Time Warner Cable will close its call center in Waco, eliminating 45 local jobs.

Spokeswoman Stacy Schmitt confirmed that the company is merging all call-center operations in Central Texas into one Austin facility, eliminating centers in Waco and San Marcos.

Local employees will be given the option of relocating to Austin or accepting a severance package.

“This was just a business decision that had to be made. There is increased competition out there, and we have to do everything we can to remain competitive,” Schmitt said, adding that having one call center to serve Time Warner’s Central Texas division saves money on equipment and training.

Time Warner Cable announced the merger Friday and will make the change at year’s end.

The Austin-based division employs about 1,600 people and serves customers in Austin, San Marcos, Waco, Temple, Killeen and Fredericksburg. Waco’s division merged with the Austin division in 2006.

A total of 194 people work for Time Warner in Waco, including installers, marketing employees, workers who accept payments at the front counter at 225 Factory Drive and call-center employees.

Only the 45 call-center employees will be affected by this consolidation. After Jan. 1, people calling for service or installation will be talking to someone in Austin.

“This is not going to impact the customer,” Schmitt said. “A person calling the Waco center right now could be talking to someone in Austin. Our system is designed to send folks to Austin if Waco gets overloaded.”

Grande Communications, Time Warner’s chief competitor locally, does not have a call center in Waco.

“We have one in Austin and one in San Marcos,” said Matt Rohre, Grande’s general manager in Waco. He added that the move by Time Warner “is all part of the regionialization of that Austin division.”

He, like Schmitt, said having one or only a couple of call centers is more efficient.

Grande Communications, which is based in San Marcos, serves that city and the communities of Midland, Odessa, Corpus Christi, Austin, San Antonio, Waco and areas of North Dallas and Houston.

It employs about 700 people systemwide and 65 in Waco.

mcopeland@wacotrib.com

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