Atento Expands Further in Brazil with Launch of Guarulhos Contact Center

Spanish customer services giant Atento has launched yet another contact center in Brazil, this time in the little known town of Guarulhos in the state of Sao Paulo. Over 1,600 professionals have already been hired, and the company expects to add another 1,500 employees in the days to come.

This is the third contact center Atento has opened in Brazil this year after previously launching new offices in Bahia and Campo Grande. The latest center will serve the company’s Brazilian clients, particularly in the banking and healthcare sector. Founded as a customer-care unit of Spanish telecom giant Telefonia, Atento has operations in just about every major Brazilian city. Reports say more than half of its 160,000 global employees are working from the South American country.

This center brings the total number of Atento centers located in Sao Paulo to 23. It has 34 in the country as a whole. The center will deliver customer-experience solutions such as sales, credit management, and back-office services.

“With the opening of its customer relationship center in Guarulhos, Atento continues to strengthen its position as a leader of Brazil’s CRM/BPO industry, a country that is key to our firm’s growth strategy,” said Atento Chief Executive Officer Alejandro Reynal.

Brazil is Atento’s main market. Last year, the call center firm’s Brazilian operation posted US$1.2 billion in annual revenue, a 7.5% increase in constant currency.

“This investment reflects the potential of the state of Sao Paulo to attract businesses that generate jobs and, therefore, contribute to the quality of life of its residents,” said Juan Quiros, president of Investe Sao Paulo.

Guarulhos reportedly has the second largest economy in the state of Sao Paulo. “The services industry is important because it generates a significant amount of job opportunities, particularly for qualified young people looking for first-time employment,” said Sebastian Almeida, mayor of Guarulhos.

Atento said it chose Guarulhos because of its qualified labor, tax benefits, and adequate communications systems and infrastructure. This new center brings the total number of Atento’s employees in the State of Sao Paulo to 57,000, according to Nelson Armbrust, general manager of Atento Brazil.

The new office in Guarulhos spans nearly 7,000 square meters and features training rooms, a canteen, and recreation facilities. In addition to offices in six major cities, Atento provides in-person services in more than 900 cities throughout the country.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Atento has delivery centers in Argentina, Peru, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Uruguay. Earlier this year, it added 100 employees to its operations in El Salvador.

While announcing quarterly results earlier this year, Reynal stated that Atento had grown into a leading CRM service provider from Latin America, despite what he called “a range of adverse macroeconomic conditions.”

In the second half of last year, Atento sold off its Czech Republic operations to Italian call center firm Comdata SPA, saying it wants to focus on Latin America.