Douglas County – Those product information advertising cards that spill maddeningly from magazines proved a lightning rod for Ken Tuchman.
In the early ’80s, Tuchman, then a young California housing developer, took note of ad cards tucked in construction trade magazines. Trouble is, when he’d send a card for a specific building service, it took months for the information to arrive. A salesman would appear just about the time his project was finished.
Thinking the proverbial “there must be a better way,” Tuchman founded TeleTech Holdings Inc. to put product information in consumer hands quickly. Today, TeleTech has become one of the largest U.S.- based call-center companies, with 50,000 employees handling customer-service and business-support tasks around the world.
Calling Sprint or Verizon? You’ll likely end up talking with a TeleTech employee. Same goes for some cable and entertainment companies, loan processors and even government agencies.
TeleTech reported $51.8 million in 2006 net income, 73 cents a share, up from $28.2 million, 38 cents a share, in 2005.
The company has forecast a 15 percent increase in revenue and, in the past year, its stock has nearly tripled from $14.48 to $40.41 a share.
Although the Internet can produce information instantly, demand for a personal touch is fueling growth in the $180 billion call-center industry, said Brad Cleveland, president of the International Customer Management Institute.
Dozens of clients and scores of call centers
Facts about Douglas County-based TeleTech Holdings Inc., one of the largest U.S.-based call-center companies:
Founded: 1982 in California by Ken Tuchman, who remains majority shareholder
Employees: 50,000
Clients: About 135, including Sprint Nextel and Verizon
Operations: 88 centers worldwide
Services: Offshore, nearshore, onshore and at-home work including customer service, claims, collections, loans and warranty processing, retirement plan and payroll administration, market research and network management
