((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (((((( Call Centers in the Capital Region Berlin-Brandenburg

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1 ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (((((( Call Centers in the Capital Region Berlin-

2 Call Centers in Berlin- One foot in the East one foot in the West ((((( Expertise at the Heart of Europe Call centers in the Berlin- capital region have excellent development prospects as a result of the region s strategic location within Europe. It is situated in the direct vicinity of both Western and Eastern Europe and boasts a regional market of over 6 million people. Today, there are over 230 call centers in the region with a total workforce of over 20,000 employees and their numbers are growing. At the same time, the region s personnel costs and real estate rates are low in comparison to other German states. ((((( A Large Pool of Well-trained Employees The relaxed labor market in Berlin- offers a large number of qualifi ed and fl exible employees. Short-notice temp workers along with 180,000 students at 34 universities and colleges make up the large pool of available employees here in Germany s most important university region. Call center agents work full-time, part-time or in shifts. The capital region speaks many languages. People from over 180 countries live here, thus making the multilingual work of many call centers possible. Call centers fi nd personnel with industry know-how and technical and business expertise in the fi elds of telecommunications, IT, banking, insurance and tourism. Lisbon Dublin Madrid London Paris Oslo Stockholm Copenhagen Riga Moscow Vilnius Amsterdam Berlin- Minsk Brussels Warsaw Prague Kiev Luxemburg Vienna Bratislava Bern Ljubljana Budapest Chisinau Zagreb Bucharest Belgrade Rome Sarajevo Sofi a Valletta Tirana Skopje Helsinki Tallinn Athens Ankara Business Location Center At the BUSINESS LOCATION CENTER, Berlin Partner GmbH and ZAB Business Development Board provide a central online database consisting of the most important economic data on the region s call center industry. Nicosia ((((( Recruiting Made Easy Call centers interested in setting up or expanding their business in the Berlin- capital region are given professional, quick and cost-free support in the recruitment of qualifi ed personnel. Berlin Partner GmbH and ZAB Business Development Board offer several Recruiting Packages, one of which is the Call Center Recruiting Package in Berlin. It is designed specifi cally for call centers and consists of job advertising followed by the selection and training of qualifi ed personnel. Furthermore, all the leading personnel agencies, such as Adecco, Manpower and Randstad, have offi ces in the region alongside local agencies with comprehensive industry and market expertise. ((((( Excellent Training and Continuing Education The capital region s chambers of commerce and industry offer two advanced call center training courses: Call Center Agent and Call Center Team Leader. Starting in 2006, they will also offer two and three-year trainee programs in the new careers of Dialogue Marketing Service Specialist and Dialogue Marketing Business Manager. Numerous other academies and colleges train call center agents in Berlin and. A new generation of young talent is also being educated at the Fachhochschule Branden-burg (University of Applied Sciences), where they now offer a study program in the fi eld of Call Center Management Business Administration (FH) together with the German Direct Marketing Academy Berlin (DDA)

3 Customer Care in Berlin- International Players in Germany s Capital Region CALL CENTER AGENTUREN (A SELECTION): AIRCALL A CALL CENTER D+S EUROPE QUELLE CONTACT SN INHOUSE CALL CENTER (A SELECTION): AMERICAN EXPR E.DIALOG GOTHAER SCHADENSERVICE CENTER K Taptel Call Center s central location in Wittenberge, Contact Center Services of o2 Germany in Teltow south of Berlin SNT Deutschland with offices in Berlin and here their offices in Potsdam 6 Pritzwalk Boitzenburger Land Schwedt Wittenberge Neuruppin Templin Hohen Neuendorf Wustermark Oberkrämer Eberswalde Span Potsdam Kleinmachnow an der Havel Stahnsdorf Teltow Frankfurt (Oder) Jüterbog Cottbus Call Center Agencies Inhouse Call Center Universities and Colleges Schwarzheide Arvato direct services in a historical building in an der Havel ebay International AG Customer Service for 12 European countries at Europarc Dreilinden Walter Telemedien with offices in Berlin and here their offices in Frankfurt/Oder

4 S DIREKT ARVATO DIRECT SERVICES COTTBUS CALL 24 TELEMARKETING CALLPLUS TELEMARKETING CALL&SURF FACTORY CC WELLCOM COMPETENCE T POTSDAM STREAM TAPTEL CALL CENTER TELEGAB TELEGUT GMBH VIAFON WALTER TELEMEDIEN ESS AOK CORNING CABLE SYSTEMS DAIMLERCHRYSLER DB DIALOG DB DIREKT DEUTSCHE BANK GRUPPE DEUTSCHE TELEKOM EBAY INTERNATIONAL ABEL DEUTSCHLAND KBS MINIJOB ZENTRALE LUFTHANSA GLOBAL TELE SALES O2 GERMANY VIVENTO CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER VODAFONE D2 DB Dialog on the Salzufer near Berlin universities and the City West district telegab at Hackescher Markt, Berlin, in the historical Scheunenviertel district asdirekt in the Axel Springer Passages in Berlin dau Reinickendorf Kaiserdamm 96 Seestrasse Mitte Heidestrasse Schönhauser Allee Bru runnenstrasse Invalidenstrasse K se Friedrichstrasse nthaler sse des 17. Juni Unter den Linden sse Leipziger Strass Schönhauser All 96 96a llee nallee Str. Pankow 109 Prenzlauer Allee 114 Greifswalder Strasse Danziger Str. Alte/Neue Schönhauser Str. Karl Marx Allee Warschauer Strasse 2 10 Lichtenberg Landsberger Allee Frankfurter Allee 1 5 Marzahn- Hellersdorf ((((( Locations Berlin and offer affordable rental rates that start as low as 3.50 per square meter and are clearly under the average for major European cities. Call centers in the region have their pick of offi ce space in all sizes and locations whether it be on the upscale Ku damm Boulevard, in the trendy district of Berlin-Mitte, in the vicinity of universities and colleges, strategically located along the city s S-Bahn ring line, in s capital city Potsdam or in the charming landscape of the region s many easily accessible business centers. Charlottenburg- Wilmersdorf Avus Avus Kurfürstendamm 1 Potsdamer Str. Friedrichshain-ha Kreuzberg Tempelhofer Damm Stralauer Allee Adlergestell Steglitz- Zehlendorf 1 96 Neukölln Treptow-Köpenick 96 Tempelhof- Schöneberg Berlin 113 Stream: A strategic location in southern Berlin Viafon at Alexanderplatz, Berlin The new Lufthansa Global Tele Sales offices in Berlin- Adlershof

5 Dr. Richard Brodkorb, Managing Director of walter TeleMedien-Gruppe, Frankfurt an der Oder is our strategic gateway to the eastern states of the European Union. At the end of 2007, it will be our third largest customer service center with up to 1,000 agents. We do our own recruiting, but we also receive tremendous support from the employment offi ce, personnel agencies and the chamber of commerce. Berlin came to walter TeleMedien-Gruppe by way of an acquisition, and it continues to grow via special tasks. Evelyn Borde, Call Center Director of the Taptel Call Center GmbH in Wittenberge, Even though our offi ces are in a top location at the center of the city, our rent is extremely reasonable. From the outset we also enjoyed the tremendous support of the local employment offi ces and regional colleges, and even from the architect who designed our call center according to our exact wishes. The environment and the services here are perfect for us. Thomas Neuschäfer, Managing Director of Stream, We are a global company that services international clients in their own technical support. We require IT experts and engineers with aboveaverage technical expertise. These skilled agents are available to us at short notice in Berlin. Sven Merten, Team Manager Contact Centre Services in Teltow, O 2 (Germany) GmbH & Co. OHG, We ve been in since Back then, we were able to recruit highly qualifi ed personnel in a very short period of time. We continue to do so today, and it remains an important aspect of our business, because we re constantly growing. Our Teltow location is very advantageous in this sense, because we have access to a large pool of applicants from Potsdam, the south of and even Berlin. Frank Buchholz, Managing Director of Gothaer SchadenService Center GmbH, In the space of only two weeks, we were able to recruit 50 agents with professional experience or training in the insurance industry. For us, the relaxed job market in Berlin is a defi nite advantage, especially in terms of qualifi ed insurance experts. The skilled workforce at our national customer center for damage and claims processing continues to grow.

6 Michael Ridder, Board Member SNT Deutschland AG, Potsdam is currently showing the highest growth rate of all our locations. Construction on our new offi ce building for 450 more employees is already underway. It will allow us to grow by a further 30 percent, a development made easy by the fact that we re able to recruit as many agents as we need here in Potsdam. We re also on an expansion course in Berlin. Jost Lauter Managing Director of Lufthansa Global Tele Sales GmbH, It took us less than two months to fi nd our new offi ces in Berlin- Adlershof. The area has excellent transportation connections including direct access to the Auto-bahn and S-Bahn commuter lines. Our proximity to the Adlershof campus of Humboldt University guarantees us continued access to part-time workers. Our new offi ces also offer us the possibility to expand even further. Richard Bartusch, Director of the Service Center, arvato direct services, an der Havel is our second-largest service center in the region after Cottbus, which now has 600 employees. We started here in the spring of 2006 with 100 agents, and now we ve grown to a workforce of 250. And we re still growing. The pool of educated and highly qualifi ed workers in the region is exactly what our clients need. The support we ve received from local authorities and institutions has also been outstanding. Nael El Sayed, Senior Executive and Managing Director of the asdirekt Service Center, In Berlin, we have an annual growth rate of approximately 10 to 15 percent. Which is why we ve become closely involved in the two new professional training programs Dialogue Marketing Business Manager and Dialogue Marketing Service Specialist at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK). This year, we ll make sure the fi rst apprentices get their start with us. Dr. jur. Volker Gabriel Managing Director of telegab GmbH, Our agents communicate in 17 different languages ranging from Swiss German, Turkish and Flemish all the way to the various Scandinavian and Eastern European languages. We are able to offer extensive services like these because Berlin is a very multicultural city. No other city in Germany has such a variety of foreign language expertise and, more importantly, an essential understanding of the different mentalities behind each language. These are the basic prerequisites necessary to access clients in individual markets.

7 Know-How in Berlin- Industry Initiatives and Services ((((( Strong Industry Networks The Berlin- region is home to the call center industry s two most important networks and associations the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berlin & Call Center (ABCC) and the Call Center Forum Germany (CCF). These two organizations initiate key branch incentives such as the creation of quality standards and call center certifi cation. They promote the productive, industry-wide exchange of ideas and support the development and implementation of specifi c technical solutions. They also represent the interests of their members at regional political organizations and business development corporations. A new study program in Call Center Management Business Administration (FH) was created by the ABCC together with the German Direct Marketing Academy Berlin and the adm group. Call Centers Up Close! : The 1st Berlin & Call Center Days took place in November 2005 with the participation of 14 call centers and personnel agencies. Attendees gained insights into the complex day-to-day work of call centers, and various companies were able to recruit new employees. The main themes of the prominent industry gathering included Berlin as a strategic location, call center certifi cation and TÜV Nord (Technical Inspection Authority) quality approval, as well as staff training and development. ((((( First Class Service Many call centers in Berlin- guarantee their services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No special permits are needed. The region s excellent network and telecommunications infrastructure also guarantees competitive service. Call centers can choose from over 60 providers including Deutsche Telekom, Arcor, Colt Telecom, Versatel and Hansenet. These companies offer innovative solutions such as VoIP, ecrm, response services as well as professional PR and campaign management. ((((( Excellent Transportation Infrastructure Berlin s extensive public transport system is unique in Germany and comprises 25 subway and suburban train lines. The 30,000 km 2 transport network of the VBB Berlin- Transport Association is managed by 45 public and private transportation companies who guarantee outstanding connections between the capital city and its surrounding region. This makes it easy for commuters in Berlin and to get to work quickly and comfortably. From left to right: Manfred Stockmann, Chairman, Call Center Forum Germany, Anne Stahl-Weiß, Chairman, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Berliner & er Call Center, State Secretary Susanne Ahlers, Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Labour and Women s Issues and State Secretary Dr. Wolfgang Krüger, Ministry of Economics ((((( Branch Incentives Berlin Partner GmbH and the ZAB Economic Development Board promote the region as a major location for call centers at leading trade fairs as well as in print ads in top industry magazines. Berlin Partner has been a major partner of the German CallCenterWorld trade fair for many years. Since 2005, both organizations have helped initiate the Berlin & Call Center Days. Their annual industry survey and extensive activities in the acquisition of new business contribute signifi cantly to the promotion of the call center industry in the capital region. The CallCenterWorld takes place each year in Berlin and is the largest leading event of the call center business in Germany. National and international location marketing for the region

8 Strategic Advantages for Call Centers Facts and Services Berlin. Making your business tick. More than 1.2 million people in Berlin make a living helping others make a living. With a growing array of call and service centers, customer care providers, advertising agencies and financial service companies in the city, the business of supporting businesses has an exciting future in Berlin. Factor in the highly educated workforce, low rental costs and an outstanding infrastructure and the question is: Shouldn t your business be here too? 1 For more information about Berlin s growing service sector, please contact: Berlin Partner GmbH Phone: , Fax: Marion.Messmer@berlin-partner.de Web: Current Berlin Partner ad campaign Service Location Berlin 2 The Quadriga on the Gate and the Reichstag Dome in Berlin 3 Potsdamer Platz in Berlin 4 Students at the University of Potsdam ((((( Dedicated to Berlin- According to the 2006 industry survey, 97 % of call centers would decide again in favor of locating in the capital region. The choice is obvious for several reasons: Strategic geographical location within Europe and direct proximity to Central and Eastern European markets Large pool of qualifi ed and fl exible employees including short-notice temp workers; high educational standards Agents speak accent-free German; many international native speakers 180,000 students at 34 universities and colleges All the major personnel agencies on location Labor costs below the national average Affordable offi ce space available in downtown Berlin and the entire capital region 24/7 service in Berlin is possible without special permission The most important telecom carriers and technology providers on site High standard of living in the cultural metropolis of Berlin and the charming State of ((((( Investment Made Easy The capital region s two business development agencies, Berlin Partner GmbH and ZAB Economic Development Board, offer comprehensive support during the establishment of your call center: Professional, quick, with no red tape and free of charge. Business Facts and fi gures on the call center industry and the Berlin- business region Personnel Support in recruiting and training new staff Real Estate Assistance in locating properties and sites for sale or rent Financing Guidance on incentives and fi nancing opportunities Contacts to government agencies, banks, chambers of commerce, associations and business networks ((((( Call Center Survey An annual call center industry survey is conducted by the two major regional business development organizations, Berlin Partner GmbH and ZAB Economic Development Board. Contact us for a complete copy of the survey in PDF form. Your contact at Berlin Partner: Marion Messmer Phone / Fax -239 marion.messmer@berlin-partner.de Your contact at ZAB: Dennis Bohne Phone / Fax 3144 dennis.bohne@zab-brandenburg.de Publisher: Berlin Partner GmbH in cooperation with ZAB Economic Development Board on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Labour and Women s Issues and the Ministry of Economics Design: Wollein&Co Visuelle Konzepte, Translation: The Hagedorn Group, Berlin Partner GmbH Ludwig Erhard Haus Fasanenstrasse Berlin Germany Photos: Matthias Fischer; except for DB Dialog, SNT Deutschland, Axel Springer Passagen, Call Center World, ebay; Uni Potsdam, Quadriga and Potsdamer Platz ( Berlin Partner) August ZukunftsAgentur GmbH Steinstrasse Potsdam Germany