Teleperformance invests US$ 29.4 million in Sao Paulo
Valor Econômico
Teleperformance, one of the five largest call center companies of the country and the world, has defined two distinct growth strategies in Brazil in 2011. As part of its organic growth, it plans to invest R$ 50 million (US$ 29.4 million) in its sixth call center office, in São Paulo. On another front, it says it may become the main player in a process of consolidation, with the purchase of any other player. "We are the world's largest consolidator, because we have bought three or four companies a year around the world", says President of Teleperformance in Brazil, Paulo César Vasques. "Yes, this year we will acquire a company in Brazil", said the Executive, who also is also the Global Marketing Officer and member of the International Board of Directors of the company.
Among the latest acquisitions of Teleperfomance in Brazil are Ckapt in 1998, and CBCC in mid 2004, as recalls Vasques. According to him, the acquisition plan will not be started as a response to the negotiation of two of the largest Brazilian call center companies: the absorption of Dedic, controlled by Portugal Telecom, by Contax, controlled by Oi. This business will be conducted after Portugal Telecom has announced the disbursement of R$ 8.3 billion (US$ 4.9 million) to enter the control block of Oi. The R$ 50 million (US$ 29.4 million) investment in a new call center in São Paulo adds to the R$ 200 million (US$ 117.7 million) Teleperformance invested in the past three and a half years to have its current infrastructure.
The company, of French origin, has five call centers, all in São Paulo, with 12 thousand employees. Until the end of 2011, they should be 15 thousand employees, which Vasques calls clients. "We see our employees as our main clients", says the Executive. Among some of the incentives to the employees, Teleperfomance rewards the best attendants with limo rides and dinner, balloon flights and helicopter rides. The company also has 12 visually impaired employees hired perform massage on the other employees. Vasques says those incentives guarantee Teleperformance one of the lowest levels of staff turnover of the market, 5%. According to the Executive, the average of the sector ranges between 20% and 25%.
The President of Teleperformance estimates 30% growth in earnings in 2011, compared to last year, but he does not reveal values. Last year, worldwide, the company earned US$ 2.8 billion, with operations in 50 countries. The Brazilian call center market registered earnings of R$ 10 billion (US$ 5.7 billion) last year. For this year, the estimate is to have 8% growth. The numbers and projections are of the São Paulo Association of Companies in Telemarketing, Direct Marketing and Related Businesses (Sintelmark). The call center companies in São Paulo respond for 38% of the financial operations in the sector, according to the association. They are 1.2 million employees across the country, 400 thousand of them only in São Paulo. In the past five years, the market of São Paulo had been registering growth of 17%.