Inbound Customer Service Centers
MCI, which had operated a large call center in northeast Rockford was downsizing. NCO, which operates a $1.1 billion network of 101 call centers around the world, was expanding.
“We needed another site in North America because our customer requires their customer service calls be done here. Rockford was a perfect fit for us at the perfect time. It had quality employees and managers who had already received quality training. And the building MCI was vacating can accommodate our growth,” explained James McGrath, NCO Senior VP of Operations. He oversees the Rockford facilities and six others in the U.S. and Canada.
NCO’s building is an 85,000 sq. ft. monster that will more than accommodate NCO’s expected need to add 500 employees in 2006 to the 500 it already employs.
The call center industry is seeing increasing demand for North American centers, according to McGrath.
“Not for the accent, really, but for the quality of service given to customers,” he said. “Some of our clients feel that technical functions are better handled here than overseas.”
“Rockford offered us everything we needed now and everything we’re likely to need in the foreseeable future. The decision to expand here was an easy one. We have a great facility and great people with a high level of training here in Rockford.”
NCO attributes 75% of its operational costs to employee salaries. “When you have that much money tied up in people, it’s important to have quality people. We’ve found Rockford area workers to be prompt, dedicated and hard-working,” said McGrath.
The customer service/call center industry is just one many that are well-suited to the Rockford area. If you’re in the process of selecting a site for a new or expanding company, please call Janyce Fadden 815.987.8118 or email jfadden@rockfordil.com. She will be happy to help facilitate your site research and selection process for you.
Download the 2007 Carter Burgess Back Office/Call Center analysis. (pdf, 49 KB)