National General Management Corporation, parent of Nashville, Tennessee-based Direct Auto and Life Insurance, an underwriter of non-standard insurance policies, will be closing their Baton Rouge, Louisiana call center and laying off approximately 127 workers. An additional 63 workers will be offered the opportunity to telecommute and provide services from their homes.
Call centers are particularly susceptible to automation using IVR (Interactive Voice Response), competition from the company’s self-help websites that can solve many of the routine problems normally handed by call center employees, and of course, outsourcing to a BPO (Business Process Outsourcer) which can allow a company to develop its core competencies while providing flexible staffing options, insulating the company from dealing with employees, and providing specialized services at a lower price point.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?