Attains Highest Overall Satisfaction Score Ever Recorded
DRAPER, Utah, May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- J.D. Power and
Associates has recognized 1-800 CONTACTS as a certified call center after
recording the highest customer service rating ever achieved in the history
of their call center certification program.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040107/LACONTACTSLOGO)
J.D. Power notified 1-800 CONTACTS, INC. (Nasdaq: CTAC) of the results
in a five-page report based on evaluations with more than 400 callers
between March 6 and 29.
According to J.D. Power and Associates, survey results show 1-800
CONTACTS' overall satisfaction index score far exceeded the passing score
necessary for certification. In fact, it was the highest index score
achieved in the history of the call center certification program.
1-800 CONTACTS recently participated in the survey to obtain feedback
from the certification process and to gauge itself with respect to other
call centers throughout the country. J.D. Power and Associates is known
worldwide for its customer satisfaction research in the automotive industry
but conducts rigorous certification programs across many businesses -- from
automotive and finance to retailing and healthcare. In the process, the
opinions of millions of consumers and companies are researched. According
to J.D. Power all of its marketing research results are based solely on
responses from consumers and business-to-business customers who have used
the products and services. Award rankings are in no way influenced by the
opinion of the firm or its staff.
The backbone of 1-800 CONTACTS' operation is its 320-person call
center, half of which work at home. These highly motivated team members are
a key reason why the company has been selected for the Utah Governor's
prestigious Work/Life Award for four consecutive years (2003-2007) and by
Utah Business magazine as "The Best Company to Work For" three consecutive
years in a row. 1-800 CONTACTS has one of the lowest turnover rates in the
call center industry and is a model for the best way to reward and retain
top employees.
Jonathan Coon, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are honored and proud
of this accomplishment. Like many service companies across the country,
we've made customer service a priority. While it has become commonplace in
corporate America to say that customer service is important, at 1-800
CONTACTS this has been a fundamental focus since our founding in 1995. It
is especially satisfying to achieve the score we did given the stable of
quality call centers in the J.D. Power and Associates certification
program."
The report cited three specific areas that drove overall results: 1)
the strength of its Customer Service Representatives; 2) General Call
Center Operations; and 3) Problem Resolution.
1. Customer Service Representatives. Surveyed callers expressed
significantly high satisfaction with representatives who answered the
phones at 1-800 CONTACTS. The report specifically cited
representatives' courtesy, knowledge, concern, and usefulness of
information as key drivers of caller satisfaction.
2. General Call Center Operations. Scores in this category for the
company were well within the outstanding range. The report made
specific mention of the company's "live agent" policy. According to
J.D. Power and Associates, 1-800 CONTACTS is novel among certified
centers in that callers are offered direct access to an agent; they do
not have to go through an automated telephone system in order to reach
live assistance. It is somewhat of an understatement, according to
J.D. Power and Associates, to say 1-800 CONTACTS' customers are very
satisfied with this.
3. Problem Resolution. The report cited the much lower percentage of
customers calling to resolve a problem versus other call centers in
the survey. Further, the report mentioned the much higher percentage
of issues which were resolved during the customers' call.
According to J.D. Power and Associates, survey results clearly show why
1-800 CONTACTS has achieved the highest index score in the Call Center
Certification program to date -- the company is focused on providing
excellent customer service through immediately available, courteous,
concerned and informed representatives, all within convenient operating
hours.
Mr. Coon continued, "1-800 CONTACTS' call center employs the latest
technology, but takes an old fashioned approach to customer service --
maintaining long standing traditions like answering calls with live people
and sending customers hand-written apology notes when an order is delayed
or the Company makes a mistake."
About 1-800 CONTACTS, INC.
1-800 CONTACTS offers consumers an attractive alternative for obtaining
replacement contact lenses in terms of convenience, price and speed of
delivery. Through its easy-to-remember, toll-free telephone number, "1-800
CONTACTS" (1-800-266-8228), and its Internet web site,
http://www.1800contacts.com, the Company sells all of the popular brands of
contact lenses. 1-800 CONTACTS offers products at competitive prices, while
delivering a high level of customer service. The Company has delivered more
than 15 million orders to over 5 million customers.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is
an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating
in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance
improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and
satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers
annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill
Companies.
SOURCE 1-800 CONTACTS, INC.
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Related links:
http://www.1800contacts.com
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AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Kevin McCallum, Corporate Spokesperson of
1-800 CONTACTS, INC., +1-801-924-9800, media@1800contacts.com
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