While the U.S. is posting a net loss in call center jobs, new operations continue to open around the country.
      Taos, N.M., is a niche haven for recent call center development. CiDirect, which provides licensed agent sales and customer support for the insurance and financial services marketplace, came to Taos after eliminating California, Arizona, Texas and Puerto Rico from consideration. The company's primary objective was to find a bilingual work force to serve its growing Hispanic market. But the tipping factor in siting the 150-person customer support center was state incentives.
      "We wanted to be in the Southwest U.S.," says Mary Bro, CiDirect's president and CEO. "Taos had a good number of bilingual people. In our early analysis, we didn't consider incentives, but after we overlaid the incentives programs available from each state, New Mexico's was superior."
      Two of the largest U.S. contact center announcements in 2004 came from leading wireless communications companies. State incentives also played a major role in both of those moves.
      Verizon Wireless is investing $25 million and may create up to 1,100 jobs in North Charleston, S.C. The company renovated a former Montgomery Ward building.
      T-Mobile USA is building a new customer service center near I-95 in Oakland, Maine. The company plans to begin hiring about 700 employees this spring.