new client contracts we generally incur capital expenditures associated with assets whose primary
use is related to the client solution. There is a risk that the contract may end before expected
and we may not recover the full amount of our capital costs.
Our revenue and margins may be materially impacted by client transaction volumes that differ from
client projections and business assumptions.
Our pricing for client transaction services, such as call center and fulfillment, is often
based upon volume projections and business assumptions provided by the client and our anticipated
costs to perform such work. In the event the actual level of activity or cost is substantially
different from the projections or assumptions, we may have insufficient or excess staffing,
incremental costs or other assets dedicated for such client that may negatively impact our margins
and business relationship with such client. In the event we are unable to meet the service levels
expected by the client, our relationship with the client will suffer and may result in financial
penalties and/or the termination of the client contract.
We face competition from many sources that could adversely affect our business.
Many companies offer, on an individual basis, one or more of the same services we do, and we
face competition from many different sources depending upon the type and range of services
requested by a potential client. Our competitors include vertical outsourcers, which are companies
that offer a single function, such as call centers, public warehouses or credit card processors. We
compete against transportation logistics providers who offer product management functions as an
ancillary service to their primary transportation services. We also compete against other business
process outsourcing providers, who perform many similar services as us. Many of these companies
have greater capabilities than we do for the single or multiple functions they provide. In many
instances, our competition is the in-house operations of its potential clients themselves. The
in-house operations of potential clients often believe that they can perform the same services we do, while others are
reluctant to outsource business functions that involve direct customer contact. We cannot be
certain that we will be able to compete successfully against these or other competitors in the
future.
Our sales and implementation cycles are highly variable and our ability to finalize pending
contracts may cause our operating results to vary widely.
The sales cycle for our services is variable, typically ranging between several months to up
to a year from initial contact with the potential client to the signing of a contract. Occasionally
the sales cycle requires substantially more time. Delays in signing and executing client contracts
may affect our revenue and cause our operating results to vary widely. We believe that a potential
clients decision to purchase our services is discretionary, involves a significant commitment of
the clients resources and is influenced by intense internal and external pricing and operating
comparisons. To successfully sell our services, we generally must educate our potential clients
regarding the use and benefit of our services, which can require significant time and resources.
Consequently, the period between initial contact and the purchase of our services is often long and
subject to delays associated with the lengthy approval and competitive evaluation processes that
typically accompany significant operational decisions. Additionally, the time required to finalize
pending contracts and to implement our systems and integrate a new client can range from several
weeks to many months. Delays in signing and integrating new clients may affect our revenue and
cause our operating results to vary widely.
Our business could be adversely affected by a systems or equipment failure, whether that of us or
our clients.
Our operations are dependent upon our ability to protect our distribution facilities, customer
service centers, computer and telecommunications equipment and software systems against damage and
failures. Damage or failures could result from fire, power loss, equipment malfunctions, system
failures, natural disasters and other causes. If our business is interrupted either from accidents
or the intentional acts of others, our business could be materially adversely affected. In
addition, in the event of widespread damage or failures at our facilities, our short-term disaster
recovery and contingency plans and insurance coverage may not be sufficient.
Our clients businesses may also be harmed from any system or equipment failures we
experiences. In that event, our relationship with these clients may be adversely affected, we may
lose these clients, our ability to attract new clients may be adversely affected and we could be
exposed to liability.
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