JOPLIN, Mo. —
Officials with NCO Group Inc. on Thursday announced a plan to hire 500 seasonal and full-time employees at its Joplin call center at 1717 W. Seventh St. in the coming weeks.
“Applications are being accepted immediately,” said Chris Autry, manager of the Joplin Customer Management Contact Center.
The Joplin location currently employs about 700 workers.
“The hiring will coincide with the program expansion of two of NCO’s leading clients, Best Buy and Intuit,” Autry said.
Autry said the jobs will start at $10 an hour and increase from there. Those who work nights and weekends will earn more. He said there also are performance bonuses. Full-time workers receive a benefits package that includes medical and dental insurance, life insurance, paid time off, holidays, and a 401(k) plan.
NCO will conduct a job fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Joplin call center. People also may apply online at www.ncogroup.com/careers, or call 417-621-7000.
‘ROCKING AND ROLLING’
Mike Wiggins, board chairman of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, said at the announcement event that it was cause for celebration.
“We’re talking about 500 jobs,” Wiggins said. “When the rest of the country is having a difficult time, we’re rocking and rolling.”
Wiggins was enthusiastic about the announcement’s economic benefit to Joplin.
“We should be celebrating,” he said. “Jobs is what it’s all about.”
Mayor Mike Woolston said NCO’s announcement is a vote of confidence for Joplin’s work force.
“You are an important partner in our economic efforts,” Woolston said.
Bob Corsi, NCO senior vice president for customer management, said the company has been in Joplin five years, with Best Buy as a client for three years and Intuit as a client for two years.
“These are key clients,” Corsi said. “This is going to offer tremendous career opportunities to potential employees and current employees.”
The company’s employees handle incoming calls, Corsi said. For Best Buy, the workers take calls from people seeking to purchase products, and for the Geek Squad technical support and installation teams. For Intuit, the NCO employees handle technical questions from callers about the company’s TurboTax software. Corsi said workers don’t offer tax advice.
Corsi said the hiring initially will be seasonal employees, with the season including the Christmas shopping season through the tax filing season. After the income tax season, he said, many of those workers will be promoted to full-time status, and others will be eligible for full-time work there in the future.
“Folks that do a good job will likely have a full-time job opportunity,” Corsi said.
Both Corsi and Autry said they hope the hiring plan helps boost the Joplin economy after the May 22 tornado and helps put some people affected by the tornado back to work.
PEOPLE SKILLS
On the floor Thursday, many NCO cubicles had balloons floating above them on strings, which Autry said signified an achievement by the worker. An announcement was made over the speaker system naming other workers who had achieved a goal, prompting applause from co-workers.
Michael Boone was hired in November 2010, taking calls for Best Buy. Autry said he is now one of the top sales agents at the Joplin location.
“My experience here has been magnificent,” Boone said. “The atmosphere is great.”
Boone said his sales recently gained him a 46-inch TV. He said he was nervous when he started, but the training has been great and the training continues.
“What we really look for is good customer service, good people skills,” Autry said. He said other skills are taught through training.
Company ties
NCO GROUP INC. is owned by One Equity Partners, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of multinational banking corporation JPMorgan Chase & Co. One Equity Partners is described on its website as the private investment arm of JPMorgan Chase. NCO, based in Horsham, Pa., has about 30,000 employees at more than 100 locations in 11 countries.
Local News
Related Photos
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Kitty Martin (left), quality representative for Best Buy at NCO, helps Tiffany Nichols, telephone sales representative, on Thursday morning as Nichols assists a customer. NCO officials say they hope the company’s plan to fill 500 new jobs will help some of those who lost jobs in the Joplin tornado. GLOBE | T. ROB BROWN
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NCO announces plan to hire 500 in Best Buy, Intuit expansions
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