AFL AFLAC Inc

Aflac Incorporated Recognized for Call Center Customer Satisfaction Excellence COLUMBUS, Ga., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aflac Incorporated has been recognized for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program(SM). This distinction acknowledges a strong commitment by Aflac's call center operation to providing an "Outstanding Customer Service Experience." "This is a terrific honor," said Janet Baker, senior vice president, Client Services. "It is a validation of our ability to keep promises to our customers that we will be there to help them whenever they need us." "J.D. Power and Associates' assessment reflects the Call Center's commitment to providing the best service possible. Now matters to our customers and when they contact us, we want to handle their request immediately. This is very important to us, and it is certainly very important to our customers. They expect it. This type of service is key to building customer relationships and loyalty," said Tammy Briggs, second vice president, Client Services, Customer Call Center. Aflac's call center handled over 8 million contacts in 2004 from customers through its call centers in Columbus, Ga. and Omaha, Neb. The call center successfully passed a detailed audit of its recruiting, training, employee incentives, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance capabilities. In addition, J.D. Power and Associates conducted a random survey among Aflac policyholders, payroll accounts and field force associates who recently contacted its call center. For certification status, a call center must perform within the top 20 percent of customer service based on J.D. Power and Associates' cross-industry customer satisfaction research. "Aflac has created a highly customer-focused culture driven by customer values and a uniquely powerful appreciation and support of its employees," said Steve Kirkeby, senior director of the telecommunications practice for J.D. Power and Associates. "Aflac utilizes a rigorous evaluation process to ensure that the right people are handling customer inquiries, with an emphasis on empowering employees to go above and beyond for their customers. This focus on strong employee satisfaction results in high customer satisfaction with the call center experience." The evaluation criteria used during the survey includes: courtesy of the customer service representative (CSR); knowledge of the CSR; the CSR's concern for the customer questions and/or problem; usefulness of the information provided; convenience of customer service operating hours; ease of getting through to a CSR; and the timely resolution of the customer's problem, question or request. Certification is valid for one year. The Call Center Certification Program was launched by J.D. Power and Associates in 2004 to evaluate overall customer satisfaction and help call centers in various industries increase their efficiency and effectiveness by establishing best practices for handling service calls. There are more than 75,000 call centers in North America and an estimated 125,000 worldwide that help customers with product and service questions across a multitude of industries, ranging from credit cards, financial services, investment services, utilities, service warranty and insurance to telecommunications, healthcare and office products. J.D. Power and Associates is currently evaluating call centers across a variety of industries to determine if they are eligible for certification. Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) is an international holding company. A Fortune 500(R) company, Aflac insures more than 40 million people worldwide. It is a leading writer of insurance products marketed at the worksite in the United States, offering policies to employees at more than 312,900 payroll accounts. The company insures one out of four Japanese households and is the largest life insurer in Japan in terms of individual insurance policies in force. In January 2004, Aflac was included in Fortune magazine's list of "The 100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for the sixth consecutive year. Also in January 2004, Aflac was named to Forbes magazine's "Platinum 400 List of Best Big Companies in America" for the fifth consecutive year. In March 2004, Fortune magazine included Aflac in its annual listing of "America's Most Admired Companies." Aflac's Internet address is Aflac.com. About J.D. Power and Associates Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. Media e-mail contact: or No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com Media Contacts: Patsy J. Thomas Aflac Incorporated (706) 317-6109 (706) 320-2288 (Fax) Michael Graywitt (East Coast) J.D. Power and Associates (805) 418-8000 John Tews (West Coast) J.D. Power and Associates (248) 267-6800 (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO ) http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT: Patsy J. Thomas of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-317-6109, or fax, +1-706-320-2288, or ; or Michael Graywitt (East Coast), +1-805-418-8000, or , or John Tews (West Coast), +1-248-267-6800, or , both of J.D. Power and Associates Web site: http://www.aflac.com/

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