Sacramento, CA, USA, March 15, 2016 -- It doesn’t look like the traditional call center with endless rows of drab cubicles.

With its open spaces, bright colors and a pool table that resembles a 1960s-era Ford Mustang, the customer-service call center rapidly taking shape in Folsom looks more at home in Silicon Valley than greater Sacramento. Its owners want it that way.

Voxpro Group, an Irish company that provides tech-support and customer service for tech-oriented companies, is establishing itself as a Sacramento area employer. The company, which opened in temporary quarters in Folsom last November, just moved into its permanent space. It has ramped up to 200 workers and expects to employ as many as 700 by the end of the year.

Voxpro, which serves clients such as Etsy, Google and Airbnb, chose the Sacramento area for its first U.S. call center because it’s close to Silicon Valley. "A lot of (clients) are weary of taking plane journeys to remote parts of the U.S.," founder, co-owner and Chief Executive Dan Kiely said during a visit to the Folsom facility.

Founder, co-owner and Chief Executive Dan Kiely and his wife Linda, the company’s co-owner, said they were dazzled by the reception they got from Folsom officials and the city’s business community, which enabled Voxpro to set up shop quickly.

"The red tape in (Silicon) Valley would be greater," Linda Kiely said. The company operates a small sales office in Mountain View but Folsom represents its first big facility in the United States.

Voxpro in Folsom is an example of what economic development specialists called "reshoring." Call center jobs, which had migrated to low-cost locations in Asia and elsewhere a decade ago, are returning to the United States because companies are rediscovering the importance of high-quality customer service.

Linda Kiely said Voxpro is determined to end the "low-end cattle herd" reputation of call centers.

"This is a very tough job; being on the phone is not easy," said Jon Ward, general manager of the facility and Voxpro’s North American operations. "We wanted to create a space with a little bit of fun."

"What we’re offering here is a career," Dan Kiely said.

The company hasn’t yet posted the jobs it plans to fill in the coming months, although jobs are expected to be listed soon on Voxpro’s website.

#contactcenterworld, @voxproireland

Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: http://www.sacbee.com