• silicon.com
• Technology
• Networks

By Andy McCue, 5 September 2003 12:37

NEWS One of the new 118 directory enquiries companies has laid off 250 temporary staff, just two weeks after launching. Conduit, which runs the 11 88 88 service, has axed the staff from call centres at Cardiff, Welwyn Garden City and Gloucester. The market for directory enquiries was opened up to competition when BT's 192 number was switched off after the August bank holiday, and Conduit along with other new entrants such as The Number 118 118 claim to have cornered the lion's share from BT. But Conduit claims the decision not to renew the contracts of the 250 temporary workers was always part of the firm's plans to take on extra people to deal with anticipated call volumes in the initial period after the switch-over. A spokesman told silicon.com: "Conduit has done this switch-over in four other countries and in the switch-over period people will try the service once and if the call is not handled smoothly or they are given the wrong number or have to wait too long, they won't come back." He said the move will protect the positions of 1,000 full-time staff at its call centres. Rival The Number, however, is still looking to fill 200 of the 700 extra jobs created by demand at its call centres. A spokesman for The Number told silicon.com that the firm is taking in excess of half a million calls a day, and has had to filter some calls abroad until it fills all its UK positions. "We have been using our Philippines call centre but we want to have all but a very small number of calls in the UK," he said. He also advised temporary staff laid off by Conduit to get in touch with The Number. BT has reported a drop in calls to its own 118 number after the 192 switch-off but claimed many people would come back to BT's service after trying the new entrants to the market.