CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Feb 11, 2015) - Shaw Communications Inc. (TSX:SJR.B) (SJR) today announced a realignment of its customer care operations in its Consumer division to better serve customers more effectively and efficiently.

Following an extensive year-long review of its operations, Shaw's customer care operations will be reorganized over the next 11 months around centres of expertise that will allow Shaw to continue to provide customers with the best and most consistent service possible. All of Shaw's customer care operations continue to be located in Canada.

"Our customers have told us they value our Canadian-based, personal customer service as a defining feature of doing business with Shaw," said Chris Kucharski, Senior Vice-President, Consumer, Shaw Communications. "We are committed to maintaining all of our service operations in Canada, and moving to centres of expertise will enhance our ability to better deliver exceptional customer service now and over the long term."

Shaw's customer care operations will be realigned in Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal around the centres of expertise, which include technical service, sales and billing, loyalty care, technical field support, e-Care, payment solutions and satellite operations.

About 1,600 employees in Shaw's customer care operations in Calgary, Edmonton and Kelowna will be offered the choice of:

relocating to one of Shaw's expanding contact centres, with the assistance of a package of $7,500 to help them move,

the opportunity to take on new roles in their current location, or

a generous severance package well in excess of the statutory requirements that recognizes their tenure and contributions to the company.

All of the customer care roles will be relocated to Shaw's operations in Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Montreal in the next year. As part of the moves, Shaw's Edmonton contact centre operations and part of its Kelowna operations will be closed in June, and its Calgary contact centre operations will be closed in January 2016. Shaw will also be consolidating six of its retail stores into neighbouring locations.

"We decided to expand Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal after looking at the long term performance of each of our locations according to a number of operational factors, and their ability to support our growing business. Our customers can expect even better and more consistent experiences, whether they are ordering new services, requesting technical support, or inquiring about their account," Mr. Kucharski said.

"We deeply value the contributions our employees make to our business. We know that change is difficult and we will support them during this process," Mr. Kucharski said. "We have allowed several months for a smooth transition, and to provide employees with opportunities to continue growing in our company."

Consolidating Shaw's customer care operations from ten to seven centres will enable it to centralize knowledge, expertise, training, management and other processes to better serve its Internet, Cable, Satellite and Phone customers.

"More specialization will mean that our customers will be served by even more knowledgeable staff who can provide solutions or resolve issues faster, and generally deliver better and consistent customer experiences every time, " Mr. Kucharski said.

Shaw's contact centres in Nanaimo and Mississauga are not affected by these changes. In addition, the changes do not impact the more than 4,100 employees who work in other parts of Shaw in Calgary, Edmonton and Kelowna, or the thousands of other employees across Canada who serve customers in their homes, provide technical service and otherwise support Shaw's network and operations.

These moves build upon the corporate restructuring announced in April 2014 as part of Shaw's multi-year Focus to Deliver initiative designed to enhance Shaw's efficiency and growth potential while better meeting the needs of customers and viewers.

About Shaw Communications

Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company, serving 3.2 million customers through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw serves consumers with broadband Internet, WiFi, Digital Phone and Video products and services. Shaw Business Network Services provides business customers Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, Video and fleet tracking services. Shaw Business Infrastructure Services offers North American enterprises colocation, cloud and managed services through ViaWest. Shaw Media provides Canadians with engaging programming content through one of Canada's largest conventional television networks, Global Television, and 19 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (TSX:SJR.B) (SJR). For more information, please visit www.shaw.ca.