Salutations

1. Mr Vigneswaran Sivalingam President of CCAM

2. Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Dr. Munirah Looi Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Brandt International

3. Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Sri Leo Ariyanayakam Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, Scicom

4. Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Irwan Rizal Mohd Ali Napiah Group Chief Executive Officer, MIR Group

5. Mr Raymond Siva Head / Senior Vice President, Digital Investment, MDEC

6. Mr Raymond Devadass Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Daythree

7. Mr Byron Fernandez Executive Vice President & Group Information Officer, TDCX

Members of the Executive Committee of CCAM,

Esteemed Past Presidents of CCAM,

Distinguished Captains of the Industry,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen.

Good Evening, and Salam Malaysia Madani.

1. It is an honour to be here at the Contact Centre Association of Malaysia’s (CCAM) 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Awards Night.

2. This occasion not only celebrates the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations within the contact centre industry, but also marks a significant milestone for the association as you commemorate your Silver Jubilee.

3. I wish to congratulate CCAM for standing at the forefront of championing excellence in the industry – setting standards, and advocating for best practices in contact centre and customer management, for 25 years. Let us take a moment to applaud the dedication and hard work that has brought CCAM, and all of you to this remarkable point of journey.

Ladies and gentlemen,

[EVOLUTION OF CONTACT CENTRES]

4. The contact centre business has evolved tremendously over the past three decades. Some of you will recall the analog era, later using robotic process automation, and now adopting artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, many of you have been forced to pivot quickly due to increasing demands and challenges. By staying relevant and competitive, you now provide more complex and 3 specialised services. This has helped turn Malaysia into a top Global Business Services (GBS) player since 2004, as acknowledged by global management consultancy, Kearney.

5. The GBS industry in Malaysia is expected to grow to USD 6.7 billion by 2025 – with AI, cloud computing, and IoT among the top areas of focus. Digital adoption will further accelerate the growth of GBS companies, and as such, the industry must rightfully be given its due recognition and attention.

6. Technology, especially AI, has had a profound impact on your daily operations. Chatbots, voice bots, and self-service options are now common features in handling routine tasks, providing support around the clock. By integrating AI and machine learning, contact centres offer personalised experiences to their customers. AI-driven tools, meanwhile, provide real-time assistance to agents. These features save time and enhance customer experiences (CX). According to IBM’s Institute of Business Value CEO Guide to Generative AI for Customer Service study in 2023, 85% of executives surveyed said Generative AI will be interacting directly with customers in the next two years.

7. Beyond the personalised services offered by AI-tools, the CX industry now has a better understanding of their customers’ wants and needs, due to strategic utilisation of data. Data acts as the foundation upon which AI systems learn, make decisions, and improve over time. Quality data will provide rich insights that will allow for strategic, well-informed decisions to be made.

[CREATING DIGITAL TRUST]

8. As contact centres handle a vast amount of sensitive customer data, there is a legitimate concern about the diverse cyber threats such as fraud, and voice phishing. It is imperative that each and every one of you have cyber security systems in place to protect valuable data, and the interests of your customers to gain their trust and loyalty.

9. The MADANI government has also taken proactive steps in ensuring we have a safe and secured digital environment. This includes the new Cyber Security Act that came into force last month (August 26), and crucial amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. The Ministry of Digital will also be tabling the Data Sharing Bill in the upcoming Parliament sitting.

10. The Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence Governance and Ethics (AIGE) was launched by MOSTI last week. This is a significant step towards creating an ethical and responsible AI environment. Another timely move is the establishment of the National AI Office (NAIO) to be overseen by MyDIGITAL, an agency under my ministry. NAIO will be operational by November this year. Ladies and gentlemen,

[GOVERNMENT SUPPORT]

11. The need for robust security measures is extremely important, given the significance of the digital economy in Malaysia. The approved digital investments between 2021 and June 2024 stand at RM 185.3 billion, as revealed by our Prime Minister YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim last week (September 20). They include ventures by tech giants such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), NVIDIA, Byte Dance, Microsoft, and Google.

12. I accompanied Dato’ Seri Anwar to the Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Malaysia Region Launch Appreciation Dinner last night (Sept 26). There, the prime minister highlighted RM29.2 billion investment by AWS will turn Malaysia into a digital investment destination, create over 3,500 jobs and contribute RM57.3 billion to the nation’s GDP by 2038. And those are the returns from one company alone.

13. Our business-friendly policies and the strengthening of the Ringgit against the US dollar in recent times have also contributed to the positive outlook on Malaysia’s economy, further encouraging the inflow of investment funds. As Malaysia continues to attract investors, I am confident that the digital economy will meet, or even exceed, the projected 25.5% to Malaysia’s GDP by the end of 2025.

14. Thus, the shift from the contact centre agenda towards customer experience through digitalisation and innovation is extremely necessary. This industry – each and every one of you – will play a 6 huge role in boosting Malaysia’s digital economy.

15. As such, the Ministry of Digital, through its agency the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), will continue to assist CCAM and its members to push this customer experience agenda forward. We have several initiatives that you are already familiar with, such as the Malaysia Digital (MD) initiative that offers fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to new and existing companies to expand their operations in Malaysia.

16. I’m sure by now, most of you are aware of the newly-launched Forest City Special Financial Zone (FCSFZ), as mentioned by our Finance Minister II about 6 days ago. The special financial zone will provide special tax breaks and incentives designed to develop the FCSFZ into a preferred regional financial hub, focusing on global business services, fintech and foreign payment system operators. This is another opportunity for CCAM members to explore or expand your operations in this region.

17. On the talent front, there’s the MD Workforce initiative, a fully incentivised training programme to encourage locals to acquire the right digital skills that are in high demand. This initiative has seen 1,300 people trained between Jan 1, 2024 and Sept 6, 2024. There’s also the Premier Digital Tech Institutions (PDTI) initiative that brings together key players from industry, universities, and other educational institutions to bridge the gap between industry demand and local talent supply.

18. CyberSecurity Malaysia, another agency under my Ministry, will establish the Malaysia Cyber Security Academy. It will play an important role in addressing the shortage in the cyber security field by offering technical and vocational education and training (TVET) courses. The academy is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2025.

19. In addition to developing local talents, the Ministry of Digital and its agencies have, and will continue to assist industry members with their manpower needs, particularly in the area of foreign knowledge workers as and when necessary. Public-private partnerships are key to enhancing the ecosystem. By understanding the pain points and challenges of the industry player, we can come up with better support and policies to create a vibrant CX environment in Malaysia.

Ladies and gentlemen,

[LOOKING AHEAD]

20. I wish to reaffirm my commitment in assisting CX players – from homegrown talents to international companies that continue to have faith in doing business in Malaysia. I have utmost confidence in this industry in being a major player in the nation’s digital economy, while uplifting the rakyat’s wellbeing.

21. But at the same time, I would also like to throw a challenge to CCAM. I would like to see more Malaysian champions make their mark and excel. I know we have the means and capabilities to do so, and the Ministry of Digital is committed to assisting the industry 8 in whatever way we can.

22. Before I take my leave, I would like to congratulate the award winners and participants. Your achievements exemplify the hard work, dedication, and innovation that drives our industry forward. Let us continue to inspire one another, push the boundaries of what is possible, and create a brighter future for the industry.

Thank you. -END-