A fast-growing contact centre business is set to create more than 350 new jobs with a move into Sunderland.
ECO (EC Outsourcing) is opening a new base at Solar House, on Sunderland’s popular Doxford International Business Park, as part of a wider recruitment drive that will see the outsourced contact centre business expand from a team of 450 to as many as 1,200 people.
ECO, which was established in 2013 out of Boldon Business Centre, supports clients in a range of sectors – in particular the energy sector – delivering customer acquisition, customer service, billing and chat support.
Its new Sunderland office, a 38,000 sq ft premises, will provide additional capacity for the business to grow, having won new contracts including with the ESB Energy.
Phil Westoby, chief executive, which will keep around 300 home-workers as well as its office based staff, said: “We’ve won a number of significant projects that mean we are in a position to expand the business quickly, with an additional office that will become our customer service focused hub, creating new jobs and opportunities for local people.
“I’ve been involved in contact centres across the UK for over 25 years but always been attracted to the North East by its hard working culture, friendly people and accent. That’s why I decided to grow the business in the region.
“The additional space will allow us to focus the teams in Sunderland and Boldon on customer service and sales functions respectively, with some home-based staff able to work flexibly, in addition to our contact centre in Sheffield.
“We have built a culture and work ethic that I am really proud of, and our office space is key to that. It’s a business where people stay and grow with us, and a key part of that is the environment we create in the office spaces we have.
“I’m really pleased that – for those that need it – we can offer home based working, but for those who want to be in a more dynamic working environment, they can be based in our centres.”