Alpine Access University Established To Offer Employees A Virtual, Learner-Driven Environment

Company Hires Distance-Learning Veteran to Lead Unique Educational Institution

Denver, CO - Alpine Access (http://www.alpineaccess.com), the premier provider of contact center solutions for brand-conscious companies, today announced the launch of Alpine Access University (AAU) (http://www.alpineaccessu.com), a state-of-the-art virtual learning institution to develop best in class customer care representatives. John Kruper, a 15-year veteran of distance learning, has been appointed president and is responsible for managing all aspects of the university including platform creation, software and operations, course development and faculty trainers.

The creation of AAU is an extension of the company’s ongoing commitment to providing the highest quality service to its clients. As president, Kruper has transformed existing training programs into an “e-University” that utilizes the latest multimedia, collaboration and personalization technologies to provide hands-on learning from day one. Based on research showing that training is most effective when students can engage with and solve real-world problems, the program presents material in multiple formats, which allows individuals to customize their training according to how they learn best. This helps students retain information and improve the customer service skills needed to satisfy and delight customers. AAU also includes a strong social network that enables remote learners to enjoy the support of a peer-to-peer community.

“The creation of Alpine Access University is a clear sign of the company’s advanced thinking and unprecedented dedication to its employees. Our e-learning institution takes training to the next level by applying the latest adult and distance learning research to a corporate environment,” said Kruper. “We are blazing a new path, and I’m thrilled to be working with a company that has both the vision and desire to create the absolute best virtual training and education possible.”

AAU courses have proven to be an effective learning method that provides substantial cost-saving benefits for Alpine Access clients. Training time can be reduced by an average of 20 percent and class attrition can be lowered by about 17 percentage points. The web based platform, business processes, and tools create a more effective learning environment for students. Consequently, students graduate with a stronger understanding of the curriculum and greater confidence in serving customers.

“Our customer care representatives are a key reason why so many companies choose us as their outsourcing partner. With AAU, our students now have a more effective learning environment that will shorten training time and help us provide quality service to our clients faster,” said Chris Carrington, Alpine Access CEO. “John’s extensive experience planning and implementing distance-based learning programs adds incredible depth to our management team and makes our program unique in the industry. We are very fortunate to have him on board.”

Kruper comes to Alpine Access with extensive academic credentials and online university experience. Prior to joining Alpine Access, he was chief learning scientist and senior vice president of product management for the Cardean Learning Group, an on-line university. While there he developed a unique, highly collaborative learning experience for adults with industry leading retention rates. Before Cardean, Kruper spent six years planning and developing distance learning products and content for multiple colleges and learning centers. He has also taught numerous courses at the secondary, undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education levels. Software projects and eLearning courses he developed have won awards from LGuide, Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning, EDUCAUSE, the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse and the American Society for Training and Development.

Kruper holds a doctorate in Science Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MS in Molecular Virology from the University of Chicago. He also holds a BS in Biochemistry and a BS in Molecular and Cell Biology from Pennsylvania State University.

About Alpine Access

Alpine Access pioneered a distinctive home-based employee contact center model in 1998 that provides greater customer connections and premium quality results by matching an elite workforce of agents to specific client needs. With this service, customers in the retail, travel, financial and public sectors, including J.Crew, Office Depot, ExpressJet, EDS, an HP company, and the Internal Revenue Service, experience improved operational efficiencies and increased financial success with higher one-call resolution, greater customer satisfaction scores and larger average order sizes.

Alpine Access employs 7,500 distributed home-based agents and has been included on fastest-growing company lists such as the Inc. 5000, Deloitte & Touche Fast 500 and the Denver Business Journal in each of the past several years. For more information, visit the Alpine Access website at www.alpineaccess.com or call 1-866-279-0585. Alpine Access – Advantage, yours.™