The fastest growth in the BPO market for facility contact centers in Suriname is behind us, according to Ziptone's third market survey. Last year, no fewer than eight newcomers entered the market; this year, there are significantly fewer. This year's market overview "Who does what in Suriname" lists 27 facility contact centers.

In brief:

• Growth in the Surinamese contact center sector is slowing, local competition remains strong
• Service providers focus on employee retention, professionalization and AI
• Higher rates seem inevitable

 

Last year, Ziptone identified 29 active service providersThis year, there are 27. This difference is partly due to the acquisition of Inspire by VANAD Engage, and the removal of ContactSu, ​​Gateway Services, and Global Online Moderators from the overview (see also the explanation at the end of this article). The disappearance of these four names is offset by two newcomers: CloudTeams, which collaborates with DHC Offshore, and DIRECT customer contact, which now has its own office.

The number of contact center locations also appears to be stabilizing. ContactCare bought a second property; WEngage also moved into a second locationAt the time of publication, it is still unclear which company might be planning or was planning to occupy the planned new office building on Nickeriestraat. Construction was halted following legal action by local residents, but the court ruled in early September. pronunciationThe residents have been declared inadmissible and their claims have been rejected.

More or fewer seats?

When Ziptone took stock last August, the editorial team for the Surinamese customer contact market came up with more than 5500 FTE and approximately 6400 seatsBecause several market participants refused to provide their key figures this year or did not respond to the editors' request, it is difficult to calculate the total growth or decline in this third edition. Nevertheless, the market is estimated to have continued to grow, but less rapidly than last year.

This reluctance to provide figures and other information may be related to increasing tension in the market. In any case, it makes the BPO market in Suriname less transparent, not more.

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Employees and employers join forces

The increased visibility of the VCCS trade association is causing some division. Some BPO companies consider the existence of the VCCS a negative development for the Surinamese BPO market, as Ziptone has gathered from various responses. The establishment of a union, promoted by the FNV (Dutch Federation of Trade Unions), is also not welcomed by all players, nor is the potential introduction of a collective labor agreement, which could be a logical next step. These are signs of professionalization, but not everyone is in favor of (more) market regulations.

Distinctiveness

With 27 predominantly experienced BPO players, ensuring a distinctive presence as a facility contact center is a challenge. Most players who commented on this issue find this in the combination of people and technology. Employees are seen as a determining factor in quality, which is why issues like investing in development, mental health, and an inclusive culture are recurring themes. At the same time, there is a strong emphasis on technological innovation and the use of AI. The Surinamese market is certainly less explicitly seen as a volume destination for seats. Consequently, the positioning seems to be gradually shifting towards 'adding value' rather than as a traditional low-cost outsourcing destination. A second notable development is that several players have expanded their service offerings to include WFM-as-a-service, and a small number have also started offering HR and financial BPO services.

Local challenges

The biggest concerns for companies lie with the tight labor market and employee retention. Competition has intensified, and for Surinamese customer service professionals, the market is relatively transparent. This makes switching jobs easy; the average turnover rate is between 15 and 25%. Companies also express concerns about the expected economic recovery due to the oil industry, which could attract staff. Furthermore, education level and prior training are cited as challenges. New starters require extensive training before they can start working. Because simple customer contact work is increasingly disappearing, initial training is becoming increasingly demanding. Global Support Company puts this succinctly: “The Surinamese BPO sector will have to take a step up in quality to complement AI. […] From now on, Suriname will only have a right to exist if the more complex issues can be solved.”

VANAD Engage: "The impact of AI has placed the customer contact sector at a tipping point: simple tasks are becoming increasingly digitized." And TP explicitly cites the limited size of the local market and increasing competition from emerging locations as challenges.

Strategic choices

To address these challenges, BPO players in Suriname are focusing on two pillars. Many organizations are expanding their training and career opportunities, often coupled with attractive employment benefits and a positive work culture. For example, ContactCare cites the need to regularly evaluate employment conditions; several players have indicated they have made positive adjustments to these conditions. Parallel to this, they are explicitly opting to use AI and new technologies to increase efficiency and support employees.

Collaboration with unions and industry organizations is cited by several stakeholders as a route to professionalization. Concentrix emphasizes the role of policy and education: "New skills must be developed. It is therefore important that we, through the industry association, engage in dialogue with the government and the education sector." TP anticipates that additional investments in talent will lead to higher costs, but that this will also further professionalize the sector. TP claims to be playing a pioneering role in this area within the VCCS. The perception is that companies are not waiting for the market to change, but are creating the conditions for sustainable growth themselves.

Investing in AI Over the past year, companies have primarily invested in technological development and implementation; they have also invested in employee benefits. Among the technologies highlighted are AI solutions such as proprietary AI platforms—think Archie from Vanad, Myia from Custom Connect, Yava.ai from Yource, and iX Hello from Concentrix. For employees, these include programs focused on well-being and development, and adjustments to employment conditions. TP indicates that it has, among other things, increased transparency regarding employment conditions through increased internal communication.

Expectations for the coming years

The coming years will continue to be dominated by professionalization, essential for further growth, as evidenced by input from companies. They speak ambitiously about expanding capacity and establishing new locations, but also about digitalization, internationalization, and offering more high-quality services. AI is widely recognized as a game changer: simple tasks are disappearing, forcing Suriname to profile itself with more complex and valuable customer contact. AI integration is a priority for many players, often linked to the rollout of their own tools or platforms. Investing in training, sometimes in collaboration with the local education sector, is clearly on the agenda.

Rising costs are also openly alluded to – not only due to adjusted employment conditions but also due to increased investments in staff development and retention. Rate increases seem unavoidable; alternative BPO destinations in Africa, for example, are already in place. There is also awareness that the oil sector can impact wage costs and the labor market, but that professionalization and specialization are key to remaining attractive.

Profiles of facility contact centers in Suriname

Call factory Callfactory has one location in Suriname, has been active in Suriname since 2007, and is headed by Julia Kromopawiro. The independent company's management team is based in both the Netherlands and Suriname. Callfactory is expected to employ over 2024 people by 90; it has a capacity of approximately 80 seats. Services are available in Dutch, English, and French, and include voice, backoffice, data entry, content management, administration, and order processing. Callfactory focuses on sectors such as media, real estate, and e-commerce. Until recently, the company worked for DIRECT customer contact, among others, but that facility contact center opened its own location in Suriname at the end of 2024. Callfactory did not respond to requests for information from Ziptone.

Change is active in both the Netherlands (since 2021) and Suriname (since 2024). The location in Suriname is managed by Isabelle CaldeiraThe company is showing slight growth in its employee count, and its ambition to expand further—including with an additional location—remains. The range of services has been expanded to include WFM and HR administration. In addition to Eneco, MyWheels is now also served, as is the Dutch Change organization. The company is investing heavily in technology and infrastructure, including AI (for example, for QM), and is now ISO 27001 certified. Change Suriname also holds an Ecovadis quality mark. Change has joined the VCCS.

ClientMind, launched in early 2024, offers what it claims is a hub in Suriname where not only customers are served by remote customer service talent, but also locals can gain experience working in an international environment, including in management positions. The company, led by Jake Raijmann, focuses on e-commerce companies, startups/scaleups, and SMEs. ClientMind, which was working for four clients at the time of the study, aims to grow significantly and retain the best agents, also by offering higher-quality work. The company provides customer service, virtual assistants, data entry, back-office and helpdesk services, and appointment scheduling in both Dutch and English.

Client Success only provided input for this market research last year. The company, which actively recruits employees through Facebook, was founded in 2020 and is led by CEO Sita Lall, previously employed by ProCallcenter in Suriname. Client Success provides services for channels such as inbound and outbound voice, email, and chat, and also performs back-office tasks. Client Success does not provide information about which customers it serves and did not respond to Ziptone's inquiries this year.

Newcomer CloudTeams is a spin-off of the successful logistics scale-up Homerr and is led by Carlijn Timmermans, which previously bowl was employed. CloudTeams has support teams in Suriname, India, and Madagascar, and in Suriname utilizes the capacity of partner DHC Offshore (approximately 25 employees). The company focuses on a diverse range of sectors, currently focusing on e-commerce, retail, logistics, mobility & travel, in Dutch, English, and Spanish. The website lists clients such as CitizenM, Vinted/Homerr, Spotta, and SkyNet. The Spanish-speaking market is designated as a growth market. Currently, the company primarily serves logistics companies. The company is in the process of obtaining ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certification.

Concentrix is a veteran in Suriname through its predecessor Webhelp. Concentrix currently has two locations with predominantly local management, led by Frank Meijer (Managing Director) with Mirzano Heijkerk (Director of Operations) and Meredith Macarthur (HR Director). Account management and IT, security, and compliance support are located in the Netherlands. Management in Suriname is predominantly local. While the number of seats increased from 1.300 to 1.400 last year, it is now slightly lower at 1.100. For the time being, the company can grow within its existing two locations. It serves approximately twenty different clients in various sectors such as e-commerce, utilities, and travel. The company does not specify any clients served from Suriname. The Surinamese operation is ISO 27001 certified; ISO 22301 (business continuity) and PCI-DDS are being worked on.

ContactCare in Suriname is part of ContactCare Group BV, a registered B-Corp. Management is local and is managed by Christopher GitsThe company has been active since 2023 and now owns a second (historic) building in the city of Paramaribo. This will more than triple its capacity by the end of 2025. Its growth ambitions extend even further: ContactCare aims to grow to 300 employees. It works in Dutch and English for six different clients. Its service offerings include voice, digital, finance, and WFM-as-a-service. The company strongly believes in the development of the Surinamese BPO market and anticipates a gradual expansion of its services, from executive back-office and customer service activities to value-added partnerships with international clients.

CustomConnect, of which capabilitybpo is a part, has been active in Suriname since 2018 and is led by Managing Director Jacques JonkerCustom Connect operates from ten locations in the Netherlands, Suriname, and South Africa. Custom Connect has also significantly expanded its capacity in Suriname to 575 seats and is therefore committed to growth; although the number of employees has remained relatively stable, a third location is not being ruled out. The employees provide customer service in Dutch and English (both voice and digital), back-office and data services, and WFM services to eleven different clients. The website lists brands such as BudgetEnergie, SBN, Zara, Arriva, Nationale Postcode Loterij, and VodafoneZiggo. Custom Connect holds ISO 27001 certifications and plans to implement ISO 14001 this year. The company claims to adhere to a COPC way of working. It is also Ecovadis Bronze certified.

DHC Offshore DHC has been active in Suriname and the Netherlands since 2020, focusing on its operations with 55 seats. In Suriname, the company has a partnership with CloudTeams, which leases 25 seats; DHC also operates five additional seats for other clients. DHC employs approximately 5 people and has a diverse management team led by Jay Gobardhan. DHC serves clients in retail, logistics, travel, e-commerce, software, technology, and health, operating in Dutch, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In addition to regular customer contact services, DHC also offers WFM services. A voicebot was also recently launched.

DIRECT customer contact After several years of collaboration through partners Gateway and Callfactory, the company has had its own branch in Suriname since the end of 2024; the move to its permanent location will follow in September. The company is led by Rob WenninkDIRECT customer contact started with 14 seats and 21 employees, but its growth ambitions are strong and structured, including in the field of digitalization. The company serves a large number of clients in sectors such as construction, installation technology, housing associations, parking, charging, recreation, and business services; its website lists fifteen clients, including Zoomers, DuraVermeer, EasyPark, EuroParcs, and Heijmans. DIRECT customer contact is working towards ISO 27001 and ISO 18295 certification and, in addition to being a member of the KSF (Dutch Association of Service Providers), also plans to join the VCCS.

Duttenhofer Outsourcing Company DOC was founded by director/owner Jesse Duttenhofer. DOC has been active in Suriname since 2020. The company provides back-office/administrative and customer service services. The company did not respond to requests for information from Ziptone.

Engine Outsourcing Services Engine is the result of a management buyout at the end of 2023. Engine occupies a unique position in this market overview: the company does not consider itself a contact center and focuses primarily on administration and general customer service in logistics services. In this area, it serves six clients from the European logistics sector (transport, import/export, VAT) in English and Dutch. The company is managed from the Netherlands by the managing director Tamina TosariAbdel Herrenberg is the Operations Director in Suriname. The company currently has six B2B clients and aims to expand further.

ETB Support Solutions is active in several countries and has been present in Suriname since early 2022. The Surinamese branch is headed by country director Rishi RambharosThe services are offered in Dutch, English, and Spanish and range from inbound and outbound voice and non-voice (digital, email, chat) to services such as order entry, data enrichment, WFM, AI solutions, software testing, and winback. In Suriname, ETB focuses on verticals such as energy, healthcare, telecom, retail, accounting, and finance. The operation has grown in the past year, which has led ETB to open a second location around the turn of the year. ETB aims to grow further to 250-300 FTEs. The company aims to remain small-scale, flexible, and pragmatic, but has sufficient capacity to serve large clients. Personal attention to customers and employees is central to this, according to the company. Three clients are currently being served from Paramaribo, one of which is Eneco. The Paramaribo location is certified for ISO 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 18295, ISO 22301, and ISO 14001.

Global Support Company is an initiative of Mark de Vos en Lucas Kuin, who until the beginning of this year were the management and co-owners of Fietsenwinkel.nl. After outsourcing customer service to De Hollandse Centrale in Suriname, they started their own call center in Suriname. Global Support Company is led by Randall Napo and came out in April 2025 with positive news about growthThere are currently four clients. After expanding with a second, adjacent building, the company has a potential capacity of up to 250 workstations. Global Support Company provides all customer service and WFM services in Dutch and English.

Logical Moderator Solutions (LMS) has been in existence since 2012. The company is led by CEO Orano RoseLMS offers virtual assistants, data entry workers, and agents for inbound and outbound voice and digital customer contact services, as well as WFM services, in Dutch, English, and Spanish. The company currently has 23 FTEs. The company focuses on sectors such as e-commerce, logistics, technical support, and ICT, and currently serves clients such as Gofo, VidaXL, and CRM Solvers. The company is committed to providing an authentic work environment where discrimination is completely unacceptable. Every employee is valued, with attention paid to mental health, personal development, and future goals.

MisterChat will be completed in the spring of 2023 Jan Pieter Vreeken launched in Suriname. The company has also launched operations in Valencia, providing on-call services (the majority of its work) and customer service via channels like chat, phone, and email to a large number of e-commerce and retail companies. The company did not respond to requests for information this year.

Norsou360 is led from the US by Kathleen KromodimedjoThe company launched in the summer of 2022 and provides English-language services in the areas of voice, digital, data enrichment, and back-office services, including auditing and claims processing. Norsou360 focuses primarily on companies in regulated sectors. Norsou Suriname works for two clients: Covenant Healthshare and Iron Health Benefits, both health care programs in the US. The company strives for long-term partnerships. The company is preparing for SOC2 certification and plans to expand to approximately 100 seats in the next few years.

ProCall Center has been active in Suriname since 2012. Last year, the company had 45 seats and 55 employees and aimed for growth of 15 to 20 percent. Whether this growth was actually achieved is impossible to say, as the company declined to provide figures this year. The company offers customer service for telephone, email, and digital channels; administration, ICT and recruitment support; and back-office and financial support. The company states that it is selective in its partnerships, works with dedicated employees, and seeks partners willing to invest in a long-term relationship and high quality.

Qrown Support International is part of Qrown Support in the Netherlands. The company launched in Paramaribo in 2024, offering customer contact (voice/digital) and back-office services. Its further development is unclear; it declined to provide information for this market overview.

strongbow Founded in 2007, Strongbow is an independent Surinamese company with – based on older figures – two locations in Suriname. In addition to customer service, Strongbow also offers other services such as accounting and payroll services. The company focuses on target groups such as healthcare and retail. The company declines to name its clients, but its website lists Toyota, Kyocera, and DHL, among others. The company, which seeks online publicity as Call center Suriname, did not respond to requests for information from Ziptone this year.

Teleperformance (TP) is one of the largest employers in Suriname. In recent years, its operations in Suriname have grown to five locations, which now employ approximately 1.600 people. The locations are managed by a mixed management team and supported from the Netherlands. TP serves clients with a variety of customer contact services (inbound, outbound, voice, and digital) in Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Well-known brands served by TP include Albert Heijn, Bol.com, Etos, Samsung, and Zalando. The Surinamese operation is certified for ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 37001, ISO 37301, ISO 45001, PCI-DSS, SOC2 Type I & Type II. The company emphasizes employee development through online learning environments and leadership programs, and offers higher professional education scholarships for employees.

Telesupport-Netherlands Effective February 2025, Telesupport-Nederland is the new name for HSCS NV, which stood for High Quality Service Center Suriname. The company has been active since 2012 and is owned by Holland Energie. Because the company has not provided data in recent years, it is unclear whether there has been any growth. Telesupport-Nederland claims to provide services in the areas of front office (all channels), back office, sales support, sales, financial administration, and energy expertise. According to its website, Telesupport-Nederland has clients such as Energy Focus, Laadkompas, Holland Energie, and Zonnemarkt.

Tol Vermeulen, co-founder of Tolzo (active in Suriname since 2013, with approximately 2024 employees in 80) declined to participate in the new edition of this market overview and therefore did not provide any information. "We do things differently, we have our own strategy and working methods, we don't follow the standard approach of the large group, let alone interfere with the VCCS," Vermeulen stated. "Our motto is: 'let them guess.'"

VANAD Engage nam last year Inspire about After previously collaborating for several years under a subcontracting arrangement, Inspire had three locations in 2024 with a total of approximately 250 seats. Since its acquisition by VANAD Engage, that company has grown further to 250 employees and 400 seats. This makes Engage one of the larger players in Paramaribo. The operation is led by country director Zinho ParisiusThere are ambitions to expand with an additional location and further invest in the rollout of AI services. Engage provides customer contact, back-office, and WFM services and holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and Ecovadis certifications, as well as an AFM license for health insurance advice and brokerage. The company works in the customer contact area for clients including Jumbo, Ben, Odido, Transavia, Greenwheels, DHL, VistaPrint, and ComfortPartners.

WEngage Suriname has been active in Suriname since October 2023. The Surinamese operation is supported by the BeNL organization. At the time of its 2024 reporting, the company had four clients served by dedicated teams and aimed to grow from 2024 to 250 seats by the end of 350. The company also aims to be ISO 27001 certified by then. Whether these goals have been achieved is unclear; the company declined to provide information this year.

Wise Support NV started in September 2023 and is led by Moreno Noorden-Pardjo. The company operates in customer service, back-office tasks, data entry, transcription, B2B phone acquisition, lead follow-up, and recruitment. Last year, the company expressed its ambition to build strong relationships and trust to prove its capabilities and further grow. Whether these ambitions have been realized is unclear; the company did not respond to Ziptone's inquiries this year.

Yource has been active in Suriname since 2013 through a partnership with subcontractor Sure|Aim; the company started its own operation in 2023 after the acquisition of Sure|AimThe Surinamese operation has since grown to four locations; according to 2024 figures, there are approximately 750 employees. The company did not respond to requests for updated data this year.

Research accountability – In the 2025 edition of this market research, the editors identified 43 companies offering customer contact services or BPO services focused on CX from Suriname. Of these, 27 companies were included in the 2025 market overview. It is reasonable to assume that these 27 companies are actually active. Extensive input was received from 15 of the included companies via a standard questionnaire. Information available from publicly available sources was included for players who did not respond or declined to participate this year.

Last year, ContactSu BPO, which claimed to have 50 employees and 50 seats, was still listed in the market overview, but this year it was removed. The company and its manager, Jurgill Burnett, seem to have vanished like snow in the sun. Also removed from the list: NV Global Online Moderators, which claims to have been providing IT, marketing, administration, data processing, and inbound and outbound telephony services to customers abroad since 2017. The company has never responded to inquiries from Ziptone. And finally, Gateway Services removed from the market overview. This company, which according to its website has been active in six countries, nine languages, and with more than 2015 end customers since 9, again declined to respond to inquiries from Ziptone this year. Until recently, it was one of the partners with which DIRECT customer contact collaborated, but that partnership ended last year.

Companies for which, as in previous years, no (new) information was available have been removed from the overview this year. These include RGC Services NV, Telelynk, @TheCenter NV, TeleSolutions, Outvance, Suppledesk, Tele Marketing Service, RichPay Online Moderators, United People Marketing, Integrated Omni Solutions NV, and Outsourcing Company Suriname.

This market overview may be supplemented or updated from time to time.

Corrections and additions: An earlier version of this article stated that Lucas Kuin and Mark de Vos were the joint directors and co-owners of Fietsenwinkel.nl; they have not been since January 2025, and this has been corrected in the current version of this article.

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