Leading direct savings bank, ING Direct, opens a £3.5million call centre in Cardiff today, with plans to create 300 jobs within three years in the Welsh capital.
The 38,000 sq ft call centre will enable the UK arm of global ING Group to more than double its customer service specialists, in line with the company's growth plans for the next three years.
Since its UK launch in May 2003, ING Direct has acquired over 750,000 customers for its high interest, instant access Savings Account.
ING Direct's expansion bucks the current corporate trend to migrate customer services operations overseas. Customers are currently served by the bank's call centre in Reading, which already employs 450 staff.
The direct savings bank has invested in IT infrastructure to ensure a strong customer service offering. Recent research by ING Direct revealed that 94 per cent of ING Direct's customers are highly satisfied with the service provided by the bank and 98 per cent would recommend it to friends and family.
Lindsay Sinclair, CEO ING Direct UK, said: "We believe our growing customer base deserves the best service possible and in our view that will be delivered from both our new call centre in Cardiff and our existing Reading hub. Cardiff was our first choice of location for many reasons - the strong heritage of call centre service in Wales, cost and space efficiency, and the close proximity to our Reading call centre for effective management."
The investment in Cardiff is backed by a regional Selective Assistance grant from the Welsh Assembly, with ING Direct working closely with a joint Welsh Assembly and Welsh Development Agency team to bring the expansion to fruition.
Economic Development Minister Andrew Davies said: "ING Direct's investment underlines the competitiveness of Wales as a location for high quality contact centres. I am delighted that a company of ING Direct's calibre is reinforcing the contribution that the contact centre sector makes to the Welsh and wider British economy."
The Cardiff investment combines IT infrastructure and a positive working environment to create jobs where staff feel valued, which the bank believes is pivotal in the provision of strong customer service. The bank has been conducting a full scale recruitment drive in Cardiff and the new call centre will open for business on 8 March 2005.