Could NCTI have a Webphone deal with COMPAQ?
NCTI Completes $2 Million Private Placement for New Webphone Subsidiary
Company To "Incubate" This Emerging Technology
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2000-- NCT Group, Inc. (OTCBB: NCTI - news) today announced the formation and financing of a new webphone subsidiary. This subsidiary will focus on e-commerce and ECRM (electronic customer relationship management) applications of NCTI's proprietary Internet telephony software. The Company has secured an initial $2 million in financing for this subsidiary. NCTI will serve as an ``incubator' for the technology within this new application area, providing expertise in technology development, business services support and capital-raising resources.
``E-commerce presents a significant opportunity for NCTI technology and is an ideal area for the Company to pursue through the incubation process,' said Michael J. Parrella, President, NCTI. ``NCTI's webphone software allows the user to click a button and speak to a friend or a customer service agent while placing an online order./b> Our software delivers many advantages over competitive technologies including noise and echo cancellation, full duplex operation and superior compression. We believe that our webphone will become a valuable tool to consumers and businesses.'
As e-commerce is expected to achieve $41 billion in sales by 2002, analysts say the quality of online customer service may determine which sites get a consumer's business. More and more companies are recognizing the importance of Internet telephony as part of an ECRM strategy. In a Yankelovich study, for example, 63% of the respondents said they did not finish a transaction online because they couldn't find the information they needed. A Jupiter Communications survey found that 42% of 125 top-ranked e-commerce sites took longer than five days to answer customer e-mail queries, never responded at all or simply weren't accessible by e-mail.
In an effort to improve order completion rates, many e-commerce sites now offer ``click to chat' where a customer can type in questions that will be answered in real time. An even more user-friendly application is ``click to talk' where an on-line shopping customer can have a phone conversation with a customer service representative. This application requires webphone software.
NCTI is a leading technology developer with an extensive portfolio of proprietary algorithms and a wide variety of product offerings for consumer, commercial and industrial applications. The Company specializes in the utilization of sound and signal waves to reduce noise, improve signal-to-noise ratio and enhance sound quality. For more information, refer to the company's World Wide Web site at nct-active.com. |
