HOUSTON--The Planet, the world’s largest privately held dedicated hosting company, today announced plans to construct a new world-class customer contact center to support its growing customer base. The 10,000 square foot center, located in downtown Houston, will be equipped and managed with state-of-the-art servers, software, communications tools and an expanded team of trained support representatives. Over the next six months, the company plans to invest approximately $5 million on the new call center and other operating facilities. Construction is expected to be complete in mid-August.

Designed to accelerate customer satisfaction, The Planet’s Call Center will for the first time include a premier customer relationship management (CRM) system that provides support representatives with critical account information to meet a broad range of requests. The company also plans to enhance its training and escalation processes with a continuous process improvement mindset that elevates the entire customer experience at every touch point and vector.

“As we continue to integrate The Planet’s operations, customer experience tops the list of our priorities,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Douglas J. Erwin. “Total quality management and operational best practices will be driven by stringent analytics for world-class service. Great companies are known first and foremost for providing their customers with superior products and services, and our goal is to be the company that drives the industry standard. We value our customers, and this new contact center evidences our commitment to them.”

The Planet’s Contact Center will be designed, managed and led by James P. Picone, vice president for the company’s contact centers. Picone, who recently joined the company, brings experience in leading call center operations with Earthlink and MCI.

The center will be outfitted with the best tools in the industry, including advanced monitoring systems, real-time performance display devices and progressive customer contact systems that offer expanded channels of support. The tools combine customer-centric process design and key performance indicators across all support mediums to drive industry-leading best practices for service levels and response times.

To support its continued growth, The Planet has begun an extensive hiring campaign focused on identifying dynamic employees with customer-facing experience and technical skills for both the contact center and other key operations in the company, including sales, customer service and technical support.

About The Planet

The Planet is the leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 22,000 small- and medium-size businesses and 2.8 million Web sites worldwide. By offering the best choice of servers, software tools, and world-class support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and unmatched network connectivity, The Planet helps turn information technology into a powerful competitive advantage that enables customers to successfully grow their businesses. For additional information, visit www.theplanet.com.