New call centre to create 500 jobs

A new call centre in Dublin which will service large multinational companies is to create 500 new jobs as part of an IDA-backed investment.

SITEL Europe is expanding SITEL TMS, its Irish operation, which is located in the Western Parkway Business Centre, in Ballymount, Co Dublin. The company to meet increasing international demand is recruiting the employees for an English-language centre.

The eventual size of the new centre has yet to be decided and it is likely to be moved out of the Western Parkway facility. The size of the capital investment in the project is said to be small.

The company's business involves winning outsourcing contracts from large multinationals for almost all kinds of call centre activity. The new centre will link up with SITEL's worldwide network of call centres which handle everything from tele-marketing to technical support. Among SITEL's clients are Microsoft, Motorola, 3 Com, British Gas and Coca-Cola.

Recruitment to the new centre has already begun and 120 people are in the process of joining the company. Yesterday the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said the project is particularly welcome because it is a English language centre and will not confine itself to recruiting multilingual employees.

SITEL's client base is drawn from numerous sectors, such as technology, consumer products, insurance, utilities media and entertainment. In addition to serving these sectors, it will also offer consultancy services under the L&R Group brand.

The company already has over 12,900 work stations in more than 75 call centres in 19 states throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

An expanding area, which the new centre will seek to exploit, is direct response television campaigns. This is where a product is sold through television and is then ordered through a call centre operation, like SITEL.

Mr Tony Mary, president of SITEL Europe said one of the reasons for choosing Ireland as a location was the commitment the Government has made to ensure teleservices are recognised.

"The Government's initiative to create 700 new university places for teleservices is a demonstration of that strategic commitment".

Ms Harney said the project would provide great opportunities for young people coming from second and third level education.

An IDA spokesman said the SITEL announcement was one of the largest English-language projects secured for the Republic in recent times. "We have been on a major drive for those type of call centres for the last few months and this one is very welcome".