Jobs boost as TNT UK engages extra numbers
Express delivery giant TNT is providing a further jobs boost to the North East with news of an additional 40 vacancies at the company’s recently opened £4.5 million national customer contact centre at Team Valley near Gateshead.
TNT Express Services – the UK’s leading business-to-business express delivery operator – moved into the new facility at Maingate House at the back end of last year and now expect to have a full complement of 240 employees by the end of 2006.
The company originally announced it was creating 200 new jobs with the new facility linking up with two existing centres in other areas of the country, namely Warwickshire and Leicestershire, to provide a ‘virtual’ service 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week all year round. All three are then linked to TNT call centres around the globe so that all enquiries, both national and international can be dealt with in just one call.
Gary Burgess, Head of Customer Services for TNT Express Services said: “Team Valley is equipped with the very latest technology. Every call is answered by a TNT Contact Centre operative, as opposed to callers having to navigate their way through seemingly endless layers of automated directions.”
Unlike a number of major companies TNT has chosen to maintain its customer contact centres in the UK rather than relocating them overseas.
Contact Centre Manager Michelle Havercroft explained:” We believe our customers best interests are served by keeping our customer service activity within the UK. Our people can draw on knowledge of our business, familiarity with the geography of the UK along with continuing the best practice customer service procedures we have cultivated over the years.”
Gary added: ” We appreciate that our customers want that ‘personal touch’ in their dealings with us. To that end, we have conducted an extensive recruitment drive that has focused on skilled contact centre operatives within the North East.
“We have then delivered comprehensive training programmes to ensure our people have all the skills to help customers in a professional, efficient and courteous manner.”
