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Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Call Center Report: Feb. 7-18
A massive double dose of our weekly compendium of call centers that are opening, closing, and making the news around the world.
Verizon Wireless is opening a call center in Albuquerque, New Mexico that could employee as many as 1,000 people.
KOBTV 4, 18 Feb. 2006
After their buyout of credit card company MBNA, Bank of America will be closing a Dover, Delaware MBNA call center that employs about 25 people. The larger, 600-person center, also in Dover, will not be affected.
Delaware Online, 17 Feb. 2006
The IBM-run General Motors call center in Hillsboro, Oregon will close within 18 months, putting 600 people out of work. IBM got the contract to run three GM call centers last summer. The Tampa, Florida center will also close, but the 500-employee Austin, Texas center will only face a staff reduction.
Statesman Journal, 17 Feb. 2006
The Washington, D.C.-based hotel chain Marriot will close a 159-person Stockton, California call center in March. A job fair is being organized to help agents find new jobs.
Recordnet.com, 17 Feb. 2006
Avis Europe, the rental car company, is closing its Manchester, UK call center and offering 180 of the center's 210 employees the option of moving to Barcelona, Spain, where the center is relocating.
Silicon.com, 17 Feb. 2006
Ontario-based outsourcer NuComm International is hiring 400 people for its Barrie, Ontario call center. The company has centers in Ontario and New Brunswick in Canada, and in the Philippines.
CJAD Radio, 16 Feb. 2006
A General Motors call center in Tampa, Florida run by IBM will gradually lay off its 400 employees until it closes in December.
Tampa Bay's 10 News, 16 Feb. 2006
The UK driving school BSM will close a 60-agent call center in Wakefield, West Yorkshire in the UK. It will close in July.
Post Magazine, 16 Feb. 2006
Canadian outsourcer Help Desk Now, which runs a 300-person call center in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, held a job fair in Gander, Newfoundland, hoping to hire 100 people for a new center.
CBC News, 16 Feb. 2006
CJ Garland & Co., a UK call center outsourcer, is hiring 150 people in their centers in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton, all in Teesside, England.
ITV, 15 Feb. 2006
Italy opened an emergency call center to tackle citizen concern over the bird flu after infected swans were found in the country. The center opened on February 13, and got more than 5,000 calls in two days -- more than expected. Belgium opened a similar center last month.
AGI Online, 14 Feb. 2006
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK is opening a call center in Birmingham, England.
Reifenpresse, 13 Feb. 2006
A 20-seat call center is opening in Davao City, Philippines. The center, which will serve American callers, will grow to 200 seats.
Sun Star, 12 Feb. 2006
The Oregon Volunteer Fire Fighters Association is opening a 100-person fundraising call center in Coos Bay, Oregon.
The Wordlink.com, 11 Feb. 2006
Plano, Texas-based outsourcer EDS is closing its 220-person Lansing, Michigan call center.
WLNS News 6, 11 Feb. 2006
Outsourcer Advanced Services Inc. is closing the 108-person Tempe, Arizona call center that handles GE Consumer & Industrial's appliances calls. The outsourcer's Rapid City, South Dakota and Memphis, Tennessee call centers will take over the GE contract.
Arizona Republic, 11 Feb. 2006
Plantation, Florida-based outsourcer PRC is opening a call center in Jacksonville, North Carolina. At full capacity, the center will employ 600.
South Florida Business Journal, 9 Feb. 2006
The Department of Veterans Affairs Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics is opening a primary care call center in White City, Oregon to answer calls from the 11,000 people who use the clinic.
Mail Tribune, 9 Feb. 2006
Newton, Pennsylvania-based ICT Group is opening its third Philippine call center. It is expected to employ at least 800.
Philadelphia Business Journal, 9 Feb. 2006
The islands of American Samoa are getting into the call center business. The local government is setting up a 150-person center with hopes of employing 600. A company called Information Technology American Samoa is being set up to build and run call centers there. Safelite Auto Glass may be their first customer.
Pacific Magazine, 9 Feb. 2006
Merrimack, New Hampshire-based PC Connection is opening a call center in Addison, Texas.
Houston Chronicle, 9 Feb. 2006
An 84-person call center in Mahon, Ireland is closing. CIMS, a credit card insurance company, offered to move jobs to its main center in Portsmouth, England, but most agents were angry at the idea.
Irish Examiner, 9 Feb. 2006
Harris Connect of Chesapeake, Virginia is opening a 250-person call center in San Antonio, Texas. The company makes directories for schools, among other services.
My San Antonio.com, 7 Feb. 2006
In other news: the Cwmbran, Wales call center in which employees worked without guaranteed pay has made Welsh headlines again for its "healthy eating drive," adopting celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's tips.
Personnel Today reports that a call center for UK's low-fare airline EasyJet has successfully unionized.
After a Tulsa, Oklahoma call center run by Decision One was sold to Alorica, about 80 employees haven't received the raises they were promised. The workers are mad, says KOTV 6.
A Belize TV station reported on a call center with sexual harassment problems.
An English-language newspaper in Russia has a short profile of a guy who started as an agent and worked his way up to a deputy director at a MegaFon call center.
Posted by Harry Sheff on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 at 2:28 PM
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