Orange Business Services, France Telecom Group’s division for worldwide enterprise communications services and Canon Europe have reached an agreement on a three-year contract for the processing of incoming telephone traffic at Canon’s (News - Alert) European contact centers.

Canon Europe is a subsidiary of Canon Inc. of Japan, a provider of imaging solutions for individuals and businesses.

The main business focus for Canon Europe is in two clearly defined markets: Business Solutions (developing IT products, solutions and services for the office and professional print environments) and Consumer Imaging (photo, video, printers, scanners, fax machines and multifunction devices).

Canon Europe also provides industrial products including broadcast lenses, semiconductor and medical equipment.

According to Orange officials the contract covers the telephone calls from Canon’s customers in 19 European countries to three contact centers.

Citing the reasons behind Canon selecting Orange Business Services (News - Alert), officials said the company was selected due to its competitive pricing and the strong performance in project management.

The company officials said that the calls from customers about products and services are processed at the Canon contact centers.

Customers are automatically and seamlessly connected with one of the three contact centers in Europe when they call one of the 57 available local helpdesk numbers where they are assisted by specially trained professionals. The calls are routed through technologies such as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), Shared Cost and UIFN (Universal International Freephone Number), that ensure efficient call processing with a fast start-up.

In April, Orange Business Services and PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (TELKOM), Indonesia’s telecommunications and network services provider, had announced a partnership to provide advanced network services including IP VPN to Indonesian and multinational enterprises in the country.

At the same time, Orange also appointed TELKOM (News - Alert) as a distributor of its global network services to meet the needs of TELKOM customers who are expanding in international markets.

These advanced IP VPN services will enable local and multinational companies in Indonesia to enhance business performance and increase competitiveness in the face of today’s challenging economic climate. The partnership reinforces Orange Business Services’ ongoing commitment to deliver integrated business communications services to countries in Asia Pacific.