New CustomerServiceProduct
Netcall PLC
26 June 2000
Netcall plc
('NetCall' or 'the Group')
New Product Sales to One.Tel
NetCall, the intelligent telephony company, today announces significant
international sales of QueueBuster TM, a revolutionary new customer service
product for call centre management. The Directors believe that this important
application opens up a large hitherto untapped market for NetCail.
Following a successful pilot trial, One.Tel, the low-cost long-distance telecoms
operator, has placed orders for a complete solution of hardware and software
from NetCall to improve customer service and control operating costs. NetCall's
QueueBuster will be delivered to One.Tel this week for deployment in its call
centres in London, Paris and Frankfurt. These sales are NetCall's first into the
European call centre market which is growing at 30% annually and is predicted to
rise to 18.500 call centres by 2002 (Datamonitor).
NetCall's QueueBuster manages virtual queuing which improves customer service,
saves callers time and money and also reduces call centre operating costs. The
unique technology ends such common frustrations as unanswered telephone calls,
call queuing and on-hold 'muzak'. QueueBuster can be implemented immediately and
remotely as a service, requiring no investment in equipment, or as a solution
with NetCall systems located at a customer's call centres.
QueueBuster can be adapted to a diverse range of applications including toll
free and premium rate services. QueueBuster enables callers waiting to be
answered to be given the option to hang up and be called back automatically when
an agent is available to take their call. QueueBuster can also handle all missed
call situations, register every caller and will also divert calls to overflow
call centres or home-based workers if required. It effectively addresses the
customer service issues causing call centres to loose business.
Padraig Haughey, IT and Telephony Manager at One.Tel, said:
' We operate in a highly competitive arena where customer service is key to our
success. One. Tel is delighted with NetCall's unique QueueBuster customer
service product and with its rapid implementation to meet our exacting
specifications.'
Steve Corkin, Marketing & Sales Director of NetCall, said:
' We are delighted that Queuebuster has hit the button for such a sophisticated
telecoms customer. QueueBuster opens up a hitherto untapped large and high
growth market for NetCall and we are confident that more of our business
customers will recognise its value. It further demonstrates NetCall's ability to
react swiftly to new opportunities as they present themselves.'
Enquiries:
NetCall plc Tel: 01480 495 3000
Jeffrey Rubins, Chairman E-mail: jeffrey.rubins@netcall.com
Steve Corkin, Director of E-mail: steve.corkin@netcall.com
Marketing & Sales
College Hill Tel: 020 7457 2020
Archie Berens E-mail: archie.berens@collogehill.com
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About NetCall (www.netcall.com)
NetCall specialises in the development, deployment and distribution of modern
interactive communications networks and systems. NetCall has been a pioneer in
the use of intelligent telephony systems since 1996, starting with the
development of Hyperphone Link (TM) technology and now inventing and marketing a
range of value added products and services. In many instances NetCall's systems
are being used to help companies build new ebusiness models incorporating
telephony into web, WAP and traditional media applications. NetCall services are
low cost, require no hardware or software investment and work with all existing
telephone and internet systems. NetCall also develops bespoke applications
supplied as a complete hardware and software solution. The company uses its
proprietary software to manage calls across its international network of servers
and telephony nodes.
The impressive range and effectiveness of NetCall's products and services
received a significant endorsement in April 2000, when Freeserve Investments
Limited, the UK's largest internet Service Provider, acquired an 8.6%
shareholding in NetCall for £4.5 million. Freeserve and NetCall also entered
into a partnership agreement whereby NetCall's products and services would be
marketed to Freeserve's registered members and business partners.
NetCall is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock
Exchange. NetCall's European headquarters and R&D centre are based near
Cambridge, England and its North American headquarters are in Boston, MA.
About One.Tel (www.onetel.com)
One.Tel is a highly competitive and profitable global telephone company with
approx. 2,000,000 customers worldwide. The company is firmly established in the
worldwide telecommunications market, with operations in Australia, London,
Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Frankfurt and Hong Kong.
One.Tel began operations in the United Kingdom August 1998, its services
include national and international calls, calling card and internet services.
In the UK, the company has more than 550,000 customers and connects between
3,000 - 4,000 new customers per day.
One.Tel's services include GSM Mobile, national and international long
distance calls, Internet services and phone cards. In February 1999, News
Corporation (News) and Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) injected
$709 million over 3 years to One.Tel's already strong cash reserve base.
In April and September 1999, One.Tel signed contracts of over AUD$1.1
billion with Lucent Technologies for the roll-out of a national
state-of-the-art GSM1800 network in Australia. One.Tel is listed on the
Australian Stock Exchange (Australia ASX: ONE) and is currently capitalised at
A$2.7 billion (£1.08 billion).