CINCINNATI (AP) – Convergys Corp. said Wednesday that it has landed a $55 million contract to handle customer service for Internet customers of a major telecom company.

It will provide tier one, or basic, technical support to millions of Internet subscribers . Convergys also will survey consumers to gain insights to improve customer experience.

Convergys declined to identify the telecom provider at the client's request.

It will dedicate 1,000 full-time employees in offshore centers to fulfill the contract.

Cincinnati-based Convergys handles customer service for many corporations, using its own representatives working in 82 call centers worldwide. It also manages the billing systems of clients and provides human resource management services.

Shares of Convergys were down 14 cents to $10.38 in afternoon trading.