Canadian National inaugurates its customer support centre.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 1996--Canadian National (TSE/ME:CNR)(NYSE:CNI) President and Chief Executive Officer Paul M. Tellier and Manitoba Premier Gary Filmon officially opened CN's Customer Support Centre (CSC) at a ceremony Tuesday in Winnipeg.

The CSC consolidates all CN's previous service centres into one highly efficient facility, giving CN customers throughout North America immediate access to expert, knowledgeable support for their transportation needs. The CSC's 500 employees occupy the 5th floor of Winnipeg's Eaton Place.

"This centre ranks among the best in North America for the quality of its service and the strength of its team," said Tellier. "Our customers demand quick, reliable access to information about their shipments, and timely resolution of service issues. The CSC allows us to deliver that kind of response in an efficient and cost-effective manner."

The CSC uses state of the art call centre technology. "We believe Manitoba's central location, strong infrastructure in transportation, distribution, telecommunications, and call centre technology, plus our excellent climate for investments are solid reasons why companies like CN are choosing Manitoba," said Premier Gary Filmon. "The contribution of companies like CN, combined with the hard work of thousands of Manitobans over the last decade, is ensuring that our future in Manitoba will always be greater than our past."

The computer system which routes incoming calls from CN customers to the appropriate CSC customer service representative also triggers the display of all relevant information for that customer on the representative's terminal screen.

Queries or requests can be handled quickly and accurately, with maximum efficiency. Typical functions handled by CSC employees include day to day order entry, shipment and fleet management, customer support, and the processing of bills of lading.

The CSC includes the Account Management Centre (AMC), which acts as liaison between the CSC, CN's growth accounts, and customers in CN's six business groups: coal and fertilizers, grain and grain products, forest products, petrochemicals, intermodal, and automotive.

Customer priorities are integrated with operating decisions to ensure customer expectations are met. The AMC also provides support for CN business group account managers.

"This integration of both marketing and operations functions, and the expertise and dedication of our employees, makes the CSC team unique," said Tellier. "Our customers are assured of truly excellent support for their transportation needs."

CN is Canada's largest and North America's sixth largest railway, based on 1995 revenues of $4.1 billion. It serves all of Canada's major ports, economic centres, and natural resource areas, and has strategic connections with major U.S. railroads.

CONTACT: Canadian National Railway Company 

Christine Skjerven, 514/399-3108 or

Dave Macintyre, 204/988-8798

INTERNET: http://www.cn.ca