It’s more Reliable than Norwegian Directory Enquiries. But only just...

In the last seven years, the IT that supports Norway’s directories system has been out of action for less than 20 minutes. This remarkable record (better than 99.9999% availability) is a tribute to the system itself, and to Fujitsu, who have looked after it in that time.

No sex?
Now, although supernatural reliability is a valuable attribute, it’s not exactly sexy. Not exactly what a fickle market looks for when a directories service is de-regulated and competition rears its head. But Teleservice (a wholly owned subsidiary of Norway’s national telco, Telenor*) decided that the solid virtues of accuracy and dependability were what they needed to see them through.

Yes, callers would want to try out the new services. But no, they wouldn’t stay away. Or at least, that’s what Teleservice predicted when the newcomers began making their pitches in 2002.

No worries
Teleservice had experience on their side. 500,000 enquiries answered every 24 hours, 50,000 database updates daily, average look-up time 0.2 seconds, capacity for 1,000 simultaneous enquiries. They offered automated SMS information, online access, routing information for motorists (by voice on your mobile or by map on PC), a simple, standard number you can call if you’re overseas and a customised corporate system for big users.

They also had a strong relationship with Norway’s 4.5 million telephone users. According to research, people trusted Teleservice to be accurate and thought of them as Norway’s leading information intermediary. 95% of users scored the brand as good or better. So, despite the competition, things looked pretty reassuring. Indeed, lesser companies might easily have rested on their laurels.

No complacency
But instead, they decided to change everything. With the help of Fujitsu, they switched the entire database from Infomix to Oracle. They threw out their servers (staying with SUN, but swapping to the latest kit). They then built up their information database holding 7 million listings – a considerable task.

All this innovation cost a considerable amount, of course, but it saved a lot too. Over time, manpower requirements have reduced by 50%. Operating costs are down 40%. And the investment took less than a yearto pay back.

No delay
And what about the customers? Well, they’re delighted. They get a quicker response as the new system finds information better than twice as fast as the old one (the average is 0.08 seconds). They get more information, more ways. And, as a result, 70% of them are sticking with Teleservice when they want accurate, instant information.

No? Surely not!
There’s no doubt that Teleservice’s decision to spend on innovation was perhaps a brave plan that paid off, helping to keep the brand interesting and its market share high. But, having achieved this, you won’t believe what they did next – they put the price up!

It would be wrong to suggest that there wasn’t just the teeniest touch of concern among Teleservice’s management. How much would market share drop? What would be the effect on income and profitability? But the answers are now coming in and they’re truly remarkable. Share hasn’t moved even a point, as customer research shows that people rank Teleservice’s speed and accuracy above price!

No respite
So what’s the future for Norway’s leading directories system? Exciting is probably the answer. They have regular meetings with Fujitsu, at which new services and further system innovations are discussed. New applications are also planned and yet more automation is on the cards. As they say in Norway, you’ve always been able to depend on Teleservice to deliver the information. These days, you can also depend on them to keep improving!

* Telenor is the largest provider of telecommunications services in Norway, and has substantial international mobile operations. Teleservice is wholly owned by Telenor and is responsible for Directory Enquiries 1881, International Directory Enquiries 1882, MeetAt 07777 (telephone and data conferences) as well as other Contact Centre services.