Tampa call center will drop 230 employees

An AOL decision prompts layoffs at Stream.

By JAMES THORNER, Times staff writer
Published July 19, 2007

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A Tampa call center that serves customers of online giant AOL will lay off 230 people.

Stream, an international outsourcing company based in Dallas, gave employees notice this week that their jobs end Sept. 16.

The layoffs affect workers who provide technical support for AOL. Another 400 employees who handle calls for an undisclosed computermaker remain on the job at 6302 E Martin Luther King Blvd., near the State Fairgrounds.

"We're actually still hiring those higher-level employees," Stream spokeswoman Katherin Dockerill said.

AOL, part of media conglomerate Time-Warner, did away last year with its paid online subscriptions as it faced competition from free services such as MSN. Anyone with Internet service can now get AOL's e-mail and messaging service for free.

"As part of our shift in business model, AOL no longer needs as many call centers," AOL spokewoman Amy Call said Wednesday.

Stream has operated in Tampa since 1999, previously under the name Software Spectrum Inc. The company has 15,000 employees at 26 sites in 16 countries.

"The client had to make a cost decision and eliminate those positions," Dockerill said. "It was not based on our quality or performance."