Sitel Expands in Canada
Sitel is opening two new contact centers in Canada this month that will employ 1,200 agents and serve customers in Canada and the United States. One will be in Montreal, the other in St. Catherines, Ontario.The Baltimore-based call center company operates 74 facilities in 19 countries using 25 languages and employing 25,000. It already has three facilities in Canada -- in Montreal; Toronto; and Calgary, Alberta.
The three facilities employ 600 people, and the new facilities will triple Sitel's Canadian employment, one reason why the Canadian government helped the company to expand.
"We did not get monetary incentives from the federal or provincial governments," said spokesman Bill Sims, "but they were very helpful with job training incentives and in finding the right location."
The company opened the second Montreal center because additional space could not be found in the existing facility and the demand for growth was there.
Sitel clients in Canada include Puralator, a courier company; and Ontario Hydro Energy, a utility that formed a subsidiary to bundle energy and phone bills.
Despite the Canadian expansion, Sitel's foreign operations are uneven. It sold its operation in Japan last year to a Japanese company that is handling business for Sitel clients there.
