Convergys to Provide Telebusiness Services for Compaq Computer in Europe.

BRUSSELS, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12 1998--

Pact Considered a Breakthrough in pan-European Call Centre Management

as Convergys Provides Integrated Support Across European Boundaries

Convergys today announced an agreement to provide telebusiness services to selected subsidiaries of Compaq Computer EMEA's(a) General Business Group (GBG). Under the terms of a three-year contract, Convergys will work closely with Compaq to identify sales opportunities, pre-qualify sales leads via the telephone and Internet, and track sales progress through the channel partners. Over the three-year term of the contract, Convergys expects to generate revenues of at least US$18 million.

Following the successful implementation of dedicated call centre operations for Compaq France, Convergys is establishing subsidiaries in Sweden and Belgium. Operations will initially serve the Swedish, Finnish, and Belgian markets. To provide best practice and foster continuous improvement, Compaq has established a "Centre of Excellence" in Brussels. Convergys (Belgium) will work closely with the Centre of Excellence as part of the contract.

This is a breakthrough in pan-European call centre management which will enable Compaq to benefit from the performance and flexibility of working with an experienced outsourcing provider, while capturing the benefits of both local deployment and best practice call centre operation from the Centre of Excellence.

"Convergys was the only provider of outsourced customer management services to convince us that it could provide strong call centre sales and marketing expertise to our start-up operations across Compaq's GBG region, and develop a real partnership with our local subsidiaries. Also, we have been very satisfied with their performance in France which has helped us to achieve record quarterly sales results this year," said Olivier Suinat, director of Compaq EMEA's Channel Management and SMB Marketing Group and head of the project.

"By working in partnership with Convergys, we believe Compaq will be able to maximise the rate of roll-out of call centres across Europe and that the combined skills of both organisations will enable the development of world class customer service sales programs," said Dave Dougherty, president of Convergys Customer Management. "We can then apply our operating expertise to help Compaq identify the best prospects for Compaq's reseller channel throughout Europe and realise the greatest benefit from its customer relationships."

Other GBG subsidiaries may take part in this initiative over the next six to twelve months. And in order to facilitate the development of a close partnership between Compaq Computer and Convergys in each country, the majority of these call centre operations will be locally based.

In the past, companies have had to make a difficult choice between centralising pan-European call centre operations, which risks losing contact with in-country management, and operating local centres which lack scale and have difficulty in achieving uniformly high standards of operation.

ABOUT COMPAQ

Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation is a Fortune Global 200 company. Compaq is the second largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier of personal computers. Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, networking and communication products, commercial desktop and portable products, and consumer PCs. The company is an industry leader in environmentally friendly programs and business practices.

Compaq's General Business Group is comprised of 11 European countries, covering Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

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 customer care handles 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

- (a) Europe, Middle East, and Africa - Convergys is pronounced: kun VER jis