LV computer-help call centers expanding

Brian Seals

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998 | 11:25 a.m.

Even before Softbank Services Group opened its Las Vegas call center in October 1996, company co-Chairman Jordan Levy was talking expansion.

His vision for the company was to have two Las Vegas call centers employing 1,000 people. Softbank offers sales and technical support services for computer makers.

Whether that lofty goal will be attained remains to be seen. But Softbank and a similar call center in Las Vegas, MicroAge Service Solutions Group, are adding employees between now and the end of the year.

Softbank will almost double its current employment between now and January.

Softbank has landed a major client that will increase employment from 350 to 600, the Las Vegas center's capacity, with wages starting at $7.50 per hour for sales associates and $9 per hour for technical support staff.

Officials say they must keep client names confidential, but say Softbank has contracts with two of the top three personal computer makers in the country.

Maureen Romito, human resources manager, chalks the increase up to a string of factors: an aggressive sales force, a location convenient to the West Coast and good customer service.

"We've been particularly successful with West Coast clients," Romito said.

The companies take orders for new hardware sales and help frustrated computer users solve problems with new accessories, among other services.

And they do it in the name of the client for whom they are working. A person who calls a help line for, say, Gateway computers, may well get a Softbank employee answering the line, "Hello, Gateway computers."

Las Vegas isn't exactly known as a desert Silicon Valley and has been criticized for its lack of high-tech talent, but Softbank is pleased with the work force.

"We're happy with the applicant pool in Las Vegas," said Frank Schulte, Softbank general manager. "We're very impressed with the people moving into this area that are looking for high-tech jobs."

MicroAge has also seen its employment grow since opening for business in June 1997, when it started with about 50 employees. It now has 400 and will likely employ 500 by the end of the year, said MicroAge sales director Traci Scott.

"Our business has been growing tremendously and our existing clients are adding on," Scott said.

The company also has a call center in Tempe. The Phoenix area has an abundance of call centers, and that has boded well for Las Vegas.

"Phoenix is really overrun with call centers, but Las Vegas is really a new market," Scott said.

Both companies say that not all the jobs require a high degree of computer science expertise, though some of the positions do.

Softbank's internal data system also makes the job easier for staff. Softbank works with each of its clients to develop training to verse the employees in the specifics of systems they are assisting callers with.

"If they don't have complete knowledge of a particular product, we give it to them," Romito said.

The company also uses a database of common problems and frequently asked questions to make answering questions easier.

"You don't have to re-invent an answer every time," Romito said.

Softbank employees take about 170,000 calls per month. The 24-hour, seven-day a week operation hopes to have more. Schulte said fewer calls come in the evening and weekend hours and the company wants to procure clients that will fill that void.

"We definitely want to fill this call center up," he said.

Scott said the same of MicroAge: "We're hoping to be totally filled by the end of the year."

Las Vegas has 11 major call centers employing approximately 6,300 people, said Somer Hollingsworth, president of the Nevada Development Authority. The trend began in 1984 with the arrival of Citibank's call center at the Lakes.

Hollingsworth said the authority isn't necessarily seeking out these relatively low-paying operations, but the firms are instead seeking out Las Vegas.

"We really don't recruit them," Hollingsworth said. "They're pretty much coming to us."

He said the NDA is talking to four call centers interested in locating in Las Vegas that would employ about 300 to 500 people each.