Verizon Communications, the No. 1 U.S. Wireless company, said on Thursday it would close call centers in five states, including its home state of New York.
The move, which will affect about 3,200 workers, is a part of Verizon’s effort to consolidate its customer service operations across the United States. The company, which recently agreed to buy Yahoo (YHOO) for $4.8 billion, is looking to tap new revenue in areas such as digital media and advertising outside the oversaturated wireless market.
“We are realigning our real estate portfolio and relocating these centers into other centers where we have extra capacity,” Verizon spokeswoman Kim Ancin said.
The consolidation involves Verizon (VZ) call centers near Rochester and Orangeburg, New York; Bangor, Maine; Lincoln, Nebraska; Wallingford and Meriden, Connecticut; and Rancho Cordoba, California, the company said.
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About 1,000 workers will be affected in California and 850 employees in New York, Ancin said. Verizon is offering employees jobs in call centers in other states, she said.
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Employees who choose to move to other call centers, which handle sales and billing and help customers with technical problems, will be given relocation packages starting at $10,000, Ancin said. Those who leave the company will be given a severance package, outplacement resources and other support.