A Manchester-based contact centre and customer services firm is creating 400 new jobs after doubling its booked revenue to £30m.
CallCare said its turnover had soared after lockdown and Covid-related consumer uncertainty led to a surge in customer enquiries, with more businesses outsourcing customer service.
The Salford-based firm is doubling the workforce across its contact centres in Manchester, Liverpool and Yorkshire to handle services from Covid-19 helplines to online shopping queries.
Most of the new roles will be in Manchester, with some in Liverpool and Shipley, to be filled by August next year.
Gemma Harding, head of client services at CallCare said: “The pandemic has forced many organisations to outsource to maintain operations and mitigate the impacts on the customer. We offer a cost-effective and low-risk alternative to customer service and businesses utilising our centres can be confident that their customers are receiving the right response.
“Since March, we have seen a seismic shift to towards using customer experience centres and many companies are realising the benefits. Expanding our workforce means that as more and more companies turn to outsourcing as the ‘go to’ for customer service, we will be ready to meet their requirements.
According to CallCare, the pandemic has also contributed to the extension of traditional working hours meaning businesses require further support to help handle the influx of ‘off peak’ customer enquiries. The pandemic has also seen firms bring customer service operations back on shore because of call centres in other countries shut due to differences in Coronavirus legislation.
In the UK, employees within call centres have keyworker status allowing them to continue supporting businesses as usual.
CallCare said the significant rise in revenue is also due to its ongoing partnership with Public Health England, where it is handling Covid-19 response lines in healthcare and education.
It has also expanded its customer service work for existing clients including Dreamland, a quality mattress and bedding manufacturer, and ChipsAway, a mobile car paintwork repair business.
Ms Harding said recruitment has attracted candidates from a "more unusual" supply pool including former airline cabin crew and friends and family of employees made redundant, and sectors that struggled or ceased operations during lockdown such as hospitality and travel.
She added: “With mass redundancies across the UK as a result of the pandemic, we’re really pleased to be able to offer permanent career opportunities in an industry that’s booming.”
