Sitel: Local branch holding steady

Published 12:00 am Saturday, July 10, 2010

Despite Thursday’s announcement that Sitel is closing its Birmingham call center, those at the Sanford Sitel branch said Friday, it’s business as usual.

The Nashville, Tenn.-based company said it had informed state officials that the Birmingham office will close on Aug. 30, a move that will eliminate 432 jobs.

Kara Hall, human resource manager, said the local branch is still doing minimal hiring. Currently, there are more than 160 fulltime associates employed, she said.

In November 2009, the company laid off 158 workers, citing “the departure of a significant client.”

Officials said then, call volume for the company’s T-Mobile account had decreased dramatically, prompting the cell company to move its business to a new site, and Sitel’s recent efforts to locate new clients were not successful.