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OSRAM SYLVANIA CUSTOMERS A PRIORITY WITH AN INDUSTRY FIRST
Lighting Leader Offers Spanish-Speaking Customer Service

Danvers, Mass. (Nov. 13, 2007) – OSRAM SYLVANIA, North America’s leading lighting manufacturer, are continues to take the necessary steps to best accommodate consumers and therefore recognizes the importance of communication to America’s diverse populations.  For that reason, the National Customer Service and Sales Center, located in Westfield, Ind., has launched an exciting project to extend their reach to the Latino population, by implementing ways to communicate and connect with their customers in Spanish.

Initially, the program began as an internet tool, which included a feedback link for Spanish-speaking people on the company Web site.  "This started as an opportunity for our customers who otherwise might not feel very comfortable approaching us, to let us know how we can help them," explained Enrique Ordoñez, OSRAM SYLVANIA bilingual supervisor.  “Now our services extend to the phone line, which allows us to directly respond to our customers’ needs.”  Ordoñez currently leads a team of five Spanish-speaking customer service representatives.

"Our philosophy is to provide our customers with comprehensive and timely service," commented Valerie Jones, vice president of customer service and inside sales.  “By adding our Spanish-speaking component to our capabilities, we are better equipping ourselves to serve all our customers.”

Spanish is the second most common language in the U.S. after English. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Hispanic population of the United States is an estimated 41.3 million people, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest race or ethnic minority.  More than 31 million U.S. residents age five and older speak Spanish at home, meaning that Spanish speakers constitute a ratio of over 1-in-10 U.S. household residents.

SYLVANIA is proud to provide Spanish-speaking customer service to partner distributors as a value added service. "Even though some of our customers can communicate with us clearly in English, we want to give them the option to do it in their natural language; to feel free and comfortable to approach us in Spanish," Ordoñez commented.

Whether a preference or a need, consumers can receive assistance in Spanish through OSRAM SYLVANIA’s help line at 1-800-lightbulb, and www.sylvania.com with an online form translated into Spanish.