Advanced Call Center Technologies (ACT) President and CEO Hunter Croft announced that the company is investing $1.5 million to develop a new customer care center in Shreveport that will create 600 direct new jobs. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 314 indirect jobs, for a total of more than 900 new jobs in Louisiana’s Northwest region.
ACT is moving into the East Ridge Plaza business center in Shreveport and will renovate the site with infrastructure upgrades, equipment installation and additional parking. Upgrades to the site are underway, with operations scheduled to commence in March 2022.
“Advanced Call Center Technologies’ investment in Shreveport is a win for Louisiana’s Northwest region,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “The more than 900 jobs resulting from the project will have a positive impact on economic activity in the region. We appreciate ACT’s commitment to the state and are proud of Louisiana’s highly skilled workforce, which helps foster the strong business climate that allows companies like ACT to hit the ground running.”
Philadelphia-based ACT provides multi-channel customer service support, fraud and dispute management, claim processing and other services to a variety of clients, including those in the financial industry. Established in 1997, the company has more than 10,000 employees across the U.S. and beyond. Operating 24/7, the company provides services in eight languages.
“ACT’s addition of our new Shreveport customer care center is central to our 2022 and beyond growth plans,” Croft said. “Our new customer care center capacity has room for over 1,000 new teammates, including work from home or onsite positions. We’re ecstatic about the opportunity to be a part of the Shreveport community, and it comes at an exciting time in our business journey having just completed the transition to an employee-owned company. We know the addition of the local skilled, eager workforce along with our solid wages, great culture and personal growth opportunities is going to be a perfect fit.”
To secure ACT’s customer care center in Shreveport, the state of Louisiana provided the company with a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart – the nation’s No. 1 statewide workforce development program in the nation for the past 12 years. This will be supported by a commitment of up to $500,000 of workforce training services provided by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Additionally, the company is receiving a $500,000 performance-based award for permanent infrastructure expenditures and to subsidize lease expenses. The company is also expected to utilize the state’s Enterprise Zone program. The City of Shreveport and Caddo Parish Industrial Development Board are also negotiating a performance-based grant with the company to support the 600 direct new jobs being created.
“This is an important win for Shreveport and our citizens,” Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins said. “Advanced Call Center Technologies will be filling hundreds of entry level positions and creating a career path for recent graduates and our return-to-work population. New hires will gain technical skills training that is vital for building out a knowledge-based economy. We are committed to working with our public and private partners to attract new companies to Shreveport. Our Office of Economic Development will continue to dedicate resources and countless hours to ensure that additional investments are possible.”
Hiring for new positions will begin in February 2022. The company is hiring for all positions, including customer care specialists, quality analysts, training leaders, operations leadership and more. Those interested in applying can learn more at Opportunities.LEDFastStart.com/ACT-careers.
“The North Louisiana Economic Partnership is excited to see this project so close to launching operations, as we have been working with the company’s representatives to identify the right site for them since late 2019.” said Justyn Dixon, President of North Louisiana Economic Partnership. "Since we began those initial conversations, the project has gotten bigger and better in terms of the number of jobs to be created and the wages associated with them. This investment is a direct result of entities working together with the common goal for success. NLEP is proud to have worked with LED, Louisiana Workforce Commission, Caddo Industrial Development Board, the City of Shreveport, and the property owner to provide strategic support and ensure quality jobs come to North Louisiana. We are committed to continue working with them alongside ACT to get these jobs filled as quickly as possible.”