
SOFTBANK CORP. is pleased to announce the results of a board meeting held on July 20, 2004, which approved a comprehensive alliance between our wholly-owned subsidiary, SOFTBANK BB Corp. (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masayoshi Son; "SOFTBANK BB") and BELLSYSTEM24, Inc. (Head office: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Yukio Sonoyama; "BELLSYSTEM24"). Under the alliance, SOFTBANK BB will outsource its call center operation with the aim of improving customer satisfaction with call center operations, strengthening information security and improving the efficiency of marketing, sales and productivity.
SOFTBANK BB has been considering the possibility of integrating the call centers it operates itself and those outsourced to several suppliers, with the objective of providing a higher level of call center operations. The purpose of the integration is to establish a customer support system that can respond to the increase in the number of members and the considerable expansion of services resulting from the merger with JAPAN TELECOM CO.,LTD.. After all call center operations have been integrated into BB Call Corp, all shares in BB Call will then be sold to BELLSYSTEM24, a highly specialized call center operator. Operating the call centers as a member of the BELLSYSTEM24 Group will facilitate improvements in customer satisfaction, security of information and efficiency.
Telemarketing sales of all manner of products that are currently provided and as well as products that will be provided in the future by SOFTBANK Group companies will be outsourced to BB Call under the ownership of BELLSYSTEM24, which has sophisticated CRM marketing expertise. This operation will bolster the efficiency of sales and marketing, improve productivity and expand sales. As a condition for undertaking the sales, BELLSYSTEM24 will invest in the setup of the telemarketing systems and provide new services through BB call.
The SOFTBANK Group is considering ways of expanding sales through the telemarketing of new services that the group is planning to offer. BELLSYSTEM24 will provide the investment in the setup of systems associated with the provision of new services through BB call, to support the expansion of the new services promoted by the SOFTBANK Group.
With this sale, SOFTBANK expects to post a profit on the sale of investment securities of approximately 40 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2005.
| Head office | 24-1 Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Established | May 16, 2000 (Date of Merger: January 7, 2003) |
| Capital | 148 billion yen |
| Representative | Masayoshi Son, President and CEO |
| Business activities | The Company engages in the provision of broadband infrastructure and services centering on Yahoo! BB as well as in technical development, marketing, sales and support. The Company offers IT-related distribution and services and supervises and administers affiliated broadband and e-commerce companies. |
| Head office | 24-1 Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Established | August 29, 2000 |
| Capital | 5.1 billion yen |
| Representative | Junichi Miyakawa, President & CEO |
| Business activities | Call center operations and telemarketing |
| Head office | 2-16-8 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Established | September 20, 1982 |
| Capital | 10.045 billion yen |
| Representative | Yukio Sonoyama, President & CEO |
| Business activities | CRM&e-CRM solutions, marketing solutions, e-Commerce and e-Support services |