Press Release

COPC Inc.
Lezli Harrell
lharrell@copc.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 Apr 2009

COPC Inc. and SOCAP International Unveil First Ever Multi-Industry Benchmarking Data

Data Reveals 95% of Companies Value High Quality Customer Experience

AUSTIN, Texas - COPC Inc. (Customer Operations Performance Center Inc.), the world's leading authority on customer contact centers and vendor management operations, and SOCAP International (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals), a professional society of best-in-class customer care experts from the Fortune/Forbes 1000, today released results of the first ever multi-industry benchmarking study for customer care. The findings reveal detailed customer satisfaction data for the household/personal care, food/beverage, retail/consumer goods, pharmaceutical/ medical devices and travel/hospitality industries.

Participants in the benchmarking survey include a range of more than 40 companies across five verticals with combined annual revenue of over $170B. Beginning in January 2009, COPC Inc. conducted in-depth surveys with participating SOCAP members to measure 10 key customer satisfaction and operational categories such as complaint management, quality monitoring and operational metrics. Out of the companies surveyed, key findings reveal:

- 98% provide customer service and/or post sales support
- 80%-plus utilize more than one support type
- 21% don't measure customer satisfaction
- 24% measuring customer satisfaction do not consistently achieve defined performance targets
- 65% have an external customer service center
- 95% have a quality monitoring process
- 89% do not utilize offshore support sites
- 33% use "temporary" agents to reflect the degree of seasonality in their business

"These survey results show that even during a down economy, companies are still finding value in monitoring quality and supporting the customer experience," said Matthew D'Uva, president of SOCAP. "The investments that companies are making to support their customers underscore the value of customer care professionals to businesses."

Since 2005, COPC Inc. and SOCAP have conducted similar annual customer care benchmarking studies of the automotive industry. As a result of the previous successful surveys, the organizations expanded the effort into this multi-industry benchmarking initiative.

"We are excited to finally present our comprehensive customer service survey results to SOCAP members and others in the industry. We will supplement the SOCAP member findings with global benchmark findings and best practices from our 1,200+ audits in 50 countries. This project is a first of its kind, and should provide a more accurate picture of the contact center industry and the practices being conducted today," said Cliff Moore, chairman and co-founder of COPC Inc.

COPC Inc. will reveal the results of the customer care benchmarking study this week during the annual SOCAP Symposium in Chicago, Illinois, taking place April 19 through April 21. Each of the survey participants will also receive a detailed benchmarking report.

COPC Inc. and SOCAP will host a media teleconference on April 23 at 11:00 am EST for interested members of the press. The call-in number is 1-866-502-8312, PIN: 569893.

For more information about the benchmarking results, please contact Marjorie Bynum of SOCAP at 703-519-3700.

About COPC Inc.
Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC Inc.) is the world's leading authority on service-chain operations management, including performance improvement for buyers and providers of customer service, customer contact center and business process outsourcing operations. Since 1996, COPC Inc. has helped more than 1,000 organizations in 50 countries improve customer service by using the COPC® Family of Standards, the industry's first and most comprehensive set of performance management operating models for customer service operations. Today, it remains the only performance-driven and industry-governed global best practices model that simultaneously increases both customer satisfaction and profitability. For further information, please visit www.copc.com.

About SOCAP
Founded in 1973, SOCAP International represents a thriving global profession of best-in-class customer care experts across all industries. SOCAP is a member-driven organization committed to promoting customer care and customer engagement as a competitive advantage in business. The Association's members include vice presidents, directors, managers and supervisors of customer care and consumer affairs from top Fortune/Forbes 1000 companies as well as hundreds of business partner organizations. SOCAP provides the educational tools and professional resources to help its members to drive business transformation within their companies. Additionally, SOCAP's exclusive network gives members access to thousands of customer care experts across the globe. Visit www.socap.org for more information on SOCAP International.