Blackberry 2007 Annual Report Download - page 14

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12
BlackBerry 8703e, BlackBerry 8707, BlackBerry Pearl,
BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry 8830 and BlackBerry Curve
smartphones, RIM’s dedication to quality and reliability never
wavered. RIM’s company and culture has been built with an
intense focus on quality. We have implemented the structures
and processes to facilitate ongoing new product introduction
cycles without sacrificing our core quality values and we have
achieved ISO 9001 certification. BlackBerry smartphone quality
is consistently rated at or near the top by our carrier partners
and we are focused on maintaining this high level of
performance.
RIM completed the expansion of its manufacturing facility
in fiscal 2007, effectively doubling its physical footprint. We
also continue to expand our outsourcing relationships to
complement RIM’s manufacturing facility and to meet the
growing demand for our products.
Licensing Programs
In fiscal 2007, the number of devices available with
BlackBerry Connect software more than doubled to 50
devices available in over 80 countries. BlackBerry Connect
v4.0 was also launched this past year and provides additional
and enhanced capabilities to our partners including support
for BlackBerry®MDS, enhanced security features, wireless
provisioning and additional wireless synchronization features.
We also recently announced a BlackBerry application suite
for certain Windows®Mobile-based devices, which will
enable a virtual BlackBerryapplication experience. The
addition of this new softwareis another important element of
RIM's strategy to provide an open platform that supports
industrystandards and addresses the needs of both
customers and partners.
Customer Care
RIM’sCustomer SupportOperations team has grown
dramatically over the past year in order to support the global
expansion of our customer base and offers 24x7 support for
BlackBerrycustomers around the world. In the past year, we
opened two new support centers while continuing to expand
the existing facility at our headquarters. Capabilities within
the group have also grown to include a professional services
organization, an extensive array of educational programs, an
incident-based technical support team and an operational
excellence team focused on regulatory compliance, quality
assurance and customer satisfaction. In the past year, we
have also seen 68% growth in revenue from our contract-
based technical support programs, with over 20,000
contracts now in place. RIM’s focus on customer care and
support is another strong competitive advantage.
The Year Ahead
As we move forward into fiscal 2008, we are as excited as
ever about the prospects ahead. Already this year, we have
announced several new hardware and software products that
open major new opportunities for RIM. Throughout the
remainder of the year our goals are to:
• Deliver additional high quality smartphones, software and
services to address multiple market segments;
• Expand our product portfolio to include support for
emerging network technologies;
• Grow our enterprise customer base through enablement
of value-added applications and the integration of desk
phone functionality into BlackBerry Enterprise Server;
• Further expand our customer base outside the enterprise
segment;
• Develop and support additional programs to enable our
partners to deliver compelling applications for both
enterprises and individuals;
• Continue to add new carrier partners and supportexisting
carrier partners around the world to drive BlackBerry
smartphone adoption;
• Enhance and grow our customer care capabilities around
the world to supportour multilingual customer base; and
• Manage the business to grow revenue and drive
operating leverage in our financial model.
Wewould like to thank you again for your support and we
look forward to updating you about our progress over the
coming year.
Jim Balsillie
Mike Lazaridis