ONTARIO CONTACT CENTRES

Ontario contact Centres
Connect
with us
Meet Ontario’s contact centre workers ...
smart ...
• entry-level service representatives commonly have degrees and technical certification.
A higher percentage of our workforce of 6.8 million has completed their post-secondary
education than in any industrialized country, according to the Paris-based Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• the 2003 World Competitiveness Yearbook ranks Canada’s educational system
ahead of Japan and the U.S. in its ability to meet the needs of a competitive economy.
skilled ...
• 16 community colleges across the province offer accredited, industry-driven training
programs in contact centre operations, and they’re steadily increasing their output
of graduates to meet the growing demand
• 20 universities, 24 community colleges, 17 privately funded degree-granting
post-secondary schools and more than 450 registered private career colleges
help businesses find staff from among their students.
affordable ...
• salary and wage costs are lower than in the U.S.
• favourable exchange rate lowers wage costs even further.
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Source: Boyd Company, Inc., Princeton, N.J. (2005)
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All figures in US dollars unless otherwise noted
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For example, Centennial College
(www.centennialcollege.ca) in
Toronto, Ontario offers a 48-week
certificate program in contact
centre operations. Courses include
Computer Applications, Call Centre
Environment, Call Centre Selling,
Customer Service, Team Building,
Financial Applications and more.
Centennial also offers one of
North America’s few contact
centre management education
programs. Courses include Call
Centre Basic Technologies, Call
Centre Performance Management,
Customer Relationship
Management and more.
Customer Service representative average wages, by city­
tch
Across Ontario, 16 colleges
offer specialized contact
centre training.
... and dependable
• a low contact centre turnover rate of 20.4% means reduced administrative
and training costs
• less than 3% of time lost to absenteeism.
Ki
Ontario Colleges Offer
Specialized Contact
Centre Training
Industry expansion
fuelled by COMPETITIVE business costs
Leading U.S. companies have opened contact centres in Ontario
American Express • British Airways • Citibank • Compaq • Convergys • Dell • EDS •
Epson • Georgeson Shareholder • IBM • Microsoft • OnStar (a wholly-owned subsidiary
of GM) • Oracle • RMH Teleservices • SITEL • Stream International • TeleTech Holdings
...and many more.
Ontario’s highly competitive business costs help make the decision easier.
Costs are 5%–20% lower than the U.S. average for contact centres and back
office operations.
Contributing cost savings include:
• construction costs that are among the lowest in North America
• low commercial real estate leasing costs
• competitive electricity rates
• low payroll taxes
• a favourable exchange rate.
Contact centres enjoy lower operating costs in Ontario
A recent study compared annual operating costs (labour, facilities, telecommunications,
utilities and others) for a 145 employee contact centre.
Annual Operating Costs, By City
Comparison based on a simulated inbound call centre employing 500 workers
and occupying 45,000 sq. ft. of floor space
20
38
,5
85
Dan Fortin,
President,
IBM Canada Ltd.
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$ millions
“
The reasons IBM chose Ontario
include a high-quality education
system, multi-language capabilities,
strong information and technology
infrastructure, a reputation for
providing high quality customer
services and its excellent
telecommunications and
web infrastructure.
“
18
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Source: Boyd Company, Inc., Princeton, N.J. (2005)
3
­Competitive corporate tax rates attract international investment
Ontario’s combined (provincial plus federal) corporate income tax rate is lower
than that of any neighbouring U.S. state.
Combined Corporate Income Tax Rates, 2005
%
40
39.3
36.1
39.7
40.5 40.5 41.4 41.5
39.9 40.1
30
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Source: Ontario Ministry of Finance
“
Growing market demands in
North America told us we needed
to seriously establish ourselves
outside of Europe. Four years ago,
we moved our global headquarters
from the United Kingdom to Thunder
Bay, Ontario. What attracted us was
the presence of an international
airport, the quality of life, and the
lower costs of living and operating a business. The relocation has
been an unqualified success. It
has allowed us to produce the
2005 International Contact Centre
Benchmarking Study with data
from over 50 countries, and expand
our business base into global
conference planning. From Ontario,
we can easily provide online support,
education and information to our
81,000+ members who run call
centres worldwide.
Contact centre industry growing in Northern, Eastern Ontario
Dell Inc. has selected Ottawa for a new, 156,000 square-foot contact centre which
will provide technical support and sales for its North American customers. And SITEL
Corporation has launched the prototype for a new type of customer support centre
in Kanata, near Ottawa.
These are just two of the major international corporations that have been drawn
by the tremendous quality of life, skilled workers and advanced telecom networks
available in Eastern and Northern Ontario.
During the last three years, the contact centre industry has created 6,800 new jobs
in Northern Ontario.
The Sutherland Group, Ltd., NuComm International, NCO, MCCI (Multi-Channel
Communications Inc.), Flowers by Sears, Optimum Frontier Insurance, Sykes Canada,
TeleTech and Telespectrum have all opened operations in communities such as North
Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and Timmins. Cross Country Automotive
Services, for example, provides General Motors’ 24/7 roadside assistance service for
drivers across North America from its facility in Sault Ste. Marie.
“
Raj Wadhwani,
Founder and Editor-in-Chief,
ContactCenterWorld.com
on
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All figures in US dollars unless otherwise noted
Sophisticated, cost-effective
telecom infrastructure
supports contact centre growth
A world leader in advanced telecommunications
Ontario firms are global leaders in:
• the development and operation of excellent digital microwave transmission,
satellite communications services and data distribution networks
• the design and manufacture of voice, data and video telecommunications equipment.
Our advanced telecommunications infrastructure provides seamless voice, video and
data links with major U.S. carriers, supporting the smooth cross-border operation of
Ontario contact centres.
Long distance lines are 100% digitally switched. Long distance trunk lines are 100%
fibre optic. Ontario has ISDN and ATM technology, fibre ring technology, dynamic routing,
full common channel signaling capability and high capacity Internet access.
Telco competition helps keep costs low
State-of-the-art infrastructure plus competition among the telcos add up to big
savings for Ontario contact centres.
Ontario’s four major carriers—Bell Canada, Sprint Canada, Allstream and Telus
Communications—offer one-stop shopping for companies looking to set up
contact centres.
Industry expansion creates turn-key opportunities
As companies outgrow their contact centre facilities and build larger operations,
“plug and play” facilities come onto the market across Ontario. Many are near
excellent transportation routes, and have workstations, telecommunications
capabilities, training rooms, lunchrooms, and other leasehold improvements
that are ready to go.
For a monthly listing of available contact centre facilities, please send your e-mail
request to info@2ontario.com.
“
As a leading BPO services provider
in Canada, Minacs completes a
comprehensive analysis of potential
contact centre locations to ensure
that we are providing our clients with
the best operations available. A stateof-the-art telecom infrastructure is
one of the key drivers for choosing
a location. Minacs considers Ontario
as an optimum location for its contact
centres because it is home to a host
of reliable, secured, and innovative
multimedia communication services.
Based on this analysis, Minacs
continues to choose Ontario for
several of our state-of-the-art
facilities, including our corporate
headquarters in Toronto.
“
BRUCE SIMMONDS,
CEO,
Minacs Worldwide
­We’re helping
Ontario contact centres thrive
The Ontario government has eliminated the Ontario sales tax for 1-800/888 business
telephone service.
Contact centre firms can access a number of provincial and federal programs to help
defray hiring and job training costs:
• Job Connect
• Ontario Works
• Ontario Cooperative Education Tax Credit
• Targeted Wage Subsidy Program
We can help you establish a contact centre quickly. Call us for:
• the latest information on Ontario’s economy and business climate
• province-wide site searching of available land and buildings
• comprehensive profiles of Ontario municipalities
• co-ordination of site selection and community visits
• contacts with federal, provincial and municipal officials, as well as
utility suppliers, transportation organizations and business facilitators
• a list of provincial and federal programs to help defray hiring and job
training costs.
“
We’ve been active in Ontario for the
past five years and Invest Ontario’s
call centre team has been instrumental
in co-ordinating and streamlining the
site selection process for us. From
the start, we’ve counted on them to
identify the best sites for our clients,
introduce us to the local economic
development staff and solution
providers, point us to other resources,
such as training programs, and be
available to trouble-shoot through
the process. They’ve done all that and
more, which has made our job that
much easier.
“
Mark M. Deering,
Vice President,
MacKenzie Cushman &
Wakefield Alliance
All figures in US dollars unless otherwise noted
Central location means
easy access for clients, customers
and corporate executives
Located in the heart of the North American marketplace, Ontario is in the
Eastern Time zone.
For clients and customers calling from anywhere in North America, there’s
a maximum three-hour time difference.
For corporate executives visiting contact centre sites, Ontario’s major cities are
two hours by air from major U.S. cities, and a day’s drive from half the U.S.
consumer market.
Four international airports—in Toronto, London, Ottawa and Thunder Bay—provide
access to every region of the province. Toronto’s Pearson International offers direct service to 43 U.S. cities daily, as well as to major European and Asian capitals.
Information and
Expert Advice Available
­ ntario Investment Service provides comprehensive site selection and
O
other consultation services to global clients and their representatives who
are planning to establish, relocate, expand or consolidate contact centres.
For the latest information please visit our website
at www.2ontario.com
“
We have evaluated numerous
cities throughout Canada and have
assisted in bringing over 7,000 call
centre jobs to Canada over the
past five years. We are still very
bullish on Ontario as a call centre
location as it offers a stable, highly
educated and dedicated workforce.
Because the unemployment and
under-employment rates are typically
higher than average, at least by
U.S. standards, there is a large pool
of qualified workers from which to
choose. Add to that lower wages
and costs for benefits, reduced real
estate costs and positive incentive
programs, it is easy to see why
Ontario has become a magnet
for the call centre industry.
Susan Arledge, SIOR,
President,
Dallas-based­
Arledge Partners
Real Estate Group
“
more contact centres are calling ontario home
Population*
Major Call Centres
Technical
Training
(Colleges)
Contact
Brantford
Extend Communications, Marco
Sales and Incentives, NCO Financial
Services, Sunoco, Union Gas
Conestoga College,­­­
Kelly Services–
Connect Training
John Frabotta ­­­
(519) 759-4150­­­
jfrabotta@brantford.ca­­­
www.brantfordbrant.com
Canada’s
Technology
Triangle
Waterloo,
Kitchener,
Cambridge
671,775
Arvato Services Canada, CBCL
Outsourcing, Electrical Safety ­­­
Authority, Manulife Financial, ­­Nordia,­­­
RIM (Research in Motion), Rogers
Communications, Sun Life Assurance,
Teleperformance/Marusa, World ­­­
Access Canada
Conestoga College,
St. Louis Adult
Education Office
Services, Telego
Lutherwood,
CON*NECT
Bill Elliot ­­­
(519) 747-2541 ext. 403­­­
wectt@region.­­­
waterloo.on.ca­­­
www.techtriangle.com
Cornwall
Teleperformance, StarTek
St. Lawrence
College
Mark Boileau­­­
(613) 933-0074­­­
boileau@city.cornwall.on.ca­­­
www.city.cornwall.on.ca
Greater
Toronto ­­Area
29 municipalities
and regions ­­­
including
Burlington,
Oakville,
Mississauga,
Brampton,
Vaughan,
Richmond Hill,
Markham,
Pickering, ­­­
Oshawa, ...
5,721,102
AGF Financial Management, ­­­
Allstate Insurance, American Express,
Bell Mobility, Canon, Circles, ­­­
Citibank/Citibank Visa, Columbia
House, Dun & Bradstreet, EDS Canada,
Ericsson Canada, Epson Canada,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM Canada, ­­­
Ingram Micro, London Telecom,
Microsoft Canada, Oracle, Panasonic,
Purolator Courier, Royal & Sun
Alliance Canada, Royal Bank Action
Direct, Rubbermaid Canada, S&P
Data, Sitel Teleservices, Sprint
Canada, Xerox Service Centre
Centennial,
Durham Humber,
Seneca and
Sheridan colleges
Gerald Pisarzowski­­­
(416) 360-6447­­­
gpisarzowski@greater­­­
toronto.org­­­
www.greatertoronto.org
Hawkesbury
StarTek
La Cité Collégiale
Louis Veilleux­­­
(613) 632-1961 ext. 229­­­
lveilleux@hawkesbury.ca­­­
www.hawkesbury­­­
industry.com
Kingston
158,353
Assurant Solutions, ­­­
Bell Canada, StarTek
St. Lawrence ­­­
College, CDI
College, Advanced
Technology
Education
Consortium
Donna Tregunna­­­
(613) 544-2725 ext. 224­­­
tregunna@kingston­­­
canada.com­­­
http://business.kingston­­­
canada.com
London
469,376
Alliance Call Centre Services, Bell
Canada, Citibank MasterCard, Market
Strategies, Stream, Sykes Canada, ­­­
TD Canada Trust, TeleTech
Fanshawe College
Heather Pilot­­­
(519) 661-4957­­­
hpilot@ledc.com­­­
www.ledc.com
­­­
93,276
58,792
12,157
*Source: Financial Post Markets, July 1, 2005 estimates
Population
Major Call Centres
Technical
Training
(Colleges)
Contact
434,500
Accenture, Canadian Tire Financial
Services, Central Communications,
Convergys, Creditors Interchange,
Intelservices Canada, Marusa
Marketing, NuComm, SITEL,
Telespectrum Canada
Niagara College,
Manpower
Alan Teichroeb
(905) 685-1308
ateichroeb@niagara
canada.com
www.niagaracanada.com
North Bay
66,832
Clinidata, Flowers By Sears, L’Alliance
de Caisse Populaire, NAVCAN, Ontario
Provincial Police Northeast Region,
Onterra, Optimum Frontier Insurance,
Telespectrum, TeleTech, Union Energy
Canadore College,
Collège Boréal,
CTS Training
Erin Richmond
(705) 474-0626 ext. 527
erin.richmond@
cityofnorthbay.ca
www.cityofnorthbay.ca
Orillia
44,104
Ontario Provincial Police Central
Region, TeleTech
Georgian College
Robert J. Lamb
(705) 325-4900
rlamb@city.orillia.on.ca
www.city.orillia.on.ca
Ottawa
846,681
Arvato, Bell Canada, Bell Sympatico,
Clarica, Convergys, Dell Canada,
Fisher Scientific, IBM, ING Call
Centre, MBNA Canada, Rogers
Communications, SITEL, TDWaterhouse
Algonquin College,
La Cité Collégiale
Judy Quigley
(613) 828-6274 ext. 276
jquigley@ocri.ca
www.ocri.ca
Owen
Sound
33,190
NuComm International
Georgian College
– Owen Sound
Campus
Steve Furness
(519) 376-4440 ext. 236
sfurness@city.owensound.on.ca­­
www.city.owen-sound.on.ca
Sault
Ste. Marie
80,264
Cross Country Automotive Services,
NCO Customer Management,
NuComm International, The
Sutherland Group
Sault College
John Febbraro
(705) 759-5432
jfebbraro@ssmedc.ca
www.ssmedc.ca
­Sudbury
162,694
Acrobat Research, Canadian
Blood Services, HRSDC, Omega
Direct Response, TeleTech
Cambrian College,
Collège Boréal
Don Dewulf
(705) 674-4455 ext. 4607
don.dewulf@greater
sudbury.ca
www.greatersudbury.ca
Thunder Bay
126,351
MCCI Global, Responsive Marketing
Group, TNS Canadian Facts, YA
Canada
CCI Global, Responsive, StarTek
Confederation
College
Richard Pohler
(807) 625-3960
rpohler@thunderbay.ca
www.thunderbay.ca
Timmins
TeleTech
Collège Boréal,
Northern College
Clara Lauziere
(705) 360-8474
clara.lauziere@timmins.ca
www.timminsedc.com
Niagara Region
12 municipalities
including
St. Catharines,
Niagara Falls,
Welland, Fort
Erie, Thorold, ...
43,290
Bottom line – Ontario’s Advantages are Your Advantages
Add it all up and one
thing rings clear. Ontario is
uniquely qualified to meet
all your needs for contact
centres. We have the
people... the technology...
and the business climate.
Find out how Ontario can
give your contact centre
a winning edge.
*map not to scale
10
Canada
Ontario
­­
United
­­
States
Hill
Th
Fort Erie
11
For more information
about investing in Ontario,
please visit our website
www.2ontario.com
1-800-819-8701 (North America)
00-800-46-68-27-46 (U.K. and Europe)
Email: info@2ontario.com
Ontario Investment and Trade Services
BCE Place
TD Canada Trust Tower, Suite 4040, 161 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2S1 CANADA
Tel: 416-360-4647
Fax: 416-360-1817
Printed in Ontario, Canada, on recycled paper
© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2006
324-ENG/07/06