Virtual-Agent Services High Quality Contact Center Solutions

Virtual-Agent Services Expands to Open 17th North American Location

July 11, 2006 (Schaumburg, illinois) – Virtual-Agent Services, high quality customer care service provider, announced today that it has established its 17^th North American location. Established in the Town of Nackawic, New Brunswick, Canada, the center will be added to the company’s other sites located in Illinois and New Brunswick. The company also operates a contact center in Milan, Italy. The new center in Nackawic is expected to create up to 50 jobs for local area residents within the first-year of operation. The announcement was made jointly by VAS, officials from the provincial and local government, and representatives from VAS’ technology partner, Aliant.

“New Brunswick has enjoyed an extraordinary partnership with VAS, an internationally-award-winning operation,” said New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord. “We are proud to support this next step in its growth, and I know it will be welcomed warmly into Nackawic’s business community.”

“VAS now employs more than 800 people across the province and is an outstanding example of an innovative, committed corporate citizen,” Business New Brunswick Minister Kirk MacDonald said. “It is one of many success stories in New Brunswick’s customer contact centre industry, which contributes in excess of $1 billion to our economy every year and employs more than 20,000 New Brunswickers. We look forward to future partnerships with VAS, and the creation of more rural centers across New Brunswick.”

VAS’ unique operating model, the Distributed Workforce Concept, allows the company to network together a series of fully functional transaction centers using an advanced technical infrastructure. This allows VAS unlimited capacity and reach to an abundant supply of high quality labor while still maintaining the economies of scale associated with having one large center. This capability allows VAS to bring the work to skilled local people without requiring them to travel long distances to obtain work. Creating a wonderful opportunity for those in the area with limited career prospects leads to a dedicated workforce assuring VAS' clients that they are receiving superior service from experienced employees. In an industry where attrition rates average higher than 60%, VAS posts agent turnover rates of less than 15%.

All VAS voice and data systems are designed and supported by Aliant, Inc., a world-recognized leader in communications, based in Atlantic Canada. “Today’s announcement demonstrates that technology truly enables business to expand all across New Brunswick,” said Helena Cain, Vice President, Enterprise and Business Sales for Aliant. “Technology is about creating opportunities, and we’re pleased to have collaborated with VAS since 1999 to present another great opportunity in the community of Nackawic.”

“VAS' growth plan is managed based on our existing client growth or new clients’ business requirements,” said Neri Basque, Executive Vice President of IT and Strategic Development for VAS. “The Nackawic community provides a wonderful opportunity for our expansion, and we look forward to continued success in this location.”

VAS currently provides inbound voice services to a number of high profile clients including CenterPoint Energy Minnesota Gas, LXR Luxury Resorts, Admiral Insurance, Concorde Hotels, Roadside Protect, TravelCLICK, Passkey International, Morgans Hotel Group, Dolce International, and Luxe Worldwide Hotels.

About Virtual-Agent Services
Virtual-Agent Services (www.vagent.com), a privately held company headquartered in Schaumburg, IL, is a unique provider of contact center solutions for today's demanding customer care industry. VAS services a wide range of industries including logistics, banking, retail and catalog sales, travel and hospitality, insurance, and utility services. VAS provides a variety of support options that include inbound sales and customer service, customer account maintenance, credit management, and reservation services. VAS’ efforts have earned the company numerous accolades, including recognition from both Entrepreneur and Inc. magazines and a number of prestigious awards.