2.2.0.25falsefalse0201 - Disclosure - OVERVIEW AND BASIS OF PRESENTATIONtruefalsefalse1falsefalseUSDfalsefalse1/1/2010 - 12/31/2010 USD ($) USD ($) / shares $FROM_Jan01_2010_TO_Dec31_2010http://www.sec.gov/CIK0001013880duration2010-01-01T00:00:002010-12-31T00:00:00USDStandardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso42170SharesStandardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0EPSDividehttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso4217http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0USDUSD$2true0us-gaap_GeneralPoliciesAbstractus-gaaptruenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherxbrli:stringItemTypestringNo definition available.falsefalseOVERVIEW AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION [Abstract]3false0us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsDisclosureTextBlockus-gaaptruenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseverboselabel1falsefalsefalse00<div style="text-align:center;">TELETECH HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES</div><div style="text-align:center;">Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements</div>(1)       OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIESOverviewTeleTech Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“TeleTech” or the “Company”) serve their clients through the primary businesses of Business Process Outsourcing (“BPO”), which provides outsourced business process, customer management, hosted technology, consulting and marketing services for a variety of industries via operations in the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, England, Germany, Ghana, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, the Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Basis of PresentationThe Consolidated Financial Statements are comprised of the accounts of TeleTech, its wholly owned subsidiaries, its 55% equity owned subsidiary in Percepta, LLC, and its 80% interest in Peppers & Rogers Group (“PRG”) which was acquired on November 30, 2010 (see Note 2 for additional information). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Use of EstimatesThe preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions in determining the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates including those related to derivatives and hedging activities, income taxes including the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, self-insurance reserves, litigation and restructuring reserves, allowance for doubtful accounts, and valuation of goodwill, long-lived and intangible assets. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Concentration of Credit RiskThe Company is exposed to credit risk in the normal course of business, primarily related to accounts receivable and derivative instruments. Historically, the losses related to credit risk have been immaterial. The Company regularly monitors its credit risk to mitigate the possibility of current and future exposures resulting in a loss. The Company evaluates the creditworthiness of its clients prior to entering into an agreement to provide services and as necessary through the life of the client relationship. The Company does not believe it is exposed to more than a nominal amount of credit risk in its derivative hedging activities, as the Company diversifies its activities across six well-capitalized, investment-grade financial institutions.Fair Value of Financial InstrumentsFair values of cash equivalents and accounts receivable and payable approximate the carrying amounts because of their short-term nature.Cash and Cash EquivalentsThe Company considers all cash and highly liquid short-term investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. The Company manages a concentrated global treasury function in the United States with a particular focus on centralizing and safeguarding its global cash and cash equivalent reserves. While the Company generally prefers to hold U.S. Dollars, it maintains adequate cash in the functional currency of its foreign subsidiaries to support local operating costs. The Company believes that it has effectively mitigated and managed its risk relating to its global cash through its cash management practices, banking partners, and low-risk investments. However, the Company can provide no assurances that it will not sustain losses.Accounts ReceivableAn allowance for doubtful accounts is determined based on the aging of the Company's accounts receivable, historical experience, client financial condition, and management judgment. The Company writes off accounts receivable against the allowance when the Company determines a balance is uncollectible.DerivativesThe Company enters into foreign exchange forward and option contracts to reduce its exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations that are associated with forecasted revenue in non-functional currencies. Upon proper qualification, these contracts are accounted for as cash flow hedges under current accounting standards. The Company also entered into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge its net investment in a foreign operation. The Company formally documents at the inception of the hedge all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items as well as its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking various hedging activities.All derivative financial instruments are reported in Other assets and Other liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value. Changes in fair value of derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of Stockholders' Equity, to the extent they are deemed effective. Ineffectiveness is measured based on the change in fair value of the forward contracts and the fair value of the hypothetical derivatives with terms that match the critical terms of the risk being hedged. Based on the criteria established by current accounting standards, the Company's cash flow hedge contracts are deemed to be highly effective. Changes in fair value of the Company's net investment hedge are recorded in cumulative translation adjustment in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets offsetting the change in cumulative translation adjustment attributable to the hedged portion of the Company's net investment in the foreign operation. Any realized gains or losses resulting from the cash flow hedges are recognized together with the hedged transaction within Revenue. Gains and losses from the settlements of the Company's net investment hedges remain in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until partial or complete liquidation of the applicable net investment.The Company also enters into fair value derivative contracts that hedge against foreign currency exchange gains and losses primarily associated with short-term payables and receivables. Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments designated as fair value hedges affect the carrying value of the asset or liability hedged, with changes in both the derivative instrument and the hedged asset or liability being recognized in Other income (expense), net in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). In addition to hedging activities, the Company has embedded derivatives in certain foreign lease contracts. The Company bifurcates and calculates the fair values of the embedded derivative feature from the host contract with any changes in fair value of the embedded derivatives recognized in Cost of services.Property, Plant and EquipmentProperty, plant and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Maintenance, repairs and minor renewals are expensed as incurred. Depreciation and amortization are computed on the straight-line method based on the following estimated useful lives:<div><table style="border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:20px;"><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;">Building</td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;">25 years</td></tr><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;">Computer equipment and software</td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;">3 to 5 years</td></tr><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;">Telephone equipment</td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;">4 to 7 years</td></tr><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;">Furniture and fixtures</td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;">5 years</td></tr><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;">Leasehold improvements</td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;">Lesser of economic useful life (typically 10 years)</td></tr><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;"> </td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;">or original lease term</td></tr><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;">Other</td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;">3 to 7 years</td></tr><tr style="height: 17px"><td style="width: 205px; text-align:left;border-color:#000000;min-width:205px;"> </td><td style="width: 372px; text-align:right;border-color:#000000;min-width:372px;"> </td></tr></table></div>The Company evaluates the carrying value of property, plant and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. An asset is considered to be impaired when the forecasted undiscounted cash flows of an asset group are estimated to be less than its carrying value. The amount of impairment recognized is the difference between the carrying value of the asset group and its fair value. Fair value estimates are based on assumptions concerning the amount and timing of forecasted future cash flows. Software Development CostsThe Company capitalizes costs incurred to acquire or develop software for internal use. Capitalized software development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life equal to the lesser of the license term or 4 years. GoodwillThe Company assesses realizability of goodwill annually in the fourth quarter, and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate it may be impaired. Impairment, if any, is measured based on the estimated fair value of the reporting unit. The Company determines fair value based on discounted future probability-weighted cash flows. Impairment occurs when the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its estimated fair value.Contract Acquisition CostsAmounts paid to or on behalf of clients to obtain long-term contracts are capitalized and amortized in proportion to the initial expected future revenue from the contract, which in most cases results in straight-line amortization over the life of the contract. These costs are recorded as a reduction to Revenue. The Company evaluates the recoverability of these costs based on the individual underlying client contracts' forecasted future cash flows.Other Intangible AssetsThe Company has other intangible assets that include customer relationships (definite-lived) and trade names (indefinite-lived). Definite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which range from 9 to 10 years. The Company evaluates the carrying value of its definite-lived intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. An asset is considered to be impaired when the forecasted undiscounted cash flows of an asset group are estimated to be less than its carrying value. The Company evaluates indefinite-lived intangible assets for possible impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. An intangible asset with an indefinite life (a trade name) is evaluated for possible impairment by comparing the fair value of the asset with its carrying value. Fair value is estimated as the discounted value of future revenues arising from a trade name using a royalty rate that an independent party would pay for use of that trade name. An impairment charge is recorded if the trade name's carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value.Self Insurance LiabilitiesThe Company self-insures for certain levels of workers' compensation, employee health and general liability insurance. The Company records estimated liabilities for these insurance lines based upon analyses of historical claims experience. The most significant assumption the Company makes in estimating these liabilities is that future claims experience will emerge in a similar pattern with historical claims experience. The liabilities related to workers' compensation and employee health insurance are included in Accrued employee compensation and benefits in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The liability for other general liability insurance is included in Other accrued expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.Restructuring LiabilitiesThe Company routinely assesses the profitability and utilization of its delivery centers and existing markets. In some cases, the Company has chosen to close under-performing delivery centers and complete reductions in workforce to enhance future profitability. Severance payments that occur from reductions in workforce are in accordance with the Company's postemployment plans and/or statutory requirements that are communicated to all employees upon hire date; therefore, severance liabilities are recognized when they are determined to be probable and reasonably estimable. Other liabilities for costs associated with an exit or disposal activity are recognized when the liability is incurred, rather than upon commitment to a plan.A significant assumption used in determining the amount of estimated liability for closing delivery centers is the future lease payments on vacant centers, which the Company determines based on its ability to successfully negotiate early termination agreements with landlords and/or to sublease the facility. If the Company's actual results differ from these estimates, additional gains or losses would be recorded within Restructuring charges, net in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). The accrual for restructuring liabilities is included in Other accrued expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.Grant AdvancesThe Company receives grants from various government levels as an incentive to locate delivery centers in their jurisdictions. The Company's policy is to account for grant monies received in advance as a liability and recognize to income as either a reduction to Cost of services or Depreciation expense over the term of the grant, when it is reasonably assured that the conditions of the grant have been or will be met.Income TaxesUnder current accounting standards, the Company accounts for income tax through the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future income tax consequences of transactions that have been included in the Consolidated Financial Statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Gross deferred tax assets may then be reduced by a valuation allowance for amounts that do not satisfy the realization criteria established by current accounting standards.The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions using a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to determine if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on audit. The second step is to estimate and measure the tax benefit as the amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the tax authority. The Company evaluates these uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis. This evaluation is based on the consideration of several factors including changes in facts or circumstances, changes in applicable tax law, and settlement of issues under audit. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a part of the Provision for income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).The Company provides for U.S. income tax expense on the earnings of foreign subsidiaries unless the subsidiaries' earnings are considered permanently reinvested outside the U.S.Equity-Based Compensation ExpenseEquity-based compensation expense for all share-based payment awards granted is determined based on the grant-date fair value net of an estimated forfeiture rate on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award, which is typically the vesting term of the share-based payment award. The Company estimates the forfeiture rate annually based on its historical experience of forfeited awards.Foreign Currency TranslationThe assets and liabilities of the Company's foreign subsidiaries, whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, are translated at the exchange rates in effect on the last day of the period and income and expenses are translated using the monthly average exchange rates in effect for the period in which the items occur. Foreign currency translation gains and losses are recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within equity. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in Other income (expense), net in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). Revenue RecognitionFor each client arrangement, the Company determines whether evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery of service has occurred, the fee is fixed or determinable and collection is reasonably assured. If all criteria are met, the Company recognizes revenue at the time services are performed. The Company's BPO business recognizes revenue as follows:Production Rate — Revenue is recognized based on the billable time or transactions of each associate, as defined in the client contract. The rate per billable time or transaction is based on a pre-determined contractual rate. This contractual rate can fluctuate based on the Company's performance against certain pre-determined criteria related to quality and performance.Performance-based — Under performance-based arrangements, the Company is paid by its clients based on the achievement of certain levels of sales or other client-determined criteria specified in the client contract. The Company recognizes performance-based revenue by measuring its actual results against the performance criteria specified in the contracts. Amounts collected from clients prior to the performance of services are recorded as deferred revenue, which is recorded in Other current liabilities or Other long-term liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.Hybrid — Hybrid models include production rate and performance-based elements. For these types of arrangements, the Company allocates revenue to the elements based on the relative fair value of each element. Revenue for each element is recognized based on the methods described above.Certain client programs provide for adjustments to monthly billings based upon whether the Company meets or exceeds certain performance criteria as set forth in the contract. Increases or decreases to monthly billings arising from such contract terms are reflected in Revenue in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) as earned or incurred. Operating results for the year 2010 include a $2.0 million reduction to revenue for disputed service delivery issues which occurred in 2009.Training Revenue and CostsCurrent accounting standards require the deferral of revenue for initial training that occurs upon commencement of a new client contract if that training is billed separately to a client. Accordingly, the corresponding training costs, consisting primarily of labor and related expenses, are also deferred. In these circumstances, both the training revenue and costs are amortized straight-line over the life of the client contract as a component of Revenue and Cost of services, respectively. In situations where these initial training costs are not billed separately, but rather included in the hourly service rates paid by the client over the life of the contract, no deferral is necessary as the revenue is being recognized over the life of the contract and the associated training costs are expensed as incurred.Deferred RevenueThe Company records amounts billed and received, but not earned, as deferred revenue. These amounts are recorded in Deferred revenue or as a component of Other long-term liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets based on the period over which the Company expects to render services.Rent ExpenseThe Company has negotiated certain rent holidays, landlord/tenant incentives and escalations in the base price of rent payments over the initial term of its operating leases. The initial term includes the “build-out” period of leases, where no rent payments are typically due. The Company recognizes rent holidays and rent escalations on a straight-line basis to rent expense over the lease term. The landlord/tenant incentives are recorded as an increase to deferred rent liabilities and amortized on a straight line basis to rent expense over the initial lease term. Asset Retirement ObligationsAsset retirement obligations relate to legal obligations associated with the retirement of long-lived assets resulting from the acquisition, construction, development and/or normal use of the underlying assets.The Company records all asset retirement obligations at estimated fair value. The Company's asset retirement obligations primarily relate to clauses in its delivery center operating leases which require the Company to return the leased premises to its original condition. The associated asset retirement obligations are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the underlying asset and depreciated over the estimated useful life of the asset. The liability, reported within Other long-term liabilities, is accreted through charges to operating expenses. If the asset retirement obligation is settled for an amount other than the carrying amount of the liability, the Company recognizes a gain or loss on settlement.Recently Issued Accounting PronouncementsEffective January 1, 2010, the Company adopted a new financial accounting statement that requires additional disclosures about transfers of financial assets, including securitization transactions, and where companies have continuing exposure to the risks related to the transferred financial assets. The new statement eliminates the concept of a “qualifying special-purpose entity,” changes the requirements for derecognizing financial assets, and requires additional disclosures. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position or cash flows.Effective January 1, 2010, the Company adopted a new financial accounting statement that changes how TeleTech determines when an entity that is insufficiently capitalized or is not controlled through voting or similar rights should be consolidated. The determination of whether TeleTech is required to consolidate an entity is based on, among other things, an entity's purpose and design and TeleTech's ability to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. In September 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new revenue guidance that requires an entity to apply the relative selling price allocation method in order to estimate a selling price for all units of accounting, including delivered items when vendor-specific objective evidence or acceptable third-party evidence does not exist. The new guidance is effective for revenue arrangements entered into or materially modified in fiscal years beginning on or after June 15, 2010 and shall be applied on a prospective basis. The Company expects to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2011 and does not expect that the new guidance will have a material impact on its results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.In December 2010, the FASB issued new guidance related to goodwill impairment testing. The new guidance clarifies the requirements of when to perform step 2 of impairment testing for goodwill for reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts. The Company will adopt this guidance on January 1, 2011. Historically, the Company has not had a reporting unit with goodwill and a zero or negative carrying amount; therefore, the Company does not expect that the new guidance will have a material impact on its results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.TELETECH HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements(1)       OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY OFfalsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherus-types:textBlockItemTypestringDescription containing the entire organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure. May be provided in more than one note to the financial statements, as long as users are provided with an understanding of (1) the significant judgments and assumptions made by an enterprise in determining whether it must consolidate a VIE and/or disclose information about its involvement with a VIE, (2) the nature of restrictions on a consolidated VIE's assets reported by an enterprise in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets, (3) the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with an enterprise's involvement with the VIE, and (4) how an enterprise's involvement with the VIE affects the enterprise's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Describes procedure if disclosures are provided in more than one note to the financial statements.Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Staff Position (FSP) -Number FAS140-4 and FIN46(R)-8 -Paragraph 8, C1, C7 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Accounting Research Bulletin (ARB) -Number 51 -Paragraph 2-6 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Statement of Position (SOP) -Number 94-6 -Paragraph 10 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 46R -Paragraph 4, 14, 15 falsefalseOVERVIEW AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION12OVERVIEW AND BASIS OF PRESENTATIONUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownfalsetrue