* PacificNet Epro Selected by China Telecom Xinjiang to Provide Operation
Management, Customer Service and Telemarketing Training
BEIJING, Dec. 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- PacificNet, Inc. (Nasdaq: PACT), a
leading provider of CRM and telemarketing services, ecommerce, gaming and
mobile internet services in China, announced today that its PacificNet Epro
subsidiary has been selected by China Telecom's (NYSE: CHA) Xinjiang Branch to
provide CRM consulting and call center training services. Under the project
service agreement, PacificNet Epro will enhance the CRM service level and
telemarketing management capability of China Telecom's customer service center
called the "10000 Information Hotline."
This comprehensive consulting project's focus covers a number of key areas
including customer service and telemarketing management, development of
outsourcing telemarketing programs, call center workflow design, business
management, project Return on Investment (ROI), customer affinity, designing
effective telemarketing scripts, and improving customer service agent
capabilities.
Mr. Liu Yong, Head of Service Quality Management at China Telecom
Xinjiang, said, "We are happy to partner with PacificNet Epro's CRM consulting
team for their expertise and assistance in increasing the overall performance
of our contact center management workflow, telemarketing effectiveness, as
well as our CRM service quality. We hope to work with PacificNet Epro as our
long-term CRM partner on future call center projects."
"We are proud to be retained by China Telecom as its CRM contact center
consulting and training provider," said Joyce Poon, General Manager of
PacificNet Epro's CRM Consulting and Training Services Division. "We value the
opportunity to work with China Telecom on this important project. We are
confident that our telemarketing knowledge in China will help China Telecom
improve their overall level of customer satisfaction. At the same time, we are
looking to increase the overall effectiveness of their telemarketing efforts
in order to help them capture more cross-selling opportunities."
Tony Tong, Chairman of PacificNet, stated, "We are proud to be awarded
another CRM services contract from China Telecom. We believe that the CRM
contact center has emerged as the new competitive advantage for the market
leaders in China. Whether a company is a product or service provider, in order
to become a market leader in China, a company needs to devote resources to CRM
and customer service. With over 15 years as a leading provider of
telemarketing, CRM services and contact center management in Hong Kong and
China, we believe PacificNet is well positioned to capture a significant share
of this rapidly growing market. The growing number of leading service
providers selecting us to enhance their customer service operations reflects
the evolving and highly competitive nature of the Chinese consumer market.
This trend has contributed to the demand for CRM services and deployment of
large scale customer contact centers. This trend is visible in Macau, China,
as the competition heats up in the hotel-casino and gaming industry. In
addition to our gaming presence in Macau, we are also seeing a strong demand
for our CRM services, as well as the need for customer acquisition, retention,
and loyalty programs. As such, we see both our telecom and gaming sectors
benefiting from the booming growth in Macau."
Mr. Victor Tong, President of PacificNet, stated, "We expect that the
Chinese government will officially grant the 3G licenses within a few months
and we are sure that there will be 3G networks operational in the main cities
before the Olympics in 2008, or even earlier. We welcome the imminent arrival
of 3G services in China. No matter who gets the 3G licenses, PacificNet will
benefit because we have good working relationships with all four of the major
telecom operators in China: China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and
China Netcom."
According to the latest report by China's Ministry of Information Industry
(MII), China Telecom (NYSE: CHA) added 690,000 new fixed-line users in
November 2006, and China Mobile signed up 4.67 million new users in November,
bringing its total users to 296 million. According to telecom analysts, China
Telecom is expected to receive a 3G license for providing 3G mobile services
in China during 2007. During the recent ITU World 2006 Telecom Conference,
Mr. Wang Xudong, China's minister of the information industry, announced that
China will issue 3G licenses "very soon", and reiterated a commitment to
enable operators to offer 3G services during the 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing. Mr. Zuo Xunsheng, CEO of China Netcom (CN) also declared at the ITU
that China Netcom and China Telecom (CHA) could receive the 3G licenses as
early as February 2007.
3G (or 3-G) is short for third-generation technology. The services
associated with 3G provide the ability to transfer both voice data (a
telephone call) and non-voice data (such as downloading information,
exchanging email, and instant messaging) simultaneously. According to industry
reports, there are currently 151 3G license holders operating in 56 countries
and 207 3G-networks globally, serving a total of 200 million 3G users
worldwide. In Asia, 3G subscribers have reached a market share of 38% while
62% of the total mobile subscribers are 3G enabled in Japan and Korea,
respectively. According to estimates, the total anticipated 3G market size in
China will reach RMB 285 billion (US$35.6 billion) within 5 years after the
launch of 3G in China, creating about 30 million new jobs annually in China's
3G services market. According to recent industry reports by CCID and DoNews,
3G Killer Apps will concentrate on the 3Gs: Games, Gambling and Girls, as
mobile online games will become vastly more popular with the launch of 3G
networks in China. Forecasts frequently note that online and offline mobile
gaming differs greatly in terms of their service models. Online gaming uses a
telecom service model earning revenues from traffic fees during play, while
offline mobile gaming is simply a game application downloaded onto a handset
for a small fee. The forecasts predict strong growth for WAP, JAVA and BREW,
while the proportion of SMS-enabled games will drop. With over 400 million
mobile phone users, China has already become the largest mobile population in
the world. Moreover, the number of mobile users is still growing rapidly and
has far exceeded the number of PC-based internet users, which is about 120
million, in China.
About China Telecom
China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; http://www.chinatelecom.com.cn ) is the largest
fixed service telecommunications provider in China, which includes data,
Internet, and the XiaoLingTong PAS wireless system. China Telecom is the
leading provider of fixed line telecommunications services in China, providing
voice, data, image, multimedia and telecommunications and information services
in 20 municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions in China with a
subscriber base exceeding 200 million.
About PacificNet
PacificNet Inc. ( http://www.PacificNet.com ) is a leading provider of
Customer Relationship Management (CRM), mobile internet, e-commerce and gaming
technology in China. PacificNet's clients include the leading telecom
companies, banks, insurance, travel, marketing and business services companies
and telecom consumers in Greater China. PacificNet's corporate clients include
China Telecom, China Mobile, Unicom, PCCW, Hutchison Telecom, Bell24,
Motorola, Nokia, SONY, TCL, Huawei, American Express, Citibank, HSBC, Bank of
China, Bank of East Asia, DBS, TNT, Hong Kong Government, and leading hotel-
casinos in Macau and Asia. PacificNet employs over 1,400 staff in its various
subsidiaries throughout China with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shenzhen,
Guangzhou, Macau, and branch offices in 28 provinces in China and is
headquartered in Beijing and Hong Kong.
PacificNet Epro ( http://www.EproTel.com.hk ) is the industry leader and
leading provider of outsourced call center, telemarketing, CRM, VAS and IVR
services with over 15 years of field experience in greater China in the areas
of outsourced call center services, training and consulting services, and call
center management systems.
Safe Harbor Statement
This Company's announcement contains forward-looking statements.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our
beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Potential risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, PacificNet's historical and
possible future losses, limited operating history, uncertain regulatory
landscape in China, fluctuations in quarterly operating results. Further
information regarding these and other risks is included in PacificNet's Form
10K and other filings with the SEC.
