Kaplan's Professional Call Center Solutions Gives Kevin Craighead
The Selection And Advantage™ Challenge Award At Call Center 2000 Conference

Dallas, TX, February 4, 2000 -- Kaplan Professional Call Center Solutions, which provides human resource products and services for the call center industry, sponsored the Kaplan Selection Advantage™ Challenge at the Call Center 2000 conference in Dallas, TX last week. The winner of Kaplan's Selection Advantage™ challenge, which measures success in telephone service positions, was Kevin Craighead, Project Manager of IndyMac Bank in Pasadena, CA. Kaplan's award to Mr. Craighead is a trip for two to a destination of his choice.

Selection Advantage™ is a simulation-based pre-employment skills assessment tool used in evaluating call center agents. By placing a potential agent on the receiving end of twenty-five scenario-based calls, the product is able to assess their skills in each of five areas: Customer Service, Investigative Skills, Problem Solving, Influence, and Speed & Flexibility. These five areas are deemed critical to the success of a telephone service representative.

"Kevin's score of 252 out of a possible 272 points was the highest score at the conference, and indicates strong customer service and selling skills," said Barry Graubart, Vice President, Call Center Solutions at Kaplan. Call Center 2000 generated thousands of attendees, a hundred of which participated in the Kaplan Selection Advantage™ contest.

The Selection Advantage™ assessment provides detailed reports on a candidate's strengths and weaknesses, thereby allowing employers to avoid hiring mistakes and ensure consistency in their hiring process. Selection Advantage™ is also used to diagnose skill gaps to address through training. Selection Advantage™ is a powerful tool in today's market, and can ultimately benefit a call center with reduced hiring and training costs, lower turnover, and better customer service.

Kevin Craighead praised the test, saying, " It does an effective job of simulating a real-world call center, and was more challenging than I had anticipated." The assessment, which is self-administering, runs on most multimedia PCs. It requires approximately 40 to 60 minutes to complete, depending on individual pace and skill level.

Kaplan Professional, a specialized division of Kaplan, Inc., a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses, provides workplace training and education in areas including financial services, insurance, real estate, information technology, and call center programs. For more information, please visit Kaplan Professional.

For more information on Selection Advantage™, contact Kaplan Professional at 1-888-872-0905.

Press Contact: pubrel@kaplan.com, (212) 492-5965

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