NLIS 1
June 8, 2000
(Industry, Trade and Technology)

Premier announces opening of province�s largest call centre

Premier Brian Tobin announced today at a news conference that Convergys Corporation will open a 575 seat high-end customer service centre in St. John�s, which will create 1,000 new jobs in the province.

Also on hand for the news conference were Industry, Trade and Technology Minister Sandra C. Kelly, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister and MHA for Virginia Waters, Walter Noel, Frank Fagan, president of NewTel Communications and senior vice-president, customer services for Aliant Telecom and Gloria Griffin, senior director of planning and site development, Convergys.

"Attracting this major customer service centre is a significant achievement for our province, which will create a large number of jobs and economic spinoffs," said Premier Tobin. "Clearly, Convergys Corporation recognized the benefits of operating a business in Newfoundland and Labrador: an excellent work force, a business friendly environment and a competitive business location."

The contact centre, which will be located in the former KMart building on Torbay Road, is expected to open in September of this year. Approximately 900 of the 1,000 jobs will be agent positions, and 100 will be management and support. Convergys Corporation is a U.S�based company with more than 40,000 employees in 39 contact centres throughout North America and Europe and is the largest provider of billings and customer management services in the world.

"With its highly qualified and stable work force, modern communications infrastructure, and the willingness of provincial leaders to support economic expansion, Newfoundland and Labrador is an excellent location for our new Convergys call centre," said Frank Kelly, Convergys� president of wireless and emerging services. "We look forward to establishing a strong presence in the St. John�s business community and providing meaningful job opportunities in the fast-growing teleservices market."

NETWORK Newfoundland and Labrador, a public/private partnership between the provincial government and NewTel, which was established in 1995 to attract call centre operations to the province, played an integral role in working with the company and assisting with the process of setting up its operation.

"This is a definite sign that public/private partnerships can be very successful," said Frank Fagan. "NETWORK Newfoundland and Labrador has been a highly effective partnership and I look forward to seeing the benefits that this latest achievement will have for the province."

Convergys has agreed to establish the 575 seat contact centre operation, which will employ 1,000 people, and the provincial government will provide an incentive package based on a wage rebate on gross payroll. The incentives will be paid out over a five-year period and will come into effect after the jobs have been created and verified.

"We recognize that this is a very competitive industry, and as a province, we must be able to offer incentives which are comparable with other jurisdictions," said Minister Kelly. "This is a fair deal for the province which will mean a large number of new jobs and resulting economic benefits for Newfoundland and Labrador."

"It�s great to see important companies like this setting up in our province. I�m particularly happy they are choosing to do so in the district of Virginia Waters. I know they will be impressed by the quality of employees they will find here," said Walter Noel.

Convergys� new operation will manage inbound calls from Canada and the United States. People wishing to apply for positions with Convergys can send resumes via e-mail to michelle.collins@convergys.com or fax them to (902) 491-5872.

Media contacts:

Jacqueline Simon
Director of Communications
Industry, Trade and Technology
(709) 729-0050

Matt Conrad
Convergys Corporation
(513) 723-2452

Brenda M. Reid
Manager External Communications
NewTel Communications
(709) 739-2503

About Convergys Corporation

Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG) is the global leader in providing outsourced, integrated, billing and customer care 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 contact centres handle more than one million calls each day.

Convergys (SM) provides billing, customer care, and employee care services to the top companies in a wide range of industries, including communications, Internet, cable and broadband services, technology, consumer products, financial services, utilities, healthcare and hospitality.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Convergys employs over 42,500 people in its 39 customer contact centres and in its data centres and other offices in the United States, Canada, Israel, and Europe. Convergys is on the Internet at convergys.com.

2000 06 08                                     9:30 p.m.