Canadian telecommunications firm Telus said yesterday that it would close 38 contact centers, leading to the elimination of approximately 1,800 teleservices positions.
The move will reduce the company's call centers from 66 to 28. The closed call centers will be consolidated into facilities in the vicinities of Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, Telus said. The cutbacks will be complete by early next year, Telus said. The centers being closed provided operator, repair, collections, customer care and outbound telemarketing functions.
Telus also will close 33 of 40 retail stores in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.
According to Telus, most the eliminated workers will be offered early retirement and voluntary departure incentive programs. Depending on how many accept packages, the company may avoid the need for layoffs, Telus said.
Over the last 12 months, Telus has scaled back 1,000 management positions throughout the company. Combined with the consolidation announced yesterday, the cuts represent a 25 percent decrease in the company's workforce.
