T-Mobile Benefit Fair

Mission, TX- Currently T-Mobile employs over 1,000 employees, 70% being Customer Care Representatives. They held their employee Benefit's Fair on April 26, 2007 with the purpose of:
· heightening awareness and educating employees regarding available T-Mobile benefit options and choices
· Preparing and assisting employees in making their benefit selections during open enrollment and engaging them in taking action early
· Increase participation in supplementary benefit plan such as FSA, Childcare Subsidy, and 401(k)
· Increase direct deposit/pay card and Ipay participation

The participation was a great success with the help of various participating vendors. Those who attended were:

· United Healthcare
· Delta Dental
· Prudential
· Dell
· VSP
· Ford
· Daimler Chrysler
· Urology Associates
· South Texas Hospitals (Blood pressure check, blood glucose)
· Sovereign Therapy
· Dr. Gillett’s office for vision & glaucoma screenings
· Chase Bank
· Wells Fargo

The employees enjoyed it more because there were various gifts raffled out for which were donated by Chrysler and other vendors.

To make it a relaxing environment they decorated the area with a Hawaiian theme which was a big success.

For further information, please contact Caroline Fuentes, T-Mobile, Human Resources Coordinator at Caroline.Fuentes@T-Mobile.com

Reunion of Call Center Task Force Committee

Edinburg, TX- The Call Center Taskforce Committee meeting was scheduled Thursday, April 26, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. at the Workforce Solutions Business Center located at 3413 W. Alberta in Edinburg, TX. This first meeting was a success with represenatives from Convergys, JVC Customer Care Center, Merkafon Teleperformance International, Texas Workforce Commission and T-Mobile.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss reviving the Call Center Taskforce Committee. Several Call Centers from the area were invited such as Convergys, Corporate Receivables, JVC Customer Care Center, Infinity Insurance, Merkafon Teleperformance International, Penncro & Associates, Seagate Technologies, T-Mobile, Ticketmaster and Texas Workforce Commission.

Workforce Solutions along with the McAllen Economic Development Corporation would like the Call Centers to focus on working together in addressing common issues in the call center industry as well as develop strategies in resolving them.

Carmelito Eduarto, JVC Customer Care National Manager, suggested joining a National Chapter such as the SOCAP (www.socap.org) to further our knowledge on the Customer Care Industy. Marco Garza, T-Mobile Human Resource Manager expressed a few of his goals from the formation of this Committee:
1. Create awareness campaign around re-communicating the benefits of the
Call Center Job to the workforce by creating a video, information materials, speaking at high schools and colleges
2. Career Pathing by creating a scholarship program as well as internship programs.

The Call Center Taskforce Committee will continue to meet regularly and plans to invite all the Call Centers located in the Rio Grande Valley.

The McAllen MSA continues to be a hot spot for Call Centers because of the available workforce and more than anything because most of the workforce is bilingual.

For more information, please contact Nohelia Frias at (956) 682-2875 or nohelia@medc.org.