Transcom Worldwide, the customer relationship manager specialist, has opened its third call centre in Italy. The call centre will create approximately 200 jobs in the town of Lecce, southern Italy.

Sviluppo Italia, the economic development agency which is responsible for attracting inward investment to less developed areas of Italy, carried out a location study for the company, which wanted the centre to be based in the south of the country to compliment its others in Milan and L’Aquila.

Southern areas are also attractive as they have lower levels of economic development than the European average and therefore companies investing there are entitled to subsidies. The Italian government also offers special incentives – under Law 488 – in the form of capital grants to firms that implement an investment programme to achieve increases in production, economic performance and employment in less developed areas.

The mayor of Lecce, Adriana Poli Bortone, pledged that the town would improve its infrastructure and temporary offices would be available to Transcom staff until the launch of the call centre.

Monica Zarelli, communications manager of Sviluppo Italia, said the other areas suggested in the location report were Molfetta in Apulia and Conzenza in Calabria.