Our look at Cochrane history this week brings us to the time in February, 1998 when the local economic development corporation was selling the town as a potential host to an inbound call centre.
Library archivist Ardis Proulx-Chedore reads a quote from the front page story on the Cochrane Times.
“’We’re trying to develop a turnkey operation to lease out to a company,’ explained Paul Bradette, Cochrane’s economic development manager. ‘It’s really going well.’”
Bradette felt that a call centre would employ between 50 and 80 customer service agents for a large company.
In this next excerpt, Bradette explained that major companies often relied on such a centre to help it with customer service on a contract basis.
“’The next time you’re calling a 1-800 for a major company, ask where you are calling,’ Bradette said, ‘chances are you’re talking to an independent company.’”
If you’re researching Cochrane history, your one-stop resource is the public library’s archives department.