US customer service software company Zendesk is expanding its Chat Development Centre in Singapore, which is also the company's Asia-Pacific commercial headquarters, with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

The centre, which will accommodate more than 120 staff, is set to hire more developers and engineers for the Zendesk Chat product over the next few years, the firm announced yesterday.

Zendesk set up its office at Haw Par Technocentre in Commonwealth Drive after acquiring homegrown start-up Zopim Technologies, which specialised in Chat technology, for US$30 million (S$56 million) in 2014.

Since the acquisition, Zendesk said it has grown its business here, with a 40 per cent year on year increase of paid customer accounts to end-December last year.

Its Singapore customers include Lazada, FoodPanda, British Council Singapore and Singtel.

"Singapore is a key international market for us and our commercial headquarters in the Apac region. It is home to a highly skilled workforce that understands technology and embraces innovation," said Zendesk chief executive officer Mikkel Svane.

As the Chat Development Centre expands, Zendesk will focus on hiring for its Chat Research and Development team over the next few years. It will continue to tap deep engineering talent in Singapore, exploring opportunities to partner with local universities and research institutes to complement its efforts in product innovation and commercialisation, the company added.

EDB assistant managing director Kiren Kumar said: "By leveraging Singapore's growing talent eco-system for digital, Zendesk is able to push the boundaries of big data analytics to carry out end-to-end development of its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for a global clientele.

"We hope that this partnership will help inspire young Singaporeans about the transformational and scalable possibilities in the digital sector, and support our drive to build an innovation-led economy."