Sprint is slashing around 800 customer service jobs because the company said fewer people are calling its centers. Sprint said that it expects its work force to remain at around 40,000, as it cited growth in other parts of the business.
Sprint said that the affected workers were already notified last Thursday. The second batch of layoffs will happen next month after Sprint figures out which positions to be cut. The company said that the cuts will take place at several locations across the nation.
Sprint has its headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. Last month, Softbank, a Japanese investment company, completed its $21.6 billion investment in Sprint. It gave the Japanese firm 78 percent stake in the third biggest wireless carrier in the United States.
Sprint said that its efforts to increase customer satisfaction helped decrease the number of calls to its call centers. The company got a 71 rating out of 100 in the latest American Customer Satisfaction index. This was unchanged from the same period last year but an improvement from its low of 56 in 2008. Its rival Verizon Wireless got 73 while AT&T got 70. T-Mobile scored 68 this year.
In a statement, Sprint said that its customer satisfaction has improved and resulted to the decrease of the number of calls for customer service. This was why it has to reduce its staffing in the area. The action was in line with the company’s efficiencies. According to Sprint, it got growth in retail stores.
Sprint spokeswoman Jennifer Schuler said that the company doesn’t foresee companywide cuts aside from its customer service department. She added that the company continues to look at its work force in each area of the business to ensure that it is in line with its financial goals.
After the release of the statement, Sprint’s shares dropped 18 cents to $6.73 in afternoon trading.
Leave a Reply