ATS to set up second call centre

Prachi Verma in New Delhi

Citi Corp-funded ATS Services Pvt Ltd, a call centre and business processing outsourcing (BPO) company, is in the process of setting up its second 400-seater call centre facility in 2002.

The company is also on its way to ramp up the capacity of its present call centre and BPO facility from 150 to 500 seats by the second quarter of 2002.

For its expansion plans, ATS is planning to invest about Rs 25 crore in the next 12 months.

“We will require around Rs 25 crore for an additional facility and to increase the seating capacity of the existing facility,” ATS Services Pvt Ltd managing director Tushar Chopra told The Financial Express.
Though the company has not yet decided on the city for its second call centre, however it has shortlisted Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore as possible options.

Earlier, ATS Services raised about Rs 18 crore ($ 3.5 million) from Libra (a US-based private investor) and Citi Corp Venture Capital. The company intends to use a part of these funds as well as raise fresh funds from its second round of funding.

“We are not yet clear when and from whom we will raise the second round of funding but it will be done somewhere next year,” Mr Chopra said.

The company offers voice support and transaction processing solutions to the financial services sector including banks, insurance, credit cards and mutual funds.

The company is also web-enabled, even though it is not using its web services to serve its existing clients.

ATS Services already has 5 clients, of which 3 are domestic companies and the rest are US-based companies. In the next year, the company intends to add another four to its list.

Also for the next year, ATS is keen on entering the European market and is aiming for profitability by 2003.