Kantar Call Center to Close

Kantar has confirmed that its Illinois-based MR call center will close on 23 June, making 252 people redundant.

Joyce Dickerson, Vice President, Human Resources for Kantar Operations, explained that the offices will close because of business needs and a decline in volume. She said that company officials have been providing outplacement and CV writing training to staff to prepare them for jobseeking outside the company.

The Rock Island call centre opened under the Millward Brown name in 1989 and became part of Kantar Operations in 2005. Dickerson confirmed that The Rock Island office is the only Kantar location to be affected.

She added that it was too soon to know if any of the managers would be re-deployed within the company, and said she would be liaising with communications firm, AT&T, to discuss possible positions for former staff at its new local call centre which is currently under construction. Most of the firm's employees have around two years' experience.

The news comes the week before GfK NOP's closure of its last fully owned and operated call centre in North America, as part of the firm's cost-saving outsourcing strategy. Around 60 staff will lose their jobs as a result of the shut down.

The firms are online at www.kantaroperations.com and www.gfknop.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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