Call Center Tidings – positive growth over the last week

Announced call center hiring activity is notably higher than in the earliest weeks of 2010. Centralized call center solutions throughout North America remain a field of relative growth despite an economy that is only just beginning to find it’s feet once more. The variety of businesses outsourcing their customer support or providing these added services in house provides an indicator that the industry is returning to moderate growth. Interestingly I’m also seeing press releases about nearshore outsourcing, as business is returning to a service platform within North America after experimenting with solutions in Asia. The next few years will see attrition and growth in equal measures according to industry experts and by 2011 the net labour force in the US and Canada employed in call centers will return to growth.

We’ll use the Miratel blog to track stories of call center openings, expansions and closure to provide a better gauge of the overall trend. North American centers provide the high level of service and improved cost effectiveness to narrow the offshore gap. As the market changes as do all of the best call centers.

Notable gains Feb 17-24

600 – Telecom Service Center rapidly expanding in Florida

175 –  Financial services adds staff to expansion in North Carolina

600 – AllState plan to fill 600 positions in Texas

1,400 – US census creates temporary positions in Georgia

50 – Yahoo add first phase of staff to new operations in Nebraska

Notable losses  Feb 17-24

350 – Continental Airlines,  350 staff will leave their reservations departments

200 Red Box, DVD kiosk innovators to shed positions in Illinois

280 – Houston service center loses staff due to loss of ‘major customer’

So the news is mixed for the last week but overall a positive trend. Putting the temporary positions to one side, there remains a net gain of 595 positions from the announced press releases over the last seven days. Stay in touch with the Miratel blog for current call center news and innovations.