Composability of Genesys Cloud CX platform enables Lighthouse Works to meet the unique needs of a blind and visually impaired workforce
Genesys®, a global cloud leader in AI-powered experience orchestration, and Lighthouse Works, a business processing outsource organization (BPO) offering customer service operations to organizations, including Universal Studios, Florida Department of Children and Families, and more, today announced a collaboration that has resulted in significant career opportunities for the blind or visually impaired (BVI). According to Lighthouse Works, using the Genesys Cloud CX™ platform integrated with its proprietary API, Lighthouse Works created more than 25% of the new blind jobs in the United States last year.
With a mission to establish careers for individuals who are visually impaired or blind living in the US, Lighthouse Works’ collaboration with Genesys comes in response to a glaring lack of progress to support this talent-rich population that faces a disproportionate rate of unemployment. Studies reveal that people who are blind or visually impaired face significant challenges finding a job, with an unemployment rate at over 70%. With tendencies to be a highly empathetic group, the BVI are well suited to provide superior customer experiences in the contact center.
“People with vision loss frequently face perception issues and skepticism from employers, not to mention navigating additional challenges, such as transportation and lack of workplace accommodations,” said Kyle Johnson, president and CEO of Lighthouse Central Florida. “By partnering with Genesys, we’re able to create more job opportunities for this underserved population, as well as bring a competitive advantage to our customers because of our unique workforce, not in spite of it.”
Lighthouse Works selected Genesys Cloud CX for its flexibility and compossibility, which allows the organization to customize the solution to fit the needs of not only its workforce but also its diverse customer base, which spans public sector agencies to national for-profit businesses. The platform’s open APIs and deep artificial intelligence capabilities enable organizations to redefine what’s possible in employee and customer experiences including providing more accessible tools for visually impaired contact center staff.
To address the needs of this underrepresented group, the Lighthouse Works development team created a custom interface. Its API integrates with Genesys Cloud CX to provide a user interface that delivers audio cues to agents in real-time. And it equips those with blindness or vision loss with the tools needed for careers within a contact center.
“At Genesys, we believe in creating technology that enables better experiences for customers and employees of all abilities,” said Tony Bates, CEO and chairman of Genesys. “The Genesys Cloud CX platform gives organizations the flexibility to innovate on top of the solution, so they can deliver unique experiences built around the needs of their business. The impact Lighthouse Works has made with the Genesys platform amongst the visually impaired community is a testament of what can be achieved through a people-centric, empathetic approach to innovation.”
The Lighthouse Works formula has been successful, with the organization employing more than 270 people with visual impairments and boasting a turnover rate for BVI employees of less than 6%, which is well under the average 30-40% for a commercial contact center. Since 2021, Lighthouse Works workforce numbers have quadrupled to more than 500 strong it’s on track to employ more than 1,000 agents in the near future.
