Telecommunications infrastructure operator Orange Business Services has signed a contract with ride-hailing company Careem, to provide it with network and contact centre services in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Established in 2012, Careem provides transportation services via a mobile app, on the Web and through the contact centre. The start-up was created in the Middle East in response to specific regional transportation challenges, such as in Saudi Arabia, where half of the population is unable to drive. It now operates in more than 50 cities in MENA and is valued at more than $1 billion.
According to Orange Business Services, the three-year collaboration includes network and unified communications services to connect Careem's corporate offices in Cairo, Dubai and Paris. The Orange digital contact centre solution enables Careem to reduce fixed voice costs, route calls and improve user experience.
By using the Orange Business Services Internet Protocol network with a digital call centre solution, Careem says it can offer services in a new city in just one day. Its customers order a car service from the app or via the contact centre, and the solution enables the company to manage calls from customers conveniently.
"Orange Business Services has exceeded our expectations with their ability to match our demands for agility and speed, and they also bring our company the added advantage of local expertise and presence that our business needed in the region and beyond," says Qasim Ahmed, CIO of Careem.
"We look forward to continuing our dynamic growth with Orange at our side as our trusted partner."
Careem says it started with two call centre agents and today has grown to more than 400 agents managing over 10 000 calls a day from more than 80 cities across 13 countries in the region. The ride-hailing service operates in cities including Abu Dhabi, Alexandria, Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait and Riyadh.
"Careem is an outstanding example of a visionary company that is transforming and disrupting an entire industry," says Luc Serviant, vice-president, Middle East and Africa, Orange Business Services.
"We have leveraged our local presence and regional resources to support Careem's tremendous growth in the Middle East. We are now moving toward developing a global relationship with them to deliver additional services in the spirit of meeting their fundamental needs for speed, reliability and flexibility in each of their new global markets."
Orange Business Services operates across MEA, with several local entities in the UAE, SA, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and most recently in Lagos, Nigeria.
Share