Manila, Philippines — Convergys announced it has signed a $4.2-million outsourcing contract with a global financial services firm.

Under the terms of the 18-month contract, Ohio-based Convergys Corp. will perform a suite of marketing research services for an unidentified customer, described as a Fortune Top 50 company.

In a statement, Convergys said it will perform brand and image tracking research, competitive marketplace research, customer retention research, "decision sciences," analytics and reporting, and executive dashboard and results portal development.

The company has more than 80 customer contact centers and other facilities worldwide.

In the Philippines, Convergys employs more than 11,000 workers in nine facilities, the latest in Bacolod City, which will be formally opened in early 2008.

Meanwhile, IPVG Corp. (IPVG) is back on the shopping trail for a contact center after being rejected by PeopleSupport.

The listed information and communications technology firm said it was buying a majority stake in another US-based outsourcing company called Interactive Teleservices Corp. (Influent) for a still undisclosed amount.

IPVG said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it had executed a memorandum of agreement with the stockholders of Influent “for the acquisition of a 70-percent stake in the company, subject to the approval of IPVG’s board of directors.”

IPVG said it wanted to close the deal in the first quarter of 2008, after completing its financial and legal due diligence.

Influent, which is ranked among the top 20 global BPO companies, operates 10 call centers with total capacity of 1,400 seats in the United States, Panama and the Philippines.


(Inquirer.Net)