Thomson awarded Best Virtual Contact Centre Award

  • Thomson's virtual network described by judges as 'far ahead of any other call centre they had seen'
WOKINGHAM, January 22, 2008 - Thomson, a part of TUI Travel PLC, which aims to be the leading tourism and services group in the world, was awarded Best Virtual Contact Centre at the CCF European Call Centre Awards for its successful Virtual Call Centre (VCC) deployment. Thomson integrates multiple customer contact systems across four contact centres, 380 retail stores and a dedicated group of home workers. Linking the retail stores into the Virtual Call Centre network, which is based on Genesys’ Inbound Voice Solution, allows staff to make incremental sales over the phone when there are no customers in their shop.

The judges based their decision on a number of criteria, including the delivery of an efficient multi-site operation combined with enhanced customer service across the company's various brands which include Thomson & Portland, as well as separate specialist brands covering Cruise, Ski, Late Deals and Flights, and Sky Travel Channels. The Genesys Inbound Voice solution seamlessly integrates with Cable & Wireless' hosting capabilities to create a Dynamic Contact Centre. The technology has streamlined Thomson's complex business processes and reduced the duplication of tasks to deliver consistent high quality customer service, information and advice.

"To receive this award is a fantastic achievement for everyone who has contributed to the success of our VCC," commented Lorraine Dempsey, Head of Call Centre & VCC, Thomson. "The judges said that with our expansion out into the retail sites, we have built a system that is far ahead of any other call centre they had seen. The IT team, led by Pete Baird, Systems Account Manager at TUI, has designed and implemented a technical infrastructure that integrates existing call centre and home working teams with staff in over 350 of our shops. It has built on several years of experience with Genesys and Cable & Wireless.
    
"The introduction of the VCC has delivered improved efficiency and conversion rates ahead of previous years, and has enabled my Contact Centre team to increase sales conversions whilst dramatically lowering operational costs," continued Lorraine Dempsey. "It creates a very cost-effective sales channel whilst offering enhanced opportunities for all our customer service and retail staff, as well as consistent high quality customer service to thousands of potential tourists."

The Call Centre Awards, sponsored by Garlands, served to celebrate the achievements of the contact centre industry, and raised £1,500 for the Samaritans with a charity race card, where guests could predict the eventual winners of each award.

About Thomson
Thomson along with First Choice Holidays is part of TUI Travel PLC, a new Company formed by the merger of First Choice Holidays PLC and the Tourism Division of TUI AG. TUI Travel PLC operates in 180 countries worldwide serving more than 30 million customers in over 20 source markets offering a wide range of leisure travel experiences. For more information, go to www.thomson.co.uk

About Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.
Genesys, an Alcatel-Lucent company, is the only company that focuses 100 per cent on software to manage customer interactions over the phone, web and in e-mail. The Genesys software suite dynamically connects customers with the right resources - self-service or assisted-service - to fulfil customer requests, optimise customer care goals and efficiently use resources. Genesys software directs more than 100 million customer interactions every day for 4,000 companies and government agencies in 80 countries. These companies and agencies can leverage their entire organisation, from the contact centre to the back office, to improve the overall customer experience. As a result, Genesys helps stop customer frustration, drive efficiency, and accelerate business innovation. For more information, go to www.genesyslab.com or visit the industry blog at www.betterinteractions.com

About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications, and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organisations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved adjusted proforma revenues of Euro 18.3 billion in 2006 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. [All figures exclude impact of activities transferred to Thales]. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: www.alcatel-lucent.com

Media Contact:
Duncan Burford, UK PR for Genesys, 01780 721 433, dburford@iba-europe.com

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