Alorica Inc. said Monday it has completed the acquisition and integration of the former Packard Bell NEC telephone center in Magna into its organization, has added 400 new employees and expects to hire another 1,200 over the next 12 months.
Alorica, based in Chino, Calif., said the Magna facility will likely be the fastest growing service and support call center in the world in coming months.
That's a quantum leap from last year when Packard Bell NEC Inc. laid off 200 workers from the complex as part of a corporate restructuring that involved the "irreparably damaged" Packard Bell brand and then later announced it would sell the center to the highest bidder.
That turned out to be Alorica, well known for its customer relationship management software applications that are used in customer call centers worldwide.
Called HELIX, the software was developed specifically for Alorica's clients and allows them to instantly recognize trends in their sales and returns using any Internet-based browser.
Andy Lee, Alorica chief executive officer, said the company emphasizes three things in its training: "What to say — that is, providing all pertinent information on logistic status and technical support. When to say it — handling customer calls within our tight specifications. And how to say it — practicing courteous, tension-defusing and quality call management skills."
Using HELIX, Alorica provides call-center management to companies, service logistics, depot and onsite repair services and electronic commerce products. It operates in 30 countries, has three call centers, including the new Magna operation, and intends to add 10 more over the next year. It currently has 1,100 employees in five countries.
More information on the company is available on the Web at www.alorica.com.
With much fanfare, Packard Bell, based in Sacramento, Calif., and which later merged with NEC, moved its customer service center to Magna in January 1994 and hired some 1,300 people. But by 1998, its computer sales had fallen sharply — it lost $650 million that year — and the company announced it would fire up to 20 percent of its work force in an attempt to cut costs and increase profits.
Packard Bell had prospered in the 1980s and early '90s with the explosion of home PC sales, but its business suffered as companies such as Compaq, Dell and Gateway began to dominate the home computer market.
By last November it was clear that attempts to save the company were failing in the United States, and it decided to sell the Magna facility that offered support to owners of Packard Bell and NEC computers. By that time, the Magna plant had become the company's sole customer support center.
Although it had lost its U.S. market — the brand has all but disappeared here — it continues as the most popular brand in Britain and France and continues to sell European-made computers there.
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