Convergys Corporation (NYSE:CVG), a global leader in customer care, human resources, and billing services, announced today a contract with Arena, a subsidiary of the German cable company Unity Media. Convergys will provide a unique set of product offerings, with consulting and professional services, to support Arena’s new German satellite PAY-TV service.
“Working with Unity and Arena enabled us to apply our operational expertise and proven software products to configure and implement a solution that meets their particular billing and customer care requirements and aggressive implementation timeline,” said Convergys’ Jean Herve Jenn, President, International. “With this solution, subscribers will experience a seamless transition from ordering to receiving, while enjoying the quality of service they have come to expect from Unity Media.”
Scheduled to launch in August, Arena holds the broadcast rights to the live matches of the first and second Bundesliga in Germany from Deutsche FuBball Liga (DFL). Unity Media expects Arena to have 3 million PAY-TV soccer subscribers within 3 years.
Convergys will implement a complete satellite PAY-TV Billing and Customer Care solution that supports complex satellite PAY-TV billing, customer care, order provisioning, and Web-self care. The solution will allow a rapid implementation and a fast time to market for new broadcast offerings. Convergys, with its consultative services approach and off-the-shelf software solutions, will enable Arena to bring its new PAY-TV programming offerings to market in a matter of months as opposed to longer timeframes often seen in the communications industry.
In advance of the launch, Convergys has already defined and implemented an order provisioning solution with Web-based self-care capabilities to enable Arena to accept Web orders as well as call center orders for the new satellite pay TV service. The complete billing and customer care solution for Arena will go into full production in August; just months after the implementation began.
In addition, Convergys is expanding the existing Convergys billing and customer care solution for the cable business of Unity Media by adding a Web self-care solution and further functionality to support the launch of the soccer PAY-TV service over cable.
With more than 20 years of experience in billing and customer care, Convergys combines its broad portfolio of professional and consulting services, deep technical and operational expertise, and award-winning Infinys software to solve its clients’ complex BSS and CRM business problems. Convergys is Outthinking and Outdoing(TM) on behalf of its clients every day.
About Unity Media
Unity Media is headquartered in Cologne and is the proprietor of the Hessian cable network operator iesy, the North Rhine-Westphalia cable network operator ish, and the network level 4 operator Tele Columbus. Ish and iesy are the largest providers of cable television in their respective states. The companies also offer digital television, high speed Internet, and telephony. On 30 September 2005 iesy and ish had approximately 5.2 million basic cable customers, 101,100 digital TV customers, 30,300 high speed Internet customers, and 11,500 telephone lines. Tele Columbus is the largest NL4 operator in Germany with approximately 2.6 million basic cable subscribers, 59,000 Digital TV subscribers, and 23,600 Internet subscribers as at 30 September 2005. More information on Unity Media can be found at www.unitymedia.de
About Convergys
Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG) is a global leader in providing customer care, human resources, and billing services. Convergys combines specialized knowledge and expertise with solid execution to deliver outsourced solutions, consulting services, and software support. Clients in more than 70 countries speaking nearly 35 languages depend on Convergys to manage the increasing complexity and cost of caring for customers and employees. Convergys serves the world’s leading companies in many industries including communications, financial services, technology, and consumer products.
Convergys is a member of the S&P 500 and a Fortune Most Admired Company. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Convergys has more than 65,000 employeesin 74 customer contact centers, three data centers, and other facilities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. For more information visit www.convergys.com