Guyana is very attractive for business

– says Paris-based call centre VP

By Gomatie Gangadin

Despite investigating and refusing to enter the Guyanese market several years ago, citing infrastructure deficiencies, customer services giant, Teleperformance is now slated to open doors in early May, said Executive Vice President – Operations, Teleperformance USA, Mike Corrigan.

The call centre which has its parent company in Paris sought out Guyana as the location for the company’s newest branch based on the fact that it has prime factors which are undeniably attractive for businesses.

According to the Executive Vice President, the company recognises that Guyana was fast becoming a business hub, stating that “Guyana was chosen for our investments because for starters, it is the only native English speaking country in South America. Guyana also has a very high literacy rate and proficiency rate.”

He noted too that the geographical location of the country was also taken into consideration since it is a known fact that Guyana experiences few or no natural disasters. “It’s ideal geographically speaking, outside the hurricane zone with no natural disasters.  Guyana’s time zone location and accessibility to services in the US market is also a major advantage,” the Executive Vice President said.

He noted that there has been significant political and economic growth with heavy Government input in investments and support of technology, communications and education. Corrigan adding that Guyana has a high US cultural affinity with neutral English accents and as such, will be able to promote the business’s services. He went on to explain that from a transportation perspective, Georgetown is easily accessible via a direct flight from Miami or New York.

Jeff Balagna, Chief Executive Officer of the English-speaking and Asia-Pacific region related that the company was happy with its new investment in Guyana, noting that it was not an investment just for the company but for the people of Guyana as well, since the company will be here for a long time to come.

“With English as the official language of the country, Guyana offers an educated workforce, strong infrastructure and a stable overall environment. We are definitely pleased to expand our operations in Georgetown, Guyana, not to just build a facility but also a great long-lasting relationship with the local community. We are not only making an investment in capital, we are also investing in the people of Guyana,” Balagna expressed.

Questioned on the cost of the company’s investments in Guyana, Corrigan stated that it was a significant, multimillion-dollar investment.

“We are investing in building a six storey, 48,000 square foot facility with the most current technology and infrastructure available in modern multichannel contact centres. We are trying to create the kind of work place and work environment that we know people will enjoy coming to work every day and our clients will enjoy both visiting… we will also see tangible business performance results,” he said.

This investment which comes at a time when Guyana is battling to reduce its unemployment rate, will be creating some 1500 much needed jobs opportunities for young Guyanese.