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Hilton's Work At Home program boosts call center's growth

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By CHRIS KUHN, Special Sections writer

Published: September 23, 2007

When Alan Liu joined the Hilton Reservations and Customer Care Center as director in December 2005, he already was impressed by the center's rapid growth. "In 1996, when the Tampa office opened, we had just 200 employees. Last year, they forecasted 550 employees but our growth needs expanded the team to 700. Next year, we project 850 employees. The job growth is tremendous."

Open 24/7, the Tampa call center manages hotel desk calls for all Hilton brand hotels in the southeast region, including in-house reservation calls and redemption reservations by Hilton Honors members.

The center is one of Hilton's largest support teams, second only to customer service headquarters in Dallas. In May, the Tampa office launched a United Kingdom reservations desk, where agents field calls from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, a move that has increased call volume by 2 million calls a year and added 134 employees.

Liu, who previously served as director for Hilton's Hazleton, Pa., call center, attributes much of the Tampa center's growth to the company's successful Work At Home initiative. The program consists of 185 part-time employees but is expected to increase to 600 home-based agents. "The Work At Home program is perfect for people interested in working evenings and weekends, who want the flexibility to build their own schedule to suit their personal needs and to meet our business needs. They can create their own schedule two weeks out," Liu says. He also recommends that candidates should have Internet experience and be comfortable working on a PC.

All home-based positions are part time and start at $9 an hour after a mandatory seven-week training schedule. Hilton provides a PC, and agents must supply their own monitor, phone line, Internet service and telephone headset. Next start dates for new hire training are Oct. 19 and Nov. 12 with classes held from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for seven weeks.

The Tampa Customer Care Center also is hiring additional reservation services specialists, full-time agents who work onsite at the Woodland Center Boulevard location, five miles north of Tampa International Airport. The position starts at $11 an hour following four weeks of full-time training.

Liu says that to succeed in either role, the ideal candidate must possess one core characteristic. "They need the genuine desire to provide service to others," he says. "We're looking for someone who sincerely cares about helping people."

Reservation agents are eligible for several corporate-wide employee rewards, including a performance-based bonus plan and a team member travel program, which offers employees the opportunity to stay at World Class Hilton brand hotels for reduced rates.

He points out that all employees are eligible for a robust benefits package that includes personal time off, sick/emergency time off and a 401(k) savings and retirement plan (available after 90 days employment). Full-time employees (those who work 40 or more hours per week) are eligible for company-paid basic life insurance, company-paid short-term disability insurance and competitive medical, dental, vision and supplemental/dependent life insurance (with all benefits available after 90 days of employment). Full-time team members also qualify for up to $1,200 annual tuition assistance after 180 days of employment.

Hilton lives its trademark philosophy "be hospitable" in everything it does, including how it treats its employees, Liu says. "The Hilton culture is one that is very friendly, starting with the corporate office's commitment to truly listen to agents and determine how we can make this a better climate for employees." Liu notes that the executive team visits the center periodically, holding focus groups and conducting employee surveys to encourage feedback. The Tampa center also offers employees the comfort and safety of a smoke-free, drug-free environment and the convenience of business casual dress, including jeans and sneakers, every day.

Visit www.hrccjobs.com for job opportunities at the Hilton Reservations and Customer Care Center in Tampa.

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