WISE ? Crutchfield's call centers here and in Charlottesville have been recognized for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates.
The centers, which employ 110 in Wise and 140 in Charlottesville, join an elite list of 101 call centers out of 75,000 in North America to receive the certification.
"Our people are the very best of the very best," said company head and founder Bill Crutchfield.
He joined U.S. Senators George Allen, R-Va., and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in a ceremony Wednesday at the Wise center.
Crutchfield said some scoffed in 1998 when he decided to open a facility in rural Wise County. Crutchfield said he made the decision because the low unemployment rate in Charlottesville made it difficult to hire enough workers.
Crutchfield found plenty of eager workers in job-starved Southwest Virginia and has expanded operations twice.
The success of the Wise facility crushed the stereotype that workers from rural Southwest Virginia are less qualified for technology jobs, Crutchfield said. The region and its workers can compete anywhere in the world, he added.
The company may have additional expansions. Crutchfield said the fast-growing consumer electronics company soon will begin expanding into Canada with a distribution center and, to start, sales of televisions through Web pages for Canadian shoppers.
Support for sales in Canada will be handled by Crutchfield's operations in Charlottesville and Wise County.
Crutchfield said it was Allen's decision to appoint him to the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors as one reason he looked at the region. As a board member, Crutchfield said he worked closely with the University of Virginia's College at Wise.
Allen said he recognized early when he was governor that Southwest Virginia needed extra help for economic development and job creation. His red carpet tour brought industry leaders to the coalfields.
Crutchfield's call center operations in Charlottesville and Wise
County handle nearly two million telephone, e-mail and live online interactions with customers each year, according to a news release from J.D. Power. To be certified, the centers passed a detailed audit of their recruiting, training, employee incentive, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance capabilities.
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