Cirque du Soleil chooses Bosch Communication Center for Customer Services in Europe

· Service repertoire includes information, reservation and sales systems as well as VIP care for business customers

· 12,500 calls received per month and over 1000 e-mails and 1000 outbound calls

· Specially trained associates with extensive background knowledge of Cirque du Soleil and program contents

The Canadian Circus Cirque du Soleil — renowned for providing top-class artistic entertainment for many years — turns to Bosch Communication Center for sales support and customer care. The Bosch agents provide detailed information regarding program contents and are responsible for reservations and ticket sales. The service repertoire also includes a team of specially trained associates who offer specifically targeted VIP care for business customers.

The Bosch Communication Center agents are also tasked with handling the 12,500 calls received each month, as well as the 1000 e-mails and 1000 outbound calls, a function they fulfill reliably, even during peak times. The Europe-wide sales support project of Cirque du Soleil is coordinated from the Nijmegen (Netherlands) and Madrid (Spain) sites.

“Cirque du Soleil is benefiting from our years of experience in supplementing Communication Center services with administrative services,” explains Bernd-Otto Schirrmann, Head of Bosch Communication Center. “Our agents have been specially trained in the client’s area of activity to ensure that they can even provide detailed background information on program contents and can offer VIP customers expert care. Our involvement also leaves the creative heads of Cirque du Soleil to focus on their core skills while we ensure customers are given an appropriate brand experience.”

Éric Valley, Ticketing Operations Manager at Cirque du Soleil, adds: “Cirque knows from experience that customer satisfaction is not achieved solely through the production itself, but also through the services associated with the show. The various services provided before the show are our chance to make a good first impression. We know that Bosch is perfectly capable of performing any acrobatics that are necessary to satisfy even our most demanding customers.”

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. According to preliminary figures, some 282,000 associates generated sales of roughly 45 billion euros in the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology in fiscal 2008. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than three billion euros for research and development, and applies for over 3,000 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.