BLOOMFIELD, P.E.I. - A call centre in Bloomfield is looking to grow by at least 100 employees.
IO Solutions Inc., which also has call centres in Summerside and Charlottetown, started recruiting for a new e-chat program at its Bloomfield location in May.
Gena Gaudet, manager of the Bloomfield site, said there are currently around 75 employees at that location.
“We’re hoping to hire probably 100 or more,” she said, adding the centre has the room to grow.
“We’re definitely looking to grow and stay growing.”
The centre hosted a family day on Wednesday and, for the first time, threw it open to the general public.
In doing so, IO Solutions was demonstrating it wants to be in Bloomfield for the long haul. “We’re not planning on going anywhere; we’re here to stay,” shouted Gaudet over the music and shrieks of excited children.
The location runs three programs, two of them involve agents on the phone, but Gaudet said the focus right now is to recruit agents for the online chat program. That’s where the demand is, she said, primarily for English-speaking agents.
“You’re not personally talking; it’s a conversation over messages,” she said, explaining it allows for a more relaxed work environment.
Agents have access to certain pre-set answers and have more opportunity to search for the answers customers are seeking, or to seek help from a neighbouring agent.
“We think it will do well here,” Gaudet said of IO Solutions Inc.’s interest in focusing on e-chat in Bloomfield. She said many of the centre’s existing agents have chosen to shift from phone to e-chat, although a few have opted to continue with the phone work.
The online chat is also popular with customers, she said, as they can multitask while typing their questions to the IO Solutions agent and awaiting the responses.
