Workers line up to join new contact centre as 1,200 job recruitment begins

A husband and wife team who helped steer Sunderland's contact centre industry to success are at the helm of a new venture which will recruit 1,200 workers to its ranks.
Stuart and Lynne Gray, of ResQ in Seaham.Stuart and Lynne Gray, of ResQ in Seaham.
Stuart and Lynne Gray, of ResQ in Seaham.

Lynne and Stuart Gray have been tasked with overseeing the new ResQ office in Seaham as part of the management team put together to lead its new Seaham base.

Around 60 people are already working from the office on Spectrum Business Park, with the full staff to join during the next three years in roles including sales advisors, IT and human resources.

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They will provide a service for the digital, energy, retail and insurance sectors.

Lynne, client relations director, and Stuart, managing director, previously worked for 2Touch Acxiom at Doxford Park, and decided to take on the task after deciding they were not ready to retire.

Part of their work will see the team work for companies which have decided to bring their call centre work back to the UK from India, with the region’s wealth of experience in the industry helping to get the centre off to a good start.

She said: “We got together with the management, who are a great bunch of people with a wide range of experience and we know this is a great place to grow and expand.
“The work ethic of the North East is definitely part of that.”

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Stuart added: “The building has never been occupied before and we’re on the ground floor now but we are confident that we will fill the whole building.

“There’s also a confidence within ResQ’s business and within the industry and its clients that we will fill the site.

“The community here in Seaham is growing and the majority of people are from this locality.

“We’re looking at 1,200 new jobs and not just jobs but careers. For every 15 sales advisors, we say there are three other different skills and people needed.”

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He said staff had already started to take advantage of the bars, cafes and shops in Seaham around their shifts.

Among the new recruits are Kai Storey, 18, from Easington Lane, who has previously worked for Parsq - the parent company of 2Touch - at Doxford Park and is now helping customers find the right electricity and gas supplier.

She said: “I came here because it offers more of an opportunity for me to be able to develop my career.

“It’s so chatty, it’s really friendly, but it’s very professional.”

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The launch of the office has been supported by Durham County Council and Business Durham.

Recruitment is being carried out through JobCentre Plus and other partners, with more details available via http://resqcs.co.uk/careers.