SITEL Enters Into Panamanian Alliance
SITEL Corp. and Cable & Wireless (CW),
a supplier of Internet, data and voice solutions to
business customers, reported that their affiliates have
signed a letter of intent to form an alliance to build
and operate a 400 workstation, expandable to 700
workstation, multichannel contact center in Panama. CW
Panama will utilize SITEL's contact center expertise to
design and build the center. Once the center is
complete, CW Panama will outsource some or all of its
existing in-house customer care services to SITEL, which
will service CW Panama's customers from the new center.
SITEL will manage and operate the center with an initial
staff of over 300 customer service professionals. The
multi-year arrangement also provides for SITEL and CW
Panama to utilize the center for any new business
acquired in the Central America region through the joint
marketing efforts of both companies. Services to be
provided at the center include customer care, technical
support and inbound and outbound sales activities
through all communication channels. The alliance is
strongly supported by the Panamanian government, which
has targeted contact centers as one of the leading
growth industries for their country. The First
Vice-President of the Republic of Panama, Mr. Arturo
Vallarino, representing the Government, was present at
the signing of the letter of intent.
EDS Puts Finishing Touches On Latest
Canadian Center
The City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, EDS
Canada and General Motors Corp. announced
plans for the creation of 275 new jobs at a new customer
interaction center to support the GM Roadside Assistance
program in the U.S. The facility, currently undergoing
renovations, is slated to be operational this fall. The
35,200-square-foot call center in "the Sault" will work
in tandem with another EDS facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
Both centers will support EDS' long-standing
relationship with General Motors. GM's Roadside
Assistance will be the anchor client at the Sault Ste.
Marie facility, which will be used exclusively for
inbound telephone traffic. Through the Sault Ste. Marie
Economic Development Corporation, the city provided
assistance and support to secure additional land and
resources needed for the customer interaction center.
EDS Canada contributes CAN$599.8 million a year to
Ontario's economy. These new employees will raise the
number of EDS employees in Ontario to over 3,500, more
than half of the company's Canadian workforce. Across
the country, EDS Canada's economic contribution totals
CAN$884.8 million a year. "This is a great win for our
community," said Sault Ste. Marie Mayor John Rowswell. "The
EDS Canada Customer Interaction Center will provide new
employment opportunities, while further enhancing Sault
Ste. Marie's position in the growing global technology
industry."
OPC Bows In Singapore, Establishes
Presence In Asia-Pacific
Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC),
a performance management organization for the customer
contact industry, launched the latest phase of its
corporate strategy, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region
by opening a regional headquarters in Singapore. This
furthers the company's overall global expansion plan of
gaining a significant customer presence in the most
prominent geographic segments worldwide. Elizabeth
Prakasam will serve as CEO, drawing upon her
previous experience as vice president of customer
service at Singapore Telecommunications, where she
managed all of the company's call centers. Andrew
Cranshaw will serve as vice president of the office
and joins from eLoyalty Australia, where he was senior
partner. Prakasam commented that COPC is "...poised for
explosive growth in this region as more customer-focused
companies in the region become aware of the company's
services and the benefits of certification to the
COPC-2000 Standard." The COPC-2000 Standard for
operational assessment and analysis provides a framework
and an operational benchmark for customer service
providers to improve their cost, service quality and
performance. It includes specific components in four
categories: processes, planning and leadership, people,
and performance measurement. Currently, over 200
locations in 30 countries are using the Standard to
improve performance.
Stream Flows Into Glace Bay
Stream International has selected Glace Bay, Nova
Scotia as the site for its next Canadian customer
interaction center. The global CRM outsourcing and
support services provider reported that close
cooperation with the government of Canada and the
Province of Nova Scotia through its economic development
fund, Cape Breton Growth Fund, cemented the agreement.
When fully operational, Stream expects the facility to
employ up to 900 people. The company has begun
recruiting for all levels of employment positions, and
expects to fill its site management positions primarily
from the local Cape Breton region. The Cape Breton
Growth Fund will contribute CAN$10 million to the
project, conditional upon the creation and maintenance
of the 900 jobs. In the first year, Stream will also
receive various rent subsidies, and a CAN$2 million
contribution from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC).
In connection with the new location, the company has
entered into a ten-year lease for the former General
Mining Building in Glace Bay. The site will become its
third Canadian site and twenty-second overall. Stream
expects to complete the build-out of the center this
month and that it will be fully operational by the end
of November.
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InSite
On The Netherlands
Bordering the North Sea on the west, Germany and
Belgium to the east and south, the Netherlands comprises
a surface area roughly the size of Massachusetts,
Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Although small in
area, the Netherlands occupies a strategic geographical
location for which it has earned the name "Gateway to
Europe," serving as a major transit country for global
trade and commerce. About 160 million European
consumers, about half of the European Economic Community's
population, live within a 300-mile radius of Amsterdam,
the Dutch capital. The government's commitment to
e-business excellence has prepared the Netherlands for a
major role in the Internet economy. The Dutch
infrastructure includes a totally digital network, the
most extensive glass fiber network in Europe, one of the
largest bandwidths on the European continent and the
opportunity to lease secure Internet connection lines.
Telecom deregulation has resulted in a substantial
reduction in toll-free international calling costs, and
increased competition within the industry has spurred
higher quality support and network performance.
Together with temporary employment agencies and
training institutes, the Dutch government has developed
special training units where call center employees, from
agent to supervisor, are trained. These job centers
provide information to job seekers to guarantee an
influx of high-quality employees. As a result, most job
centers have a pool of call center agents who can be
called upon immediately.
Dutch cities and regions have developed business
parks for call centers near major transport junctions
and are leveraging the expandable telecom
infrastructure. Over 50 buildings in cities throughout
the Netherlands have been specifically designed for call
center operations. Operating costs for these centers are
among the lowest in Europe. Many regions in the
Netherlands have special programs in place to attract
call centers. These programs consist of assistance in
finding suitable locations, staffing and financial
support. In some regions, grants are available towards
initial capital investments. Other regions offer
subsidies to cover training or start-up costs. Some
areas also offer tax incentives.
For additional information, contact the Netherlands
Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), a division of the
Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. It facilitates U.S.
companies' direct investments in the Netherlands. The
NFIA has offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas;
Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois;
New York, New York; and San Mateo, California.
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