Rodney Davis

Cable & Wireless is planning to outsource its contact centre operation to Trinidad & Tobago, in a move that will cost 100 jobs in Jamaica, Business Observer sources say.

Yesterday, Errol Miller, C&W's vice-president of corporate affairs confirmed that about 100 employees would be laid off, but denied that there were plans to relocate the call centre to the twin island republic.

"There is no plan to relocate the call centre to Trinidad," said Miller. "We are currently working with partners in both Trinidad and Jamaica as we seek to improve the service levels that we are able to deliver to customers through our call centre. This will mean that one hundred C&W employees in Jamaica will be laid off."

While Miller, in his written response to the Business Observer, confirmed that 100 jobs would be lost, he avoided acknowledging that call contact jobs were being shipped to T&T, but at the same time, stressed that changes were in the making for the local operation.

"Our focus is on improving our call centre service to our customers," he said. "We have sought help as this is a vital part of delivering on our promises to our customers but it is not a core competence of our business. This may or may not result in a loss of jobs but it is too early in the process to make that determination."

However, Business Observer sources insisted yesterday that the plan was for C&W to outsource this service. This would mean that when a customer in Jamaica calls the customer care number, a Trinidadian, or some other non-Cable & Wireless employee will handle the query.

Errol Miller

The move by C&W to outsource part of its service is not a new development either for corporate Jamaica or for C&W itself. In fact, a few years ago, the company embarked on a major programme of laying off staff from sections of its technical operations, and contracted the service - largely to former employees. An example is the installation of telephone lines.

Moreover, outsourcing has been for a long time, popular in corporate Jamaica for services, that include trucking, security, janitorial service, bearer for the delivery of letters and packaging, and canteen concessionaire.

Companies have generally found it more economical to outsource these services usually from others for which these services represent their core competence, and so are able to deliver them more efficiently and at a lower cost than their clients can.

However, what is new in the case of C&W, is the fact that the service and jobs will be sent offshore - a development that is facilitated by technology and the nature of the service.

Yesterday, Miller told the Business Observer that the plan to "invest in customer care originated with our three-year-strategic plan developed earlier this year".

He added: "During that planning period we recognised that the delivery of excellent customer service must be a business priority and that we needed to re-examine our call centre operations to improve service levels."

Miller stressed that the call contact operation, though vital to C&W's service delivery, "is not a core competence of our business".

This latest move by C&W has come at a time when the telecom is still facing severe pressure in its cellular market from Irish competitor, Digicel Jamaica.

The company has had three chief executive officers in just over two years, and has changed several other senior executives.

Its latest CEO, Rodney Davis, was brought to Jamaica a few months ago from its sister operation in Barbados, and came to Jamaica declaring that he would take the fight for market share directly to the competition.

Just two weeks ago, Davis unveiled plans to spend $125 million in a marketing blitz that promises to be the most intense in the company's history.

Tarrus Riley shoots video for Start Anew

Naomi Campbell to open retrospective photo show

A pleasant evening of music and much more