Call center wants to hire 150 employees by Monday

Here’s something we haven’t seen for a while: A company with more job openings than applicants.

Affiliated Computer Services is opening a 600-employee call center in the Springs, and it’s hunting for people to hire.

“We need to hire people, a lot of people, fast,” said Chris Gilligan, an Affiliated spokesman.

“A lot” as in 150 new employees. “Fast” as in Monday.

Gilligan said the company was overwhelmed by the response to its initial hiring announcement in June, but that filled only the first 150 places in the call center training program. Now, there’s another class to fill, to be followed by a third, fourth and, possibly, a fifth.

“There was tremendous response early on, but folks may incorrectly believe the slots are all filled,” Gilligan said. “That is certainly not the case.”

Most of the customer service jobs at the call center pay more than minimum wage, Gilligan said, and come with benefits and paid training. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or a GED. Job seekers can apply online at acs-inc.com.

Dave White, vice president of marketing for the Colorado Springs Regional Economic Development Corporation, said the Springs has not suddenly run out of people looking for work. Rather, he said, Affiliated is working against a tight schedule to get the call center up and running.

“Even in a down economy, it’s hard to get the people processed and in quickly,” White said. “It’s really a logistics issue rather than an availability issue.”

NOW HIRING

Affiliated Computer Services wants to hire 150 people by Monday for a call center it is opening in Colorado Springs. Job seekers can apply online at acs-inc.com or in person at 2424 Garden of the Gods Road.