Microsoft has picked Sydney to host its new Asia Inside Sales Centre and will create 120 local digital seller roles in the latest display of its commitment to the Australian market.
The Sydney facility, which will be operational in the middle of the year, will be one of four global Inside Sales Centres that Microsoft is building across the globe.
It joins the existing international network of Inside Sales Centres that includes Dublin, Ireland (serving Europe, the Middle East and Africa); Fargo, US (serving America and Canada); and San Jose, Costa Rica (serving Latin America).
The Sydney centre will serve customers across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.
It will use more than nine different languages.
The facility will be joined by three sales satellites in India, China and Japan to serve the local needs of customers in those specific markets.
Microsoft’s Australian managing director Steven Worrall said the decision to go with Sydney was testament to the role the Australian market can play in the digital transformation of the entire company.
“We are committed to our business in Australia and this Inside Sales Centre investment builds on additional local investments, which includes two Cloud Datacentre regions in Australia with local cloud services for Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365, and our flagship Microsoft Store in Sydney,” he said.
The 120 digital sales professionals, to be recruited immediately, will serve customers from a state-of-the-art facility that Microsoft said is part of its strategy to transform and digitise the sales experience.
“The Asia Inside Sales Centre will enable highly trained sellers to leverage leading-edge technology platforms and analytics to better meet the needs of customers, with the right touch at the right point in their journey,” the company said.
Mr Worrall added that the centre opens a new door for aspiring sales staff hoping to become the bridge between technology and successful business outcomes.
“WW Inside Sales provides an opportunity for talented people with a passion for technology and for helping customers achieve business success to join us and enjoy an exciting and rewarding career at Microsoft,” he said.
“If you start here with us in Inside Sales, you will have the opportunity to develop your career within the company with almost limitless opportunities both here and abroad.”
The recruitment process for the newly created Inside Sales roles in Australia has already begun, but will now tick up a notch to get the multilingual organisation fully operational by mid-2017.
While many roles require language capabilities or previous sales and technical experience, the company is also seeking to recruit graduates.
Successful candidates for WW Inside Sales and the other roles across the organisation will be offered personalised professional development plans, including the opportunity to secure additional qualifications and accredited certifications.
Michele Marrapese, general manager, Asia Inside Sales at Microsoft said digital sales models were undergoing a substantial transformation, requiring a new set of skills and a new set of demands from customers.
“The way we meet our customers’ needs is changing; we are looking for people to join us as we create the future of digital selling,” Mr Marrapese said.
NSW Industry Minister Niall Blair said Microsoft’s investment was a vote of confidence in the state’s strengths in information technology and digital innovation.
“Microsoft’s decision to choose Sydney as one of only four global centres for its Asia Inside Sales Team is great news and recognition of the unique and highly skilled workforce we have here in NSW,” Mr Blair said.
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