NEW YORK, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A.
(NYSE: ATTO) ("Atento" or the "Company"), the largest provider of
customer-relationship management and business-process outsourcing
services in Latin America, and
among the top five providers globally, today announced that, in
response to the global spread of COVID-19, telework capabilities
have been extended to approximately 46 thousand agents, nearly
forty-percent of total, as part of the Company's efforts to rapidly
implement health and safety measures and to maintain business
continuity, taking into consideration that its services or its
clients services have been designated as essential in most regions
where it operates.
Atento has implemented strict health and safety measures at all
of its operations and which meet or exceed WHO COVID-19 guidelines
and local regulations. In addition to enabling employees to work
remotely from home, telework reduces the number of employees at
facilities and call centers, helping maintain minimum distances
between workstations, among other safeguards that have been
implemented across the Company and which are overseen by special
regional and global committees.
Carlos López-Abadia, Atento's Chief Executive
Officer, commented, "Our priority is the health and well-being of
our employees while maintaining service levels for our clients
whose products and services reach more than 500 million consumers
in Latin America, the United States and Spain. Our technology and operations teams
have worked tirelessly to rapidly ramp up telework capabilities for
Atento employees, enabling end-customers to access services from
the safety of their homes during the current global crisis. Most
recently, we launched COVID-19 call-center services for the
governments of El Salvador,
Guatemala and Peru, which comprise technology infrastructure
and logistics support. Telework at Atento is also being facilitated
by the digital transformation process that we have been undergoing
since last year, which has included re-skilling and digital
recruiting, among other forms of employee development that have
been strengthened during the past few weeks."
José Azevedo, Atento's Chief Financial Officer
said, "Atento's solid balance sheet has enabled us to fund the
numerous health and safety measures that we have been rapidly
implementing in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The bulk of our
investments in digital transformation was completed last year. The
average maturity of our debt at the end of 2019 was of 2.7 years
with no relevant principal payment due until August 2022, and we have already accessed an
additional US$ 90 million in
revolving credit facilities. Because the duration, scope and
magnitude of COVID-19 remains unpredictable, we are maintaining
strict cost control measures to preserve financial liquidity and
the ability to continue executing our transformation plan."
Atento is traditionally a socially-responsible company and is
proud to contribute toward helping assure the continuity of
essential services for citizens around the world through remote and
secure customer services.
The Company will keep the market updated, as necessary, and will
provide additional information about its COVID-19 response in its
first quarter 2020 earnings press release and conference call.
About Atento
Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship
management and business process outsourcing (CRM BPO) solutions in
Latin America, and among the top
five providers globally, based on revenues. Atento is also a
leading provider of nearshoring CRM/BPO services to companies that
carry out their activities in the United
States. Since 1999, the company has developed its business
model in 13 countries where it employs 150,000 people. Atento has
over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM/BPO services
through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading
multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications,
banking and financial services, health, retail and public
administrations, among others. Atento's shares trade under the
symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2019, Atento
has been named one of the World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces
and one of the Best Multinationals to Work for in Latin America by Great Place to Work®. For
more information visit www.atento.com.
Investor
Relations
Shay Chor
+55 11
3293-5926
shay.chor@atento.com
|
Investor
Relations
Fernando
Schneider
+ 55 11
3779-8119
fernando.schneider@atento.com
|
Media
Relations
Pablo Sánchez
Pérez
+34 670031347
pablo.sanchez@atento.com
|
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects,"
"plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts,"
"intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements
reflect only Atento's current expectations and are not guarantees
of future performance or results. These statements are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to,
competition in Atento's highly competitive industries; increases in
the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in
these services; Atento's ability to keep pace with its clients'
needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the
continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the
loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the
effects of global economic trends on the businesses of Atento's
clients; the non-exclusive nature of Atento's client contracts and
the absence of revenue commitments; security and privacy breaches
of the systems Atento uses to protect personal data; the cost of
pending and future litigation; the cost of defending Atento against
intellectual property infringement claims; extensive regulation
affecting many of Atento's businesses; Atento's ability to protect
its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to
Atento's data and operation centers; Atento's ability to retain key
personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees;
increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political,
economic and other conditions in the countries where Atento
operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; Atento's ability to
complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the
objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; future
impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or
other long-lived assets; and Atento's ability to recover consumer
receivables on behalf of its clients. In addition, Atento is
subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks
include Atento's ability to generate sufficient cash to service its
indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; Atento's ability
to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; the
ability to obtain additional financing; the incurrence of
significant additional indebtedness by Atento and its subsidiaries;
and the ability of Atento's lenders to fulfill their lending
commitments. Atento is also subject to other risk factors described
in documents filed by the company with the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission.
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on
which the statements were made. Atento undertakes no obligation to
update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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SOURCE Atento S.A.