ACCENT Marketing Services is set to launch its ninth domestic contact center, and the company has selected Monroe, Louisiana as the location. The 320-seat facility is expected to open in mid-August, create 550 new jobs and generate an annual payroll of $11.4 million.

 

“On behalf of the citizens of Northeast Louisiana, I am pleased to welcome ACCENT to Monroe,” said Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, in a statement. “The annual economic impact of this contact center will be significant for the families and communities of the region. I am committed to working with company leadership to ensure their success.”

 

ACCENT has proposed that it will lease 58,800 square feet within the former State Farm building now owned by the State of Louisiana. The new contact center is expected to provide inbound customer service and technical support for Boost Mobile, a Pay-As-You-Go wireless service provider. More than 700,000 calls per month are projected to be handled at the new facility on behalf of Boost Mobile.

 

Kevin Foley, ACCENT’s president and CEO noted that strategically, the Monroe site is a great fit for both ACCENT and Boost Mobile as the community has an energy and spirit that is a natural fit for ACCENT’s “Work Hard, Have Fun” culture.

 

“Providing Boost Mobile’s customers with first-class customer service is very important to our company,” said Rich McLafferty, customer experience manager, Boost Mobile, in a statement. “Partnering again with ACCENT and opening a new contact center will help Boost Mobile continue delivering the best customer experience.”

 

ACCENT anticipates staffing 150 positions in the next several weeks and 375 people by the end of the year. The company has partnered with Staffmark to assist in the hiring process. Staffmark will host a job fair on behalf of ACCENT on June 6 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Conference Center located at I-20 and the 1051 US 165 Bypass.

 

Positions that are set to be filled include contact center managers, supervisors, trainers, help desk specialists, and experienced and entry-level customer service representatives. All employees will be expected to complete a two-week paid training program that will begin in July. Questions in reference to the job fair and positions may be directed to Staffmark via email at Monroe@staffmark.com.

 

Key individuals and their respective organizations were involved in making ACCENT’s selection of Monroe an easy one. These organizations included the State of Louisiana, the Ouachita Economic Development Corporation and the city of Monroe. Other factors, including the labor market, existing facility, and business friendly environment all played major roles in ACCENT’s decision.

 

“Governor Blanco’s determination to bring jobs back to northeast Louisiana led to Monroe’s selection for ACCENT Marketing Services’ newest contact center,” said Michael Olivier, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, in a statement.

 

“This global company is the first of multiple tenants in this facility that formerly employed more than 1,200. We sincerely appreciate the cooperation and support of Mayor Jamie Mayo of Monroe and Mayor Dave Norris of West Monroe. Both have had longstanding relationships with Louisiana Economic Development (LED), demonstrating confidence in our ability to attract a new employer to this facility.”

 

This new site represents ACCENT’s first Louisiana location and its 13th location globally. Once this Monroe location is operational, the company will employ more than 1,300 people across 3 locations to support more than 4 million Boost Mobile customers. ACCENT’s total workforce in all locations will reach roughly 3,400 employees by the end of the year.

 

The establishment of a domestic contact center is always a strong indication that the U.S. still has significant benefits to offer to the organization seeking to keep its contact center operations on U.S. soil. Overall, this announcement is a win for the U.S. contact center industry as a whole.

 

While many organizations have turned to overseas operations to reduce costs and also drive quality in the contact center, not all have realized these expected benefits. Add that to the controversy that offshoring creates, and companies take on significant risk when looking at overseas options.

 

Domestic operations do present risks of their own as nothing is completely guaranteed. But, Monroe has a lot to offer that fits with ACCENT’s requirements. In the end, both the company and the community will win, while also boosting the domestic industry. Only time will tell if the location selection was a strong one.

 

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