Xerox buys UK-based WDS, boosts customer care portfolio

Xerox is buying UK-based customer management experience company WDS, which provides technical support, knowledge management and consulting to large mobile phone companies.

Xerox announced the deal on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not revealed.

"WDS's expertise in the telecommunications industry strengthens Xerox's already broad portfolio of customer care solutions," Xerox said in a statement.

WDS uses a proprietary cloud-based platform called GlobalMine to capture, analyse and manage large numbers of interactions from a wide range of mobile devices. The company's HQ is in Poole and it currently employs more than 2,000 people in the US, UK, Singapore, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

It then uses this data to help clients fix "any systemic issues" or customer experience problems that their users may be experiencing with their devices or mobile service.

Xerox has more than 48,000 call centre employees supporting clients in 150 locations, handling more than a million consumer interactions every day via the phone and web.

David Ffoulkes-Jones, chief executive of WDS, will continue to run the business after the acquisition is complete.

"By focusing on the customer experience, wireless brands can drive greater loyalty and differentiation," Ffoulkes-Jones said.

"With Xerox, we now have the ability to accelerate our global expansion, add more value to our customers and deliver greater opportunities to our employees."