Whirlpool Closes Contact Center in Washington State Apr 12, 2011

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Whirlpool Corp. plans to close its Yakima, WA contact center in the second quarter of 2011. About 160 Yakima employees will be laid off and about 50 positions added to each of the two remaining Whirlpool call centers, located in Benton Harbor, MI, and Cleveland, TN.

Whirlpool said the move comes as a result of decreasing call volume.

"Several initiatives have reduced the number of calls received," said Kathy Nelson, vice president, Consumer and Appliance Care. "These include a better and more streamlined experience for consumers and improvements in product quality. By reducing the number of U.S. contact centers from three to two, we can increase our efficiencies while maintaining our award-winning customer service."

She said the closure of Yakima "Is no reflection on our Yakima employees, who have worked hard to help serve the needs of our consumers." Whirlpool will provide outplacement and other support to Yakima employees.

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