Exhibit 99.1
Citizens Communications
3 High Ridge Park
Stamford, CT 06905
203.614.5600
Web site: www.czn.net
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Karen Miller
845.344.9416
kmiller@czn.com
Citizens Launches New Customer Operations Strategy
Opening Call Center in DeLand, Fla.
June 20, 2006 - Citizens' Dan McCarthy, Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer, announced today that its Frontier operations would pursue a
new strategy for its Customer Operations that will include consolidating all
inbound customer calls to two or three centers and a Work at Home program
nationwide by year-end 2007. The Company expects that this new strategy will
improve its focus on delivering quality customer service and will, therefore,
improve its competitiveness in the marketplace.
A new Frontier Call Center will be established in DeLand, Florida in August of
this year and will house up to 500 employees by year-end 2007. DeLand was
selected because of the rich labor market, positive economic climate and
opportunity to attract a strong employee base.
"Our goal is to consolidate to two or three centers. We are reviewing all
options regarding the locations of the second and/or third Call Centers,"
McCarthy said. "This announcement will be made at a later date."
Homeshoring, Frontier's new work-at-home initiative, is currently being trialed
and is a key element of the new Customer Operations strategy. If the pilot is
successful, plans are to expand the homeshoring option to 15 - 20% of Call
Center employees across the company. Homeshoring offers employees the
convenience of working from home and virtually no commuting costs, while
enabling us to provide around-the-clock service to customers with greater
efficiency. It also enables a company to efficiently address peak-hour or
emergency calling times without disrupting the customer experience.
Investments in new technology will support this strategy and will allow each
Call Center Representative to easily access different computer systems and
assist customers with billing, repair or collections questions. This will
improve efficiencies on all inbound calls.
"We are continually looking for ways to improve our service delivery and
infrastructure," said McCarthy. "Simplifying our business by improving our Call
Center processes will provide additional value to our customers."
Frontier currently has Call Centers in Kingman, Ariz., Burnsville, Minn. and
Gloversville, Middletown, Monroe and Rochester, N.Y., in addition to eight other
smaller Call Centers in the country.
About Citizens
Citizens Communications Company (NYSE: CZN) is a full-service communications
provider and one of the largest local exchange telephone companies in the
country. Citizens, under its Frontier name, offers telephone, television and
Internet services, as well as bundled offerings, ESPN360 streaming video,
security solutions and specialized bundles for small businesses and home
offices. Additional information about Frontier's products and services is
available at www.frontier.myway.com. For information about Citizens
Communications, visit www.czn.net.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to
the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These statements are made on the basis of management's views and
assumptions regarding future events and business performance. Words such as
"believe," "anticipate," "expect," and similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements (including oral
representations) involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results
to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties are based
on a number of factors, including but not limited to: our ability to effectively
manage our operations, costs and capital spending; our ability to successfully
introduce new product offerings, including bundled service packages; our ability
to sell enhanced services; our ability to comply with federal and state
regulations; changes in the number of our revenue generating units; general and
local economic and employment conditions; the effects of ongoing changes in the
regulation of the communications industry; overall changes in the
telecommunications market; and greater than anticipated competition from
wireless or wireline carriers. In addition, we may be unable to implement some
of our current business initiatives if we fail to recognize the benefits we
expect to receive from certain transactions, including but not limited to, the
anticipated sale of ELI. These and other uncertainties related to our business
are described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including our reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement or to make
any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise unless required to do so by securities laws.
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