Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

smartFOCUS and Broadsystem form exclusive UK partnership

smartFOCUS to offer multichannel marketing services for both inbound and outbound communications through a fully integrated technology and service platform

Bristol, UK, 14th November 2006: smartFOCUS, an international vendor of enterprise marketing software, has formed an exclusive partnership with marketing communications specialist Broadsystem. The partnership will enable smartFOCUS to provide its UK customers with integrated multichannel marketing communication services, covering both inbound and outbound communications, and an extended outsourcing infrastructure through Broadsystem.

Broadsystem is the UK's leading provider of outsourced marketing communications. It provides data-driven customer contact services through multiple integrated channels, including direct mail, voice, data, e-mail, SMS, the web, and live agents in its interaction centre.

Through the integration of smartFOCUS technology with its own infrastructure and channel management teams, Broadsystem will provide a range of marketing, sales and service programmes to smartFOCUS that include recruitment, subscription, loyalty management, membership, acquisition, advice services, lead generation and management, and staged and cross-selling. Broadsystem also adds additional industry vertical expertise in financial services, retail, travel and leisure, publishing and the public sector.

Through the partnership with Broadsystem, smartFOCUS has extended its smartCHANNEL offer with an integrated interaction centre for inbound response handling and outbound programme coordination. In addition smartCHANNEL will provide direct access to Broadsystem hosted applications that include data capture and transcription, payment processing, call scripting, subscription and membership and digital print personalisation and fulfilment.

Broadsystem and smartFOCUS have been working together for ten years and have a joint presence in ten key clients. Broadsystem has embedded all of the smartFOCUS technology within its infrastructure and today represents the largest pool of smartFOCUS solution expertise outside of smartFOCUS itself.

Caroline Worboys, Chief Executive Officer of Broadsystem, said: “We have been working with smartFOCUS’s technology as an integrated part of our infrastructure for ten years. This strategic relationship supports smartFOCUS working more closely with its customers to deliver outsourced multichannel marketing programmes and services that further extend the competitiveness of the smartFOCUS proposition to the marketplace.”

Chris Underhill, Chief Executive Officer of smartFOCUS, said: “Companies are finding that they need to harmonise their online and offline campaigns and leverage both inbound and outbound customer communications to maximise customer value. Research and our own customers’ experience suggest higher conversion rates can be delivered from campaigns that combine an inbound interaction with outbound communication. Through the partnership between smartFOCUS and Broadsystem, our customers can more quickly deliver marketing, sales and service programmes that coordinate their offline and online channels and combine inbound and outbound communications through a fully integrated technology and service platform.”

He adds: “Based on the strong relationship we have enjoyed for many years with Broadsystem, the company was the natural choice as our multichannel marketing programme service partner. This strategic relationship will further enable our customers to take a life cycle approach to programme planning and customer experience management and to improve their customer experience and business results.

About Broadsystem

Broadsystem is the UK's leading provider of outsourced marketing communications. It provides data-driven customer contact services through multiple integrated channels.

Broadsystem creates, manages and delivers multi-channel customer communication strategies. The company develops, hosts, and manages marketing databases for its clients and, through the intelligent analysis of marketing data, delivers and handles their messages through integrated multichannel communications.

www.broadsystem.com

About smartFOCUS

smartFOCUS provides software and services that enable companies to manage and coordinate marketing across multiple channels, including e-mail, telemarketing, direct mail and display advertising. The company provides a complete portfolio of data integration, analysis, modeling, campaign planning and management, with integrated budgeting and finance solutions. The result is ‘Intelligent Marketing’, driven by a single view of the customer’s activities across all channels. Marketers can target their communications more accurately, cutting wastage, increasing conversion rates and achieving a better understanding of the customer base.

Users of smartFOCUS’s enterprise marketing management software include AAA, ABN AMRO, AC Nielsen, Avis Europe, Carrefour, France Telecom, Hilton International and News International.

smartFOCUS is headquartered in Bristol, UK, with offices in the USA and continental Europe.

www.smartfocus.com

Sally Forge / Elissa Fry
Prompt Communications on behalf of Email Reaction
Tel: 020 8996 1650 / 07780 687813
Email: sforge@prompt-communications.com / efry@prompt-communications.com