23 March 2009, Moscow. COMSTAR – United TeleSystems (COMSTAR-UTS OJSC, LSE: CMST), a major operator of integrated telecommunications services in Russia and the CIS, announces the completion of Phase One in setting-up a unified call-center (a CC) of COMSTAR-UTS Group of Companies in Moscow. 

The unified Call Center for handling the calls and communications of COMSTAR-UTS’ customers is being set up through the operator’s two Moscow-based Call Centers, i.e. the one that has been providing service to COMSTAR corporate customers since 1995, and the other, in operation since 2002, providing technical support to users of BB Internet access and IP-TV STREAM services. 

Legally and organizationally, the process of CC integration was initiated in January 2009, following the consolidation by COMSTAR-UTS OJSC of its subsidiary company, COMSTAR-Direct OJSC, which provides BBA and TV services under the STREAM brand.

“This is the first step towards implementation of an integrated program designed to improve the grade of telecommunications services and introduce the harmonized customer service standards across the Group of Companies,” says Alexey Goncharuk, First Vice President, COMSTAR-UTS OJSC. “When integrated, our Call centers’ resources will allow a noticeable reduction in operator’s answering time, minimization of lost calls and maximum efficiency in responding to any customer queries concerning the use of our services.”

Process-oriented integration of the two Call Centers is currently underway. As part of the unified CC, COMSTAR at this stage has already integrated filing of all requests for technical support to its residential and corporate customers. It is planned that integration of the call centers and migration to a common engineering platform will be completed by the end of 2Q2009. This will allow full automation of all customer remote support functions for the Company’s clients in Moscow and interactive communication between the operator and the user of communications services.