Juhan: Xerox to add 300 jobs at Chesapeake call center

By Philip Walzer
The Virginian-Pilot
? August 14, 2012

CHESAPEAKE

Xerox will add about 300 people at its call center in Greenbrier, doubling the workforce there, the copier company announced Monday.

Alexander Charles, a Xerox spokesman based in Norwalk, Conn., said he could not provide the salary range for the openings, which include customer service representatives, quality assurance analysts and service-center managers.

Charles said the company is expanding in Chesapeake because it recently added "a large client and several smaller clients," which he declined to identify. The new employees are expected to be hired by October.

Steven Wright, the city's director of economic development, said the number equals more than one-third of the 800 jobs created in Chesapeake last year. He couldn't recall the last time an employer added so many jobs in the city.

"We're thrilled that Xerox decided to ramp up their employment base here within the city," Wright said. "Our philosophy in Chesapeake is to provide all levels of employment opportunity for our citizens."

Regarding the desirability of call-center jobs, he said: "We don't get into the whole discussion of is this a good job or a bad job. We know that for whoever fills these jobs, it's going to be very important for them."

Peter Shaw, a professor of management and business administration at Tidewater Community College's Norfolk campus, said the development will trigger economic benefits for Chesapeake: "You've got more people on the payroll. You're helping to reduce the unemployment rate for the locality. No. 3, now more people have paychecks, and they can spend money, which has an economic impact."

Shaw added: "You really want the high-end creative-class software companies. But for a lot of our labor force that doesn't have those skills, this is an opportunity for them to get a paycheck."

Simply Hired, an employment website, said Monday that the average salary for call-center jobs that it is posting in Virginia is $43,000. But it added, "Average call center salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits."

People can apply online at www.xerox.com/businessservices or at Xerox's center, 1434 Crossways Blvd. in Chesapeake. Xerox opened the center in 1999, Charles said.

Philip Walzer, 757-222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2012/08/xerox-add-300-jobs-chesapeake-call-center

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