CALGARY — Shaw Communications announced Wednesday it will reorganize its customer service operations over the next 11 months, a move affecting 1,600 employees at its Calgary, Edmonton and Kelowna customer contact centres, which are scheduled to close in the next year.
Shaw’s customer care operations will be realigned around its expanding contact centres in Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal. Shaw’s contact centres in Nanaimo and Mississauga are not affected by these changes, Shaw said in a news release.
As part of the move, Shaw’s Edmonton contact centre operations and part of its Kelowna operations will be closed in June, and its Calgary contact centre operations will be closed in January 2016. Shaw also plans to consolidate six of its retail stores into neighbouring locations.
The 1,600 employees in Shaw’s customer care operations in Calgary, Edmonton and Kelowna will be offered a choice of relocating to one of the four expanding contact centres, taking on a new role in their current location, or receiving a severance package. All of the customer care roles will be relocated to Shaw’s operations in Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal in the next year.
“We decided to expand Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal after looking at the long-term performance of each of our locations according to a number of operational factors, and their ability to support our growing business. Our customers can expect even better and more consistent experiences, whether they are ordering new services, requesting technical support, or inquiring about their account,” Chris Kucharski, senior vice-president, consumer, Shaw Communications, said in the news release.
“We deeply value the contributions our employees make to our business. We know that change is difficult and we will support them during this process,” Kucharski added. “We have allowed several months for a smooth transition, and to provide employees with opportunities to continue growing in our company.”
Shaw said the changes to its customer service operations do not impact the 4,100 employees who work in other parts of Shaw’s business in Calgary, Edmonton and Kelowna, nor the thousands of other employees across Canada who serve customers, provide technical service and otherwise support Shaw’s network and operations.
