IQor marks call center, innovation lab addition
A global provider of repairs, tech support and product testing for internet-enabled technology devices marked an expansion of its southeast Memphis facility Wednesday.
iQor (pronounced eye-core) bills the 570,000-squarefoot facility at 4600 Pleasant Hill as its first U.S. integrated hub for customer and technical support services.
It employs about 1,000 of iQor’s 45,000 global employees, after recently adding about 100 people in a customer support call center.
iQor Memphis’ employees are engaged in troubleshooting, repair and customer support for devices ranging from WiFi routers and modems to wireless speakers to televisions.
“Today in Memphis, we’re celebrating the opening of
our first fully integrated call center into one of our depot repair facilities,” said Martin Lehtio, senior vice president and general manager, telecommunications carriers.
“It really is the final piece in a puzzle so we can connect the complete customer journey through the ecosystem of purchasing, using, technical support, etc., so that we can help customers resolve issues quickly on the telephone, or prevent them from having to be home to handle technical servicing on site,” Lehtio said.
In addition to the call center, employing up to 120, the facility includes a recently completed customer experience lab.
David Travis, director of innovation, demonstrated how a robot named Baxter helps with repetitive tasks at iQor and guided visitors through a lab where employees research how different digital devices made by different manufacturers interact with each other.
Travis showed how the simple act of moving a wireless router from inside a wooden cabinet to the cabinet’s top improved WiFi signal to enable streaming on a 4K television.
Connie Long, vice president of operations, said many companies specialize in individual services provided by iQor, such as designing products for improved serviceability by manufacturers, assisting customers when devices aren’t working as anticipated and repairing defective products.
But none offer all the services integrated in a bundle, a concept that iQor first offered in a Central European product support facility in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
iQor hosted a Greater Memphis Chamber ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday. The company employs people from 27 countries.
iQor’s roots are as a provider of business process outsourcing and debt collection. It branched out into warranty repair for consumer electronics in 2014 with the purchase of Jabil Circuit’s aftermarket services division.