Convergys to Add Hundreds of Jobs at Utah Call Centers

Convergys Corp. said Wednesday it intends to hire 500 to 600 additional employees over the next month, a move that will increase its Utah work force to nearly 9,000 employees.

The new workers will help staff the Cincinnati-based company's call centers in Murray, Ogden, Orem and Cedar City.

The majority of the new jobs will be full-time positions, although there will be some part-time and weekend shifts, said Kathy Carter, Convergys' vice president of operations for Utah.

The company -- one of the state's largest private employers -- will offer new employees $8 an hour and up, depending on the job and the call center where they will work.

Those hired will answer inbound calls and many will take orders and provide customer service for Convergys' financial clients, she said. The company keeps its client list confidential.

Typically, Convergys increases its employee base in the fall in preparation for the fourth quarter, when catalog sales and customer- service questions increase.

"This year, though, the ramp-up is happening a little earlier. Some of our clients are doing well and have decided to increase their spending [on marketing]," she said.

The Utah call center industry has been in turmoil the past year.

Communications and Commerce, purchased by Teleperformance USA on Tuesday, laid off more than 900 workers a year ago. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. closed its Salt Lake City reservation center in November, putting 375 people out of work.

Unlike years past, Convergys does not anticipate it will have any problem finding the employees it needs in Utah, said Convergys' human resource director Nina Makloski.

A state economist who tracks the Utah labor market -- the state's unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.1 percent in July -- agrees the company should have little trouble finding employees. "It will probably take them awhile -- longer than a week -- to find the employees they need. But if the jobs involve straight incoming order taking and the wages and benefits are competitive, they shouldn't have too much trouble," said John Mathews with the Utah Department of Workforce Services.