In Nice, the birth of a global call centre giant
Foundever, a formidable French competitor to Teleperformance and Concentrix, was founded in Nice, in a business school. Who is Arnaud de Lacoste, one of the three founders of Acticall, who has now left the company?
From Bessières High School to Miami, the journey and some personal insights from a quiet guy who loves robots and kitesurfing. And whose brilliant career in call centres was not compromised by faulty wiring: Arnaud de Lacoste.
His admission to Sup de Co Nice (now SKEMA) in his first year of business school prep was both a pleasant surprise for ADL and, above all, a real ‘moment of truth’ in the young man's journey: in Nice, he met two friends, who soon became business partners, and discovered the world of telephone studies within the school's Junior Enterprise. Twenty-four years later, the almost fifty-year-old has settled down. In Paris, France, his country, which he says he appreciates even more now that he has lived in the USA. And after propelling Sitel Acticall to the top 3 worldwide in its sector.
Manuel Jacquinet: We've known each other for almost twenty years, but like many people in the industry, I ultimately know very little about ADL as a person. Who are you? A robot lord, a man who has reached the end of an adventure to the point of announcing your departure via a post on LinkedIn, a weary traveller similar to the hero of Up in the Air? What explains your sudden departure from the only company you have ever known?
Arnaud de Lacoste: It's quite simple: I flew 120 times last year and I'm about to turn 47, the age at which you feel you are entering the second half of your life, the last half. I only spent five days a month in Miami (Sitel's global headquarters). It has always been clear to the family fund we have been associated with for a long time (Creadev) that there might one day be a new adventure, perhaps with another team. Now it's beginning for me.
Let's go back to the beginning. How did you create Acticall?
I was a good student, not a star pupil, and after getting my baccalaureate in science, I did a preparatory class for business school at a secondary school (Bessières, Paris 17). Against all odds, I loved that period and the classes, and got pretty good results. So I decided to apply to a number of good schools in the provinces and even went into the exams feeling very relaxed, without any pressure. In my mind, it was a trial run, taking multiple exams so that I would be ready and prepared for the following year. To my great surprise, I was accepted into almost all the schools I applied to and decided not to tempt fate by repeating the year. So here I am at Sup de Co Nice, where I will meet Laurent Uberti and Olivier Camino, who will become my flatmates. It was within the student union and then the Junior Enterprise of this school that we began our ‘careers’ by conducting market research by telephone on behalf of EDF. After leaving school, we continued these activities from Paris, in very artisanal conditions. We shared a large flat in a prestigious location on Rue Lincoln, where we lived and worked. There were telephones (landlines) everywhere, and it was like a kibbutz. At lunchtime, I would cook for everyone, which meant the 20 employees we already had.
So you wore many hats?
More than you can imagine. When we moved into our first centre in Clichy, we wired everything ourselves to save money. We didn't know anything about it, so we mixed low and high voltage currents. It was in 1996 that technology enabled us to take a leap forward. Whereas we had previously only had landlines and could only make outgoing calls, we now had our first PABX, an Alcatel 4400. It was revolutionary: we could make and receive calls at the same time! Later, when we rented our first real call centre in Bagnolet, it was equipped with 400 positions, but we only occupied 40. So we set out to win contracts from all the major clients at the time, which were Wanadoo and GDF. In reality, due to our small size, we were unable to compete with TP, SNT/ATOS and Arvato. We were entrusted with the complicated tasks that annoyed everyone else. Throughout this period, we picked up the scraps, and what's more, with enormous frustration. Our customers were satisfied, but as soon as major tenders were issued, our small size handicapped us and prevented us from competing. On the cash flow side, it was just as difficult; growth was consuming working capital requirements; employees had to be paid at the end of the month, while our invoices were paid at 90 days. It was rock “n” roll, but Laurent had an intuition at that time that proved decisive. We had to raise money.
With a PowerPoint presentation, he spent months meeting with funds, and we managed to raise €14 million from Europ@web (Bernard Arnault's Internet fund). Later, MBO Partners took their place, followed by Creadev.
Will this money change everything?
Yes and no. Yes, in terms of the financial security it gives us and the means to achieve our ambitions, but we were still too small, as I mentioned earlier. It was the acquisition of Vitalicom, a real gamble, that enabled us to play in the big leagues. When we acquired it, the company had a turnover of €55 million but was losing €11 million a year, which is equivalent to our annual turnover!
Was it difficult to turn the company around?
Essentially, we had to restore a bit of common sense to a company that seemed to have lost its way and replace a large part of the head office teams and almost all of the site managers. The most complicated thing these days is often to reclaim common sense. In all the recruitment we have done within the group, we have always favoured candidates who possess situational intelligence and a set of qualities that I consider essential: honesty, instinct and loyalty. I am more interested in identifying these characteristics than in degrees from prestigious universities.
You have become passionate about technology and AI, and have even written a book on these topics. Did you enjoy the experience, and where did you find the time to write it?
I am indeed passionate about the subject, but above all I felt a kind of anger at the widespread idea that AI is going to destroy our profession and replace almost all advisers. Yet none of this has ever been documented or substantiated. That's where the idea for the book came from. When I set about writing it, my main concern was to be credible. So I read a lot, met with experts, and researched the subject, all of which helped me develop my thinking. What I've observed since then is that the book is still considered authoritative and that the current consensus is more moderate. I'm invited to participate in conferences and continue to host two or three a month.
Software and IT are now at the heart of outsourcing and customer experience. Who has surprised you over the past 24 years in the industry?
I was really impressed by Lithium's marketing and vision: the company was inspired and organised incredible conventions with its 300 customers. In another field, and even though I don't know him well, the founder of Vocalcom (Anthony Dinis) is also surprising: managing to maintain a position as a key player in a sector dominated by Anglo-Saxon companies is a source of amazement and respect.
Furthermore, companies such as Dimelo have also managed to create good products that are highly legitimate within their functional scope.
Your full name is Arnaud de Lacoste de Laval. Did the young man you were at Lycée Bessières have a kind of ambition that came from his background, a secret desire for revenge?
(Smiles) Not at all. I was born in Val-de-Marne, without a silver spoon in my mouth. My father was a radiographer: he went to people's homes to take X-rays, without any protection against radiation, and he died at the age of 60. I financed my studies with student loans. What I learned was not to overthink things and to trust my instincts. I've been lucky enough to work for over 20 years with passion, with loyal and committed friends and colleagues, and to rub shoulders with clients who are just as passionate. That's what gets me up in the morning. That's where my drive comes from. I've never had a score to settle with anyone or anything. I don't yet know exactly what the second part of the story will be, but these elements will certainly be essential! That's what's exciting. Only time will tell!
By Manuel Jacquinet
Rediscover the report on Sitel, ‘From Miami to Nicaragua’.
Find more Citizen Kane on En-Contact, here!
