Press & PR

A new deal is signed between Vonage UK and inQ of California, the US Click2Chat experts that will enrich and enhance the customer experience on vonage.co.uk to re-create the experience and customer care of a real retail environment on the web:

21^st  November 2007

 

Vonage takes Ground Breaking Approach to the

Online Purchase Experience

 

Vonage appoints US ‘click2chat’ expert inQ to

Truly Re-create the Qualities of In-Store Shopping Online

 

Vonage UK, the pioneering low cost internet phone company, has announced a major deal with US chatCommerce expert, inQ, to re-create a high quality in-store shopping experience online and boost sales.

 

It is the first time a fully integrated approach to ‘click2chat’ will be taken in the UK. All aspects of the chatCommerce process will be managed under one roof by inQ: the software, optimisation services, web analytics and ‘chat’ agents.  This will lead to more accountability for Vonage and a more responsive and efficient experience for their online customers. 

 

Click2chat technology has been around for a while but has been underutilised and largely the domain of the tech support and customer care environment. It has never really lived up to its potential of re-creating the qualities of an in-store shopping experience online – until now.  

 

What will revolutionise the online purchase experience will be the sophisticated use of pro-active live online ‘chats’ with real Vonage representatives.  Certain visitors to the Vonage site (www.vonage.co.uk) will be identified by a set of predetermined rules (for example those who spend too long on a page or jump back and forth between two/three pages) and automatically contacted by a Vonage representative in the form of a ‘chat’ box. The result for the Vonage customer will be a high quality, personalised sales experience just as they would get in a shop.

 

Reactive ‘chats’ will also be available to Vonage website visitors via an ever-present embedded ‘chat’ button. 

 

Vincent Potier, Marketing Director, Vonage UK said “At Vonage we pride ourselves on innovation and delivering excellence across online responsiveness, quality control and customer experience. So when we discovered fellow internet trailblazer, inQ, we seized the opportunity to bring their ground-breaking technology and approach to the UK.”

 

“We believe the partnership will bring the human touch to our customers’ experience, give them the assistance they need to make the right purchase and ultimately lead to a dramatic uplift in our sales.” 

 

“We are yet again leading the way with this fully integrated approach to chatCommerce and suspect many more will follow in our footsteps.”

 

Bernard Louvat, CEO, inQ said: “Our shared passion for innovation makes Vonage an exciting company to be partnering with in the UK. We look forward using our expertise to help Vonage leverage the online channel to increase sales and lower its cost per acquisition.”

 

- Ends-

 

For more information, please contact: Jo or Becky @ Ambition Communications on 020 8971 3377 or email vonage@ambition-communciations.co.uk

 

 

 

Notes to editors

 

About Vonage UK

Vonage UK is a subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp., traded on the NYSE under the symbol VG.  Vonage is a pioneer in the Internet phone industry. In the UK, the award winning Vonage® service is sold on the Vonage UK website and through national retailers PC World, Currys, Currys Digital, Comet, and Staples.  For more information about Vonage’s services and products, please visit www.vonage.co.uk. Vonage® is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing, a subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp.

 

Last month Vonage announced it had appointed Profero Performance as its digital agency.  In addition, in October, Ambition Communications became its new PR agency signifying a new era in Vonage marketing activity.

 

 

About inQ

inQ is the world leader in outsourced live chat solutions. Its live chat solution humanizes the online experience by engaging with targeted online shoppers and replicates a quality in-store experience. By utilizing state-of-the-art proprietary technology as well as trained and experienced online sales representatives, inQ offers solutions that are completely customized to meet its client's specific needs and that can increase clients' overall online revenue as much as 30% in 90 days. inQ works with companies in the telecom, cable, retail, travel, media, and financial services industries. More information can be found by visiting www.inQ.com.