Shop Direct call centre move puts 700 NW jobs at risk
WEBHELP UK, which provides call centre services for Shop Direct, has said that it intends to move its operations at Aintree and Bolton to South Africa and Cardiff.
The move will result in the loss of more than 700 jobs in the North West over the next 18 months.
Mike Aylward, divisional officer for union Usdaw, said: “Our members are shocked and outraged by this decision. The staff have suffered years of unrest and uncertainty, despite giving great support and professionalism.
“They’ve seen their employer change from Littlewoods, to Shop Direct, to Serco and now Webhelp UK, only to be put under the threat of redundancy. These loyal employees have been badly let down and deserve much better than to see their jobs exported.
“Next week we will enter into consultation with the company on their proposal and we will be challenging the employer to find a way to keep the jobs in the UK at Aintree and Bolton. We are also calling on local politicians to do what they can to help. In the meantime we will be supporting our members throughout this difficult period as we fight for their jobs.”
David Turner, chief executive officer of Webhelp UK, said: “Consumer behaviour is continuously changing and as a digital retailer on a journey to becoming world-class, Shop Direct needs to be confident it can continue to anticipate the ways in which customers will want to communicate with its brands in the future.
“Shop Direct is still currently receiving a huge percentage of customer contact via traditional methods, such as telephone, however, it is clear that customers want to move onto digital channels, and the pace of change is increasing.
“Shop Direct has given this challenge to Webhelp and using our expertise in data-drive, digital transformation, we have been able to offer a proposal, which, if accepted, will ensure Shop Direct’s customers could choose from a raft of digital contact options, including Whatsapp, virtual advisors and video messaging and will see more than 60 per cent of contact becoming digital in three years.”
Shop Direct chief executive officer, Alex Baldock, said: “We set Webhelp the challenge of developing a customer service capability that would serve our customers’ needs over the next decade.
“They have responded to that challenge by reviewing the estate they inherited from Serco and recommending the proposals that have been outlined to the trade union today.
“Change can be difficult but it is necessary and we are confident that the proposals outlined by Webhelp will ensure we can continue to develop the fantastic digital service our customers are telling us they expect from Shop Direct.”
