1-800 CONTACTS Achieves Recognition From J.D. Power and Associates for Call Center Service Excellence

Attains Highest Overall Satisfaction Score Ever Recorded 


DRAPER, Utah, May 16  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- J.D. Power and Associates has recognized 1-800 CONTACTS as a certified call center after recording the highest customer service rating ever achieved in the history of their call center certification program.

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J.D. Power notified 1-800 CONTACTS, INC. (NASDAQ:CTAC) of the results in a five-page report based on evaluations with more than 400 callers between March 6 and 29.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, survey results show 1-800 CONTACTS' overall satisfaction index score far exceeded the passing score necessary for certification.  In fact, it was the highest index score achieved in the history of the call center certification program.

1-800 CONTACTS recently participated in the survey to obtain feedback from the certification process and to gauge itself with respect to other call centers throughout the country.  J.D. Power and Associates is known worldwide for its customer satisfaction research in the automotive industry but conducts rigorous certification programs across many businesses -- from automotive and finance to retailing and healthcare.  In the process, the opinions of millions of consumers and companies are researched.  According to J.D. Power all of its marketing research results are based solely on responses from consumers and business-to-business customers who have used the products and services.  Award rankings are in no way influenced by the opinion of the firm or its staff.

The backbone of 1-800 CONTACTS' operation is its 320-person call center, half of which work at home.  These highly motivated team members are a key reason why the company has been selected for the Utah Governor's prestigious Work/Life Award for four consecutive years (2003-2007) and by Utah Business magazine as "The Best Company to Work For" three consecutive years in a row. 1-800 CONTACTS has one of the lowest turnover rates in the call center industry and is a model for the best way to reward and retain top employees.

Jonathan Coon, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are honored and proud of this accomplishment.  Like many service companies across the country, we've made customer service a priority.  While it has become commonplace in corporate America to say that customer service is important, at 1-800 CONTACTS this has been a fundamental focus since our founding in 1995.  It is especially satisfying to achieve the score we did given the stable of quality call centers in the J.D. Power and Associates certification program."

The report cited three specific areas that drove overall results:  1) the strength of its Customer Service Representatives; 2) General Call Center Operations; and 3) Problem Resolution.

  1.  Customer Service Representatives.  Surveyed callers expressed
      significantly high satisfaction with representatives who answered the
      phones at 1-800 CONTACTS.  The report specifically cited
      representatives' courtesy, knowledge, concern, and usefulness of
      information as key drivers of caller satisfaction.

  2.  General Call Center Operations.  Scores in this category for the
      company were well within the outstanding range.  The report made
      specific mention of the company's "live agent" policy.  According to
      J.D. Power and Associates, 1-800 CONTACTS is novel among certified
      centers in that callers are offered direct access to an agent; they do
      not have to go through an automated telephone system in order to reach
      live assistance.  It is somewhat of an understatement, according to
      J.D. Power and Associates, to say 1-800 CONTACTS' customers are very
      satisfied with this.

  3.  Problem Resolution.  The report cited the much lower percentage of
      customers calling to resolve a problem versus other call centers in
      the survey.  Further, the report mentioned the much higher percentage
      of issues which were resolved during the customers' call.



According to J.D. Power and Associates, survey results clearly show why 1-800 CONTACTS has achieved the highest index score in the Call Center Certification program to date -- the company is focused on providing excellent customer service through immediately available, courteous, concerned and informed representatives, all within convenient operating hours.

Mr. Coon continued, "1-800 CONTACTS' call center employs the latest technology, but takes an old fashioned approach to customer service -- maintaining long standing traditions like answering calls with live people and sending customers hand-written apology notes when an order is delayed or the Company makes a mistake."

About 1-800 CONTACTS, INC.

1-800 CONTACTS offers consumers an attractive alternative for obtaining replacement contact lenses in terms of convenience, price and speed of delivery. Through its easy-to-remember, toll-free telephone number, "1-800 CONTACTS" (1-800-266-8228), and its Internet web site, http://www.1800contacts.com/, the Company sells all of the popular brands of contact lenses.  1-800 CONTACTS offers products at competitive prices, while delivering a high level of customer service.  The Company has delivered more than 15 million orders to over 5 million customers.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered 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. 

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DATASOURCE: 1-800 CONTACTS, INC.



CONTACT:  Kevin McCallum, Corporate Spokesperson of 1-800 CONTACTS, INC.,

[phone], 



Web site:  http://www.1800contacts.com/ 

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