Atikokan call centre to close

Two years ago, it was an exciting initiative–a step in the right direction in terms of development in the technological sector.
But this year, the doors at the Sunset Country Call Centre in Atikokan will be quietly closing.
With the latest in technology and the potential to provide services for 100 clients, the call centre was a promising partnership between the Atikokan Economic Development Corp., Rainy River Future Development Corp., and the Community Care Access Centre when it officially opened in April, 1999.
It will close on May 31 because, with only six clients, it wasn’t bringing in enough revenue to keep it afloat.
“I think we just reached the point where we just weren’t getting enough revenue to keep it going,” said Judi Gryschuk, chair of the call centre’s board.
“It was actually state-of-the-art technology down there and we had actually looked at having about 100 clients but, unfortunately, being in the north, there just wasn’t enough interest,” she added.
The call centre had been making promotion and marketing a priority across the province but simply couldn’t attract more business.
“Over the past three years, we had hoped to build our clientele,” said Gryschuk. “It’s really unfortunate.”
A staff of about eight operators–hired and trained to suit the needs of any potential call centre clients–will be let go.
The 24-hour call centre was used by some district residents to access information about local health services.
The 310-INFO number will remain in operation, with the calls re-routed to the Community Care Access Centres in the Kenora and Rainy River districts.