ePerformax call center eyes P4B from planned IPO in 2008

Filipino-owned call center operator ePerformax International Inc. plans to raise as much as P4.014 billion from the sale of 223 million common shares through an initial public offering (IPO) in the first quarter of next year.   

In a statement, ePerformax said the offer shares, accounting for 33.8 percent of the total issued and outstanding capital stock of the company after the IPO, will be sold at a price ranging from P12.50 to P18 each share.   

Of the shares to be offered, 155 million will be sold through an IPO while the balance of 68 million will be issued by existing shareholders. 

BDO Capital & Investment Corp. has been tapped as issue manager and lead underwriter for the share issue. 

ePerformax, a joint venture between ePerformax US and the Delgado family’s Transnational Diversified Group (TDG), provides a variety of contact center services for its clients in such industries as telecommunications, transportation, technology, hospitality and retail.  

The company provides customer service, inbound and outbound sales support, market research and lead generation services. 

ePerformax plans to use proceeds from the offering to repay debt  and fund its expansion initiatives which include planned acquisitions and establishment of new facilities and call centers. 

Teresa D. Hartsaw, president and chief executive officer of ePerformax, said the company is the first Philippine-based call center to file for an IPO. 

While Paxys Inc. is currently the only call center firm listed on the stock exchange, its entry into the market was done via the backdoor listing of inactive and shell company  Fil-Hispano Holdings Inc.   

BPO firm eTelecare, on the other hand, is listing by way of introduction. This means that it will list its shares on the exchange without undergoing an IPO. 

ePerformax’s call center in Manila has over 1,800 agents providing customer service, technical support, quality assessment call monitoring and data collection and verification for six major US companies.  

ePerformax opened its high-performance contact center in Manila in 2002 with the vision of being the best of the best call centers in the Philippines.