ECKOH ANNOUNCES NEW THREE YEA

18 Jun 2008 07:00



Press Release

Eckoh PLC

("Eckoh" or "the Group")

ECKOH ANNOUNCES NEW THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH BT AND NATIONAL RAIL ENQUIRIES TO PROVIDE INTERACTIVE SMS TEXT- BASED JOURNEY PLANNING SERVICE

National Rail Enquiries has awarded a new three year contract to BT and strategic business partner Eckoh, the UK’s largest provider of hosted speech recognition services, to provide TrainTracker™ Text, an interactive SMS text-based journey planning solution. The service, which went live in early April 2008, complements the existing speech-enabled TrainTracker™ journey planning and travel information service (0871 200 4950), launched by BT and Eckoh in January 2005.

 

TrainTracker™ Text will be fully integrated with National Rail Enquiries' journey planning engine, ensuring that up to the minute and consistent information is given to travellers, irrespective of channel. Like the automated speech service, TrainTracker™ Text allows customers to obtain real-time arrival and departure information for UK journeys. Furthermore, the service uses the same 'built in intelligence' as the speech service to recognise callers and to anticipate their requests. To use the service, customers simply send a text message to the mobile short code 84950 to obtain live arrival and or departure information for their chosen station or journey. 

"National Rail Enquiries is committed to providing travellers with comprehensive, multi-channel travel information services," says National Rail Enquiries CEO, Chris Scoggins. "With their ability to deliver complex messages succinctly, BT and Eckoh's technology will allow us to provide an enhanced level of information via this rapidly expanding channel". 

"The widespread use of text as a means of accessing information whilst on the move has proven to be tremendously popular, making this an ideal channel for National Rail Enquiries and a perfect complement to the speech based service which has been so warmly embraced by rail travellers," adds Eckoh's Executive Director, Jim Hennigan. "We are increasingly working with clients to develop combined automated speech and interactive text based solutions as part of their multi-channel service strategies."

The TrainTracker™ automated speech service currently handles an average 15,000 calls a day and up to 50,000 calls per day during severe rail service disruptions. TrainTracker™ has been heralded as one of the UK's most innovative self service contact centre deployments, winning a variety of awards within the rail and customer management communities.

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For further enquiries, please contact:

Eckoh plc
Nik Philpot, Chief Executive Officer  Adam Moloney, Group Finance Director Jim Hennigan, Executive Director www.eckoh.com	Tel: 01442 458 300
Corfin Communications
Harry Chathli / Neil Thapar / Alexis Gore	Tel: 020 7977 0020
Seymour Pierce
Jonathan Wright	Tel: 020 7107 8000

Notes to Editor

More Information about TrainTracker™ TextTrainTracker™ Text allows customers to obtain full details for UK journeys and includes real-time information for each leg of the journey. To use the service, customers simply send a text message to the mobile shortcode 84950, with their requested journey details. For single leg enquiries, TrainTracker™ Text will then respond with an SMS with the requested station arrival and or departure board for journeys of interest including real-time running information. For example "dep Reading to Leeds 1020" returns a single journey which best matches the time required whereas "dep Euston to Apsley" delivers a live departure board to correspond with the customer's requirement. 

About Eckoh

Eckoh is the UK's largest provider of hosted speech recognition services and sets the standard for outsourced automated solutions across Europe. Eckoh enables its clients to communicate more effectively and to enhance their profitability, while making life better for the people who use their services.

Eckoh provides automated services in virtually every industry sector for clients including TD Waterhouse, Vue Cinemas, William Hill, O2, Ideal Shopping Direct, DEFRA, The London Stock Exchange, the COI, National Rail Enquiries, AXA PPP healthcare, BSkyB, Parcelforce Worldwide, BAA, Barclays Stockbrokers, United Utilities and ScottishPower.

Eckoh is also a market leader in providing interactive services to large media owners and has amongst its clients Trinity Mirror, the largest newspaper publisher, IPC, the leading consumer magazines group and Bauer, the largest privately owned publisher in Europe.

In 2003, Eckoh formed a strategic alliance with BT to capitalise on the growing opportunity for speech recognition services in the corporate marketplace. The alliance, which was extended in July 2005 until 2010, has supplied speech services to over 25 clients. The combined strengths of both parties have created an unrivalled and value-added speech proposition and clients of the alliance include: National Rail Enquiries, AXA PPP healthcare, Parcelforce Worldwide, Barclays Stockbrokers, TD Waterhouse, NIE, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Three Valleys Water.

Eckoh has a call processing platform of 10,000 lines (capable of handling over 650,000 calls an hour) of which over 8,000 lines incorporate speech recognition technology making it one of the largest speech enabled call processing platforms in Europe.

In the first half of the financial year ending September 2007 Eckoh generated a turnover of £18 million and had cash balances of £5.7m. Further information can be found at www.eckoh.com.

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2008, BT Group plc's revenue was £20,704 million with profit before taxation and specific items of £2,506 million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt

About National Rail Enquiries and ATOC:

National Rail Enquiries is the single most called telephone number in Britain - 70,000 people call National Rail Enquiries every day

Around 100 million visits are made to the National Rail website every year

National Rail Enquiries is run on behalf of the train operating companies through the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC)

For train travel information and fares, visit: www.nationalrail.co.uk 

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) is the official voice for the passenger rail industry - representing train companies to the government and other opinion formers on transport policy issues. Britain's train operators are working together to change rail travel for the better.

ATOC manages many joint activities for train operators including revenue allocation and settlement, impartial retailing, National Rail Enquiries, Railcard marketing, staff travel arrangements, international products and travel agent licensing. 

Website: www.atoc-comms.org 

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