SCHAUMBURG, IL (November 17, 2006) – Virtual-Agent Services, a high quality customer care service provider, announced today that it has established its 21st North American location.  Established in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the center will be added to the company’s other sites located in Illinois and New Brunswick. In addition to North America, the company also operates a center in Milan, Italy. The new facility, expected to create 30 jobs, has been in operation for nearly a month.

“Virtual-Agent Services has expanded into the city of Toronto to meet the demands of a large hospitality client seeking multilingual support,” said Neri Basque, Executive Vice President of IT and Strategic Development.   “As we continue to grow and expand, it is critical that we maintain the high quality of service which characterizes VAS employees. The local workforce of Toronto has demonstrated this commitment, and we look forward to continued growth and success in this location.” 

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%.

VAS’ technology innovation has been recognized through the media and a variety of industry awards.  Most recently, the Distributed Workforce Concept was recognized with the silver honor for Best Technology Innovation in the ContactCenterWorld Best in the World Awards presented in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 8th.

The addition of the Toronto location broadens VAS’ North American offering to now include English, French, and Spanish language handling. VAS also has the capability to offer Western and Eastern European languages from its center in Milan, Italy.

VAS currently provides inbound voice services to a number of high profile clients including CenterPoint Energy Minnesota Gas, 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.