Formerly known as TRG Customer Solutions, Zedd Customer Solutions in North Bay was acquired last June by a dynamic ownership group with deep roots in the industry and a knack for acquiring new clients.
Zedd was founded by Craig Meilleur, Michael Cravit, Mike Rossman and Craig Minor, who have spent two decades operating call centres.
North Bay is the flagship operation, though the company is looking at multiple sites in Toronto within the next few months.
“We have a new executive and we’re a brand new company in every sense of the word,” said Zedd’s site director Jason Pichette, who started on the phones in 1997 when the North Bay centre began as S & P Data.
The northeastern Ontario centre has always been profitable and successful despite operating under a variety of company banners.
Trouble was they didn’t have many clients.
With well-connected owners, Zedd is feverishly hiring to keep up with anticipated volume of work coming down the pipe, including more inbound business.
Located in a 12,000-square-foot space above a Chinese restaurant in the city’s north end retail strip, Pichette estimates his workforce to be in the 180 to 200 range, running three shifts.
He needs to grow out to least 250.
“Things are really hopping...We have enough work to hire another 60 people without blinking an eye.”
Their main clients are a major Canadian wireless and cable provider, a national financial and insurance firm, plus a smaller automotive company, with the promise of additional volume and more clients in the works.
The industry remains very much a bottomline- driven business.
“People who balance the revenue and margins are ones that continue to stay in business without growing too big and having all the layers,” said Pichette.
Today the business model has been slightly altered.
And that’s where smaller, flexible, boutique operations like Zedd, can find their niche.
As well, the practice of offshoring customer service and telemarketing to overseas centres failed miserably.
There were so many customer complaints, companies were forced to bring work home.
Zedd’s marketing pitch to potential clients is: Canadians dealing with Canadians.
