Transcom to expand PH operations, boosting staff by 70%

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Business process outsourcing firm Transcom Holding AB is planning to expand its operations in the Philippines by setting up in new locations and raising its staff count by almost 70 percent.

In an interview, Transcom Global English Region Chief Executive Mark Lyndell said they plan to increase their agents to 15,000 from the current 9,000 over the next two to three years.

Transcom Global English Region Chief Operating Officer Lee Coates added that they will be looking at new locations not just in Metro Manila but also in second and third-tier cities around the country.

“Our expansion would not be in Metro Manila. We see opportunities to move out into provincial sites,” said Lyndsell at the sidelines of the launch of the lifestyle and wellness facility in Transcom’s new office in Mandaluyong.

He said they want to replicate their success in Metro Manila in other booming cities of the country, particularly in the northern part of Luzon or in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Aside from its Manila operations, Transcom already has operations in Iloilo and Bacolod.

Lyndsell said the country's skilled graduates put the Philippines in a "good spot" of the global BPO sector, driving the industry's growth.

The Philippines is home to Transcom's regional operating headquarters for Global English Region which oversees businesses in the Philippines, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The country already hosts a third of Transcom's global operations of about 27,000 people across 20 other countries and 33 languages.

Lyndsell explained their move to expand its presence in tier two and three cities since these are areas where the Philippines' "employee value strain" are located.

Despite the on-going challenges in the BPO environment with the US forcing outsourced operations back into its territory, Transcom remains optimistic of the BPO opportunities in the Philippines, Lyndsell said.

Coates also noted that, even with Artificial Intelligence, a lot of customers still prefer talking to real people.