Narayan AmmachchiUS online retailing giant Amazon has unveiled plans to launch a web-based call center for Colombians willing to work from home, in addition to a physical center to be based in Bogota.
Together, they will employ 600 people, providing customer services in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
The service center, Amazon’s first in the Andean country, will be based in the Connecta Business Center near El Dorado Airport.
Amazon will hire for customer service to administration roles, reported The City Paper, citing a press release from the company.
“We are delighted to invest this year in Bogotá, and to work with such qualified people in Colombia who will bring high levels of experience and passion for their work,” stated Tom Weiland, Amazon’s Vice President of global customer service.
The retailer will start out by hiring 400 people in the initial weeks of October, gradually increasing the headcount to 600 by the end of the year.
The Colombian government has cheered the announcement. Although the new office will provide service, not sell products, there is widespread belief that Amazon’s presence will stimulate the local economy.
The US giant made its first physical presence in Colombia last year when Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched an office in Bogota for providing cloud services.
With internet access becoming cheaper and easier, social media sites and online retailers are gaining huge traction across Latin America. Traditional brick and mortar shops, in the meantime, are looking for ways to sell products online in a desperate attempt to retain their market share.
Earlier this month, Chile’s Falabella, one of the largest retailers in Latin America, reached a deal to acquire online shopping chain Linio for US$138 million.
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