Harris Interactive® Hangs Up US Phones

Harris Interactive(r) will close its Rochester, NY telephone research facility by June 30 this year. The decision to close the last US Center reflects the growth of Internet data collection, compared to which telephone work is 'too costly and too slow'.

President and COO Al Angrisani says that 'The time is right to close our last phone center in the United States. Internet-based work now generates over 70% of our US revenue and telephone-based data collection is proving to be too costly and too slow. Our clients are demanding the speed, accuracy and excellent value that only Internet-based data collection can provide... The decision to close the facility was difficult and we will make every effort to assist our employees in securing other employment'.

Of the dozen full-time and 150 part-time employees at the Rochester facility, a few will remain and carry out quality assurance for telephone work while others will be transferred to the Company's other operating groups.

The company still has telephone research facilities in London and Tokyo, and has moved much of its US telephone work to call centers in Canada.

'Harris Interactive has carefully planned this transition, and we will make sure that our telephone survey work, wherever it is undertaken, continues to meet our clients' needs for service and value, while meeting our business needs for costs', said Angrisani. 'Charges associated with this action will be minimal and will not negatively impact our fiscal third quarter results'.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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