Today I'm looking at how the powerhouse of our business - our people - has changed since I joined Sykes in 2016. We've gone from two hundred people in two offices to nearly one thousand people based across over twenty offices spanning two continents in just five years. That's phenomenal growth.
Every year we've increased headcount, even in 2020. In the first two months of 2022, we've already achieved the headcount increase we made in 2021. Assuming we continue on this trajectory, 2022 looks set to be a record-breaking year for new colleagues joining the Sykes family.
It's interesting is to see which teams are driving this growth. Our Technology and Product teams have expanded by 200% each since 2016. This capacity ensures we can optimise our internal systems whilst continuing to push the envelope. We've created an effective UX team to optimise our online experience and launched ambitious infrastructure projects, such as setting the whole business up for hybrid working.
We've developed whole new functions, such as our Digital Media and Integration teams. These teams reflect our ambition - we're dedicating people to ensuring we do a great job of bringing new brands into the Sykes family - and our commitment to quality. Building a dedicated Digital Media team means we've been able to showcase our fantastic cottages with high-quality images. We're now strengthening that team with more people to develop exciting new channels to communicate with our customers, owners and people.
But despite our push in the technology and digital space, the personal touch matters more than ever. I was interested to see that - despite over 80% of our business taking place online - we've still grown our Reservations teams by over 200% in five years. Even in this increasingly online world, we still need more great people than ever providing expert advice that helps customers plan their perfect holiday.
If you would like to join our fantastic team of colleagues, please get in touch!.