The friendlyway virtual sales assistants are learning how to talk / Virtual sales assistant chat with customers in retail trade outlets

Munich (PROTEXT) - The friendlyway virtual sales assistantsare intelligent Internet stations in retail trade outlets, wherecustomers can access product information. In supermarkets, forexample, customers can remove products from the shelves and holdthem in front of the Internet sales assistant's barcode scanner.It recognises the product, automatically calls up informationfrom the Internet and displays it on a flat screen. Up until now, the problem with regard to Internet-based salesinformation has been the long loading times for multimedia files(e.g. spoken language to be able to address customersacoustically). This new generation of virtual sales assistants,special software recognises the accessed Internet contents and,if requested, recites these to the customer in an electronicvoice. This means that there are no loading times. Klaus Trox,friendlyway director, claims that customers will find it easierto understand the speaking virtual sales assistant. Friendlyway AG is specialised in friendliness in customercommunication in Internet and retail trade. Its Internetsolutions for retail trade are tailor made for this purpose. As aresult of the staff cut backs of the last few years, customershardly receive any assistance at all, especially in largedepartment stores. This is why customers choose the cheaper oftwo alternative brands, without having any information withregard to their inner values. In addition, GfK surveys haverevealed that 60-80 % of all customer decisions are made in theshop itself. This is why friendlyway offers manufacturersInternet solutions which they can use to convince their customerson the shop floor at hardly any cost at all. For example, thevirtual sales assistant costs DM 98/day (for 6 months) incomparison to ca. DM 300/day for a real sales assistant. Othersolutions for example, include the speaking product with atelephone advice hotline from the shelf directly to themanufacturer's call centre, or the virtual branch with whichInternet providers can come to their customers (e.g. for sendingflowers at an airport). Friendlyway AG plans to float on the Neue Markt. Please visit the friendlyway AG stand at the CEBIT, hall 8,stand A35. ots Original Text Service: Friendlyway AG Internet:http://www.newsaktuell.de If you wish further information,please contact: Mr. Stütz, Tel.: 089/95 97 91 55, Fax 089/95 0791-40 or andreas.stuetz@friendlyway.com. Please also visit thefriendlyway homepage: http://www.friendlyway.de

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