Plano, TX — April 16, 2003 — EDS today announced a series of new and expanded contracts valued at $117 million in business process outsourcing (BPO) services for clients across multiple industries and geographies, as well as a new name for its unit that will be providing these services.
The Texas-based service provider said that the unit's name change, to EDS Business Process Services, reflected the breadth of services that it now offers customers. The new contracts announced today cover customer relationship management (CRM), as well as payment and settlement services.
In the CRM area, EDS signed a multi-year agreement with The Dow Chemical Co. to extend contact center outsourcing services for Dow's Customer Information Group call center. The contract also extends EDS' services at the Dow Retiree Service Center. EDS has provided contact center outsourcing to Dow since 1994.
In addition, EDS inked a six-year contract with Wanadoo, France Telecom's Internet division and one of Europe's leading media services providers. EDS will supply CRM contact center services to its Spanish subsidiary.
On the payment and settlement services front, EDS has concluded a four-year contract with Dobson Cellular System's American Cellular Wireless venture with AT&T Wireless for inter-carrier settlement services (ISS). This extends the contract for American Cellular Wireless by providing services for Dobson Cellular System's base business wireless network. EDS also provides an electronic payment service for Dobson.
Other services that EDS offers include financial process management (FPM) and administrative and enterprise shared services, which includes human resources, finance and accounting and procurement services.
The market for BPO services is estimated at $177 billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9 to 11 percent through 2005, as companies increasingly shed non-core activities, according to IDC.