Rockwell FirstPoint Contact Builds Business in China

Rockwell FirstPoint Contact Corp., a global provider of complete call and contact center solutions, today announced it is opening a new office in Shanghai, China, to accommodate its developing business in the Chinese call center market.

WOOD DALE, IL (PRWEB) March 12, 2004 --- Rockwell FirstPoint Contact Corp., a global provider of complete call and contact center solutions, today announced it is opening a new office in Shanghai, China, to accommodate its developing business in the Chinese call center market.

Rockwell FirstPoint Contact formally committed to building its operations in China in October 2002 with a first office located in Beijing. Rockwell FirstPoint Contact offers companies in China its full product line, including FirstPoint Enterprise, FirstPoint Business Edition, and the enhancement applications -- Web Powered Agent, Advanced Intelligent Router and Queue Optimizer.

"The opening of Rockwell FirstPoint Contact's new Shanghai office could not be more timely," commented Datamonitor lead analyst, Zachary Kaiman. "By increasing its presence in China, Rockwell FirstPoint Contact will be very well positioned to take advantage of the growth we expect in that call center market - both domestic and outsourced. Given the size of the Chinese consumer base and the shockingly low standards of customer care along which they have been inadequately serviced, the potential opportunity for customer relationship management and call centers out there is phenomenal."

According to Datamonitor1, the growth potential of the domestic Chinese call center market is immense and will certainly trigger corresponding demand for outsourced call center facilities. Nevertheless, China is a country not known for customer service. The growth of the Chinese call center market will be attended by an increase in demand for higher quality customer care.

The Datamonitor report adds, the Chinese call center will grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.7 percent. In particular, there will be a percentage growth spike in 2004, mostly due to the impact of rapid growth in a relatively small market. This growth will level out at over 20 percent annually through 2008.

The Chinese call center market has been very receptive to Rockwell FirstPoint Contact. We recently had a significant win with one of the airlines in China, which includes the purchase of FirstPoint Enterprise, the Advanced Intelligent Router enhancement and an IVR connector," said Gerry Tucker, Asia Pacific general manager for Rockwell FirstPoint Contact.

The airline industry is just one of the vertical markets in which Rockwell FirstPoint Contact has historically been very strong and that strength has definitely made an impact on the rate at which our business has been growing in China. Opening the office in Shanghai enables us to more easily support our expanding Chinese operations and our customers."

1 Source: Datamonitor "Opportunities in Asia Pacific Call Center Markets to 2008", February 2004.

About Rockwell FirstPoint Contact
Rockwell FirstPoint Contact Corporation, a business of Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), provides complete customer interaction solutions supporting a variety of channels including voice, e-mail, web, wireless and VoIP utilizing a unique open interaction infrastructure. The first to develop technology automating call centers, Rockwell FirstPoint Contact has a 30 year global reputation for reliability, dependability, on-time, on-budget delivery and superior customer service. Where intelligent customer contact begins, Rockwell FirstPoint Contact helps organizations leverage data from across the enterprise to fulfill customer relationship management strategies. Based in Wood Dale, Ill., Rockwell FirstPoint Contacts reach extends around the globe with offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Thailand, South Africa and Canada. Information on Rockwell FirstPoint Contact is available on the Internet at www.rockwellfirstpoint.com.

Rockwell Automation is a leading global provider of industrial automation power, control and information solutions that help customers meet their manufacturing productivity objectives. The company brings together leading brands in industrial automation for Complete Automation solutions, including Allen-Bradley® controls and services, Dodge® mechanical power transmission products, Reliance Electric motors and drives, and Rockwell Software® factory management software. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., the company employs about 20,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

For more information, please contact:
Aleassa Schambers
Rockwell FirstPoint Contact
Tel: (630) 227-8000
aleassa.schambers@rockwellfirstpoint.com
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