Computer Associates launches Lebanon's first regional IT customer support center

Qordahi said: "We are glad to have CA hosting its regional IT support center in Beirut. In fact, CA's support center is the first initiative of its kind in the country and is surely a great testimonial of Lebanon's readiness and competitiveness to be the host of the support center industry in the region."

Gilbert Lacroix, vice president and general manager for CA in the Arab Countries said: "The launch of our support center today is proof of the value created when businesses, government and local communities join hands to create economic opportunities and value." He continued: "We have chosen Beirut to host our support center thanks to the country's ability to deliver a pool of multi-lingual graduate talent, its reasonable operational costs as well as its advanced communication infrastructure provided by our local partners in Lebanon, MDS and Telesupport."

Staffed with trilingual professional agents, CA's support center will handle customer support calls from all over the Arab world and around the clock through toll free numbers. The Beirut center marks CA's 10th support center in the EMEA region. Established to serve the Gulf, Levant and North African countries, the support center will resolve all technical issues that customers and partners might face, as well as serve as a valuable source of information to CA and the communities that the company services.

Dave Winpenny, VP EMEA Customer Support for CA concluded: "CA's customer support center is set up to help CA customers get the most out of their investment in CA solutions. Along with bringing a wealth of CA resources to our customers and partners in the region, it allows us to coordinate high-level technical support across the Arab markets via an advanced IT infrastructure, best practices and a trained and qualified staff. The support center will also allow us to gain a better understanding of our customers' business needs and provide them with a convenient and accessible interface with CA. At CA, we know it all comes down to delivering value to our customers and we are committed to earning their respect as a valued partner."

In September 2004, CA, a world leader in IT software management, announced its intention to invest in building its direct presence in the Arab world, signaling a positive change in CA's strategy towards the Arab countries and CA users in the region. Lacroix explains that CA has been investing in market awareness campaigns, channel development, recruitment of Arab nationals with high qualifications and a deep understanding of the market, and is on the verge of finalizing the set up of its in-country offices across the region.

"CA's regional support center is an essential part of our strategy that revolves around building trust in the CA brand across the communities we work with," added Lacroix

CA customers in Lebanon can contact CA's customer support center on +9611-237537. In Saudi Arabia, the number to contact is (050-4450-361) and in Egypt, the number is (010-171-7499). The toll free numbers assigned for other countries include UAE (800-6377), Bahrain (800-01009), Qatar (0800-961 001) and Jordan (0800-22727).