CINEWORLD implements Telephonetics MovieLINE® A film information and booking line system driven by voice

Telephonetics, the UK computer telephony and speech recognition experts, have won an $11 million order with CINEWORLD, the fastest growing multiplex cinema chain in the UK. The order is to provide CINEWORLD with MovieLINE®, the UKs first information and booking line service driven by spoken voice.

(PRWEB) August 25, 2004 -- Telephonetics, the UK computer telephony and speech recognition experts, have won an $11 million order with CINEWORLD, the fastest growing multiplex cinema chain in the UK. The order is to provide CINEWORLD with MovieLINE®, the UKs first information and booking line service driven by spoken voice. The system has been phased in since October 2003, to ensure that cinema audiences preferences were fully taken into account with CINEWORLDs MovieLINE®. The first major phase of the implementation enabled callers to obtain information about films and showing times. The final phase allowed callers to actually book seats using the voice recognition system. Working in partnership with CINEWORLD, further enhancements and cinema audiences preferences will be added, in order to provide a more personalised and quicker service to customers.

CINEWORLDs CEO, Steve Wiener commented: With thousands of lines, Telephonetics new system is helping us drive our business forward, giving us the ability to answer more callers and take more advance bookings. Crucially, it provides a better customer service, as well as allowing us to identify other precision retailing opportunities. We have been using Telephonetics solutions since 1995 and they always have been innovative and to the highest technological standard. They also offer ease of use for our customers and are backed by an excellent level of service and maintenance".

By calling one number for all CINEWORLDs UK cinemas, the film information and booking line is now accessible to people who do not like to use touchtone systems. Moreover, for callers who do not know what film to watch, the system can help them choose by giving detailed information about all the films showing, including -- film type, short resume of the plot, actors, and running time. This gives the cinema a real competitive edge.

Paul Welham, Director, Telephonetics added: We have been developing MovieLINE®, a 'state of the art natural language solution for cinema exhibitors actively for the past 3 years, using our extensive experience of speech applications and knowledge of the cinema industry. Our philosophy with the user interface has been that customers wont adapt how they talk to match the machine, therefore we had to adapt the MovieLINE® to recognise how people speak. In real terms, this means that customers can say parts of a film title and still be recognised as well as interrupting the system. And obviously, all UK regional and ethnic accents are fully recognisable by the system -- due to our experience".

Another great benefit of this solution is that, unlike touchtone systems, customers cant get stuck in a sub-menu, with no possibility to return to the main menu. With the Telephonetics information and booking line, customers can interrupt at any moment and ask for any film they want, making it highly user-friendly. MovieLINE® will also identify where a customers call has originated, so that customers who do not know the location of their nearest cinema, can be given that information.

Paul Welham concluded: 2004 started on a high note for Telephonetics. The value of this order is unprecedented in the UK, and we will soon have more positive news to announce, including an order worth $30 million, with a major operator in the leisure sector. With ten consecutive profitable years, our eleventh year in business looks very bright indeed".

To experience CINEWORLD film information and booking line, please call 0871 220 8000

About Telephonetics.
Telephonetics is the UKs leading developer of innovative speech-driven telephony solutions. An award winning organisation, Telephonetics is privately owned and funded by the owners. The company is in its 10th year of continuous, profitable trading and growth. The company serves a multitude of market sectors including the public, legal and finance sectors.

Telephonetics power over 75% of the UK cinema information market -- including developing and deploying the UKs first public facing speech recognition system for the Odeon film information line, which proved to be the busiest open-user speech recognition system in Europe.

Telephonetics has an extensive list of clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations and includes organisations such as NHS Trusts, Odeon, Cineworld, UCI, Showcase, BBC, RTE, Federal and Mogul, Celestica, HR Johnson, Taylor Walton solicitors, Hillier Hopkins Chartered Accountants, GKN Aerospace and the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy. These organisations rely on Telephonetics for its detailed knowledge of computer telephony and speech recognition to provide cost-effective solutions to their business needs.

Through work with partners such as Avaya, Aculab, HP, Nuance, Scansoft and Philips, Telephonetics is continually developing innovative systems that will expand the frontiers of speech driven technology -- that make Sound Business Sense.

Cine UK Ltd
The growth of Cine-UK has been phenomenal, even exceeding the expectations of the ambitious management team. Since the launch of its first Cineworld Cinema in Stevenage in July 1996, Cine UK has opened 34 cinemas and 386 screens. Quite an achievement for such a young multiplex operator in one of the most customer led industries in the world.

The facts speak for themselves:
·Cine UK is the fastest growing multiplex cinema chain in the country
·Over 2000 empolyees increasing rapidly
·An independent UK company
·35 multiplexes planned to be operational by the end of 2004
·a growing market share of around 10%
·Responsible for over 50% of Bollywoods UK revenues

For further information, please email pressoffice@cineuk.co.uk

For further information, please contact:
Danielle Hearne            
PR Manager
danielleh@telephonetics.co.uk          
Tel: 01442 242242            

Paul Welham
Director of Sales and Marketing
paulw@telephonetics.co.uk
Tel: 01442 242242