|
A New York-based multinational company engaged in
information technology and business process outsourcing in the
Philippines plans to increase its call-center seats here by more
than two-fold.
The firm, Sutherland Global
Services, plans to open new offices in Davao City, Tarlac City and
Iloilo and will be hiring more than 5,000 agents from those cities
within this year to add to the current 5,500- strong workforce.
“The Philippines accounts for
the 15 percent of Sutherland’s overall business…With [our]
expansion plans, [we] also expect to double the capital expenditure
this year,” Craig Bauwens, country manager and vice president for
service delivery, said.
Bauwens said Sutherland will
invest $3,500 per seat.
Further, the executive said that
80 percent of their market is the US and Canada, while the remaining
20 percent is being shared by Australia and Europe.
“Despite reports that a number
of BPO companies in the Philippines are closing down due to the US
recession, [we] believe that the slowdown is actually helping [our]
business,” Bauwens said.
At present, Sutherland has BPO
offices in Pampanga, Makati, Naga City, and Davao City.
The company specializes in
integrated BPO solutions and employs over 21,000 professionals in
India, the United States, Philippines, Canada and Mexico.
Bauwens said that once it has
established its footprint in the Philippines, the firm will position
its local offices to attract new markets such as Southeast Asia and
other nearby countries.
“By integrating highly trained
people with state-of-the-art technology and proven business
methodologies, Sutherland in the countries will be competing head-on
with other BPO giants,” Bauwens said.
--Katrina Mennen A. Valdez
|
