NEW Buys Service Manager ServiceBench

by Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 1/28/2008

STERLING, VA. — NEW Customer Service Companies (NEW), the nation's largest provider of extended service plans and buyer protection programs for consumer products, has acquired ServiceBench, a provider of Web-based service management solutions for U.S. retailers and manufacturers.

Details and price of the transaction were undisclosed.

The acquisition extends NEW's reach through the entire service life cycle, and will bring clients turn-key solutions for the development, implementation and management of comprehensive customer care and warranty programs, the company said.

Tony Nader, CEO of NEW, said his company's "deep understanding of retail and … exceptional customer service," combined with ServiceBench's manufacturing relationships and technological prowess, represent a unique combination in the industry that will allow NEW to "continue to raise the bar in service delivery and expand our value throughout the entire service delivery lifecycle — ultimately leading to a better experience for the consumer."

ServiceBench, a privately held corporation based in Fairfax, Va., was founded in 2000 as a developer of Internet business-to-business e-commerce and extranet systems. Its integrated service supply chain solutions were designed to increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs for manufacturers, retailers, extended warranty providers, parts distributors and service providers in multiple industries including appliances, consumer electronics, and computers. The company, a longtime partner of NEW, supports such leading global retailers and manufacturers as Electrolux, IBM, Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sears and Whirlpool — and executes more than 40 million service transactions per year for its customer base.

ServiceBench's online software applications fully integrate clients' complete range of service management activities including service call management, field service management, parts management, claims management and service contract management. Each function includes service intelligence analytics that mine data for strategic information to improve service processes, increase the dependability of products and reduce operational costs. By way of example, the company said its warranty claims tracking system has resulted in millions of dollars of potentially "found" income for retailers by filtering repair claims and determining what amount is financially recoverable.

"We are incredibly excited to add our client roster and suite of services to the NEW family," said John Estrada, COO of ServiceBench. "NEW has led its industry in every major innovation for the past 25 years, and we look forward to applying our expertise in technology-based service management systems to offer its clients and customers the broadest available range of warranty services and help drive its future leading-edge initiatives."