Executive Jehan Perinpanayagam explained the reasoning for this decision.
Can you explain how Amplifon’s services and solutions align with its mission to enhance lives through innovative hearing care?
Thambimuttu: We pride ourselves on helping people fully experience and understand the emotions of sound—that’s what Amplifon is all about. We’ve maintained a competitive edge through strategic partnerships with major brands and acquiring global multinationals to strengthen our market position. This enables us to invest heavily in research and innovation, ensuring we continue providing our customers with the best.
What key factors and objectives led Amplifon to select Infomate as its exclusive back-office partner, and how does this reflect Amplifon’s trust in Sri Lankan expertise?
Thambimuttu: Infomate underwent the same rigorous analysis as any organization. While the contenders had similar technical capabilities, we were drawn to Infomate because everyone went the extra mile to exceed our expectations. We also valued how engaged every member, from senior management to staff, was in the discussions.
Sri Lanka has faced significant challenges, yet companies like Infomate proved they could maintain operations with minimal impact on morale and productivity. This reliability isn’t always guaranteed in developed countries, so why not rely on Sri Lanka? Moreover, the work we’ve entrusted to them has consistently exceeded expectations. Infomate truly sells itself.
How did Amplifon evaluate different outsourcing destinations, and what unique advantages did Sri Lanka and Infomate offer over other markets?
Thambimuttu: Amplifon was convinced by Sri Lanka’s literacy, capabilities, and potential compared to other countries. It is also competitive in most roles in terms of cost. Further, Infomate itself has an eye on the future. We saw that Infomate invests in itself and its team, not just chasing revenue. It is not a company that would fold at the next major hurdle. The team was also passionate about their work and was keen to demonstrate their worth. These are examples of Sri Lanka’s competitive edge, and they made the country an easy choice.
How does the Amplifon-Infomate partnership leverage both organizations’ strengths to enhance operational efficiencies and drive global impact?
Perinpanayagam: Amplifon is a world leader in audiology. They understand their core business and their strengths, and they want to focus on that. They also want experts who can support them, particularly in back-office management. We bring nearly two decades of experience in handling accounting and other back-office processes to the table.
They recognized our world-class talent and competence, validated our expertise, and our experience serving Fortune 500 companies, and we are delighted they have chosen us. They value our suggestions and recommendations, our knowledge and expertise, allowing us to contribute value via innovations, automation, suggestions, and recommendations whilst providing access to world-class talent. It’s a perfect fit, and combining Amplifon’s strategic focus and our experience and passion to make a difference makes this an ideal partnership.
What role does Sri Lanka’s skilled talent pool play in Amplifon’s growth, and how does Infomate’s expertise in tailored solutions and process innovation meet Amplifon’s evolving needs?
Perinpanayagam: We have one of the largest pools of accounting talent globally, including the highest number of UK-qualified accountants outside the UK. Infomate recruits the best and then develops them into world-class talent. Partnerships like this connect Sri Lanka’s talent with global requirements.
While other outsourcing destinations have strengths, we are known for being open in our communications and passionate about driving improvements and best practices, which customers in the West value. We acknowledge and are transparent when a request is not within our expertise, building trust and making clients more receptive to our recommendations and alternatives.
This approach helps us create tailored solutions for each client. We start by understanding their enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, how it is deployed, the business specifics, and as-is processes. We use a methodology known as the ACE transition methodology—analysing processes, creating flowcharts, and documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs). We then work on continuous improvement and maintain a process improvement log to keep driving value additions and best practices.
How long does it take you to get up to grips with a company’s needs?
Perinpanayagam: We have a structured process for understanding and documenting the client’s processes. The initial study could range from a few weeks to 2 months, depending on the process and the complexity. This is followed by a hypercare period during which the client provides extended support. We then move to the business-as-usual phase. The initial analysis and comparison of “as is” and “to be” processes reveal our initial observations on improvements. But it doesn’t stop here. The improvement initiatives continue throughout, so we call it continuous improvement.
Many BPM companies make the mistake of stopping once they establish the customer’s needs. In my experience, you need to continue to focus on process improvements, automation, and best practices.
How does Infomate’s 2-decade legacy as Sri Lanka’s first shared services provider contribute to the success of this partnership? What opportunities does Amplifon have in terms of market expansion and service enhancement?
Perinpanayagam: Beginning as a shared services arm of John Keells Group, we gained experience on the SAP platform and adapting to the diverse industries of the Group. We focused on measuring performance, building capabilities, and developing methodologies for our clients. We then took our methodologies to leading Sri Lankan companies and then to companies worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies. We kept listening closely to clients and incorporating their feedback, which has helped us evolve and continue adding value. Our two decades of experience working on world-class platforms for world-class companies and possessing a world-class team give us a strong foundation to add value to clients like Amplifon. The next phase of our growth would focus on increased integration of technologies like AI and machine learning.
We are excited to see how our work with Amplifon evolves, starting with the APAC region and then with other parts of the business. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise. We also want to broaden our scope of services to assist Amplifon with other back-office and mid-office services.