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Call Center Growth in U.S. Creating New Jobs

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

The growth of any industry on U.S. soil is good for the economy. When that industry is one that traditionally shifted work overseas, the renewed focus on the creation of U.S.-based opportunities is a boost to morale. Let’s take a look at recent call center growth throughout the nation, drilling down on the six latest developments.

Department store Kohl’s is set to open a 300-employee call center located in Dallas, Texas. The company already operates a few other call center locations in Texas. This latest development is focused on support for credit-card holders and the company’s eCommerce division, a growing portion of its business. Employment at this center is set to rise to more than 1,500 over the next four years, with a scheduled opening of late spring 2014.

Growth is creating opportunities for Time Warner (News - Alert) Cable. The communications giant is considering the former Sheehan Memorial Hospital building in downtown Buffalo as a potential site for its new regional call center. If launched, this center would create as many as 300 new jobs and support the provider’s Business Class service. Potential sites along the East Coast are also under consideration.

As states throughout the nation gear up for the deployment of the Affordable Care Act, exchanges are being set up to assist citizens with identifying and purchasing health insurance. MAXIMUS has been tapped to operate such an exchange for the state of Maryland, signing a new contract with the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange for the operation of the Consolidated Service Center. The $36 million contract started on June 3, 2013 and runs through December 31, 2017.

In the state of Louisiana, roughly 200 new jobs are set to be created with a new call center in Bigalusa. General Dynamics (News - Alert) is scheduled to open the center later this summer, housing the center in a former Sitel location. This announcement is great news for the local community as Sitel left the area in 2011, taking with it 149 jobs.

New jobs are slated for Bristol as U.S. Solutions Group Inc. is expanding in the area. In addition to creating 128 new jobs, the expansion represents an $117,000 investment in Sullivan County, Tennessee. The company opened its first call center in the state in October of 2012, creating 548 jobs and investing $4.1 million. Services provided from its call centers include billing support, toll free customer care, Web inquiry support, national hotlines, technical support and even professional contact management services.

Job seekers in Wichita will have a new opportunity as Starwood Hotels & Resorts is now recruiting for its new call center. Not only is this development creating opportunities for local citizens, it’s also drawing in great talent for the company seeking to extend support for its brand.

As companies continue to respond to the demand by customers to keep support in the states, new jobs are likely to continue to pop up. Business development initiatives not always focused on call center development may want to take a second look.