The Marseilles-based employees ofEgencia took possession of their new offices at the end of August. The move to the Euroméditerranée district still needed to be celebrated with great fanfare, but this has been the case since 17 OctoberIn the presence of business partners and local officials. The new environment for the Egencia teams, which is brand new and even being finalised, should change them from the sometimes "alternative" atmosphere of the Belle de Maiwhere the business travel agency had been based since 2007. At the time, there were around twenty employees at the Sophia Antipolis office. Today there are ten times that number, with 43 of the 200 employees working from home in their home office. As a logical consequence, the space has been increased from 1,500 to around 2,000 sq. mThe Marseille site is one of four Egencia customer service centres in France, along with Paris, Lyon and Tourcoing. The Marseille hub is one of four Egencia customer service centres in France, along with Paris, Lyon and Tourcoing. No fewer than 75 companies are supported from this platform, Marseille home to the agency's largest customer service centre in Europe.
At a time when these new offices are being inaugurated, it is tempting to move closer to the competition, while other agencies are being forced to cut jobs and close offices. This move in Marseille therefore also sounds like a message sent to the market - following the example of the inauguration of the new Paris headquarters three years ago - Egencia is continuing to grow, and is thinking bigger. The figures bear this out, with revenue growth in excess of 10% in the French market. Egencia has even moved up one place in the overall TMC rankings, stealing 4th place from HRG in terms of revenue.
a race for talent
However, Egencia is banking less on real estate and more on people to underpin its growth. " We are not in a race for the number of centres".moderates Christophe Peymirat when asked about the possibility of a fifth plateau in France. " What is at stake is a race for talent. In Marseilles, we have found a good balance between the cost of infrastructure and a high level of service. very good level of training" adds Egencia's Global Sales Director. These are rare skills, and all the more valuable when it comes to dealing with complex issues. " Online technology plays a major role, but the work carried out by customer service is increasingly complex "said Mark Hollyhead, Egencia's Director of Global Operations. " To attract the best skills, we need the best environment "he adds. An environment that is gradually being harmonised in the agency's various offices around the world - Egencia is now present in 66 countries, in Singapore and Hong Kong since last year - to enhance the value of each of the network's employees.
