Even in today's difficult economy, companies continue to design and build new call centers. These centers are in low-cost locations with ample labor. The buildings represent state-of-the-art design.

CENTRATEK
MCALLEN, TX

A state-of-the-art call center is being built in Mission/McAllen, TX, near the Mexican border whose developer, Hunt Power (Dallas, TX), is looking for tenants through its CentraTek subsidiary.

If a call center signs on in March, the building at the Sharyland Plantation site could be ready to take calls and contacts in July 2002.

The building, the Sustainable Technology Business Center (STBC), designed by Kingsland Scott Bauer Associates (Pittsburgh, PA) totals 75,000 square feet with three equal-size modules that accommodate 250 workstations each.

If the Mission/McAllen project proves successful, there may be more STBCs elsewhere in the US.

The STBC features plenty of natural light through clerestory windows, skylights and side windows that reach 64% of the floor area. Heating, ventilating and air conditioning units sit on overhead equipment rails for easy addition and maintenance. Fresh air is fed and hot exhaust removed through under-floor ducts.

The project has a huge parking ratio of ten spaces per 1,000 square feet (10:1). That's more than double the typical office parking ratios of 4:1 and above the 6:1 to 7:1 ratios that consultants say are ideal for call centers. The property has room for two additional modules, or 500 seats, which the ample parking can accommodate.

Call centers need more parking per 1,000 square foot than conventional offices because they squeeze more people into the same space. Multiple work shifts at call centers generates more traffic - and, hence, greater space requirements - in parking areas.

King White, vice president of Trammell Crow Call Center Site Selection Group (Dallas, TX), thinks the Hunt building has potential. But he awaits the facility's completion before passing final comment.

"I think the new building is a great practical concept," he says. "It has a great conceptual design that is ideal for creating a state-of-the-art call center. It can prove to be much easier for a call center to move into a new shell [building] construction customizable to their needs than to renovate an existing structure that will always have hidden costs."

AMERICREDIT
PETERBOROUGH,ONTARIO, CANADA

One challenge of locating call centers in small cities is finding adequate property when the centers need it. This is especially true in Canada where the country's more conservative business culture does not encourage speculative building to the scale seen in the US.

Answering that challenge, the Greater Peterborough (Ontario) Area Economic Development Corporation (GPAEDC) asked local developers in 2000 to suggest ways to provide new buildings quickly.

Signum Corporation (Peterborough, ON) responded by investigating building methods and processes that could be pre-engineered and manufactured off-site, such as factory-made acrylic exterior panels. Manufacturing off-site takes less time. It also permits building installation during cold winter months.

The developer contracted with an architect, Petroff Partnership (Toronto, ON), to design the exterior, and with Stinson Design (Houston, TX) to design the interior.

Signum submitted its response to the GPAEDC. When AmeriCredit, represented by Arledge/Power Real Estate Group (Dallas, TX), came to Peterborough to locate its call center, the GPAEDC brought Signum's proposal to AmeriCredit's attention.

AmeriCredit and Arledge/Power had earlier sought, without success, a facility with adequate space and parking that could be renovated into a call center. The developer convinced Arledge/Power and AmeriCredit that it could construct a new call center quickly.

The firm developed a design and plan for a new building in one week. The proposed building had 89,400 square feet with 500 workstations on two floors with plenty of parking: eight spaces per 1,000 square feet.

Arledge/Power and AmeriCredit settled on Peterborough and the Signum building after examining 60 other cities. AmeriCredit signed the lease on December 1, 2000. Agents began taking calls 28 weeks later, in July 2001.

"It is not the design that makes the difference when you are planning a new building on a tight deadline, but the building process," says Signum's president John MacDonald.

BUILDING A CALL CENTER IN INDIA

Many companies have or are considering opening call centers in India, most often in partnerships with local firms. The country has a vast supply of educated, low-cost labor. Its voice/data infrastructure is also improving, in part through deregulation.

But there are special construction and design features that must be considered when locating there, like robust on-site power and additional training space, as the experience of global outsourcer Convergys reveals.

The firm opened its first Indian call center, for customer service and technical support, in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, in October 2001. The center is located near the offices of other multinational firms including Coca-Cola, GE, Motorola and Nestle.

The call center has room for up to 1,900 seats across 200,000 square feet on six stories. Convergys initially began operations with 300 workstations and plans to occupy the entire building.

During its site search, Convergys found the property, which had been slated for an office. But the prospective anchor tenant had pulled out, leaving the foundations and design in place.

Dennis Ross, Convergys' manager of offshore operations, says that nabbing the property saved Convergys several months getting operational compared with building from scratch. Convergys was also able to more completely customize the building based on typical US standards.

Convergys' plan for the Gurgaon center differed from the building and renovation of its US and Canadian centers. For example, Convergys had to put in bus loops and shelters. While Indian employees increasingly drive to work, most still expect companies to transport them with shuttle buses and vans.

Convergys also installed motorcycle racks. Many agents who get to work by themselves ride motorcycles, which are less expensive to buy and maintain. They're also more flexible to operate on India's chaotic roads than cars.

The outsourcer also put in a large full-service cafeteria, compared with the simple lunchroom and vending machines typical in the US or Canada.

"You don't have the culture nor the outlets for fast food or restaurants off-site in India as you do in the US or Canada," explains Ross.

Convergys' Indian call center, like many of its North American counterparts, has on-site diesel-driven electrical generators.

But because India's commercial power system is still not very reliable, the on-site generators are larger and have enough fuel to run the entire call center for up to 20 days, compared to typical US generators that would run for seven days.

Even in today's difficult economy, companies continue to design and build new call centers. These centers are in low-cost locations with ample labor. The buildings represent state-of-the-art design.

CENTRATEK
MCALLEN, TX

A state-of-the-art call center is being built in Mission/McAllen, TX, near the Mexican border whose developer, Hunt Power (Dallas, TX), is looking for tenants through its CentraTek subsidiary.

If a call center signs on in March, the building at the Sharyland Plantation site could be ready to take calls and contacts in July 2002.

The building, the Sustainable Technology Business Center (STBC), designed by Kingsland Scott Bauer Associates (Pittsburgh, PA) totals 75,000 square feet with three equal-size modules that accommodate 250 workstations each.

If the Mission/McAllen project proves successful, there may be more STBCs elsewhere in the US.

The STBC features plenty of natural light through clerestory windows, skylights and side windows that reach 64% of the floor area. Heating, ventilating and air conditioning units sit on overhead equipment rails for easy addition and maintenance. Fresh air is fed and hot exhaust removed through under-floor ducts.

The project has a huge parking ratio of ten spaces per 1,000 square feet (10:1). That's more than double the typical office parking ratios of 4:1 and above the 6:1 to 7:1 ratios that consultants say are ideal for call centers. The property has room for two additional modules, or 500 seats, which the ample parking can accommodate.

Call centers need more parking per 1,000 square foot than conventional offices because they squeeze more people into the same space. Multiple work shifts at call centers generates more traffic - and, hence, greater space requirements - in parking areas.

King White, vice president of Trammell Crow Call Center Site Selection Group (Dallas, TX), thinks the Hunt building has potential. But he awaits the facility's completion before passing final comment.

"I think the new building is a great practical concept," he says. "It has a great conceptual design that is ideal for creating a state-of-the-art call center. It can prove to be much easier for a call center to move into a new shell building construction customizable to their needs than to renovate an existing structure that will always have hidden costs."

AMERICREDIT
PETERBOROUGH,ONTARIO, CANADA

One challenge of locating call centers in small cities is finding adequate property when the centers need it. This is especially true in Canada where the country's more conservative business culture does not encourage speculative building to the scale seen in the US.

Answering that challenge, the Greater Peterborough (Ontario) Area Economic Development Corporation (GPAEDC) asked local developers in 2000 to suggest ways to provide new buildings quickly.

Signum Corporation (Peterborough, ON) responded by investigating building methods and processes that could be pre-engineered and manufactured off-site, such as factory-made acrylic exterior panels. Manufacturing off-site takes less time. It also permits building installation during cold winter months.

The developer contracted with an architect, Petroff Partnership (Toronto, ON), to design the exterior, and with Stinson Design (Houston, TX) to design the interior.

Signum submitted its response to the GPAEDC. When AmeriCredit, represented by Arledge/Power Real Estate Group (Dallas, TX), came to Peterborough to locate its call center, the GPAEDC brought Signum's proposal to AmeriCredit's attention.

AmeriCredit and Arledge/Power had earlier sought, without success, a facility with adequate space and parking that could be renovated into a call center. The developer convinced Arledge/Power and AmeriCredit that it could construct a new call center quickly.

The firm developed a design and plan for a new building in one week. The proposed building had 89,400 square feet with 500 workstations on two floors with plenty of parking: eight spaces per 1,000 square feet.

Arledge/Power and AmeriCredit settled on Peterborough and the Signum building after examining 60 other cities. AmeriCredit signed the lease on December 1, 2000. Agents began taking calls 28 weeks later, in July 2001.

"It is not the design that makes the difference when you are planning a new building on a tight deadline, but the building process," says Signum's president John MacDonald.

BUILDING A CALL CENTER IN INDIA

Many companies have or are considering opening call centers in India, most often in partnerships with local firms. The country has a vast supply of educated, low-cost labor. Its voice/data infrastructure is also improving, in part through deregulation.

But there are special construction and design features that must be considered when locating there, like robust on-site power and additional training space, as the experience of global outsourcer Convergys reveals.

The firm opened its first Indian call center, for customer service and technical support, in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, in October 2001. The center is located near the offices of other multinational firms including Coca-Cola, GE, Motorola and Nestle.

The call center has room for up to 1,900 seats across 200,000 square feet on six stories. Convergys initially began operations with 300 workstations and plans to occupy the entire building.

During its site search, Convergys found the property, which had been slated for an office. But the prospective anchor tenant had pulled out, leaving the foundations and design in place.

Dennis Ross, Convergys' manager of offshore operations, says that nabbing the property saved Convergys several months getting operational compared with building from scratch. Convergys was also able to more completely customize the building based on typical US standards.

Convergys' plan for the Gurgaon center differed from the building and renovation of its US and Canadian centers. For example, Convergys had to put in bus loops and shelters. While Indian employees increasingly drive to work, most still expect companies to transport them with shuttle buses and vans.

Convergys also installed motorcycle racks. Many agents who get to work by themselves ride motorcycles, which are less expensive to buy and maintain. They're also more flexible to operate on India's chaotic roads than cars.

The outsourcer also put in a large full-service cafeteria, compared with the simple lunchroom and vending machines typical in the US or Canada.

"You don't have the culture nor the outlets for fast food or restaurants off-site in India as you do in the US or Canada," explains Ross.

Convergys' Indian call center, like many of its North American counterparts, has on-site diesel-driven electrical generators.

But because India's commercial power system is still not very reliable, the on-site generators are larger and have enough fuel to run the entire call center for up to 20 days, compared to typical US generators that would run for seven days.