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TeleTech Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ/TTEC) is a leading provider
of complex customer service operations for large & multinational
companies at sites around the world.
We are in a new economy. The customer now has control. It used
to be that major decisions as to what to manufacture, & the characteristics
of a product were totally decided by the company. No longer. Such
decisions have largely shifted to the consumer's hands.
The CEO of the typical Fortune 1000 company now asks himself:
"How do I manage, control, & own customers?" His focus must be on
who his customers are & how to keep them. The advent of Internet-based
e-commerce makes this focus even more necessary -- the level of
customer service in e-commerce is not good. TTEC will help large
e-commerce clients to change that.
TTEC helps its clients acquire, serve, & retain their customers
by strategically managing inbound telephone, Internet, & PC-based
video inquiries on their behalf. TTEC services the customers of
such organizations as the U.S. Postal Service, American Express
Mexico, Citibank, Microsoft, AT&T, Chase, GTE Communications, &
United Parcel Service -- to name just a few. Chances are pretty
good that it is a TTEC employee who answers the telephone when you
call to locate the package you shipped, or to follow up on an error
in one of your bills. TTEC's expertise is largely focused on the
telecommunications, technology, transportation, financial services,
government services, & healthcare industries.
Customer service is the heart & soul of large enterprises -- they
are the people the customer has to deal with in solving his/her
problems. It is the customer service center that helps keep the
customer satisfied -- conversely, the poorly run service center
will surely lose customers. TTEC's personnel are carefully selected
and constantly retrained to assure peak service to the customer.
TTEC offers a full range of customer management services encompassing
strategy, infrastructure, education, technology & marketing solutions.
Demographics, customer satisfaction, & other helpful data on the
customers can be collected through a series of carefully planned
queries by the customer service personnel.
It operates 24 state-of-the-art customer interaction centers serving
multiple clients located in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada,
Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, & the U.K. It also manages several
centers on behalf of specific clients. As of the end of 1998, TTEC
operated almost 10,000 production computer workstations serving
clients around the world. And these numbers are growing. It's advanced
telecommu-nications systems, controlled through a command center
in CO, are tailored to the specific needs of the client. Systems
are linked via an integrated & redundant wide area network utilizing
multiple fiber-optic voice/data T-1 circuits.
The company continually evaluates acquisitions of companies that
would enhance its technological capabilities. Since 1998, it acquired
Intellisystems, Digital Creators, & Cygnus Computer Associates --
all technological innovators in the field. TTEC is one of the fastest
growing companies in the U.S. -- revenues have grown from $35 million
in 1994 to $369 million in 1998. I interviewed CEO Ken Tuchman 5/18/99
-- he looks forward to building his company to the $2 billion to
$3 billion revenue level. He is focussed on growth, & is expanding
fast internation-ally. Call TTEC @ 303-894-4000, or write 1700 Lincoln
St., Suite 1400, Denver, CO 80203.
www.telet-echusa.com [R-8; M-7; L-8]
Titanium Metals Corp. (NYSE/TIE) is one of the world's leading
integrated producers of titanium sponge (the basic form of titanium
metal used in processed titanium products), ingot, slab (the result
of melting sponge & titanium scrap), & mill products. The world
leader in titanium sales volume, TIE accounted for about 27% of
worldwide shipments of mill products & about 12% of the world's
sponge production in 1998.
Titanium was first manufactured for commercial use in the 1950s.
Its unique combination of corrosion resistance, elevated-temperature
performance, & high strength-to-weight ratio makes it particularly
desirable in commercial & military aerospace applications. Non-aerospace
applications have increased steadily & titanium is used extensively
in chemical & industrial power plants, desalination plants, & pollution
control equipment. Usage is also increasing in medical implants,
sporting equipment, offshore oil & gas production, geothermal facilities,
military armor, & automotive uses. TIE is hard at work researching
other applications for its products.
To reduce the effect of economic cycles, TIE implemented a policy
of long-term (10-year) purchase agreements covering 60% of its aerospace
business with such companies as Boeing Commercial Airplane Group,
Pratt & Whitney, Wyman-Gordon (the largest titanium consumer in
the world), Rolls-Royce, & United Technologies.
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I like the fact that TIE's distribution network is wholly owned.
I also like the fact that over the past two years, TIE invested
$190 million in its business. It installed more efficient production
equipment to meet present & future customer demand, & an enterprise-wide
information system. These steps resulted in cost reduction & further
improvement in its competitive position. Call finance VP J. Thomas
Montgomery, Jr. @ 303-206-5600, fax 303-296-5645, or write 1999
Broadway, Suite 4300, Denver, CO 80202. www.timet.com [R-7; M-7;
L-8]
U.S. Mobil Services, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board/USMS) serves
the U.S. prepaid wireless communications market. Wireless is the
fastest growing segment of the telecommunications industry. Pre-paid
wireless service is one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S.
wireless market.
Prepaid wireless communication started in 1996, is expected to
grow to 7% of the market by 2001, & eventually to about 20% of the
wireless market in the U.S. Some European markets have already achieved
more that 40% penetration. By 2001, 22 million pre-paid subscribers
are expected to generate $10 billion in revenue. Compare that with
the $7.7 billion in online advertising revenue expected by 2001.
This advertising expectation fueled the market growth of Internet
stocks. USA Today on 9/21/98 said pre-paid cellular "is emerging
as the next big consumer telecommunica-tions trend."
USMS is a reseller of prepaid cellular telephone service. Its
objective is to sell handsets to 100,000 subscribers within the
next 12 months (about $24 million revenue), & reach $100 million
sales & attract 250,000 customers by 2001. It resells prepaid cellular
service through such carriers as AT&T Wireless, Bell Atlantic Mobile,
Ameritech Cellular, GTE Wireless, Bell South, U,S. Cellular, & Airtouch
Cellular. This allows it to serve about 85% of the national market.
It is in negotiation with about 30 second & third tier carriers
to cover the remaining 15%.
USMS' Internet Management System enables all program updates to
be implemented over-the-air, without the customer having to bring
his phone to a specified location for reprogramming. USMS' features
include true over-the-air service activation, & 100% automated redemption
of the subscriber's prepaid account.
David Gergacz was named chairman & CEO 5/3/99. He was chairman
& CEO of Brite Voice Systems, president & CEO of Cincinnati Bell
Telephone, president & CEO of Rogers Cantel Communications (Canada's
leading provider of wireless), president & CEO of Boston Technology,
& COO & president of Network Systems at Sprint.
Call David Gergacz @ 800-742-0331 or 410-691-9888, or write 7455-T
Ridge Rd., Hanover, MD 21076. [R-5; M-6; L-8]
W30TC, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board/WOTC) operates its investor
web site, w3otc.com, as a cost-free portal to Internet financial
services. It focuses on under-discovered & under-valued emerging
growth public companies, with the intent of helping them to attract
new shareholders cost effectively on a global basis. The difference
is discovery; W3OTC's search engine targets profitable, small-cap
companies that remain fairly undiscovered outside of their local
geographic area. Investors no longer have to be toppled by waves
of research information which drowns them in charts & trade jargon,
frequently on marginal companies. W3OTC provides useful information
updated daily by the editorial staff of The Investment Reporter,
which has provided news to financial professionals for over 10 years.
Press releases & stock quotations are linked from the web site.
Strategic alliances with Standard & Poor's, EDGAR, NASDAQ, & Zack's
Research provide timely, critical information. There is no information
overload to overwhelm the investor. Detailed, technical analysis
can be linked to fee-for-service sites for charting & quantita-tive
analysis. Direct linkage to stockbrokers enables the investor to
make stock purchases without exiting the web site.
W3OTC's income comes from small-cap growth companies advertising
on w3otc.com & direct hyper-link leases to their own web sites.
With over 40 million Internet users in 150 countries worldwide &
growing at 85% per year, there is obviously a good market. Call
president John G. Robbins @ 949-724-0444, fax 949-724-0408, or write
4600 Campus Dr., Suite 205, Newport Beach, CA 92660. [R-5; M-7;
L-8]
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