Greenville chosen for North American expansion of Transcom, which is to create 450 jobs

Transcom Worldwide AB has selected Greenville County as its "epicenter" for building a North American network to support clients and will create at least 450 new jobs here, the company announced Wednesday.

The company, a global customer-experience specialist that provides customer care, sales, technical support and credit-management services through contact centers and work-at-home agents, has the potential to grow its workforce in Greenville to as many as 1,000 over the next few years, according to a news release.

“South Carolina and Greenville specifically have a talented pool of prospective employees, is an accessible and attractive area for clients to visit and features a welcoming business community and diverse economy," Donald Berryman, Transcom executive vice president and chief commercial officer for North America, said in the emailed announcement. "We look forward to growing our base and serving customers through our expansion into the Upstate.”

Transcom executives selected Greenville from an initial list of 125 U.S. locations after multiple scouting visits and meetings with business leaders, elected officials and economic-development partners, according to the company.

The company could potentially qualify for incentives in the future if they hit certain goals, including state job and job creation tax credits and a local fee in lieu of taxes deal, Greenville Area Development Corporation CEO Mark Farris said.

Transcom will use a hybrid model for the Greenville center, with employees in-office and working from home. While part of the plan is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the model fits with the company’s remote client and customer-service roles.

The new Greenville operations are to be led by a soon-to-be-announced Transcom vice president of CSM client delivery who is "a veteran of regional organizations" with related expertise to Transcom’s capabilities.

The company will take up over 33,000 square feet at 650 Executive Center Drive in Greenville. The space is expandable to hold as many as 1,000 associates as demand requires.

"ReadySC," a workforce training program, will assist with recruitment and training, and hiring has already begun for technical customer support representatives and team leader positions.

Pay rates are still being finalized, but the company aims to be in the $15 to $16-plus range for customer experience agents, managing director and senior vice president of Transcom Kyla Starks said. Transcom is currently hiring for a local training manager, operations manager, team leaders and trainers, which will all be salaried roles. Information on all open positions can be obtained from career listings on Transcom’s website at transcom.com.

“We wanted a community with a large, quality workforce, as we envision that Transcom could expand operations here in the future to as many as 1,000 positions on a long-term basis,” Starks said. “We believe that Greenville is that place and that we can stay here for many years.”

Founded in 1995 in Sweden, Transcom has more than 30,000 employees at 69 centers and working from home across 26 countries worldwide, serving approximately 200 clients globally, according to the company.

Transcom provides 1.5 million customer interactions daily in 33 languages and across numerous industries.

Featuring use of artificial intelligence, the latest technologies and highly trained service teams, Transcom serves as "the voice of its global customers, combining intelligent technologies with passionate talent to create smarter people experiences," according to the press release.

“Transcom is a world-class company, and it speaks volumes that they decided to locate their first North American operation right here in South Carolina," Gov. Henry McMaster said in the release. "This announcement serves as another testament to South Carolina’s strong business climate."

"Greenville County Council is pleased that Transcom, the global customer experience experts who use leading-edge technology and customer insight to provide excellent customer care, have chosen our community to launch and grow their U.S. operations,” said Greenville County Council Chairman and Greenville Area Development Corporation board member Willis Meadows. “We believe that the company is a perfect fit for our growing knowledge-based economy and wish them continued success."

Check back for more on this developing story.

Macon Atkinson is the city watchdog reporter for The Greenville News. She's powered by long runs and strong coffee. Follow her on Twitter @maconatkinson.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Transcom Greenville: SC picked as home for North American operations