Influent Achieves Industry Distinction

DUBLIN, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Influent, a leading provider of customer contact outsourcing solutions, proudly announces that it has achieved full accreditation from the American Teleservices Association Self-Regulatory Organization ("ATA-SRO"). This accreditation identifies Influent as adhering to teleservices industry best practices and all regulatory requirements.

A primary purpose of the ATA-SRO is to have agreed-upon guidelines for inbound and outbound calling programs. Jane Bulman, the Executive Director of Telemarketing Services for Comcast, a member of the ATA Board of Directors and a trustee of the ATA-SRO, commented, "It's great to see Influent taking a leadership role in achieving ATA-SRO accreditation and showing how outsourcing service providers must focus attention on the highest standards of compliance and customer interactions."

The ATA-SRO has designed a set of ethical and professional guidelines for the teleservices industry which not only meet, but in many cases exceed the regulatory requirements mandated by State and Federal governance. With the goal to encourage and enable compliance self-management, the ATA- SRO incorporates aspects of governmental oversight and serves as a platform of industry best practices. The goal of the ATA-SRO is to assure a positive teleservices experience for consumers and to reinforce companies' commitment to compliance. Influent is among only a handful of companies which have completed the rigorous third-party audit to receive the prestigious ATA-SRO Seal of Accreditation.

Dave Sutcliffe, a SRO Certified Auditor at 360 CRM who led the external audit review team, said, "Influent is a great example of a company which has a customer-centric culture and understands the importance of proactive compliance. As I conducted the third-party audit, it was evident to me that employees at every level of the organization take pride in their track record of compliance and in doing the right thing for consumers."

The five-month audit process reviewed Influent's documented policies, ensured proper training and development, and evaluated implementation procedures to provide a positive teleservices experience for every consumer.

Ted Bernard, Influent's Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Governmental Affairs recognizes the significance of the ATA-SRO accreditation. "We believe that ensuring both regulatory compliance as well as a positive customer experience are essential foundations for our entire business. We have certainly been very confident in the highest legal and ethical conduct of our business practices and now we have an important accreditation affirming that our practices are among the finest in the industry," he said.

The ATA-SRO standards address a broad range of topics from a member's commitment to the teleservices consumer bill of rights to regulatory compliance and privacy standards. Accredited organizations commit to uphold the highest standards of conduct in all inbound and outbound telephone communications with consumers.

About Influent

Influent is a subsidiary company of Hong Kong listed PCCW Limited. Influent offers clients a world-class, global contact center company skilled in all facets of voice and non-voice customer service, technical support, sales, retention, and BPO services. Operating a global network of multi-channel contact centers, Influent provides support in languages covering 65% of the world's population. Influent is consistently ranked among the leading contact center service providers, serving over 70 clients around the globe. With over 7,000 agent positions worldwide, including U.S. licensed insurance agents, Influent provides clients with a wide array of skills to service nearly 35 million customer/prospect contacts annually. To learn more about Influent, please visit us at www.influentinc.com or call us at 1-800-856-6768.

About PCCW Teleservices

PCCW Teleservices is an operating division of HKT Group Holdings Limited (HKT), which is a wholly- owned subsidiary of PCCW Limited and holds the PCCW Group's telecoms services, media and IT solutions businesses. PCCW/HKT is Hong Kong's premier telecommunications provider and a world- class player in Information and Communications Technologies. PCCW Teleservices is PCCW's successful contact management outsourcing business. Operating one of Asia's largest 24-hour, multi- channel contact management centers via hubs in mainland China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the USA and Panama, PCCW Teleservices designs and implements customer strategies for local and multinational companies globally. To learn more about PCCW Teleservices, please visit www.pccwteleservices.com.

SOURCE Influent