Monday, August 18, 2003

Personnel

Workscape buys Colo.'s CallConnect

Framingham-based Workscape Inc., a provider of benefits and workforce management solutions, today announced it has acquired the operating assets of CallConnect Inc. of Broomfield, Colo. and Boise, Idaho.

CallConnect operates a comprehensive HR Service Center specializing in employee benefits communication.

The amount of the purchase was not disclosed. Workscape says it has extended offers of employment to CallConnect's more than 60 employees.

Workscape's acquisition of CallConnect follows the company's April 2003 acquisition of Talx Corp.'s benefits enrollment business. The company plans to combine Workscape's Web-based self-service applications and CallConnect's HR Service Center. Additionally, the acquisition expands Workscape's benefits administration solution and provides a ready-made communications platform from which the company will launch future client services that support both its benefits and workforce management products.

"The market data is clear: More and more forward-looking companies are choosing to outsource HR processes such as benefits administration in order to reduce costs and reallocate resources to higher-value tasks that support their employee base," said Workscape CEO Tim Clifford in a statement. "But one size does not fit all when it comes to benefits service delivery, particularly for the large enterprises and diverse employee constituencies Workscape typically serves. Over the past year we've seen increasing demand for call centers that supplement our online tools and offer support for employees with more complex questions or concerns."

According to Workscape, as of the acquisition close on Aug. 15, nearly 100 percent of CallConnect's existing customer base, representing more than 140,000 employees, had successfully assigned their contracts to Workscape.