The Northern Pennsylvania paper Times Leader  had this article ”
The Extra Mile – Firms use perks to attract and retain staff ” under local news featuring Network Solution’s call center in Hazleton PA. The Times Leader reporter Jerry Lynott interviewed Joe Pickett Vice President of customer service at Network Solutions who is based in Hazleton PA where there are about 250 employees.

I have been to the call center several times and it is a very nice drive from the Washington DC area to Hazelton ( of course unless you are driving through a snow storm !) the people t the call center have a lot of enthusiasm and are very hospitable. I have made quite a few friendships during my visits there and still keep in touch.

The article http://www.timesleader.com/news/Firms_use_perks_to_attract_and_retain_staff_EXTRA_06-29-2008.html made an interesting Sunday morning read.

The Fairfield Inn & Suites Hazleton is an excellent place to stay if you are in the Hazleton area. This is my personal recommendation and not necessarily that of Network Solutions .

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire/ — Network Solutions
has been recognized for call center operation customer satisfaction
excellence for a third consecutive year under the J.D. Power and Associates
Certified Call Center Program.(SM) This distinction acknowledges a strong
commitment from Network Solutions call center operations to provide “An
Outstanding Customer Service Experience.”

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)

“By consistently providing customers with a positive experience,
Network Solutions has succeeded in achieving certification for a third
consecutive year,” said Gail Gross, senior director of certification
programs at J.D. Power and Associates. “Network Solutions’ commitment to
its customers is also reflected in high customer satisfaction levels with
the courteousness, knowledge and concern of the call center
representatives.”

To become certified, the call center operation, located in Drums, Pa.,
successfully passed a detailed audit of its recruiting, training, employee
incentives, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance
capabilities. As part of its evaluation, J.D. Power and Associates
conducted a random survey of Network Solutions customers who recently
contacted its call center, which annually handles 2.75 million telephone,
e-mail and fax inquiries from customers.

For certification status, a call center must also perform within the
top 20 percent of customer service scores, which are based on benchmarks
established in J.D. Power and Associates’ cross-industry customer
satisfaction research. The criteria used include evaluation of: courtesy;
knowledge; concern for the customer; usefulness of the information
provided; convenience of operating hours; ease of reaching a
representative; and timely resolution.

“We are honored to be recognized for providing ‘An Outstanding Customer
Service Experience’ for the third year in a row by J.D. Power and
Associates,” said Joe Pickett, vice president of Network Solutions Customer
Service. “Receiving this distinction shows that our efforts to ensure that
we have the most technically trained, friendly and knowledgeable
consultants in the Web solutions industry have been successful.”

The Call Center Certification Program was launched by J.D. Power and
Associates in 2004 to evaluate overall customer satisfaction with call
centers and to help call centers in various industries increase their
efficiency and effectiveness by establishing best practices for handling
service calls.

There are more than 75,000 call centers in North America and an
estimated 125,000 worldwide that help customers with product and service
questions across a multitude of industries, ranging from credit cards,
financial services, investment services, utilities, service warranty and
insurance to telecommunications, healthcare and office products.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is
a global marketing information services firm operating in key business
sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement,
training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction
measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.
J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading
global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the
financial services, education and business information markets through
leading brands such as Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education,
BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than
280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional
information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Media Relations Contacts:
John Tews Susan Wade
J.D. Power and Associates Network Solutions
Troy, Mich. Herndon, Va.
(248) 312-4119 (703) 668-5057
john.tews@jdpa.com swade@networksolutions.com
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information
in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and
Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate