Accenture has opened an intelligent operations center in the Niagara region that serves as the hub for its newly launched intelligent sales and customer operations business.
Spanning 68,000 square-feet in downtown St. Catharines, the new “Niagara North” location is Accenture’s second in the region and the company’s third intelligent operations center in Canada, with similar sites in nearby Thorold, Ontario (“Niagara South”) and Fredericton, New Brunswick. The company plans to create an additional 100 local jobs by 2021 to support a variety of business functions such as marketing, sales, customer care and IT support.
Local officials and community groups are expected to attend the center’s opening event today, with St. Catharines’ Mayor Walter Sendzik taking part in the ribbon-cutting.
“On behalf of the City of St. Catharines, I want to thank Accenture for this incredible investment in our city, which not only brings much needed jobs, but also plays an important role in bringing more people to our downtown,” says Walter Sendzik, Mayor of the City of St. Catharines. “The arrival of Accenture in downtown St. Catharines sends a powerful signal about the transformation that we have seen here in recent years, and we are proud of the fact that a Fortune 500 company with a global reach like Accenture’s has chosen our city for this intelligent operations center.”
Other attendees expected at today’s opening include business leaders, like Enbridge and Metrolinx,
which have embarked on innovative initiatives with Accenture, using emerging technology, shared services models and process innovation to drive sustained growth. For example, working with Accenture, Enbridge was able to reduce the call volume at its customer care center by 20%, significantly reducing the cost to serve each customer.
“Through our partnership with Accenture, we’ve been able to transform how we serve our customers with cutting-edge solutions and leading support capabilities provided by our team in the Niagara region,” said Darren McIlwraith, director of customer care operations at Enbridge.
Designed with collaboration and co-creation in mind, the new center includes open areas with interactive digital surfaces, immersive demonstration space and theater seating for larger groups.
Emphasizing the well-being of employees — Accenture was recently named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for the 10th consecutive year — the center offers sit-to-stand desks, two wellness rooms, a mothers’ room, a meditation and prayer room with a foot-washing station, a café and green areas. The site also has a fitness room equipped with treadmills, an area for yoga and Zumba classes, and a games room featuring ping-pong, air hockey and a pool table.
“We’ve been in the Niagara Region since 2001 and are thrilled to expand our footprint in the heart of St. Catharines with new employment opportunities for the deep talent pool and a new service offering for our clients,” said Jeffrey Russell, president of Accenture in Canada. “In today’s competitive customer landscape, we help our clients reinvent themselves with intelligent operating models, using the newest technology solutions to deliver value by working side-by-side with them to reimagine their futures and solve their biggest challenges.”
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