Convergys to Provide Billing and Customer Care to Support Introduction of Revolutionary New Palm VII Organizer
CINCINNATI — December 17, 1998 — Convergys Corporation, the global leader in providing outsourced, integrated, customer care and billing services, today announced it has signed a multi-year contract with Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company, the leading provider of handheld computing products. Under terms of the contract, Convergys will provide its Internet billing solution and customer support through its data centers and call centers. The Palm VII(TM) connected organizer is Palm Computing's initial foray into the Internet and wireless access market. Convergys' billing expertise and experience positioned it to be a valuable partner to the 3Com organization. Convergys will support the launch of the Palm VII device, a revolutionary new product with instant access to Internet data, two-way Internet messaging, and hassle-free activation. The product is expected to be available in 1999.
Convergys will provide maintenance, development, and operational support of the Internet billing in a managed care environment as well as technical support, customer care, and a call tracking system developed solely for Palm Computing to be used for recording activities of the technical support and customer care services. "Palm chose Convergys because of its ability to seamlessly integrate billing, customer care, and technical support, enabling the Palm.Net(TM) service to deliver unsurpassed, wireless services. We believe this will result in a superior customer experience," said James Obot, vice president, global operations at Palm Computing. "During development, Convergys proved itself to be a valuable partner combining mature process and entrepreneurial spirit." "What ultimately solidified the relationship between Convergys and Palm Computing was our ability, within a single company, to provide both superior customer care and billing services.
The end-to-end solution we are providing for the Palm VII organizer will bring the company a clear value and a competitive advantage from the flexible functionality we will provide such as real-time tracking, a built-in web interface, and high levels of customer service, three important requirements for customer satisfaction," said Jim Orr, president and CEO of Convergys. "Supported by our state-of-the-art data centers and call centers as well as our data network linking multiple locations, the Convergys Internet solution will enable Palm Computing to leverage our billing expertise and value-added customer support allowing Palm Computing to focus on its core competency — handheld computer products." Convergys' Internet solution offers direct business benefits, unifying the management of all core business operations including the ability to register, track, manage, and bill subscribers.
Its real-time architecture and open development environment make it a unique solution for the exploding Internet market, and strongly differentiates it from traditional billing systems. Infranet, a product designed specifically for Internet billing by Portal Software, Inc., is a key component of the Convergys Internet solution. In addition, Convergys will utilize its network of service centers to respond to customer service requests, billing inquiries, account inquiries, and customer satisfaction calls for the Palm VII organizer, system and software inquiries, wireless network subscriber services, and other related inquiries or referrals. ABOUT CONVERGYS Convergys Corporation (formerly CBIS and MATRIXX Marketing) is the global leader in providing outsourced, integrated, customer care and billing services, bringing together world-class resources and expertise to help clients transform customer relationships into a competitive advantage. Convergys software produces more than one million bills each day, and Convergys call centers handle more than one million calls each day.
Convergys serves the top companies in a wide range of industries, including communications, technology, cable and broadband services, consumer products, financial services, utilities, healthcare, hospitality, and direct response. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Convergys employs over 30,000 people at its more than 30 call centers, data centers, and other offices in the United States, Canada and Europe. Convergys (NYSE:CVG) is on the Web at http://www.convergys.com Convergys is pronounced: kun VER jis 3Com and Palm Computing are registered trademarks, and Palm VII and Palm.Net are trademarks, of 3Com Corporation.
CONTACT:
Convergys Public Relations
John Pratt, 513/397-7777 or 888/284-9900
E-mail: [email protected]
or
Edelman Worldwide
Chris Perry, 312/240-2688
or [email protected]