'New-Old' high-tech company keeps many Wichita call centers humming

Avaya Communication's business in Wichita is growing almost as fast as the Air Capital's reputation as a call center Mecca.

"Call centers are our forte," says John Hill, Avaya's regional branch manager in Kansas City, Mo. "Wichita is a vibrant call center market for us."

Avaya specializes in providing the technology, the nuts and bolts, that make call centers hum at call centers including the new VoiceStream facility, 2525 N Woodlawn, that employs about 650 customer care representatives.

Communication backbone

The company's other Wichita call center customers include Bank of America, Protection One, Royal Caribbean and Marriott Technical Support.

"Avaya is the No. 1 call center service provider in the world," says Paul Duncan, senior account executive. "About 90 percent of VoiceStream's communication backbone is Avaya."

In 2000, the city of Wichita...