Global customer service software provider Pleased.com has launched its brand-new office at the Three/NEO Building in Bonifacio Global City, aiming to employ over 100 Filipino tech professionals over the next year.
The company, founded four years ago by British tech entrepreneur Jonathan Sterling, previously operated remotely out of Europe. This signaled a shift to establish a permanent operational hub in Taguig to support its international growth.
Sterling explained that the firm aims to offer competitive engineering positions locally, allowing top software talent to build global tech careers without having to go overseas.
“I’m talking [about] engineers, people with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in STEM topics,” Sterling said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “[T]hen give them a high-quality job that they can do in the Philippines… You can make good money, but you can still stay in the culture that you love, and stay connected to your family and friends.”
Pleased.com has already onboarded its initial administrative staff alongside 10 Filipino software engineers, with plans to expand its local engineering group to 50 by the end of 2026.
The tech enterprise firm builds integrated customer management tools, including live chat, email ticketing and phone support systems, handling between six to seven million client interactions annually for international businesses such as Lithuanian credit provider Unlokk and African digital bank Tenn.io.
While artificial intelligence automates nearly 75 percent of customer inquiries on the platform, Sterling clarified that the company uses AI merely as a supportive tool to route complex issues to human agents when necessary.
“We’re kind of a blend of many things, but at our core we’re a customer service software company, and we use AI to deliver customer service at times, but not always,” Sterling noted. “AI is a tool that we use, but we are not an AI company.”
The new BGC headquarters will drive the company’s next phase: expanding its software services to small and mid-sized enterprises, particularly in the United States, through an easy-to-use self-service model.
“We try to be, for customer service software, what Stripe was for payment software,” Sterling added. “It’s very easy to get set up and running… all on your own, all within 10 minutes.”
Deepening Roots in the Country
Sterling, a former algorithmic trader who has resided in the Philippines for five years, is also active in local media and philanthropy. He co-founded Goat Creative Studios, the production company behind the reality docuseries Celeste Unscripted, starring his partner, Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi and manages the Sterling Scholarship Fund, which provides full college scholarships to students at UP Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.
Sterling highlighted that creating high-value jobs aligns with his broader goal of fostering long-term economic independence in the country.
“If I give somebody some money today or some food today, they’ll just go hungry tomorrow,” Sterling said. “But if we can provide jobs for hundreds of Filipinos, they’ll never go hungry again.”