Article by Samuel Hardiman for the Tulsa World
The number of call center jobs in Tulsa continues to rise after Alorica announced it would add 150 jobs to its Tulsa office.
It’s another sign of growth for an industry that is swelling in Tulsa. Data from the Tulsa Regional Chamber show that there are about 16,000 call center employees in the Tulsa metro area.
Said Mayor G.T. Bynum: “A lot of the time I hear people kind of turn their nose up at call center jobs. Again, I come back to what’s meaningful to me about this. That’s the entry for this company. Seventy percent of their management started out in that role.
“I would liken it in a way to QuikTrip. … Almost all of their management started out working in the store.”
The move allows Alorica, a global customer service company, to bring the company’s headcount at its Eastgate Metroplex location to about 1,400. By 11 a.m. Thursday, the line of potential applicants for the new positions was nearly out the door.
Ken Muche, director of global public relations for Alorica, said the Tulsa market is still a place he thinks the company can grow and that there is no shortage of available workers with the outgoing personality and skills the company is looking for.
The Tulsa location is among the company’s largest, and, a few years ago, Alorica signed a 10-year lease, signaling its long-term commitment to Tulsa, he said.
