Merrill Lynch earns 5th prestigious Center of Excellence from BenchmarkPortal

Aug. 11, 2009 - PRLog -- Merrill Lynch earns 5th prestigious Center of Excellence from BenchmarkPortal

August 11, 2009 Merrill Lynch’s Financial Relationship Services (FRS) Call Centers in Hopewell, NJ and Jacksonville, FL were recently re-certified for the fifth year as Centers of Excellence by BenchmarkPortal, in conjunction with Purdue University’s Center for Customer-Driven Quality.  This certification is presented to an elite group of call centers that have clearly demonstrated key performance indicators that surpass rigorous standards of efficiency and operational effectiveness.

A contact center that seeks and achieves the Center of Excellence Certification from Purdue University’s Center for Customer-Driven Quality demonstrates a remarkable commitment to service excellence.  The obvious beneficiaries of this commitment are the center’s customers, employees, and shareholders said Dr. Jon Anton of Purdue’s Center for Customer-Driven Quality.  

The Purdue University Center for Customer-Driven Quality awards the Center of Excellence Award to customer service call centers that rank in the top ten percent of the 20,000 call centers studied based on a Balanced Scorecard of being both efficient and effective.  The database includes thousands of call centers in 24 industry segments sharing performance statistics, which are used by call center professionals worldwide to establish goals for best practice call center performance.

Sandra Givas, Director of Financial Relationship Services, Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management Services, added; Financial Relationship Services strives to deliver a standard of excellence through every client contact while being an efficient organization.  Our fifth certification as a Center of Excellence confirms our ongoing efforts and commitment to our clients.  In order to continue to be a Center of Excellence Merrill Lynch must seek a new level of service ownership and allow the organization to exceed our goal of delighting the client. Congratulations to all members of FRS on this outstanding achievement and thank you for your continued commitment to providing outstanding service to our clients.

About BenchmarkPortal
BenchmarkPortal is the custodian of the Purdue University Center for Customer-Driven Quality database of contact center metrics, the largest in the world. It provides reports, products and services for contact centers in the areas of operational metrics, customer satisfaction measurement and agent satisfaction measurement. BenchmarkPortal has recently partnered with The College of Call Center Excellence to offer even more extensive options for the Call Center Industry and training of managers. BenchmarkPortal has launched www.calltalk.tv the first online radio show specifically structured for the customer service industry. This is a bi-weekly show hosted by industry professionals and the topics are voted on by the participants. Each person that calls in receives a free book from BenchmarkPortal. For further research information, visit www.BenchmarkPortal.com.

About Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management
Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management (GWM) is a leading provider of comprehensive wealth management and investment services for individuals and businesses globally.  With more than 15,000 financial advisors and approximately $1.2 trillion in client assets as of July 17, 2009, it is among the largest businesses of its kind in the world.  More than two-thirds of GWM relationships are with clients who have a net worth of $1 million or more.  Within GWM, the Private Banking & Investment Group provides tailored solutions to ultra high net worth clients, offering both the intimacy of a boutique and the resources of a premier global financial services company.  These clients are served by more than 160 Private Wealth Advisor teams, along with experts in areas such as investment management, concentrated stock management and intergenerational wealth transfer strategies.  Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management is part of Bank of America Corporation.

For more information please contact
BenchmarkPortal
Purdue Research Park
3000 Kent Avenue
West Lafayette, IN 47906
805-465-7201 Ext.1

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BenchmarkPortal is the custodian of the Purdue University Center for Customer-Driven Quality database of contact center metrics, the largest in the world. Founded in 1995 by Dr. Jon Anton, it provides reports, products and services for contact centers.