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Wilko to make 95 job cuts by outsourcing customer services

By Nagasunder in UK Employment news, posted January 12, 2023

Wilko could make job cuts with 95 customer service staff at risk due to plans to contract out its customer service operations.

The positions are at risk at the Worksop contact centre in Nottinghamshire.

The retailer has begun a period of conversation with those who will be impacted, and chances for alternative employment within the company will be investigated.

From February, a third-party service will handle all of its client inquiries, including those made by phone, email, social media, live chat, and the company's website.

The retailer said it aims to “use the best available technology and processes” to improve efficiencies.

Wilko digital director Ben Exall said: “Nothing matters more to us than offering a shopping experience that values our customers’ time and money, and unfortunately our current customer service processes aren’t delivering the aftercare that our shoppers need.

“Using the expertise and customer service-specific technology of a third-party provider means we can now deliver the experience that our customers rightly demand of us after visiting one of our stores or shopping via our website.”

“These changes will obviously have an impact on team members currently employed in the contact centre.

"All our team members are critical to the Wilko business, and helping the hardworking families who shop with us, so this is not something we have undertaken lightly.”

Hilco provided Wilko with a £40 million liquidity lifeline earlier this month in exchange for protection over a large portion of Wilko's intellectual property, including its logo, marketing catchphrases, and different own-label product names.

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Additionally, Wilko replaced chair Lisa Wilkinson—the founder's granddaughter and granddaughter of the retailer—with restructuring specialist Chris Howell.

It also appointed Mark Jackson, the former CEO of Bensons for Beds, as its new CEO last month after Jerome Saint-Marc resigned effective immediately.

Source: Retail Gazette

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