Genesys and Lighthouse Works partner to boost CX careers for blind workers

Cloud-based customer experience provider Genesys has joined forces with business processing outsource firm Lighthouse Works to deliver a solution that supports blind and visually impaired contact centre staff.

Lighthouse Works employs hundreds of contact centre workers across the United States, with more than half having varying degrees of visual impairment. Its solution EquiVista – which is available exclusively on Genesys’s orchestration platform – claims to offer a simplified user interface that can be tailored for individuals aligned with their visual abilities.

The vendor also hopes that the solution will open job opportunities for this underrepresented community, thanks to features such as its Jobs Access with Speech screen reading software, which it says has been designed to create more efficient workflows through automation, enabling B/VI individuals to use Genesys Cloud to easily engage with customers.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 2.2 billion people globally have a near or distance vision impairment. In the US nearly 70% of people who are blind or visually impaired are not employed, as reported by the National Industries for the Blind.

In the UK, a study from late 2022 found that only one in four people with sight-loss are in paid employment.

According to UK telecoms analyst Chris Lewis, new software and developments in AI will help to remove technology and business barriers for such communities.

“The partnership between Genesys and Lighthouse Works is a great example of opening up employment and customer experience opportunities for many formerly excluded individuals,” he added.

Technology has a powerful role to play in aiding disabled people,” added Olivier Jouve, chief product officer, Genesys. “In helping to create life changing opportunities for the blind and visually impaired, this partnership between Lighthouse Works and Genesys is a testament of what can be achieved when empathy is at the heart of the experience.”

“We introduced EquiVista in partnership with Genesys to help level the playing field for the visually impaired workforce,” said Kyle Johnson, CEO and president of Lighthouse Works.

“With this technology, organisations have a massive opportunity to increase their impact and contribute to a more equitable world by providing more inclusive workplace environments and career advancement opportunities for this underrepresented population.”

All proceeds from purchases of EquiVista will go directly to Lighthouse Works in support of blind and visually impaired career opportunities.