NuComm International was a Canadian-based provider of customer relationship and call center services. It is officially now part of Transcom WorldWide S.A. and operates as Transcom North America and Asia.
History
In 1991, NuComm CEO Real Bergevin founded John Moss Associates, a consulting and training company specializing in contact center management. It was in these early days that Bergevin began developing a new call center business model that leveraged technology, statistical quality control and a structured approach to building a workplace culture of continuous improvement. He developed practices for recruiting and training, reducing call handling times and other efficiencies that go straight to a contact center client's bottom-line. He later detailed his findings and philosophy in his book, 23 Steps to an Effective Call Center. In 1996, Bergevin collaborated with his Fiancée, Anne Bergevin, to expand the business to that of a full-service contact center services provider. The company was renamed to NuComm. NuComm quickly grew from a single office located in historic Welland, Ontario to an international company now headquartered in St. Catharines, Ontario, employing over an estimated 4,000 people worldwide. Between 1991 and 2007 they have opened 15 centres worldwide, with the most recent centres in Wichita, Kansas; Lafayette, Louisiana and Barrie, Ontario, although the Wichita office was set to be closed by the end of September, 2007, with employees being given the option to work from home. NuComm has been named one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies 5 years in a row. Réal was honored by being named one of Canada's Top 40 under 40 CEO's in 2001, and in 2005 published a second book, Call Centers for Dummies.
NuComm provides technical support, customer care and billing, data management and customer self-service programs to companies in the cable television, telecommunications, automotive, financial services, retail, media, entertainment and government sectors.
Transcom
On August 27, 2007, Transcom WorldWide S.A., the European Customer Relationship Management and debt collections specialist, announced that it had acquired 100% of NuComm International, and a maximum cash consideration of $90 million CAD will be paid in three installments. An initial payment of $50 million CAD will be paid with the remainder being subject to a two tier earn-out ending in December 2008. The earn-out is based on a multiple of operating profit which is capped at a maximum of 9x EBIT for the complete deal. NuComm had revenues of $122 million CAD for the twelve months ended July 31, 2007. Réal Bergevin, the founder and CEO of NuComm, has signed a contract to remain with the business under the new ownership.
