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Excelior has secured a contract with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to handle their overflow contact centre services.

The three-year contract is a first for the Australian Government because of the need for stringent levels of security to protect the privacy of consumers using over-the-phone services.

Excelior met the strict requirements through creating a 'virtual tax office' for the ATO and upgrading the level of security at three contact centres in Box Hill (VIC), Robina (QLD) and Burnie (TAS).

The customised solution replicated the systems currently being used by the ATO to create a seamless service for consumers. Upgraded security measures include restricted access areas to handle calls for the contract, upgraded building security and police checks for all staff working on the contract or with access to the secure area.

Excelior Chief Executive Officer John Watkinson says that a high-level of data security and data integrity was necessary in creating a solution for the ATO.

"We specialise in creating tailored solutions for all of our clients and our solution for the ATO required both sensitivity and trust," he says.

"To achieve this we have created an environment where our staff are working in a 'virtual' tax office with all the security and privacy measures you would expect if you were dealing directly with the ATO."

Mr Watkinson says that data security is an issue in general for the contact centre industry.

"Both private and public organisations who choose to outsource contact centre services need to ensure that the privacy of their customers is being protected. This is why we create individual contact solutions for all of our clients."

"We are pleased that the ATO has chosen Excelior for this sensitive contract," says Mr Watkinson.

The contract, which commenced on Monday 15 September 2008, followed a successful trial of the outsourced overflow contact centre services conducted at Excelior's Box Hill (VIC) contact centre. The trial included the handling of secure access calls and non-system access calls using the outsourced service.

Part of the SKILLED Group, Excelior was established in 1999 and are an Australian company specialising in creating tailored customer contact solutions to help clients improve their business performance.

Date: October 2008