- entry-level service representatives commonly have degrees and technical certification. A higher percentage of our workforce of 6.8 million has completed their post-secondary education than in any industrialized country, according to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- the 2003 World Competitiveness Yearbook ranks Canada's educational system ahead of Japan and the U.S. in its ability to meet the needs of a competitive economy.
- 16 community colleges across the province offer accredited, industry-driven training programs in contact centre operations, and they're steadily increasing their output of graduates to meet the growing demand
- 20 universities, 24 community colleges, 17 privately funded degree-granting post-secondary schools and more than 450 registered private career colleges help businesses find staff from among their students.
- salary and wage costs are lower than in the U.S.
- favourable exchange rate lowers wage costs even further.
- a low contact centre turnover rate of 20.4% means reduced administrative and training costs
- less than 3% of time lost to absenteeism.
| City | $/hr average earnings |
|---|---|
| Ottawa | $11.36 |
| Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge | $11.52 |
| Toronto | $11.86 |
| Houston | $12.29 |
| San Diego | $12.33 |
| Phoenix | $12.55 |
| Chicago | $12.87 |
| Hartford | $13.00 |
| Philadelphia | $13.00 |
across ontario, 16 colleges offer specialized contact centre training.
For example, Centennial College (www.centennialcollege.ca) in Toronto, Ontario offers a 48-week certificate program in contact centre operations. Courses include Computer Applications, Call Centre Environment, Call Centre Selling, Customer Service, Team Building, Financial Applications and more. Centennial also offers one of
North America's few contact centre management education programs. Courses include Call Centre Basic Technologies, Call Centre Performance Management, Customer Relationship Management and more.
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Leading U.S. companies have opened contact centres in ontario
American Express • British Airways • Citibank • Compaq • Convergys • Dell • EDS • Epson • Georgeson Shareholder • IBM • Microsoft • OnStar (a wholly-owned subsidiary of GM) • Oracle • RMH Teleservices • SITEL • Stream International • TeleTech Holdings ...and many more.
Ontario's highly competitive business costs help make the decision easier.
Costs are 5%–20% lower than the U.S. average for contact centres and back office operations.
Contributing cost savings include:
- construction costs that are among the lowest in North America
- low commercial real estate leasing costs
- competitive electricity rates
- low payroll taxes
- a favourable exchange rate.
Contact centres enjoy lower operating costs in ontario
A recent study compared annual operating costs (labour, facilities, telecommunications, utilities and others) for a 145 employee contact centre.
Annual operating Costs, By City
Comparison based on a simulated inbound call centre employing 500 workers and occupying 45,000 sq. ft. of floor space
| City | $ millions |
|---|---|
| Ottawa | 15,718 |
| Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge | 15,808 |
| Toronto | 16,135 |
| St. Louis | 18,786 |
| Houston | 19,075 |
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | 19,229 |
| San Diego | 19,485 |
| Phoenix | 19,538 |
| Philadelphia | 20,139 |
"The reasons IBM chose Ontario include a high-quality education system, multi-language capabilities, strong information and technology infrastructure, a reputation for providing high quality customer services and its excellent telecommunications and web infrastructure."
IBM Canada Ltd.
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Ontario's combined (provincial plus federal) corporate income tax rate is lower than that of any neighbouring U.S. state.
| State/Province | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 36.1 |
| Michigan | 39.3 |
| Illinois | 39.7 |
| New York | 39.9 |
| Wisconsin | 40.1 |
| Indiana | 40.5 |
| Ohio | 40.5 |
| Minnesota | 41.4 |
| Pennsylvania | 41.5 |
Dell Inc. has selected Ottawa for a new, 156,000 square-foot contact centre which will provide technical support and sales for its North American customers. And SITEL Corporation has launched the prototype for a new type of customer support centre in Kanata, near Ottawa.
These are just two of the major international corporations that have been drawn by the tremendous quality of life, skilled workers and advanced telecom networks available in Eastern and Northern Ontario.
During the last three years, the contact centre industry has created 6,800 new jobs in Northern Ontario.
The Sutherland Group, Ltd., NuComm International, NCO, MCCI (Multi-Channel Communications Inc.), Flowers by Sears, Optimum Frontier Insurance, Sykes Canada, TeleTech and Telespectrum have all opened operations in communities such as North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and Timmins. Cross Country Automotive Services, for example, provides General Motors' 24/7 roadside assistance service for drivers across North America from its facility in Sault Ste. Marie.
"Growing market demands in North America told us we needed to seriously establish ourselves outside of Europe. Four years ago, we moved our global headquarters from the United Kingdom to Thunder Bay, Ontario. What attracted us was the presence of an international airport, the quality of life, and the lower costs of living and operating a business. The relocation has been an unqualified success. It has allowed us to produce the 2005 International Contact Centre Benchmarking Study with data from over 50 countries, and expand our business base into global conference planning. From Ontario, we can easily provide online support, education and information to our 81,000+ members who run call centres worldwide."
ContactCenterWorld.com
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Ontario firms are global leaders in:
- the development and operation of excellent digital microwave transmission, satellite communications services and data distribution networks
- the design and manufacture of voice, data and video telecommunications equipment.
Our advanced telecommunications infrastructure provides seamless voice, video and data links with major U.S. carriers, supporting the smooth cross-border operation of Ontario contact centres.
Long distance lines are 100% digitally switched. Long distance trunk lines are 100% fibre optic. Ontario has ISDN and ATM technology, fibre ring technology, dynamic routing, full common channel signaling capability and high capacity Internet access.
State-of-the-art infrastructure plus competition among the telcos add up to big savings for Ontario contact centres.
Ontario's four major carriers - Bell Canada, Sprint Canada, Allstream and Telus Communications - offer one-stop shopping for companies looking to set up contact centres.
As companies outgrow their contact centre facilities and build larger operations, "plug and play" facilities come onto the market across Ontario. Many are near excellent transportation routes, and have workstations, telecommunications capabilities, training rooms, lunchrooms, and other leasehold improvements that are ready to go.
For a monthly listing of available contact centre facilities, please send your email request to .
As a leading BPO services provider in Canada, Minacs completes a comprehensive analysis of potential contact centre locations to ensure that we are providing our clients with the best operations available. A stateof-the-art telecom infrastructure is one of the key drivers for choosing a location. Minacs considers Ontario as an optimum location for its contact centres because it is home to a host of reliable, secured, and innovative multimedia communication services. Based on this analysis, Minacs continues to choose Ontario for several of our state-of-the-art facilities, including our corporate headquarters in Toronto.
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The Ontario government has eliminated the Ontario sales tax for 1-800/888 business telephone service.
Contact centre firms can access a number of provincial and federal programs to help defray hiring and job training costs:
- Job Connect
- Ontario Works
- Ontario Cooperative Education Tax Credit
- Targeted Wage Subsidy Program
We can help you establish a call center quickly. Call us for:
- the latest information on Ontario's economy and business climate
- province-wide site searching of available land and buildings
- comprehensive profiles of Ontario municipalities
- co-ordination of site selection and community visits
- contacts with federal, provincial and municipal officials, as well as utility suppliers, transportation organizations and business facilitators
- a list of provincial and federal programs to help defray hiring and job training costs.
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Located in the heart of the North American marketplace, Ontario is in the Eastern Time zone.
For clients and customers calling from anywhere in North America, there's a maximum three-hour time difference.
For corporate executives visiting contact centre sites, Ontario's major cities are two hours by air from major U.S. cities, and a day's drive from half the U.S. consumer market.
Four international airports - in Toronto, London, Ottawa and Thunder Bay - provide access to every region of the province. Toronto's Pearson International offers direct service to 43 U.S. cities daily, as well as to major European and Asian capitals.
Ontario Investment and Trade Centre provides comprehensive site selection and other consultation services to global clients and their representatives who are planning to establish, relocate, expand or consolidate contact centres.
For the latest information please visit our website at www.investinontario.com
"We have evaluated numerous cities throughout Canada and have assisted in bringing over 7,000 call centre jobs to Canada over the past five years. We are still very bullish on Ontario as a call centre location as it offers a stable, highly educated and dedicated workforce. Because the unemployment and under-employment rates are typically higher than average, at least by U.S. standards, there is a large pool of qualified workers from which to choose. Add to that lower wages and costs for benefits, reduced real estate costs and positive incentive programs, it is easy to see why Ontario has become a magnet for the call centre industry."
| Location | POPULATION* | MAJOR CALL CENTRES | TECHNICAL TRAINING (COLLEGES) | CONTACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brantford | 93,276 | Extend Communications, Marco Sales and Incentives, NCO Financial Services, Sunoco, Union Gas | Conestoga College, Kelly Services Connect Training | John Frabotta 519-759-4150 jfrabotta@brantford.ca www.brantfordbrant.com |
| Canada's Technology Triangle Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge |
671,775 | Arvato Services Canada, CBCL Outsourcing, Electrical Safety Authority, Manulife Financial, Nordia, RIM (Research in Motion), Rogers Communications, Sun Life Assurance, Teleperformance/Marusa, World Access Canada | Conestoga College, St. Louis Adult Education Office Services, Telego Lutherwood, CON*NECT | Bill Elliot 519-747-2541 ext. 403 wectt@region.waterloo.on.ca www.techtriangle.com |
| Cornwall | 58,792 | Teleperformance, StarTek | St. Lawrence College | Mark Boileau 613-933-0074 boileau@city.cornwall.on.ca www.city.cornwall.on.ca |
| Greater Toronto Area 29 municipalities and regions including Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Pickering, Oshawa, ... | 5,721,102 | AGF Financial Management, Allstate Insurance, American Express, Bell Mobility, Canon, Circles, Citibank/Citibank Visa, Columbia House, Dun & Bradstreet, EDS Canada, Ericsson Canada, Epson Canada, Hewlett-Packard, IBM Canada, Ingram Micro, London Telecom, Microsoft Canada, Oracle, Panasonic, Purolator Courier, Royal & Sun Alliance Canada, Royal Bank Action Direct, Rubbermaid Canada, S&P Data, Sitel Teleservices, Sprint Canada, Xerox Service Centre | Centennial, Durham Humber, Seneca and Sheridan colleges | Gerald Pisarzowski 416-360-6447 gpisarzowski@greatertoronto.org www.greatertoronto.org |
| Hawkesbury | 12,157 | StarTek | La Cité Collégiale | Louis Veilleux 613-632-1961 ext. 229 lveilleux@hawkesbury.ca www.hawkesburyindustry.com |
| Kingston | 158,353 | Assurant Solutions, Bell Canada, StarTek | St. Lawrence College, CDI College, Advanced Technology Education Consortium | Donna Tregunna 613-544-2725 ext. 224 tregunna@kingstoncanada.com http://business.kingstoncanada.com |
| London | 469,376 | Alliance Call Centre Services, Bell Canada, Citibank MasterCard, Market Strategies, Stream, Sykes Canada, TD Canada Trust, TeleTech | Fanshawe College | Heather Pilot 519-661-4957 hpilot@ledc.com www.ledc.com |
| Niagara Region 12 municipalities including St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Fort Erie, Thorold, ... | 434,500 | Accenture, Canadian Tire Financial Services, Central Communications, Convergys, Creditors Interchange, Intelservices Canada, Marusa Marketing, NuComm, SITEL, Telespectrum Canada | Niagara College, Manpower | Alan Teichroeb 905-685-1308 ateichroeb@niagaracanada.com www.niagaracanada.com |
| North Bay | 66,832 | Clinidata, Flowers By Sears, L'Alliance de Caisse Populaire, NAVCAN, Ontario Provincial Police Northeast Region, Onterra, Optimum Frontier Insurance, Telespectrum, TeleTech, Union Energy | Canadore College, Collège Boréal, CTS Training | Erin Richmond 705-474-0626 ext. 527 erin.richmond@cityofnorthbay.ca www.cityofnorthbay.ca |
| Orillia | 44,104 | Ontario Provincial Police Central Region, TeleTech | Georgian College | Robert J. Lamb 705-325-4900 rlamb@city.orillia.on.ca www.city.orillia.on.ca |
| Ottawa | 846,681 | Arvato, Bell Canada, Bell Sympatico, Clarica, Convergys, Dell Canada, Fisher Scientific, IBM, ING Call Centre, MBNA Canada, Rogers Communications, SITEL, TDWaterhouse | Algonquin College, La Cité Collégiale | Judy Quigley 613-828-6274 ext. 276 www.ocri.ca |
| Owen Sound | 33,190 | NuComm International | Georgian College – Owen Sound Campus | Steve Furness 519-376-4440 ext. 236 sfurness@city.owensound.on.ca www.city.owen-sound.on.ca |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 80,264 | Cross Country Automotive Services, NCO Customer Management, NuComm International, The Sutherland Group | Sault College | John Febbraro 705-759-5432 jfebbraro@ssmedc.ca www.ssmedc.ca |
| Sudbury | 162,694 | Acrobat Research, Canadian Blood Services, HRSDC, Omega Direct Response, TeleTech | Cambrian College, Collège Boréal | Don Dewulf 705-674-4455 ext. 4607 don.dewulf@greatersudbury.ca www.greatersudbury.ca |
| Thunder Bay | 126,351 | MCCI Global, Responsive Marketing Group, TNS Canadian Facts, YA Canada CCI Global, Responsive, StarTek | Confederation College | Richard Pohler 807-625-3960 rpohler@thunderbay.ca www.thunderbay.ca |
| Timmins | 43,290 | TeleTech | Collège Boréal, Northern College | Clara Lauziere 705-360-8474 clara.lauziere@timmins.ca www.timminsedc.com |
Add it all up and one thing rings clear. Ontario is uniquely qualified to meet all your needs for contact centres. We have the people... the technology... and the business climate. Find out how Ontario can give your contact centre a winning edge.
For more information about investing in Ontario, please visit our website www.investinontario.com
1-800-819-8701 (North America)
00-800-46-68-27-46 (U.K. and Europe)
Email:
Ontario Investment and Trade Centre
250 Yonge Street, 35th Floor
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5B 2L7
Tel: 416-313-3400
Fax: 416-360-1817
