Teleperformance USA plans to close a Grand Rapids-area customer call center, a move that will lead to 91 people losing their jobs.
The Utah-based subsidiary of a French multinational corporation, Teleperformance USA filed a WARN Act notice last week with the Michigan Workforce Development Agency that indicated the employment at the call center would end Sept. 30.
“Teleperformance USA recently made plans to change the structure of their customer service organization. Specifically, the changes they are making are related to how they will handle customer inquiries and where those inquiry calls (will) be handled,” Kerry Black, director of corporate human resources, wrote in the WARN Act notice to the state. “Unfortunately, the changes that are being made have resulted in the closure of our Grand Rapids facility.”
A spokesman for Teleperformance USA did not immediately respond to an inquiry from MiBiz.
Teleperformance USA five years secured a $600,000 performance-based state grant for the call center, located on Horizon Drive SE in Cascade Township. The company planned to invest $3.79 million in the facility and hire about 500 jobs. MiBiz reported in January 2014 that the company at that time had hired 325 people at the call center.
The WARN Act notice was one of two filed recently with the state affecting West Michigan facilities. Charter Communications in June notified the state it planned to cease operations at a sales support center in Walker by Aug. 9 and terminate 51 employees.
