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2005

THUS Call Control solution facilitates Teletext's new car sales service

THUS plc today announced that Teletext, part of the Daily Mail and General Trust group, has selected THUS Call Control as the telephony backbone of its new 'Teletext Cars ' service in which over a thousand car dealers will advertise new and used cars across Teletext's four media platforms (Terrestrial analogue, Terrestrial digital, Sky, and the Internet) and receive customer calls driven by their advertisements.

THUS will provide each of the dealers with separate 0845 numbers to correspond with each Teletext platform.  Once a customer has identified a car of interest, from the Teletext satellite service for example, he or she is invited to call the dealer directly via the specific number advertised on that platform. One of the key elements of THUS's service is that it includes a number-translation platform to convert the non-geographic 0845 number to the relevant dealer's contact number. This means the customer is quickly and efficiently connected to the dealer at minimal cost.

The service will enable Teletext to monitor call volumes and advise dealers on the most successful sales channels with a view to adjusting advertising levels as appropriate. THUS's service also includes a provisioning tool to give Teletext autonomy in assigning 0845 numbers to new dealers as and when they join the Teletext Cars service.

THUS Call Control is delivered over the THUS intelligent network which means it can provide features such as call forwarding and re-routing that would usually only be available with a highly sophisticated switchboard or call management system. In addition, THUS Call Control includes a host of extra call management and call routing features that can be tailored to suit the needs of businesses, ensuring a call is never missed.

"Teletext Cars is the UK's first free service to allow consumers to find the best new and used car deals via their TV remote control and it is set to become a major new distribution channel for the motoring industry.  Given the scale of the launch we needed to find a high quality phone management solution that we could rely on from the outset.  THUS has demonstrated a firm understanding of our requirements and its proven experience has given us great confidence in our ongoing relationship, “said Neil Johnson, MD - Business Development, Teletext.

To provide consumers with confidence and protection the Teletext Cars service   focuses on dealer, not private, sales. The service allows dealers to make use of 0845 numbers, making it easy for customers to call from wherever they are and allowing the dealer to identify the advertising route that works most effectively for them rather than having to use their normal geographic number on every advert.

Phil Male, Chief Operating Officer at THUS plc, commented, "This service takes Teletext into an entirely new market and it's a very exciting relationship for THUS to be part of. Not only does this contract win expand our experience in the media sector, but it underscores our desire and ability to constantly help our customers improve and grow their businesses with new and innovative services."