ONLINE retailer Play.com has opened a call centre in Wirral, creating 55 permanent jobs.
And the company says in the run-up to Christmas it may need up to 200 extra staff to cope with demand.
Play.com is one of the largest online retailers in the UK with more than 14m registered users.
It sells products including DVDs, video games, books, electronics and sporting goods.
Its call centre had been based overseas but now it has teamed up with Merseyside call centre provider, The Contact Company, to relocate the facility to Birkenhead.
The team takes general customer queries seven days a week via telephone, email and social media including Facebook and Twitter. Currently handling around 12,000 enquiries a week, the team expects that number to rise as they start to provide 24-hour support through social media.
Play.com is owned by Japan-based Rakuten, which is one of the world’s leading internet service companies.
Adam Stewart, director of marketing at Play.com, said: “Research shows that consumers feel a greater affinity and are more trusting of retailers that provide a local and knowledgeable service to those based overseas.
“With careful consideration we decided one of the first steps to deliver an improved personal service was to bring the contact centre back to the UK.
“It is already proving effective, as just three months since on-shoring, Play.com’s metrics show an improvement of 10% in customer satisfaction, helpfulness and outcome of query.”
