Difficulty in finding workers during peak holiday periods was cited as the reason 1-800-Flowers will close its Ardmore call center on Sept. 1.
However, company officials are offering an alternative for many of the 217 people who work at the center.
Vice President Joe Pititto, Corporate Communications, made the announcement on Tuesday morning. The call center in Ardmore employs 217 people, which includes 170 customer service agents along with management and support personnel.
“The fact that we have found it increasingly difficult over the last several years in Ardmore, because of the number of employers that have increased and because of the very low unemployment rate in Ardmore, has made it difficult for us to recruit to ramp up dramatically around our peak holiday periods which includes the year-end holiday season, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day,” Pititto said.
The company hires four to five times as many agents during peak seasons and because of the shrinking pool of available employees in Ardmore, it’s been difficult to keep adequate staffing levels at those crucial times, Pititto said.
Although the local center will be closing, the company is offering a way for employees to still work for 1-800-Flowers, he said.
Employees who chose to be home agents will be paid hourly wages comparable to what employees are currently paid at the call center, according to Pititto.
1-800-Flowers.com Inc. is encouraging all Ardmore associates to apply for positions in the Home Agent Network.
“Importantly, the benefits and flexibility of our Home Agent program include the elimination of (commute) time and expense particularly in this time of rising gas prices,” said Jim McCann, CEO and founder of 1-800-Flowers.com.
Over the next 60 days, on-site outplacement services will be offered. Local employers will have the opportunity to conduct on-site interviews for any position they have available, according to Pititto. He said the company will offer severance to employees who decide they don’t want to become home agents.
None of the company’s other call centers will be closing at this time, which are located in Virginia, New York, New Mexico and other parts of the U.S.
