BPO firm 24/7 Customer is looking to recruit over 1,250 people for its global

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operations in the next two quarters of this financial year.

Bharathwaj V, the company’s chief marketing officer, told Financial Chronicle that the firm is increasing its headcount on the back of project ramp-ups by four to five clients and increased new business.

Of the 1,250 people to be hired, the company will hire up to 500 in India (in October-December quarter), 500 in Guatemala and 250-500 in the Philippines. Bharathwaj said that the new recruitments are mostly for operations, innovations lab and other functions at 24/7 Customer.

The firm has already hired 1,400 people so far in 2009, taking total headcount to 8,000 people. It also means that the firm has or is in the process of recruiting a total of 2,650 people, about one-fourth of total staff in just 15 months.

The Sequoia Capital-funded BPO major is stepping on the gas in terms of hiring following a brief lull after it transferred over 1,600 staff to former client Aviva in 2007.

In the last couple of months, BPO firms, especially in Bangalore have started to hire. Examples include Wipro BPO, Hinduja Global Solutions and Tesco.