Baird/Koning recently sent a newsletter of the Baird BPO Review for Call Center Outsourcing. Below is a summary of that newsletter:
Call Center Outsourcing Industry Datapoints
- Teleperformance signed a partnership agreement with Bookit.com. As part of the agreement, TP will serve Bookit.com’s customer base out of its contact center in Jamaica. Source: Market Watch
- The 2014 Tholons’ survey of top outsourcing destinations showed continued strong growth in the Philippines. Manila displaced Mumbai as the No. 2 destination (the Philippines had 7 cities in the top 100). The BPO sector contributes US $13.3 billion to the economy (up 15% yoy, second only to foreign remittances). Source: Borneo Post
Openings, Closings, and Expansions
- Teleperformance closed its office in Ann Arbor, MI resulting in the layoffs of 430 workers. Source: WKZO
- Teleperformance announced that it plans to increase its workforce at the Kilmarnock, UK facility by 15 people per month throughout 2014. Source: Contact Centres
- Sitel announced it is opening a new contact center in Las Vegas, NV. The facility will add over 200 jobs. Source: Fort Mill Times
- Sitel announced plans to cut 50 jobs at its Saint John, New Brunswick facility. The positions will be cut between February 26 and April 1 due to the changing business needs of one client. Source: CBC News
- Convergys announced plans to hire 100 new employees at its Jacksonville, FL facility. This announcement comes less than two weeks after Convergys announced they would be laying off 250 workers at this facility. The company is targeting military veterans and their spouses. Source: News 6 WECT
- Apogee announced it has opened a call center in El Paso, TX. The new facility currently employs 130 workers, but expects to ramp up to ~450 by the summer of 2014. Source: El Paso Times
- APAC Customer Services announced plans to add 100 employees to its Panama call center. This would bring the total at all four APAC call centers in Panama to 2,100. Source: Nearshore Americas
- TeleTech Holdings announced it will lay off nearly 200 employees at its facility in Amherst, OH. Source: Crain’s Cleveland Business
- Aegis announced they hired more than 600 military veterans and their spouses in 2013 mostly in Texas and Arizona. Source: ZEEBIZ.com
- Conduit Global announced plans to hire 1,000 employees at their Memphis, TN facility. The facility handles customer care for their wireless customers. Source: News Channel 3
- Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, announced it will hire 400 new call-center workers at its Fresno, CA location. The new workers will help with higher than anticipated call volumes. Source: Manteca Bulletin
- Startek announced plans to open a new call center in Carolina Forest, South Carolina. The new facility will create more than 600 jobs. Source: WMBF News
- Xerox announced plans to hire more than 75 full-time employees to support Kynect, Kentucky’s Health Benefit Exchange located in Lexington, KY. Source: Kentucky.com
- Serco announced it will add 50 additional jobs at its Burnie, Tazmania facility. This is on top of the 160 positions the company has committed to maintain at the Burnie location over the next five years. Source: The Advocate
- First Call Resolutions announced plans to hire 150 new people by June 2014 at its Veneta, OR facility. Source: KVAL
- SupportSave announced it will hire 100 additional employees during the quarter at its location in Cebu, Philippines. The company expects to add 200 employees by the end of 2014. Source: Sun Star Cebu
- Barclaycard announced it will open a new customer service center in Henderson, NV. The company expects to hire 400 new employees by the end of 2014; 700 by the end of 2015. Source: Las Vegas Review Journal
- BB&T bank announced it will close its Roanoke, VA call center by July 2015. The closure will eliminate 140 positions as part of a corporate reorganization. Source: Winston Salem Journal
- Zevas Communications announced it will hire 50 new employees at their Cork, Ireland facility. The facility currently services gas and electrical utilities, pharmaceutical companies, and telecom companies. Source: Irish Examiner
- Genesis Energy announced it will likely cut a number of jobs at its Hamilton, New Zealand call center. The job cuts come as part of a proposed management restructuring (not yet finalized). Source: Stuff
- Synergy Solutions announced that it is closing its Pensacola, FL facility. The closure will eliminate 100 jobs (some of the workers will stay on in other roles). Source: ABC 3 WEAR
- R Fundraising announced it is opening a new facility in Manchester, UK, creating up to 50 new jobs. Source: Manchester Evening News
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