[Video] Asurion Opens Call Center in Tokyo with JETRO

Jun 30, 2017

In April 2017, JETRO interviewed Tony Detter, Chief Commercial Officer of Asurion and former CEO of Asurion Japan, about Asurion’s experience opening a new call center in Japan. Detter discussed Asurion’s search process as well as its partnership with JETRO to find a new location.


 

Asurion is a leading provider of device insurance, warranty, and support services for cell phones, consumer electronics, and home appliances. The company operates in 49 locations across 14 countries, including China, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.

 

Asurion first entered the Japanese market in the mid-2000s through a joint venture with Itochu, the second-largest general trading company (soga shosha) in Japan. The company went on to build its market presence through business partnerships with NTT DOCOMO, KDDI, and other wireless carriers in Japan.

 

In 2016, Asurion realized it would need a new call center to support its Japanese customer-base. Detter contacted JETRO for help identifying potential sites. The new site would need to be:

 

  1. Accessible from other Asurion offices
  2. Located near a labor pool with specific qualifications
  3. Large enough to support increased client demand

 

JETRO utilized its government relationships to provide Asurion with detailed reports on local labor pools as well as information about local government incentives. Using the information provided by JETRO, Asurion selected a new site for its call center in the Greater Tokyo Area.

 

“[JETRO] helped us narrow down our decisions based on real data that would have been difficult for us to garner by ourselves. [This allowed us] to make a faster, more informed decision [when choosing a call center site],” said Detter.

 

“For other companies looking to partner [with] or leverage JETRO’s services…they are very easy to work with, they provide a lot of really relevant data for decision-making, and they’re flexible in terms of how they work with you and what information they can provide. We felt like JETRO was customizing what they did for us, but I know now in learning more about them they provide those services broadly to a lot of people.”

 

To hear more about Asurion’s experience with JETRO, watch the full video interview.

To learn more about Asurion, please visit their website: https://www.asurion.com/

 

PARTNER WITH JETRO

JETRO is a non-profit organization that provides business support services to companies expanding to Japan. With the support of JETRO's dedicated staff, clients can incorporate their business; receive visa, immigration, and HR support; find dedicated office space; identify local government subsidies; get tailored market studies; and more.  Contact us to learn more about how we can support your business goals in Japan.