Verizon Wireless Employees Get Grim News: Call Centers Shutting Down

Despite the growth of mobile phones and services, Verizon Wireless plans to close three U.S. call centers by the end of the year.

America’s largest wireless carrier says it wants to use its existing facilities more effectively and actually hopes the move will improve customer service. Of the more than 3,000 employees impacted, those who are "in good standing" will have the option of relocating to other call centers, according to a Bloomberg report. Others who want to leave will get severance packages.

The facilities getting the ax are in Houston; Bellevue, Wash.; and Southfield, Mich.

VzW saw capital spending jump by more than 6 percent last year. The ongoing battle with AT&T and other carriers is costly, as all three carriers spend big bucks improving their networks to handle the massive increase in data traffic driven by Android devices and Apple’s iPhone, the report pointed out.

Verizon Wireless has about 82,000 employees in the U.S. In addition to closing the aforementioned contact centers, a pair of call centers in California are being merged into one and two of the carrier’s designated Internet-response centers in the Midwest are also being consolidated.

We are realigning our call center portfolio in order to maximize existing company resources and real estate assets and enhance customer service,” Verizon said in a statement mentioned in the report.