Garlands, a U.K. provider of outsourced customer contact services via phone, email and the Web, has announced it achieved certification by Customer Operations Performance Center International (COPC) for the COPC-2000 CSP (News - Alert) Standard.

 

The COPC-2000 CSP Standard, developed in 1995, is a "Performance Management Framework delivering results in all Customer Service Provider (CSP) contact center operations, especially in Call Centers, E-Commerce Centers and Transaction Processing Operations."

 

Certification to the COPC (News - Alert)-2000 CSP Standard, which is highly coveted in the customer service industry, validates that the COPC Performance Management System is installed, implemented, and producing results.

 

With this new certification, Garlands is among a select number of brands also COPC-2000 CSP Standard certified like Microsoft (News - Alert), Sony, General Motors and Citibank.

 

Garlands certification, obtained on April 25, 2008 includes inbound customer service across three of their sites in Middlesbrough, Hartlepool Marina and Stockton.

 

Richard North, CEO, COPC International Inc. (EMEA) commented, "Implementation of the COPC Performance Management System has allowed the operation of the Garlands’ centers to be more efficient and systematic, thereby, earning the increased trust and confidence of their clients.”

 

The company has also said certification at their South Shields site and other business activities is planned.

 

“Obtaining certification is a significant milestone in Garlands’ development and demonstrates our commitment to continual quality and performance improvement, and to passing on these benefits to our clients,” said Chey Garland, Chief Executive of Garlands.

 

“It has taken over 18 months to meet the stringent standards required by COPC International Inc., but we are already feeling the benefits in terms of improved performance, more streamlined business processes and enhanced customer satisfaction.”

 

Back in January, TMCnet reported addition of 100 new jobs at Garlands new South Shields call center site. The new employees included customer service advisors, technical advisers, team managers and support staff.