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Home arrow Investor Relations arrow RNS Announcements arrow 2004 arrow Eckoh launches speech service for VUE Cinemas
Eckoh launches speech service for VUE Cinemas    01/06/04 Print E-mail
Eckoh Technologies plc (“Eckoh”), one of Europe’s leading speech application service providers, today announced that they have delivered a speech-enabled cinema information service to Vue, the UK’s largest multiplex cinema group.

The service, which launched in May 2004, provides Vue with a one-number-solution for its group of 40 cinemas across the UK.

Vue is the largest operator of modern multiplex cinemas in the country and was formed in May 2003 through the acquisition of Warner Village Cinemas by SBC International Cinemas. The Vue circuit of 42 UK cinemas has 402 screens and over 25 million attendances a year, giving Vue the second largest market share in terms of box office.

The cinema information service that has been developed by Eckoh is hosted on their 7,000 line call processing platform in St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, one of the largest speech enabled self-service platforms in the world.

Nik Philpot, Chief Operating Officer of Eckoh Technologies, commented:
“The launch of the Vue service strengthens our position in the cinema market and is another clear indication that mass market speech recognition applications are rapidly going to become part of the mainstream. Vue are a strong, innovative brand and we are excited about working in partnership with them on a range of services that enhances the interactivity with their customers.”

Roland Jones, IT Director at Vue commented: “We have found that Eckoh were extremely responsive to our needs and have demonstrated that they can deliver a top quality speech recognition service in a tight timeframe. We wanted a provider who not only has the necessary capacity to cope with the extreme peaks of response that the cinema market requires but also has future growth plans to match our own. On that basis, we believe Eckoh to be the best choice in the UK market today”

How the service works
Vue customers dial 08712 240 240 to access the service and then using speech recognition they select the cinema they wish to visit either by asking for it specifically or by saying the name of a nearby town or city. They can then say the name of the film they are interested in seeing and the approximate time they would like to visit the cinema and the service will inform them of the most suitable performance times. The caller can then choose to book tickets if they wish.

The speech recognition technology means that callers can now access the information they require far quicker than with the traditional touch-tone system, as they no longer have to listen to lengthy lists of options. It also enables mobile callers, an increasingly larger percentage of users, to have a more convenient experience than with touch-tone as they no longer have to keep moving the handset away from their face to make a selection.

For further enquiries, please contact

Eckoh Technologies plc
Martin Turner, Chief Executive Officer
Nik Philpot, Chief Operating Officer
Brian McArthur Muscroft, Finance Director
Tel: 08701 100 700

Buchanan Communications Mark Edwards/Jeremy Garcia
Tel: 020 7466 5000
 
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