SBC Communications Cuts California Call Centers

The telephone company SBC Communications Inc. plans to consolidate and move corporate call center operations in Northern California to reduce costs and improve efficiency, according to wire service reports.

In a move that would affect potentially hundreds of telemarketing jobs, a call center in San Francisco will be closed, with operations slated for relocation to either Oakland or further east to San Ramon, CA.

Elsewhere in the region, SBC plans to shutdown centers in Chico and Redding, CA. Those operations will be consolidated at other existing centers located in Rohnert Park and Riverside, CA.

Increased competition and an estimated loss of nearly 1 million customers in California in recent years were reportedly key factors driving SBC’s consolidation plans.