Global Crossing Announces New Milestone as it Fortifies Seven Touch Points of Customer Excellence

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Extending its lead in customer service and loyalty scores, Global Crossing (Nasdaq: GLBC), the leading global IP solutions provider, today announced a new milestone to its Customer Excellence initiative and to the people, processes and systems that support it.  By employing a disciplined, global go-to-market structure and relaunching its uCommand® customer portal, the company has created a new benchmark for global service providers.

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The company's "Seven Touch Points of Customer Excellence" is a methodical framework that delivers exceptional customer support and value in every aspect of the customer-company relationship.  The touch points are quote, order, service delivery, billing and payment, service assurance, inventory management, and account service.  Within this framework the company has considerably strengthened the support it provides its global customers in the areas of global network design, customer on-boarding, and ongoing customer care.

"Global Crossing is committed to continuous process improvements in each phase of the customer lifecycle and to the holistic delivery of a quality experience," said Anthony Christie, chief technology and information officer for Global Crossing.  "At Global Crossing, our Seven Touch Points of Customer Excellence is more than a tagline; it represents a methodical, systems and process-driven approach to improving every step of the customer experience – from the first time our sales team visits a customer, to the point in time when they hopefully renew their contract with us.  

"But our customers tell us a superior experience is more than systems and processes," Christie continues.  "People and the culture of an organization play a major role, as well, and at Global Crossing, that represents our over arching differentiation."

The company also has relaunched and expanded its uCommand® customer portal based on customer input.  uCommand is Global Crossing's online account management tool that gives customers access to network management and services.  Among the new features are real-time performance monitoring and network management capabilities that provide the ability to interact with a complete customer inventory.  In addition, customers can manage network alarms and interact with service delivery and assurance teams through a customized graphical map interface with circuit-by-circuit location-specific granularity.

The way the new version of uCommand was designed demonstrates the extent to which Global Crossing has gone to improve the customer experience – by using customer input after extensive in-depth beta testing with more than 65 of the company's enterprise and carrier clients.

By taking these and other steps, Global Crossing continues to improve its loyalty and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, which are markedly higher than its competitors'.

For instance, according to KS&R, an independent market research firm that produces the company's quarterly CSAT surveys, 81 percent of Global Crossing customers said in the second quarter of 2010 that they were "very likely" to recommend Global Crossing.  In addition, four out of five customers, or 80 percent, were "very satisfied" with Global Crossing during the second quarter of 2010 – significantly higher than the average competitor score of 57 percent – while 98 percent of Global Crossing customers were "satisfied" during the same period.  

Global Crossing also continues to have the advantage over competitors in six broad customer satisfaction categories, according to KS&R:  Overall Satisfaction, Account Team Support, Customer Service Center, Service Activity Support, Billing Support, and Overall Value.

In addition to technology and process improvements, Global Crossing also is investing heavily in the "people" aspects of customer experience that emphasizes dedicated resources for solution implementation, provisioning, and lifecycle management.  

Noteworthy, too, is the company's unique approach to quoting and ordering services as it not only includes a highly skilled, industry-certified team of engineers who work with customers to optimally design their network, but also proactively provides input that helps customers plan for future requirements.  

The company differentiates itself from the competition by creating a consistent, global experience for its customers.  Evidence of this global service experience resides in the company's new service assurance efforts, which provide unrivaled assistance, including a single toll-free support number for all products; 24x7 access to technical resources in all regions and in multiple languages; and proactive notification of port and circuit outages.

"Global Crossing has earned a reputation for excelling in the key touch points that impact the customer experience, which has distinguished its value proposition and competitiveness in the global enterprise and wholesale markets," stated Cindy Whelan, principal analyst at Current Analysis.  "These latest enhancements to the customer experience it offers, including more robust functionality with its uCommand self-service portal, complements its portfolio of advanced IP and Ethernet services and provides customers with the holistic support they are seeking from their service provider."

To learn more about Global Crossing's Seven Touch Points of Customer Excellence, please visit us at http://www.globalcrossing.com/think_ahead/think_ahead_customer_experience.aspx.

ABOUT GLOBAL CROSSING

Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) is a leading global IP and Ethernet solutions provider with the world's first integrated global IP-based network.  The company offers a full range of data, voice and collaboration services with an industry leading customer experience and delivers service to approximately 40 percent of the Fortune 500, as well as to 700 carriers, mobile operators and ISPs.  It delivers converged IP services to more than 700 cities in more than 70 countries around the world.

Please visit www.globalcrossing.com  for more information about Global Crossing.

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http://www.globalcrossing.com/think_ahead/think_ahead_customer_experience.aspx

SOURCE Global Crossing