Bilingual call centre opens
Winnipeg Sun
April 4, 2001

Article by Wendy Stephenson

It's no coincidence President's Choice Financial began rolling out its own MasterCard last week, and that Regina-based CUETS yesterday officially opened its 800-square-metre customer service centre in Winnipeg.

CUETS, with is among the Top 200 of some 22,000 MasterCard issuers worldwide, signed an agreement late last year with President's Choice Financial to share its expertise, said CEO Stan Kuss.

"Because of our knowledge of the industry and the infrastructure we have, we were chosen to (issue MasterCards) on behalf of President's Choice, rather than them starting from scratch.

"We have the credit policies, the customer service experience, the collections and day-to-day administration..."

Since signing the agreement, CUETS has had to establish a new bilingual customer service centre.

"Because of PC's aggressive business plan, we expect the volume of business over the short-term will require access to a significant pool of French-speaking resources," Kuss said.

Regina couldn't meet the added demand, Moncton, N.B., is tapped out and Quebec, because of its economic and regulatory regime, would be difficult, he said.

Winnipeg's cultural diversity was key, but what also proved attractive is the "critical mass" of customer contact centres, he said.

EMPLOYS 9,000

In Manitoba, the call centre industry employs 9,000 people and annually generates $184 million in salaries.

Kuss said CUETS has 35 employees but he expects that will increase to between 80 and 100 within the first year and to 150 within two years.

"Our customer service reps earn between $26,000 and $31,000 a year, which puts them in the top third in Manitoba," he said.

The company, which occupies the sixth floor of ..., has signed a lease which will allow it to expand to another floor.

"The biggest hurdle to growth is not in our control. It depends on PC Financial, how aggressive they are."

President's Choice Financial senior vice-president David Boon said they launched their MasterCard in B.C. and will roll it out across the prairies by May.

"We want to do it right," Boon said.

President's Choice Financial, located in Real Canadian Superstores, has grown to more than 500,000 customers in three years and offers a full range of services from no-fee bank accounts, mortgages and loans to RRSPs.

"We have pretty high expectations of the ability of this card to penetrate the marketplace," he said.