By all accounts, the announcement Wednesday by Choice Hotels International of its intent to close its call center in Minot within the year and transition to a home-based customer service business approach came as a shock to its 350 employees, who were advised by corporate officials not to speak to the media.
"We've been evaluating the situation for quite some time and looking at an array of options. We felt this is the best overall solution for the company, the best overall solution for the associates in Minot and the best overall solution for our franchisees," said David Peikin, the company's senior director of corporate communications. "I think it's important to emphasize that this is a deliberate, gradual transition that will occur over the next year as we move to home-based operations. We will still have a significant presence in the Minot community."
The company currently employs 50 home-based teleservice representatives in the Minot area, but officials refused to say how many of the 300 employees currently working at the call center would be part of the company's transition to home-based customer service operations, saying only that they hope to reach that figure through attrition.
Phyllis Burckhard, director of the call center, said several employees over the years have requested to work from home due to weather and traveled-related issues.
"Instead of driving in from Glenburn, for example, they can dial in right from home and it's made a significant difference for them," she said. "It also has provided us with an opportunity when there are storm days like on Christmas where the city was virtually shut down, the home-based setting provided us with people that could dial in and work right from home."
But with an indefinite closure date and an unknown number of home-based service positions available, some employees will undoubtedly be looking for other employment opportunities - but what's out there?
According to Minot ND Job Service, there were 400 jobs available in Ward County in December.
DJ McIntyre, manager of the Minot office, said unofficial figures indicate that roughly 45 positions were available in each of the office and administration, retail sales and hospitality sectors, while the remaining employment opportunities were in the food service, oilfield and other industries. She added that as spring approaches and oilfield activity increases, she expects to see a large number of jobs open up in the oilfield and construction industries as well as in the service sector, with jobs openings for commercial trucking and mechanics.
"The customer service skills they learned at Choice are broad and there are a lot of office-type settings that use the same skill sets," she said. "The question now is, is there opportunities using the skills they obtained at Choice to work in the current job market or do they want to choose a new career? Right now, it's important that they know we can help them look at their skills and see what transfers into a new job, or we can help them train for a new career."
Currently, McIntyre said the employees would qualify for dislocated worker status within the Workforce Investment Act, which channels federal funds to states that experience mass layoffs or when major corporations close, to help provide job training and other employment services.
With teleservice companies seemingly in a state of flux, what does that mean for Minot?
"It's the effect of what's going on on the national level in respect with the tourism and hospitality industry. They are affected by the economy, so these national firms are looking at better management opportunities through reorganization and consolidation," said Jerry Chavez, president of Minot Area Development Corporation. "Minot's future is bright ... we are insulated a little bit but not from some industries. We've been above the saturation point for some time now so we are balancing the workforce industries in Minot and we will look to the outside for help."
