STAMFORD, Conn.-Sept. 25, 2001--Continuing its drive to reach and serve more North American customers more effectively, Xerox Corporation announced today that it will open a new TeleWeb Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia - its third such call center in North America. Xerox TeleWeb operations, already under way at TeleWeb Centres in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Irving, Texas, combine the use of the Internet with advanced telecommunications skills to deliver improved customer contact, coverage and service over the phone and the Web. The existing centers have shown 21 percent year-over-year growth in product sales and services. "The new Halifax TeleWeb Centre will further improve the productivity of our sales force and extend Xerox's reach to current and new customers across North America,'' said Cameron Hyde, president, Xerox Canada Ltd. The operation initially will bring 150 full-time, professional-level jobs to the Halifax area, with likely expansion to 600 positions over time, Hyde said. Like the existing Saint John and Irving facilities, the Halifax operation will depart from the traditional call-center model. It will combine a highly skilled sales force with leading-edge Internet sales techniques. The majority of employees at the Saint John and Irving centers -- more than 70 percent -- hold university degrees. The centers also have high staff retention rates, which are also expected in Halifax. Recruitment for the operation will begin immediately, followed by extensive training. "From Halifax, as in Saint John and Irving, our TeleWeb specialists will be serving customers in Canada, the U.S. and Puerto Rico,'' said Mary P. Donato, vice president, Xerox Global TeleWeb Operations. "They will encounter all types of sales situations and several different languages, so we intend to recruit top candidates who will flourish in this environment.'' Construction of the new center also begins immediately. TeleWeb operations in Halifax are expected to start as early as January. Operations will relocate to the new facility when it's completed in the summer. Since 1999, Xerox Global TeleWeb has seen significant growth and operates contact centers in North America, Europe and developing markets countries, staffed by more than 800 employees. The majority of these are "virtual sales executives'' who can be aligned with Xerox direct sales and agent representatives to provide broader customer contact and efficient coverage. Among other functions, VSEs can deliver proposals online, implement demonstrations, or complete transactions while their field partners focus on delivering high-end solutions or services.