Philippine call center company Infonxx recently renamed itself as KGB. The new name is not an acronym but if you think it sounds familiar, you’re right. They got their new name from that defunct Russian security agency.
In a recent conference call, Infonxx co-founder and CEO Robert Pines, explained the changes in their company name and their goal to be the number 1 directory assistance service worldwide.
What caught my attention was why they changed their name to KGB. According to a source, a lot of people often mistakenly pronounce Infonxx as “in-fonks” instead of the “info-n-x-x”.
The new name, KGB, was chosen partly because it’s “intriguing” just like the Russian intellegence agency it was named after.
KGB (Infonxx) is a US call center company specializing in directory assistance with offices here in Makati (RCBC Tower) and Sta. Rosa, Laguna. They’re the leading directory assistance service in the UK and also plans to enter other markets such as the Philippines and other Asian countries.
To learn more about Pines and the success of Infonxx in United Kingdom, check out this 2003 story from the Telegraph UK.
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LOL!
It’s a good thing the Cold War is over, otherwise, no one would trust to call the KGB for assistance.
You have to give credit to the PR team or whoever came up with the idea, this is surely one good way of generating buzz for your company.
I wonder how the Russian government would react once they get wind of this.
according to my friend it supposed to mean “KGB” knowledge / info provider etc.
118-118!
Makes sense — the Russian KGB is a like the CIA.
lame if not very sensationalists. i can’t see the connection between a call center and a “committee of/for state security” which can warrant a name patterned against one of biggest intelligence of the cold war era. why not pattern it against israel’s mossad instead since that is said to be the most efficient covert intelligence agency in the world.
ciao!
@erin, your reaction is exactly what they wanted — to get the buzz going. and looks like it’s working.
Hello.. Thank you for calling Komityet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), my name is Boris. How can I help you today comrade?
LoL… wonder if my friend would want to use that spiel.
Harhar Dyun!
gusto talaga nila mapag usapan! haha
I wonder how their employees feel about this. Call center workers are already having a difficult time making their “profession” sound like a legitimate long-term career but imagine. Hi, I work for KGB. Ha ha, I know.
@yuga, yeah if they believe that any publicity is good publicity. i think i am oldschool in believing that a company wouldn’t willingly associate itself with a covert, communist organization.
i agree with BrianB because if ever i will work for a call center, that would be the last place i would submit my resume.
here is another scenario running in my head: an american company outsourcing its helpdesk getting a call from CIA/DHS because intelligence says that they are dealing with the KGB.
oh well, if it floats their boat then i wish them the best.
ciao!
?! Yugger?!
it should be.. “According to PRETTY source..” LOL.
Well I guess you guys are right. The company is riding on the name recall of the defunct Russian intelligence agency. It didn’t have to mean anything literally… just like big companies like google in the US, Orange and even Virgin in Europe. It’s just a brand…In the US and Europe where apparently an agency or something once made a study, when asked who do they trust or call immediately when they needed information, among the names given, most respondents answered kgb. Apparently, it’s a trusted name when it comes to information (or intelligence) which is what INFONXX now kgb is getting into. It’s spreading its wings into a much bigger market, the retail and other information related businesses, not just directory assistance.
The name is definitely quirky. And people here in Manila or the Philippines who know about THE KGB are gonna think twice about its namesake kgb (small letters). But for those who have an open mind and those who see the big picture, maybe they should check out kgb philippines. It seems like an exciting phase for the company.
Oh well, what else do you know?
i heard the story…uh uh no comment! LOL?!
good name change in my opinion well thought out get the public intruiged in what it is even tho it is just giving you info not taking it
can terminated employees of infonxx still be eligible to apply in kgb?
infonxx or kgb… whatever you may call it… if the company pays good then hell yeah go for it… i think thats the most important thing you’d look into… whats with the company name if you’re underpaid anyway
@roinaldo baret. I don’t think they can re-apply. As they’ve noticed, Infonxx just changed their name to kgb. It doesn’t mean that they have changed their database.
@erin. common sense my friend. before you even apply in a particular place. you should at least find out what they do and at least study a brief background of their business right? If i was to choose. I wouldn’t hire you.
Cheers
i’m from sta. rosa city.
when a friend who applied at infonxx told me about this, my first reaction was “ha???”. I honestly think the namechange is cheap and too trivial. it’s a cheesy attempt at getting attention and i seriously doubt that the name kgb will boost their corporate image. the old russian spy agency is gone anyways — it’s history. and curiously, does the name kgb actually relate to the company’s line of business? arrgh!.. i don’t think so.
if you’re an employee there, would you proudly say “I work for the kgb” ? Well, you could tell, with a little trivial humor, about kgb being a contact center and not an espionage agency. but i don’t think the new name gives impact to the level that you could somehow be proud about it.