Sitel employee: "We don't know what's going on"

The news that Nashville, Tenn.-Sitel is closing its Bogalusa Call Center, as first reported in the Bogalusa newspaper, caught workers by surprise Tuesday afternoon.

"We don't know what is going on," one employee said. "We've always had rumors, but this came out of the blue."


"I am officially out of a job as of July 18 uggghgh!!!!!!!!!!," one employee posted on Facebook.


The decision will result in the elimination of 149 jobs in Bogalusa. The Bogalusa site was one of several call centers, along with Asheville, NC, and Bartlesville, Okla., handling customer service calls for Providence, R.I.-based Citizens Financial Group and Charter One Bank, both operating divisions of the Royal Bank of Scotland.


The Bogalusa payroll included site supervisor Chad Luikart, H/R Director Jerry Couch, an IT person, a trainer, a receptionist who also administers employment tests, and between seven and 10 team leaders, called coaches, who lead teams of 15-20 customer service representatives (CSR).


CSR pay rates begin at $8 per hour with the opportunity to eventually climb to the $9 per hour range. Coaches are former CSRs whose performance metrics positioned them to advance into the spots, where the pay range was in the vicinity of $10.50 per hour. Employees were eligible for a benefits package that included insurance and 401k.


"They say they're giving people the opportunity to transfer," a city official said, "But you probably won't see many $8 people moved."


Over the years there have been consistent rumors that Sitel was closing. One recent rumor began in December when coaches began discussing job opportunities in Glasgow, Ky.


"Them looking at job postings online made a lot of people think it was going to close," a CSR with less than a year's experience, said.


While the building was configured into two halves, only about 60 percent of the north side was utilized year-round. Limited usage of the south side occurred only around Christmas, when Sitel handled calls for mobile telephone providers.


The building, which received damage during Hurricane Katrina, was plagued by a number of issues. Last summer, employees were forced to work with only shop-size fans to provide cooling as the air conditioning was inoperable. Employees also complained of a constant, moldy smell and there were almost constant equipment issues.


"I think they are bailing because they're going to have to spend serious money to bring everything up to standard,” one former employee speculated.


Additional speculation was that the company's contract was running out with the city and, rather than spend money to upgrade the building. it was easier to leave. Terms of the agreement with the city included a clause pertaining to the number of jobs created and maintained.


Employment at the center has dropped from 240 when the ClientLogic-Sitel merger was announced to the 149 announced Tuesday.

There has been a call center operation in Bogalusa for more than 10 years, beginning with Service Zone, which operated in a storefront in Shopyard Square. Service Zone, a privately-held company based in Brandon, Fla. was acquired by ClientLogic in a deal that closed in early January 2004. ServiceZone had moved to the Industrial Park prior to the acquisition.


In mid-February 2007, ClientLogic announced it had completed its acquisition of Sitel by merger, but the Sitel name was retained because it more widely recognized.


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