Leading business process outsourcing firm 24/7 Customer on Thursday said it would hire another 2,000 people by December 2005, taking its headcount to 6,000 at its centres in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The company's revenues for the fiscal ending March 2005 are expected to touch $45 million, an increase of 114 per cent from last year's $21 million, its founder and CEO P V Kannan told reporters, after opening its centre in Chennai.

24/7 Customer is also looking to acquire a BPO company to further its expansion. It has earmarked about $25 million for the purpose, but has not set any time frame to complete the acquisition, he said.

Nasscom President Kiran Karnik inaugurated the Chennai facility. 24/7 Customer, which is handling customer servicing for a US-based PC maker, said the new recruitments are mainly for the Chennai and Hyderabad centres.

Currently, the company employs 4,000 people at its six centres, located in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

"With the setting up of this facility, 24/7 Customer will add 1,000 new jobs in Chennai in the next six to nine months," Kannan said.

Shanmugam Nagarajan, founder and chief operating officer, 24/7 Customer, said the company, which was expanding to meet the needs of its PC maker client, has added one more client recently.