NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE:
ATTO) ("Atento" or the "Company"), the largest customer
relationship management and business process outsourcing services
provider in Latin America, and
among the top five companies globally, announced today the launch
of two programs within the Company's Innovation Hub that are
intended to accelerate the search for innovative ideas, one a
startup accelerator and the other an open innovation platform. Both
programs stem from the ISO 56002 certification for innovation
management that Atento was awarded in 2020.
As part of the startup accelerator program, called Atento Next,
the Company has established a partnership with Liga Ventures
("Liga"), a pioneer accelerator dedicated to connecting large
corporates with startups, with more than 250 accelerated startups
and more than 450 projects launched during the last five years. The
Atento Next program is currently searching for startups that are
pursuing disruptive technologies focused on improving the Customer
Experience (CX), while also driving performance and results for its
corporate clients. Under the program, projects must be related to
CXM (Customer Experience Management) ecosystems, automation, new
technologies related to customer interaction, artificial
intelligence, cognitive technologies and data science. Initially,
four startups will be selected for Atento Next. A Pitch Day will
happen in December 2020 and the
program is scheduled to start in January
2021.
Atento's open innovation platform utilizes a gaming model to
engage employees in contributing ideas. From idea generation to
evaluation and implementation, employees receive points at every
stage that can be exchanged for awards. The initial launch involved
500 employees and generated 38 ideas during the first 15 days.
Carlos López-Abadía, Atento's Chief Executive Officer, said,
"Under our Three Horizon Plan, we have been successfully
accelerating Atento's digital transformation. This year alone, over
10% of sales have come from completely new services developed by
our Innovation Hub. We have always emphasized that innovation is
not a linear process, that it requires a certain form of thinking
and approaches and must remain integral to our company's culture.
The launch of the two innovation programs will allow Atento to
source and integrate external and internal ideas that can
strengthen our ability to lead innovation in the Customer
Experience market."
Mauricio Castro, Atento's
Director of Innovation, added, "Innovation is not about technology
alone. In the CX market, it's also about the challenge of
humanizing the digital. With that in mind, we have leveraged
Atento's ISO 56002 certification and launched the startup
accelerator and open innovation platform to optimize our ability to
capture the best ideas and more effectively develop them into new
services and technologies, be it from employees or collaborating
entrepreneurs, to deliver the most valuable experiences to our
clients' customers. We believe that integrating different
viewpoints, ideas and approaches and getting the best out of each
is what drives market-leading innovation and differentiated CX
solutions."
About Atento
Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship
management and business process outsourcing (CRM BPO) services in
Latin America, and among the top
five providers globally, based on revenues. Atento is also a
leading provider of nearshoring CRM/BPO services to companies that
carry out their activities in the United
States. Since 1999, the company has developed its business
model in 13 countries where it employs 150,000 people. Atento has
over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM/BPO services
through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading
multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications,
banking and financial services, health, retail and public
administrations, among others. In 2019, Atento was named one of the
World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces and one of the Best
Multinationals to Work for in Latin
America by Great Place to Work®. Atento is also the world's
first CRM company to be ISO 56002 certified in Innovation
Management. Atento's shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New
York Stock Exchange (NYSE). For more information
visit www.atento.com
Investor
Relations
Shay Chor
+55 11
3293-5926
shay.chor@atento.com
|
Investor
Relations
Fernando
Schneider
+ 55 11
3779-8119
fernando.schneider@atento.com
|
Media
Relations
Pablo Sánchez
Pérez
+34 670031347
pablo.sanchez@atento.com
|
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects,"
"plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts,"
"intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements
reflect only Atento's current expectations and are not guarantees
of future performance or results. These statements are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic, and governments'
extraordinary measures to limit the spread of the virus, are
disrupting the global economy and Atento's industry, and
consequently adversely affecting the Company's business, results of
operation and cash flows and, as conditions are recent, uncertain
and changing rapidly, it is difficult to predict the full extent of
the impact that the pandemic will have. Risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competition in
Atento's highly competitive industries; increases in the cost of
voice and data services or significant interruptions in these
services; Atento's ability to keep pace with its clients' needs for
rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued
deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss,
financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the
effects of global economic trends on the businesses of Atento's
clients; the non-exclusive nature of Atento's client contracts and
the absence of revenue commitments; security and privacy breaches
of the systems Atento uses to protect personal data; the cost of
pending and future litigation; the cost of defending Atento against
intellectual property infringement claims; extensive regulation
affecting many of Atento's businesses; Atento's ability to protect
its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to
Atento's data and operation centers; Atento's ability to retain key
personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees;
increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political,
economic and other conditions in the countries where Atento
operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; Atento's ability to
complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the
objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; future
impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or
other long-lived assets; and Atento's ability to recover consumer
receivables on behalf of its clients. In addition, Atento is
subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks
include Atento's ability to generate sufficient cash to service its
indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; Atento's ability
to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; the
ability to obtain additional financing; the incurrence of
significant additional indebtedness by Atento and its subsidiaries;
and the ability of Atento's lenders to fulfill their lending
commitments. Atento is also subject to other risk factors described
in documents filed by the company with the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission.
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on
which the statements were made. Atento undertakes no obligation to
update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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SOURCE Atento S.A.