Infosys to put up 3 more new BPO sites in RP

MANILA, Philippines - Business process outsourcing firm Infosys BPO Ltd. said it plans to expand its presence in the Philippines, including putting up three new BPO sites here.

“We are very bullish about the Philippines and we will continue to invest in the next few years,” said visiting Infosys chief operating officer Ritesh Idnani.

He said while its Philippine operations account for just five to six percent of its entire revenues, this is expected to increase to eight to 10 percent in 18 to 24 months.

Infosys also expects a 100 percent growth in revenues by the end of its fiscal year ending March 2010.

Idnani pointed out that the Philippines remains an attractive BPO destination in terms of quality of workforce and service areas that the country can offer.

He added that the country is beginning to emerge not just in the area of customer service but also in knowledge process outsourcing and legal process outsourcing services.

However, Idnani said attrition in the country is still a major challenge for BPO firms. As such, he is recommending that BPO agents be registered to monitor proper exit from previous employers.

“The top 15 BPO firms must tie up to address attrition,” he said.

Meanwhile, Infosys delivery center head for the Philippines Madhusudan Menon revealed that they are creating an additional 2,000 local jobs this year as it eyes a new site by the second half of 2010.

Menon said they are looking at two properties in Quezon City and one in Clark, Pampanga for their next Philippine site.

Infosys, a BPO subsidiary of Infosys Technologies, has a 1,100-seat delivery center in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig and currently employs around 650.

The firm said it plans to further expand to include 3,000 seats by next month. Infosys will add 1,000 seats by the early second half of 2010 and another 500 seats in the first quarter of 2011.