Press Release

Press Information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11 Jun 2004

Excellent-SNT First in Nordic Region to Initiate Call-Center Certification Process to COPC-2000® Standard

Amherst, NY - Excellent-SNT is the first company in the Nordic region to sign an agreement with Customer Operations Performance Center (COPC) to become certified to the COPC-2000® Standard. COPC-2000® Standard, is an international quality standard that secures processes and procedures within a contact center – improving performance, reducing costs, and increasing customer satisfaction. Excellent-SNT has begun the process of quality certification of its call-center operations.

The COPC-2000® Standard was developed in 1995 by companies that included Microsoft, American Express and Dell. These are some of the world-leading procurers of contact-center services. The aim was to create a requirement profile for players in the call-center industry. The certification process is tailored for the industry, ensuring a quality standard and cost-efficiency among the companies that undergo the process. A certified contact center shall not only have well-developed and implemented processes, but also fulfil a number of core quality and service levels, as well as other types of key data.

The Excellent Group's strategy is to certify all of its contact centers in the Nordic region and it has chosen to initiate the process at Excellent-SNT’s center in Piteå. Excellent-SNT's contact center in Copenhagen is next in line.

"COPC certification for call-center operation is something new for the Nordic industry, but is common in both the American and European markets. We are now taking this step and are the first in the Nordic region to do so. Certification of this nature raises the status of our entire industry and offers us the possibility to compare ourselves with the best contact centers in the world. We hope that more players in the Nordic market choose to follow our example," says Arne Weinz, CEO of the Excellent Group.

COPC certification is a comprehensive process and a major investment. Excellent-SNT has employed a COPC-registered coordinator who will work on a full-time basis with all procedures, processes, programs and training within the organization. Certification will be achieved before the end of the year.

"This is the first time a Nordic company has seriously taken the step of quality-certifying a center. Excellent-SNT already has well-developed operations and delivers favorable results for its clients. By using the COPC process, the company will further strengthen the quality assurance of its operations, thereby increasing its competitiveness. We look forward to a long-term partnership with the Excellent Group in the Nordic market," says Richard North, Managing Director, COPC Europe.

For further information, please contact:
Arne Weinz, CEO, Excellent Intressenter AB, Phone: +46 8 705 260 919.
E-mail: arne.weinz@exlnt.se

Richard North, Managing Director, COPC Europe, Phone: +44 (0) 1908 255767.
E-mail: rnorth@copc.com

About COPC

Headquartered in Amherst, New York, Customer Operations Performance Center, Inc. (COPC) is the leading authority on customer contact center and transaction processing services operations. COPC services clients on a worldwide basis, and has representatives in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The COPC-2000® Standard was developed in 1995; representatives from various companies volunteered to join a work team concerned about performance and service quality provided by third party Customer Service Providers (CSPs). These firms included American Express, Compaq, Dell, Intel, L.L. Bean, Microsoft, Motorola and Novell. Several hundred locations in 30 countries are using the COPC-2000® Standard to improve performance, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction. Users include firms in e-commerce, computer hardware and software, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications and consumer products.

For additional information about COPC Inc., please email to info@copc.com.