Global IT outsourcing giant enters RP

A global information technology (IT) outsourcing giant belonging to the Fortune 500 has quietly entered the Philippines by initially putting up a call center in Makati City that provides customer and help desk support services to major US airlines and other large clients in the travel industry.

Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago, a promoter of the country’s technology-empowered services industry, said the Dallas, Texas-based and New York Stock Exchange-listed Affiliated Computer Services Inc. (ACS) would soon build up its budding operations in the country to include other back-office jobs.

"We obtained information that ACS is already looking to engage 250 call center agents in the months ahead to add to its initial staff here of 50," Santiago, a former chief of the National Telecommunications Commission, said.

ACS is engaging fluent English-speaking and computer proficient college graduates of tourism, hotel and restaurant management and related fields to brace the company’s nascent operations here, according to Santiago.

The company supports most major airlines not just in the US, but also in global markets, as well as related services in the travel and transportation industry such as online booking and reservations.

"ACS is starting here with a small center. However, we understand the firm is set to expand service offerings to include claims processing, software applications support and other client support services," Santiago added.

ACS has 700 offices and more than 55,000 employees in over 100 countries, and posted $5.2 billion in 2005 revenues. The company has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion.

ACS ranked No. 1 in the "Top 50 Best-Managed Global Outsourcing Vendors" in the 2006 survey of The Blackbook of Outsourcing and The Brown-Wilson Group.

The firm provides outsourcing and IT solutions to large commercial and government clients. The company’s services include administration, human resources and related consulting, finance and accounting, customer care and payment services.

ACS focuses on transaction processing and program management services. In the US, the firm handles the processing of child support payments and traffic violations, welfare and community services and electronic toll collection.

The company typically starts with a minimal presence in a new location, and then develops local management teams and expands operations. In Fiji, for instance, the firm began with a small team that has since grown to a staff of 400. In Ghana, the company started with a modest center that today has nearly 2,000 personnel.