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SITEL PARTNERS WITH THE NEW HP TO DEVELOP AND OPERATE A NEW CUSTOMER CARE SERVICE MODEL IN EUROPEBaltimore, MD, USA and Brussels, Belgium - August 21, 2002 - SITEL (NYSE:SWW), a leading global provider of outsourced customer support services, today announced that the new Hewlett-Packard (HP), a leading global supplier of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses, has selected SITEL to develop and run a new customer support program for HP's DeskJet printer business in Europe. Under the terms of the agreement, SITEL will design, implement, and operate a new multi-language, pan-European support model for HP's DeskJet new range of printers. Emphasis will be placed on driving problem resolution to self-service and retail channels, in order to significantly reduce the new HP's customer contact costs. HP and SITEL have enjoyed a good working relationship in Europe since 1998. This new business marks the first occasion in which HP has collaborated with an outsource partner on the ground-up engineering of its customer support solution. "In such a competitive marketplace, developing and running an effective and efficient customer care model is critical," said Mark Bakker, Consumer Support Operations Manager, HP Imaging and Printing Group, Europe. "We chose SITEL for their proven ability to assist us in piloting new, cost-effective channels to drive reductions in our cost of service without forfeiting the high service quality our customers expect and deserve." Operation of the program commenced at the beginning of July, from SITEL's state-of-the-art multi-channel contact center facility in Brussels, Belgium. The operation provides customer care to DeskJet customers in 11 languages across 16 countries. Following the initial phase, the model is expected to be rolled out to support other HP products across Europe. Commenting on the new agreement, Eddy Van de Poel and Marc Jans, Co-Presidents of SITEL Central Europe, said, "We are of course very pleased to be working with the new HP on this exciting initiative. Increasingly, leading companies are turning to us for our expertise in designing and deploying non-traditional customer support solutions that utilize the latest technologies and processes, in order to gain competitive advantage while still increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. HP's selection of SITEL speaks to this expertise, and we look forward to working with them." About SITEL SITEL, a leading global provider of contact center services, empowers companies to grow by optimizing contact center performance and unlocking customer potential. SITEL designs, implements and operates multi-channel contact centers to enhance company performance and growth. SITEL manages more than 1.5 million customer contacts per day via the telephone, web, e-mail, fax and traditional mail. SITEL employees operate contact centers in 20 countries, offering services in 25 languages and dialects. Please visit SITEL's website at www.sitel.com for further information. About The New HP The new HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. The new HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq Computer Corp. on May 3, 2002. The company would have had combined revenue on a pro forma basis with the Compaq transaction of approximately $81.1 billion in fiscal 2001 and has operations in more than 160 countries. More information about the new HP is available at http://www.hp.com. This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. The words "will", "expect", and similar expressions in this news release identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement is made. SITEL assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. Although SITEL believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from SITEL's expectations may include, but are not limited to the following, many of which are outside SITEL's control: customer demand for the client's products, the client's budgets and plans, conditions affecting the client's industry, unanticipated labor, contract or technical difficulties, delays in ramp up of services and rollout of the model to support other products, contract termination provisions, reliance on major subcontractors and strategic partners, industry regulation, reliance on telecommunications and computer technology, general and local economic conditions, and competitive pressures in SITEL's industry. SITEL's Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission describe other important factors that may impact SITEL's business, results of operation and financial condition and cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements. Editorial Contact: Virginia Dimpfl HP 408/447-1695 virginia_dimpfl@hp.com top of page |
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