24/7 Customer PH bullish on expansion

SINGAPORE: 24/7 Customer Philippines Inc. is optimistic about its expansion plans in the country as it continues to look for more locations and people to employ for its offices.

At the sidelines of the ACES Awards 2018 here on Thursday night, 24/7 President John Rienzie Ramirez said the company planned to hire up to 300 people monthly in the next six months while looking at other areas where it can set up new branches.

According to him, a new facility is being established in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City that can house 1,000 employees, and that he was talking with other firms for possible partnerships in setting up offices in Clark, Pampanga province.

At present, 24/7 has offices in Ortigas Center, Pasig City; Makati City; and Cebu City.

The expansion was in preparation for the upcoming Christmas holiday and the increasing number of retail clients in the United States, Ramirez explained.

“We support a lot of retail programs in the US, so we have a lot of work that’s given to us because we’re hitting peak retail seasons in the Philippines,” the 24/7 chief said.

“October, November [and] December [are] our strongest [months] in 24/7, so I’m super excited and I’m prepared for this, almost two quarters back,” he added.

Asked about House Bill 8083, or the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and Higher Quality Opportunities ( Trabaho) measure, Ramirez said its impact would be “detrimental” if its provisions were implemented at once.

The second package of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), Trabaho aims to reduce corporate tax from 30 percent to 20 percent after 10 years, and also streamline tax incentives for investors.

The official maintained, however, that his firm continues to support the government’s initiatives.

“Any increase in the [business process outsourching companies’] cost is detrimental and will affect business. What really affects business [are] sharp changes,” Ramirez said.

“I think what we always have to get back to is that Filipino talent is superior talent. When you look at that talent, our clients are always willing to pay for that talent, because…our culture, our empathy, our customer service [and the] quality [we offer are] still super superior” than those in other countries, he added.

His remarks came after the Department of Trade and Industry said last month the government would allocate P25 billion to improve the skills of employees in the information technology (IT) and BPO sectors in the next five years.

The government will spend P5 billion annually once Trabaho is enacted.