Release 4.0

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE10 Jun 2005
For additional information, contactCatherine Nowocien, 716-835-5041copc@graytoncompany.com
COPC Standards Committee Launches Release 4.0 - The New Framework for CSPs Achieving Certification to the COPC-2000® and COPC-2000 Gold Standards
Amherst, NY – Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC) announces the most significant change to the COPC-2000 Standards for Customer Service Providers (CSPs) since its 1996 introduction as the industry standard for contact center operational performance. Release 4.0 of the Standards introduces a narrower, deeper approach to process improvement and profitability.The Standards Committee, responsible for the initial creation and oversight of the COPC-2000 Family of Standards, holds as its core objective the improvement of the end-user experience while driving operational and financial performance improvement. Throughout 2004 and the first quarter of 2005, the Standards Committee assessed performance of the Standards using data from formal surveys of COPC users to "stack rank" the Items of the Standard based on their impact on Service, Quality, Cost, Revenue, and Customer Satisfaction. The culmination of this critical research was the development of Release 4.0 of the COPC-2000® CSP Standard (formerly referred to as "the Base") and Release 4.0 of the COPC-2000 CSP Gold Standard. Release 4.0 of the Standards focuses on Items that are critical and most relevant to performance and profitability. By refining the Items of the Standards, certification to the Standards becomes inextricably linked to performance improvement.Release 4.0 also specifies a greater difference in the number of Items necessary for certification between the COPC-2000® CSP Standard and the COPC-2000 CSP Gold Standard, providing a clear upgrade path beyond the initial "entry point" for users of the Standards.By raising the bar, the overall impact on contact centers of Release 4.0 of the COPC-2000 CSP Gold Standard is its ability to increasingly support and sustain performance improvement while generating a measurable effect on ROI – the vital link between performance and profitability.Release 4.0 of the COPC-2000® CSP Standard and the COPC-2000 CSP Gold Standard are effective as of June 1, 2005. Release 3.4 of the Standards will remain in effect until June 30, 2006.