Telstra to outsource call centre jobs

outsource more than 300 call centre jobs to Asia, as it continues with cost-cutting measures in a bid to simplify its business, Business Spectator reports.

The telco intends to outsource staff from its credit management call centre, the division that deals with unpaid bills and customer finance facilities.

An expected 165 Telstra employees and 159 contractors will lose their jobs as the company prepares to close its Brisbane call centre and cuts its credit management teams in Sydney and Melbourne.

It is expected the jobs shifted overseas will go to the Philippines or India, to complement Telstra's existing operations, Brisbane Times states.

Telstra spokeswoman Nicole McKechnie says Telstra was proposing to “'consolidate its credit management call centre work” with one of its “global partners”.

This will lead to the closure of the Brisbane call centre, and dent the credit management teams in Sydney and Melbourne. The specialist functions of fraud investigation and credit checking will also shift from Melbourne.

Analysts see cost cutting as a key driver of profitability growth for Telstra in coming years, with the company's revenue mix undergoing a dramatic shift, Financial Review writes.

While Telstra is in line for lucrative payments for participating in the NBN, and is benefiting from explosive growth in mobiles, its traditional fixed-line phones and directories businesses are in structural decline.

Through its 'Project New' productivity drive, led by Robert Nason, Telstra has extracted more than $1 billion in productivity benefits over the past 18 months.