A go-ahead Keighley company has set up the town's first call centre. Computer, telephony and cabling experts Datacable have launched the centre at their base in Keighley Business Centre, South Street.

Three new full time and several part-time jobs have been created, with potential for up to a dozen in the next year or so.

The venture has been part-funded by Bradford & District TEC, with major support from leading American call centre supplier Amcat.

Datacable managing director Peter Martins says: "Amcat have virtually given us the state of the art equipment and software because they want to get a foothold in the UK. The potential is enormous."

The new call centre will be mainly used for outgoing calls at first. Datacable intend using it to market their hand-held radio sets, which are popular with schools where they are used to keep staff in touch.

They also have a number of contracts already, and will be looking to do business with local companies.

Peter says: "The set-up is ideal for selling, market research, business to business or for projects like product recalls. The fully automated predictive dialling system works from a database and has up to 24 lines.

"The way it works means that operators can have around 47 minutes of productive call-time per hour instead of the more usual 14 when using the normal dialling system.

"Our main priority now is to find an experienced call centre manager to run the project for us," he adds. Anyone interested in applying should contact Peter on 01535 616000.

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