TheBuzz
TheBuzz
New roomies to
cross-train togetherTicket Plus Inc. has a new roommate at 1132 Bishop St., Market Trends Pacific.
Each company is calling it a partnership and a win-win arrangement.
Market Trends' call-center employees, who number between 30 and 35 depending upon the company's project load, have joined the 50 or so call center employees on the Ticket Plus payroll. Ticket Plus will bill Market Trends for the payroll expense while both companies will share other common costs such as the sub-lease on the office space from Sprint Hawaii, electricity, air conditioning and so on.
Ticket Plus begins its work day at 4 a.m., accepting inbound mainland and local calls from ticket-seekers until about 6 p.m. when the Market Trends folk start placing their outbound polling and survey calls.
"We can train our people to do both," said Market Trends President Wanda Kakugawa.
"In a call center there are peaks and valleys depending on the project load and the challenge is being able to retain good employees. They tend to come and go, but now (the consolidation) is smoothing out those peaks and valleys and we'll be able to give them steady hours."
Cross-training has already begun, which will enable both companies to expand services to clients.
"They'll be happy and hopefully we won't have to have as many on-call employees," said Valerie King, president and chief operating officer of Ticket Plus.
Employees' pay will vary, Kakugawa said, "because we have projects that require more expertise and experience." King hopes to have 80 percent of the work force trained to do work for both companies.
The Bishop Street space has about 100 work stations, a big jump from the 30 at each company's original location. The extra desks mean there is room for another player at the table.
"We're trying to find more businesses that make sense to join with us," King said. "We really are trying to get the space utilized 24 hours if we can."
The two-can-live-as-cheaply-as-one arrangement started out as "one of those girl things," said King, as it popped up during casual conversation between friends.
Market Trends will vacate its 1,000-square-foot space in the Kaheka Professional Building at months' end.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com