STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 9, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Song Networks Holding AB (Nasdaq:SONW) (Stockholmsborsen:SONW) today announced that the Customer Care of Song Networks in Finland has been chosen Help Desk of the Year 2002. Help Desk Institute Nordic Oy awards the prize annually. In the evaluation of Customer Care of Song Networks, the following strengths were mentioned: clear strategy, customer-driven targets and their internal implementation; process excellence; management by values and excellent customer results.
The aim of the evaluation is to each year find a model customer support unit and thereby draws attention to the quality of customer service. Help Desk Institute Nordic has since 1996 made the evaluation in Finland.
"Song has mastered the fast growth and merger of two companies. Their Customer Care has received public acknowledgement in trade press," said Aale Roos, CEO, Help Desk Institute Nordic, he continued: "The involvement of the employees to develop the processes and create innovative solutions contributed to the selection."
The strengths of Song Networks were, a clear strategy, customer-driven targets and their internal implementation, process excellence, management by values and excellent customer results.
"We are extremely satisfied to achieve this status", said Erika Venermo, Director of Customer Care at Song Networks Oy and continues: "However, the most important is to continue catering to our customers' needs each and every day."
"Customer focus is the most important of our competitive advantages. It is particularly delightful to have the quality of our Customer Care highly esteemed," said Olli Nuuttila, Managing Director of Song Networks Oy.
The selection is based on evaluation of management, strategy and operational principles, human resources, partnerships and resources, processes, customer results, personnel results, societal results and central performance results. The auditing applied the rigorous assessment framework of the Quality Award.
Help Desk of the Year was now selected for the seventh time. Previously the award has been given to WM-Data (2001), ICL Data (2000), the Bank of Finland (1999), Sampo (1998), Postipankki (1997) and Amadeus Finland (1996).
About Song Networks, the former Tele1 Europe, (Nasdaq:SONW) (Stockholmsborsen:SONW)
Song Networks is a rapidly expanding data and telecommunications operator with activities in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. The Company provides comprehensive solutions for data, internet, hosting and voice, to businesses in the Nordic region. Song Networks is currently the only pan Nordic operator investing in local access networks with broadband capacity. The Company has built local access networks in the largest cities in the Nordic region. The access networks, which are linked by a long-distance network is one of the fastest data and internet super-highways in Europe, with an initial capacity for customers of up to one gigabit. The Company was founded in 1995 in Sweden and has approximately 1,100 employees. The head office is located in Stockholm and there are an additional 34 offices located in the Nordic region. For further information, please visit our website at www.songnetworks.net
About Help Desk Institute
Help Desk Institute's mission is to lead IT support center professionals worldwide by setting standards, establishing certification and training programs, and providing access to industry resources. HDI provides targeted information about the technologies, tools, and trends of the help desk and customer support industry. HDI sponsors its annual Conference and Expo, as well as the annual i-Support Symposium and Expo. HDI also offers regional training, and publishes a wide range of training publications and research materials. Membership exceeds 7,500 with members from every continent worldwide. To become a member, or to obtain further information on the benefits of becoming a member, please visit the HDI Web site at www.thinkhdi.com
Certain statements contained in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities law. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of Song Networks Holding AB only, and performance is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, adverse regulatory, technological or competitive developments; decline in demand for the company's services or products; inability to timely develop, introduce and market new technologies, products and services; pricing pressures resulting from competition; unforeseen construction delays; and the inability to successfully manage systems failures or shutdowns and service interruptions or reduced services to customers. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and uncertainties affecting the company, please refer to Song Networks Holding AB's reports that are filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's annual report on Form 20-F and reports on Form 6-K.
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