Verizon Wireless plans to close its Huntsville call center by the end of July and transition the majority of its employees to working from home.

Carolyn Schamberger, a Verizon spokeswoman, said 660 customer service positions in Huntsville will be offered the option of transitioning to the company's Home Based Agent model. Another 140 employees supporting other functions of the business will be relocated to other offices in the area.Home based employees telecommute and support customers with similar tools as if they were working from a traditional brick and mortar call center. Schamberger said the transition is "not a layoff."

"These are highly skilled, highly trained and highly valued employees and we want them to stay with the company," she said.

Eligible employees will have the opportunity to relocate to a traditional brick and mortar center or seek other positions within Verizon. Others will have the option of accepting a severance package that includes outplacement assistance. Employees who wish to visit another Verizon call center to explore the area and new work environment will be offered assistance to defray travel costs, Schamberger said.

The transition is something that Verizon has done at other call centers over the last two years, and approximately 96 percent of employees enjoy the change. This week, Verizon's Albuquerque office announced a similar change.

"Our goal is to always provide the highest levels of service to our customers and we believe this flexible work environment will improve our customers' and our employees' experience," she said.