Omaha, Neb.-based call center West Corp, which hired about 200 employees in Spokane last year, is moving forward with a smaller wave of additional hiring, says Mareesa Henderson, divisional director of human resources for the company. 

Over the next several months, West will be adding 30 more employees to the 20 it’s already hired since February 24 at its Valley location, at 9317 E. Sinto. Those employees, Henderson says, will operate more like account executives and sales specialists, devoted to a particular client, whom she declines to name.

The company’s hirings last year bolstered its staff at the 44,400-square-foot downtown office, located in the Holley Mason building, at 157 S. Howard. The company currently has about 650 employees downtown and 330 at the Valley location.  A portion of the company’s hiring is seasonal, Henderson says, usually around the holidays, so the company might have more employees at that time. 

In total, West Corp. employs over 35,000 people worldwide. 

The company also is in the process of renovating part of the upper level of its two-level, 44,200-square-foot Valley office to accommodate the new hires. The setup will be different than the typical call center workspace, Henderson says. 

“They have a larger desk, just more dedicated workspace,” she says. 

The client that will be represented by the new sales team is a financial services business. Henderson also says that all of the company’s calls are inbound; it doesn’t make sales calls to customers unless an issue requires following up.  

“Sales in our world is when someone gets a pre-approved offer or sees a reward online, and then they call us,” Henderson says. 

Employees start at a base wage of $10 an hour, she says, and range up from there more, depending on experience and qualifications. 

The company serves two clients at its downtown location, Henderson says. Most of West’s employees there specialize in technical support for a wireless communication provider, and the rest are devoted to providing general customer service and social media support for a grocery retailer, Henderson says. She declines to name the clients specifically, citing confidentiality restrictions.

The Valley location serves five clients, Henderson says, providing services such as credit card activation, health care  call support, and liaising between real estate agents and brokers on short sales. 

Henderson says West Corp. has been extremely pleased with the workforce in Spokane. 

“Spokane has such a rich diversity in education and experience levels,” she says. “It’s great that we can draw from inner Spokane, Spokane Valley, and even into Idaho.” 

In recent years, call centers have been evolving into more of customer-service centers, Henderson says. 

 “Years ago, people heard ‘call center’ and assumed it was sales,” she says. “I think ‘customer contact center’ is a more appropriate name now.”

Henderson says that because of the nature of the evolving industry, call center employees have to juggle more tasks than ever before. 

“There used to be a time in our business when a customer calls and asks a question, gets an answer, and then they hang up,” she says. “Now, our employees have to manage two computer screens, 15 things open on it, and communicate with the customer like they aren’t doing two other things at the same time.”

Call center-client needs also are changing with the times, Henderson says. These days, companies who turn to call centers to provide support want to ensure their customers are getting the best service, she says. 

“Clients are getting more savvy,” Henderson says. “They want issues resolved in one call. It’s evolving into a more tailored contact.”

For 2014, Henderson says the company isn’t planning another large hiring like the one last summer.

Founded in 1986, West Corp. has offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. In the U.S., it operates offices in 21 states, according to its website.