Number One Global Business Process Outsourcing Provider for the Utilities Industry Announced

PRESCOT, England, November 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertex, a leading global provider of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Customer Management and IT solutions, has been ranked as the number one Utilities BPO provider globally by the respected The Black Book of Outsourcing (a division of Datamonitor).

The Black Book of Outsourcing industry survey investigated over 140 contracts held by 1,200 utility companies and agencies globally, and ranked 81 vendors against a range of key performance indicators (KPIs). Along with the overall number one ranking, Vertex also ranked first in 11 of the 18 KPIs. Vertex also achieved "top vendor" honours in three of the four "operational excellence" categories, including contact centre BPO, billing and payment transaction BPO and field service operations BPO.

Dan Sullivan, Managing Director for Utilities at Vertex, commented, "We're absolutely delighted to be recognised as the global number one BPO provider in the Utilities industry. Our acquisition of Alliance Data's Utility Services division last year clearly strengthened our commitment to the industry and our ability to effectively fulfil our clients' BPO needs to help them take advantage of opportunities in our new 'smart world'. This number one ranking validates the strong partnerships we have established with our clients in this rapidly changing industry."

"Vertex has earned the distinction of being one of the most customer-respected BPO companies in the world," said Doug Brown, co-author of The Black Book of Outsourcing. "Vertex has earned top honours due to its ability to deploy consistently across the full spectrum of criteria that clients look for in their BPO provider. In addition, Vertex was overwhelmingly praised by clients in the four

most important attributes clients look for in an outsourcing partner: vertical expertise, innovation, customisation and reliability."

Paul Sweeny, Chief Executive Officer of Vertex, concluded, "While Vertex today supports many industries globally, we got our start in the Utilities industry well over a decade ago. Therefore, this number one ranking has special significance for our 8,000 Vertex associates worldwide. Utilities are undergoing rapid transformation, so we are pleased that our expertise and strengths have enabled us to be the BPO provider of choice in this exciting and dynamic industry."

For more information, visit http://www.vertexgroup.com

SOURCE Vertex