Already with some 3500 team members here, Teleperformance, also known as AllianceOne, is on the cusp of hiring another 450 workers, following the recent expansion of its call centre facilities in the Montego Bay Free Zone (MBFZ), where they have been operating in Jamaica for the past two decades.

Teleperformance is the largest customer experience support provider in the world, with over 330,000 team members in nearly 100 different countries.

“In Jamaica we have about 3500 team members, all in the Montego Bay Free Zone. And that’s double what it was a year ago,” Scott Klien, global president specialty services for Teleperformance told the Jamaica Observer.

“The third phase will be another 450 new jobs in addition to what we have now.”

Tim Casey, CEO of Teleperformance, accounts receivable management (ARM), noted that since the start of the year, the company has more than doubled the number of workers in its Montego Bay operation than it boasted in the previous two years.

“Just this year alone — in the first eight months, we have brought in two and a half times the number of people we did two years ago. So its a testament to the people and what Jake Becker, vice-president operations, Teleperformance and the team, with your support, were able to accomplish. So it’s just the beginning,” Casey said.

Both Klien and Casey were speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the third phase of the Teleperformance facility in Montego Bay last week.

They both lauded the Jamaican workforce.

“Some of you may know we are by far the largest provider of customer experience in the world, which makes us the largest provider of opportunities and jobs. And, Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a big part of that quest and we are doing quite well. But what you might not know is we are very particular about our investment. And the reason we invest here in Jamaica — quite a lot by the way — is for the people, because of the people. Because a lot of the people that are in this room, in this building and those that are coming, the people here are wonderful,” Casey argued.

“What’s most important is the people of Jamaica. We are involved in the community. We support 20 different charities here in Jamaica and we just love it here and we continue to grow,” Klein told the Business Observer.

President of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica ( BPIAJ), Gloria Henry, welcomed the latest expansion and the level of investment that Teleperformance has made to “transform the infrastructure from a warehousing facility, into a world-class, beautifully outfitted centre”.

“ They are also very big on social responsibility and have done much through their Citizens of the World initiatives to give back to the needy in our society,” Henry noted.

“They have been very quiet over the years, but their impact extends into the deep annals of the sector, through the many people that have benefitted from their employment opportunities. For many school leavers, it is their first taste of the working world. “

Chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone Mark Hart expressed his pleasure at the success of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, which filled the void left by the garment sector about two decades ago.

“I am excited just to see what has transitioned from people sewing in this facility 15, 20 years ago to now we are having offices and all these services and opportunities, it is incredible. We want to thank Jake for all you are doing and you guys and everybody else here for what you have done, because I think it is tremendous thing for our city and for everybody,” Hart said.