BellSouth Call Centers Consolidating (650 to 700 jobs lost)

ATLANTA -- BellSouth Corp. said Tuesday it will consolidate its 75 call centers into 28 expanded offices to achieve greater operating efficiency amid sluggish demand.

The reorganization will cut 966 positions, but BellSouth expects some employees will transfer within its nine-state region, leaving a net loss of 650 to 700 people unemployed, company spokesman Joe Chandler said.

The 28 remaining centers, which handle business and customer service calls, will be enlarged.

achieve greater operating efficiency amid sluggish demand
I've never used BellSouth's services but whenever I hear about a call center being closed to 'achieve greater operating efficiency' I just laugh. Yeah -- better for BellSouth and screw the customer that's on hold as you don't have enough people. And when you do get through you get an idiot as you're paying minimum wage. Bah!

Well, I tell you one thing ...just last week I sat on hold for 13 minutes waiting to speak with a BellSouth telephone rep. to get some additional services added to my present telephone account.

GEEEZZZZZzzz....AND, BellSouth says "DEMAND IS SLUGGISH!!"

I guess if demand was BRISK, I would have had to wait 30 minutes!

Clipped off Prudent Bear website:

Corporations increased the pace of layoff announcements in January by 32 percent to 212,704 from December's 161,584, according to a survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas released Tuesday. January's total was the third highest in the survey's 9-year history and is 50 percent higher than the January 2000 total. Since Sept. 11, 999,000 job cuts have been announced by corporations. Automakers topped the list in January, cutting 43,035, including 35,000 at Ford. "There have been indications from major companies that significant workforce reductions may be announced in coming weeks and months," said John Challenger, CEO of the firm.

Five of last six recessions have been "double-dip" recessions. Inventories build up. Business cuts back production. Just as inventories drop and business resumes production, laid off workers cut back spending. Business cuts back more.

We've just finished the Mother of All Expansions. Just stands to reason we're going to see the Mother of All Contractions.

BellSouth in all likelyhood will be going completely wireless within a decade. For all practical purposes they have stopped new wire routes and are slow in maintaing existing ones. My dad was a 45 year employee of Southern Bell/BellSouth. When he started working there a trouble call was answered in hours not weeks. From the time you reported it their clock was ticking and it had to be dispatched within the hour to a repairman.

BellSouths future will be cell towers and satellite technology rather than the traditional so called land line. They either must start re-maintaining the current equipment at their previous level of quality or change technology. If one or the other isn't done then all will suffer. Even if you use Joe's phone service they contract through a Bell System switching system as well as AT&T. They still hold most of the cards in this nations communication system.

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