fp Turks and Caicos

A new dedicated call center for Air Turks and Caicos went live May 14, when all calls to reservation lines are now being answered in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

The new center offers customers a 40-percent increase in telephone capabilities, which translates to fewer dropped or unanswered calls and reduced time on hold.

Customer Services Manager Maria Garth, who recently returned from overseeing the setup and training for the new center, says that no jobs were lost in Providenciales. The Customer Care Center is now dedicated to walk-in traffic and has a new function as an executive sales office for large accounts.

“We have invested a lot in our staff, and they in us,” she said. “It was very important to us that not one job got exported, and we are delighted that we have been able to keep everyone here employed.”

She also said that service will continue to improve with the new tools that are now available to the airline.

“For the first time, we can now collect statistics on the number of calls received and dropped, how long people were on hold, and also monitor calls for service levels,” she said. All agents are fluent in English, Spanish and Creole.

Chairman of Air Turks and Caicos Lyndon Gardiner said that the original intention had been to establish a separate call center in the TCI but found that the capacity didn’t yet exist. The company purchased a software system, but after initial implementation found the telecommunications charges were prohibitive to support both domestic and international calls.

Air Turks and Caicos operates and has offices in 6 international locations.

The solution was offered by Caribbean Teleservices, which was able to offer the airline a tailored package that increased capabilities while significantly lowering the cost of doing business. Gardiner said that working with a Dominican company also helped him to fulfill the expectations of the local government that he would support the communities where the airline maintained stations.

“We have two stations in the Dominican Republic, and they expect us to provide employment in their country, as we expect foreign operators to do in ours,” Gardiner said. “It’s a balance that is sometimes challenging to achieve. We’re very proud that we were able to do it without losing a single job in the Turks and Caicos.”

The new call center is open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. The Customer Care Center on the Old Airport Road is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday.