4 Mahoning Valley centers have no plans for layoffs

The do-not-call list has boosted business for one local calling company.
& lt;a href=mailto:vinarsky@vindy.com & gt;By CYNTHIA VINARSKY & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
Four of the Mahoning Valley's largest call centers say they plan to keep their work forces intact for now and don't expect their businesses to be affected much by the national, do-not-call registry, which takes effect today.
MCI, InfoCision Management, Cellular One and TNS Intersearch, which together employ about 2,450 full- and part-time workers locally, say most of the work they do is exempt from the new telemarketing restrictions.
In fact, both MCI and Infocision are hiring.
The Direct Marketing Association, a trade group for telemarketers, has warned that as many as one-third of the nation's 6 million phone center jobs could be lost if the do-not-call list becomes official.
More than 50 million consumers have registered to block telemarketers call since the sign-up began in early spring.
Largest in region
Virginia-based MCI's call center in Niles is the region's largest with 950 workers. Spokeswoman Audrey Waters said the center receives inbound calls from MCI customers and places outbound sales and customer service calls.
"We always have normal attrition, but we are still hiring and we expect to continue," she said.
"It's too early to speculate on the impact the list might have on jobs or anything else for that matter, but we certainly will comply with the law. "
Waters said MCI's marketing efforts have been successful in states that have their own do-not-call lists in place.
Steve Brubaker, a spokesman for InfoCision Management Corp., said 90 percent of the Akron-based company's work is for nonprofit organizations and so is exempt from the do-not-call list.
InfoCision has about 800 employees at call centers in Boardman, Austintown and New Castle, Pa.
InfoCision has been building its inbound, customer service business, he said, and the do-not-call list is actually helping. Other businesses that operate their own customer service call centers are looking to outsource the operations because of the growing number of restrictions and regulations on phone sales.
"We've invested heavily in compliance software, $2 million this year alone," Brubaker said. "Other businesses see us as compliance experts."
Won't be affected
A spokeswoman said TNS Intersearch, which employs 400 full- and part-time workers at a call center in Liberty, will not be affected by the do-not-call lists because the company does market research, not telemarketing.
The company contracts with news organizations, political groups and companies to do telephone research on their products and opinion polling.
TNS bought Connecticut-based NFO last summer, and the combined business is the third-largest market research company in the world. It's too soon to say whether that acquisition will impact employment locally, she said.
Craig Davis, a spokesman for Cellular One, said the company doesn't expect the do-not-call registry to affect the company's 24-hour customer service center in Boardman, which employs about 300 workers.
Davis said the center makes outbound calls and accepts inbound calls, but because it deals solely with Cellular One customers he doesn't believe it falls under the parameters of the telemarketing block.
"Our main purpose is to serve our customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "Obviously, we have a legal department, so if there's any compliance to be done, we'll do it."
Reese Teleservices, a telemarketing company that employs 300 at a call center in New Castle, did not return calls requesting comment about the effects of the do-not-call list.
Two other area call centers, Exterra Credit Recovery, which was in the Phar-Mor Centre downtown, and Teleperformance in Austintown, closed this year. Each had about 70 employees.
& lt;a href=mailto:vinarsky@vindy.com & gt;vinarsky@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;