DEARBORN, Mich., and DENVER, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company
(NYSE: F) and TeleTech Holdings, Inc., (Nasdaq: TTEC) today officially
launched their joint venture under the name Percepta. The companies also said
the venture -- announced in November -- is operational in North America and
Australia. Percepta has assumed ownership and operation of an existing
customer interaction center in Toronto and a smaller operation in Melbourne.
Percepta now serves Ford and Lincoln Mercury customers across the U.S.,
Canada and Australia. This year, the new company will further expand with
operations in Europe, South America and the rest of Asia, serving all Ford
Motor Company brands. Customers may contact Ford through Percepta 24 hours a
day by telephone, fax, e-mail or other Internet options.
"The name Percepta reflects our shared goal to establish a new standard
for customer service based on building long-term customer relationships," said
Brian Kelley, vice president of Ford Motor Company and president,
ConsumerConnect. "Through these lasting relationships we expect to understand
more about customers' wants and needs, and then be able to deliver even
greater value."
"This is a big first step on what we believe will be a long and exciting
journey," said Scott Thompson, TeleTech chief executive officer and president.
"Our respective teams at Ford and TeleTech have been working hard to make this
day a reality. Percepta will ramp quickly to serve the needs of Ford Motor
Company customers and marketers the world over."
Percepta is led by a team with substantial experience in customer
relationship management. Geoff Smyth, formerly head of TeleTech's Facilities
Management operations serves as chief executive officer of the joint venture.
He is joined by George Moore, vice president-operations; Sonjia Kurzepa, vice
president-Project Management; Shawn Foery, vice president-Finance;
Keith Mason, vice president-Human Resources; Mark Routien, vice
president-Operations Research; and Jeff Buckman, vice president-Technology,
all formerly of TeleTech. Joining Percepta from Ford are Don Sparkman,
vice president-Sales and Marketing and Alan Edwards, vice president-Europe.
Percepta employs about 450 people in the greater Toronto area, and
employment is expected to grow to nearly 600 by June.
Founded in 1982, TeleTech is a leading provider of integrated,
e-commerce-enabled customer management solutions for global organizations
predominantly in the telecommunications, financial services, technology,
government and transportation industries. Its innovative customer interaction
platform, CyberCare, integrates the full spectrum of voice and Internet
communications, including custom e-mail response, "chat" and extensive Web
co-browsing capabilities. Through 29 customer interaction centers in the
Americas, Europe and Asia, TeleTech couples a high-velocity electronic
infrastructure with premier customer-relationship management to assure its
clients and partners unparalleled success in acquiring, retaining and building
customer relationships.
Founded in 1903, Ford Motor Company (http://www.ford.com) is the second largest
automotive manufacturer and the largest truck manufacturer in the world, with
more than 15,800 dealers in more than 200 markets and more than 100 plants in
38 countries. In 1999, Ford Motor Company earned an all-time automotive
record of $7.2 billion, the fourth consecutive year of record operating
earnings. Ford Motor Company's automotive brands are Aston Martin, Ford,
Jaguar, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury, Th!nk and Volvo. Ford Credit, a wholly-owned
subsidiary, is the world's largest auto financing company, and Hertz is the
world leader in airport car rentals.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are inherently
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to
differ from expectations include: There can be no assurance that the joint
venture's service offering will be accepted by its customer base; and costs
associated with the joint venture may be higher than anticipated. In light of
these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events
discussed herein might not occur.
SOURCE TeleTech Holdings, Inc.; Ford Motor Company
Web site:
http://www.teletech.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/107907.htmlor fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 107907
CONTACT: Michael Klatman of TeleTech Holdings, 303-894-7379; or
Christian Vinyard of Ford Motor Company, 313-323-7045
