The International Customer Management Institute Opens Nominations for the 2010 Global Call Center of the Year Award

2010 award entry expanded to include call center social media strategies and home agent integration

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, January 26 - The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), celebrating its
25th anniversary, is now accepting nominations for its annual Global Call
Center of the Year Award. The nomination deadline is Friday, March 12, 2010.

"The Global Call Center of the Year Award recognizes and honors the
contact center teams who, through their commitment to superior service, have
done the most to deliver a quality customer experience and enhance both the
center's strategic value to the organization and the image of the
profession," said Layne Holley, ICMI's Director of Community Services. "In
reality, this award is an industry benchmark because the application
challenges organizations to drill more deeply into their operations and
performance on multiple levels."

The award application requires candidates to provide detailed information
in a wide range of categories, including company structure, strategy and
policy; people management (hiring, training, and employee
satisfaction/retention); process and procedures (performance metrics,
workforce management, quality monitoring, and customer satisfaction
measurement/management); as well as technology. Each applicant must also
submit a three- to five-minute "virtual visit" of the operation, displaying
such images as office ergonomics and teamwork in action.

The award, which recognizes excellence in contact center operations, is
presented to one small-medium contact center (75 agent seats or less) and one
large contact center at ICMI's global event, the ACCE Conference and Expo
(www.icmi.com/acce2010), taking place June 14-17, 2010, at the
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, LA.

"This year, we added the collection of information on how call centers
are embracing and employing such key tools and trends as social media and
home agents," noted Greg Levin, ICMI's Community Services Manager. "We're
also enabling the entire process - the rigorous questionnaire and digital
'virtual visit' videos - to be completed and delivered electronically for the
first time."

Nominations will be judged by a selection committee comprising experts
from all facets of contact center operations, including specialists in
technology, training and people management, workforce and resource
management, and quality.

Nominations will be scored on how candidate call centers embrace and
embody ICMI's principles of effective call center management, create a
positive work culture and a climate that fosters personal growth, and develop
a track record for establishing and attaining demanding goals within the
organization.

Judges will select two finalists from each of the two call center size
categories who will then be interviewed by a final panel of judges at the
June Conference and Expo.

Each finalist will receive two all-access event passes to the ACCE show
(nearly a US$4,000 value) where the award ceremony will take place. The winner
from each category will take home a trophy, and later be interviewed on an
event webcast, promoted in an ICMI press release, profiled in the
industry-leading "Call Center Insider" e-newsletter and on icmi.com, as well
as receive permission to use the Global Call Center of the Year Award logo in
print and online to further promote their honor to corporate executives and
customers.

Last year's winners were NCS Pte. Ltd, a Singapore-based call center
outsourcer, in the small-medium category, and American Express UK Customer
Service Centre, a financial services operation located in Brighton, England,
in the large category.

For more information on the Global Call Center of the Year Award, visit
the website at www.icmi.com/ccoy or call the Customer Care Center
800-672-6177 (International: +1-719-268-0305) or email icmi@icmi.com.

About ICMI

The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is the leading
global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management
professionals - from frontline agents to executives - who wish to improve
customer experiences and increase efficiencies at every level of the contact
center. ICMI's experienced and dedicated team of industry insiders, analysts,
and consultants are committed to providing uncompromised objectivity and
results-oriented vision through the organization's respected lineup of
professional services including: Training and Certification, Consulting,
Events, and Informational Resources. Founded in 1985, ICMI continues to serve
as one of the most established and respected organizations in the call center
industry.

About Think Services

Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using
educational events, consulting, training, certification, membership, and
innovative media. Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn
from, network with, and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong
brands and works within communities to foster a unique affinity with its
products and services. The division's flagship products include the Game
Developers Conference, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer
magazine, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), and HDI.
Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media, a global media and
marketing services company with a market capitalization of more than US$1.6
billion. To learn more, visit www.think-services.com.

Marta Baker, ICMI, International Customer Management Institute, +1-719-785-5364, mbaker at icmi.com