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Ascensos was created in 2013 to transform the customer experience by bringing a fresh and personal approach to customer care. Since then, we have expanded significantly while staying true to that vision.
We are now Europe’s leading customer service outsourcing partner, combining world-class customer experience with a digital mindset and the latest technology to shape bespoke CX solutions for tomorrow’s customer needs.
It’s been an amazing adventure so far - here’s our story.
Born local, grown global.
Ascensos was born local and has since grown global – but despite our growth, we have always stayed fiercely true to our core values.
When our co-founders Dermot Jenkinson and John Devlin started Ascensos, they believed in changing the rules. They wanted to offer a different approach - a better approach, focused on doing the right thing for our colleagues, our clients, and their customers.
From our Scottish Headquarters in Motherwell, we set out to be the partner of choice for retail brands seeking exceptional customer experience delivery. Twelve years later, Ascensos has grown exponentially. We’ve been cited as a ‘best in Europe’ industry benchmark for our partnership approach, leadership strength in navigating change, and excellence in customer service.
In September 2024, we joined the Firstsource family – a move that has strengthened our global capability while preserving the culture, values, and personal approach that define Ascensos.
We remain committed to our founding vision, now backed by the scale and resources of Firstsource, and driven forward by a leadership team with deep sector experience and a track record of innovation and impact.
October 2013
Ascensos launches in Motherwell, Scotland, which remains our HQ to this day. Within a couple of years, we had fulfilled our promise to create 600 new jobs in the local area. Today, Ascensos is one of the largest employers in Motherwell and an employer of choice within a community that we're proud to call home.
September 2016
With our acquisition of Dutch Contact Centre HECC Alliance, we further expand our footprint in Europe, strategically positioning Ascensos to access high-quality nearshore English and multi-lingual talent from our operation in Romania through our multi-client environment and bespoke inbound bureau service.
October 2016
Our first site to launch on the north side of Glasgow was Stirling House, a thriving and fully immersive DIY-focused, B&Q-dedicated operation. Ascensos has since expanded further within Clydebank Business Park to
an adjacent site across the car park, which is host to a multi-client environment.
September 2017
Our expansion continued in 2017, with our launch in England on the Isle of Wight. Within one year of opening, we were proud to be awarded 'Europe's Top Contact Centre Support Team' at the prestigious 2018 European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards. Our team, based in Cowes, has since won 'Contact Centre of the Year' in the outsourced category at the 2021 UK National Contact Centre Awards.
March 2018
In 2018, we relocated our Romanian site to a larger, state-of-the-art office in Bucharest, which has recently expanded over two floors, boasting an on-site gym in appreciation of our global partner, Peloton Interactive.
We’re proud to celebrate Ascensos Romania as a multi-award-winning operation, having secured multiple gold awards every year since 2021 at the Romanian Contact Centre Awards – a testament to our team's continued excellence.
August 2020
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we expanded into Turkey with the opening of our Istanbul contact centre. This multi-client environment boasts breath-taking views of the Bosphorus Strait in a central location within the cultural centre of Turkey. We are proud to host our first multi-lingual Arabic-speaking team here and many local and multi-cultural expatriates who support a variety of global brands in their customers’ local language.
August 2021
August saw the launch of our first Ascensos Local hub. Ascensos Local aims to transform the way people work from home by expanding our business into rural areas to create a variety of working from home roles supported by locally based training hubs. With Ascensos Local Hub No.1 opened in Stranraer, Scotland, and plans underway to extend the model to more communities, we’re on track to bring 500 new, high-quality digital jobs to rural and semi-rural areas across the UK.
September 2021
In September, we expanded our global footprint by opening a multi-client retail operation in South Africa. This latest move in our continued expansion perfectly illustrates our ‘born local, grown global’ approach to business. With 600 new jobs planned within the Cape Town region, we continue to expand globally and create jobs at scale in order to provide a fantastic service to our international network of clients.
October 2021
In October, Ascensos took a significant equity stake in autonomous customer solutions specialist Digital Tribe, in a move that will further enhance our digital and AI propositions. The South African-based technology business specialises in fully integrated technologies that offer digital, predictive and autonomous CX solutions.
December 2021
2021 ended on a high note for Ascensos with the launch of our second site in Turkey, within the beautifully scenic city of Antalya. With 300 jobs planned for this multi-client environment, Antalya is the perfect base to build on our excellent reputation across Europe and Asia, as we continue to expand our multilingual customer support for some of the best-known global retail brands.
February 2023
In early 2023, we opened our second Cape Town site in Salt River, a dedicated, multi-channel client environment for John Lewis & Partners. This purpose-built operation supports our long-standing partnership and reinforces our commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience. Our Salt River site strengthens our South African presence and demonstrates our ongoing investment in people, technology, and tailored service delivery.
September 2024
In September 2024, Ascensos was acquired by Firstsource, a global leader in Business Process Management. This strategic move brings together two customer experience specialists with shared values and complementary strengths. As part of the Firstsource family, we’re accelerating growth, enhancing our digital capabilities, and continuing to deliver exceptional CX for some of the world’s best-loved retail brands.
June 2025
In June 2025, we expanded further with the opening of our third site in Cape Town, located in the vibrant Gardens district. Designed as a flexible, multi-client environment, this latest site enables us to scale quickly and adapt to a range of client needs. The launch reflects our continued focus on operational excellence and job creation in the South African market.
August 2025
Building on the milestone of our 100th class of graduates in March, we launched the 'Shadow Careers Embedded Model' at Ascensos Cape Town - a first-of-its-kind, in-house training programme for unemployed young people. This embedded approach allows us to accelerate the number of graduates moving into permanent careers with #theAteam, fueling a cycle of success that transforms individuals, strengthens families, and uplifts communities. A bold step forward in reimagining youth employment and impact sourcing in South Africa.
This is just the beginning of our story. Our ability to adapt our ongoing digital transformation and our approach of putting people first is driven by our growth mindset and culture of continuous improvement. With exciting plans in the pipeline, the Ascensos family will continue to grow in 2025 and beyond.
Awards
We’re committed to delivering a world-class experience for our clients’ customers and are proud to have won the following UK & European awards for our services, including:
- Best International Telesales Contact Centre (2025) with Big Bus Tours – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- AI Excellence (2025) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Top Non-Technical Innovation (2024) – BPESA GBS Alchemy Awards
- Top GBS Operator (2024) – BPESA GBS Alchemy Awards
- Complaints Management Team of the Year (2024) with Pizza Hut – UK Contact Centre Forum (UKCCF)
- Outsourced Team Manager of the Year (2024) with Stephanie Clements – UK National Contact Centre Awards (CCMA)
- Best Workplace - External (2024) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Customer Care Champion (2024) with Radu Paul Nichiforov – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Customer-First Partnership (2024) with Spectrum Brands – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Best International Outsourced Contact Centre (2024) – Contact Centre Management Group (CCMG)
- Best Contact Centre Technology Innovation (2024) – Contact Centre Management Group (CCMG)
- Recruitment Team of the Year (2023) – UK Contact Centre Forum (UKCCF)
- Best Partnership in Contact Centre (2023) with Shark Ninja – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Best Contact Centre Team Manager (2023) with Bogdana Paulet – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Best Contact Centre Manager of the Year (2023) with Elena-Alina Bordeianu – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Outsourced Contact Centre Manager of the Year (2023) with Kim Canning – UK National Contact Centre Awards (CCMA)
- Best Customer Service Team (2022) with Monsoon Accessorize - European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards
- Best BPO Partnership (2022) with KFC UK&I - European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards
- Diversity and Inclusion (2022) - South West Contact Centre Awards
- KFC Equipment & Supply Partner of the Year (2022) - KFC Annual Partner Conference & Awards
- KFC Partner of the Year (2022) - KFC Annual Partner Conference & Awards
- Best Contact Centre Partnership (2022) with Wickes – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Special Award for 'Agility & Customer Experience Strategy' (2022) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Best Customer Experience (2022) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Outsourced Contact Centre of the Year (2021) - European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards (ECCCSA)
- Contact Centre of the Year – Outsourced (2021) – UK National Contact Centre Awards (CCMA)
- Best Frontline Team (2021) - South West Contact Centre Awards
- GlobeTrotter category winner (2021) – Calabrio ONE Awards
- Best Partnership in a Contact Centre (2021) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Best External Contact Center – Large (2021) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Best Crisis Management & Remote Operations (2021) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Best Employer Branding for Contact Center (2021) – Romanian Contact Centre Awards
- Responding in a Crisis – Providing Leadership – Large (2020) - European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards (ECCCSA)
- Contact Centre of the Year - Outsourced (2020) - South West Contact Centre Awards
- Excellence in Customer Service (2020) - GSA Professional Awards
- Best Contact Centre Support Team (2018) - European Contact Centre and Customer Awards (ECCCSA)
