Charlottetown call centre plans to hire 100 new employees

The call centre company Conversational in the West Royalty Industrial Park in Charlottetown plans to hire 100 new staff in the next six months.

The Virginia-based businessfirst opened an office in Charlottetown a year-and-a-half ago, and currently has 17 staff.

There's plenty of people looking for this kind of work, so I think we'll do well. Tanya Lamont, Conversational CEO

Workers answer calls, take messages, book appointments and can do live chat support sessions for businesses.

CEO TanyaLamont,an Islander from Pleasant Grove, thinks it won't be a challenge finding 100newworkers.

"A lot of peopleon this Island that have administrative backgrounds, whether they be legal, medical or just straight up administrative business diplomas, they're struggling to find jobs," said Lamont.

"There's plenty of people looking for this kind of work, so I think we'll do well," she added.

Many of the businesses that hireConversational, at a cost of a dollar a minute, are lawyers' offices, according to Lamont, but she saidsalons and a doggie daycare have also signed up. She said even some Island businesses are now using theservice.

"Hopefully we'll be able to branch out and market ourselves a little more on P.E.I." she said. "We're a little not known really yet so hopefully we'll get a few more."

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Conversational hasn't received any government subsidies so far, said Lamont, but sheis in talks with Innovation PEI and Skills PEI andhopes to sign acontractwithin the next six months.

The jobs arefull-time, weekday shifts from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., at a starting wage of about $12 an hour, according to Lamont, and include benefits.

Many call centres face staff turnover as high as 25 per cent a year, but Lamont said that hasn't been the case with Conversational. She said only about twoper cent of the staff has left in the first year ofoperation and she hopes to keep turnover low in future.