ONE NUMBER AND THE MAYOR OF LONDON JOIN TOGETHER FOR A SAFER LONDON USING TOTEM COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

New Licensed (Black) Cab Service Operating 24x7 Throughout Greater London

MANCHESTER, UK 9am 06-05-04 - Totem Communications, a leading provider of tailored inbound and outbound call management solutions, today announced the launch of 'One Number', the new customer booking service supported by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. The easy to remember booking line, 0 871 871 871 0, can be used from today, allowing customers to book a safe and reliable taxi 24 hours a day by cash or credit card.

One Number unites London's radio circuits - CallACab, Computer Cab, Datacab, Dial-a-Cab, Radio Taxis and Xeta, operating over 7,000 licensed cabs within and around the capital. In pursuing its goal to make the metropolis a safer and more efficient place to travel, Transport for London requested the 'Big Six' to come up with a solution that would benefit London taxi users. The initiative is also supported by Ken Livingstone, GLA as part of a safety campaign to win the war against illegal minicab touts.

By deploying Totem's technology, One Number will be able to handle incoming calls efficiently, whilst at the same time improving customer experience, reducing costs and enhancing revenues. Customers calling the 0 871 871 871 0 number, provided by Totem, will be asked to select an option from the computerised menu. After hearing details of the booking system and charges, they will be asked to press a button to speak to an operator and book a taxi.

Totem's ratio plan will enable the call to be distributed equally between the radio circuit call centres. Fair distribution of calls between the One Number partners was a prerequisite of the solution. If the taxi operator who is next in the ratio plan is engaged, the call will be passed on to the next One Number partner.

Call distribution can be monitored using Vision, Totem's management information package. Vision can also help the taxi operator to identify where they need more phone lines or more call operators, preventing missed calls, and missed revenue.

In the long term, the statistics provided by Vision could be used to identify exactly how many taxis are required to service London, when they need to be working, how many call operators you need on to take the bookings and when, ensuring optimum efficiency, and improved customer experience.

One Number utilises Totem's solution Mid Call Transfer to transfer calls between the taxi operators, reducing cost. The key differentiator of this product is that only one line is used to transfer the call. Typically, Mid Call Transfer would tie up two lines. However, Totem's offering allows the call to be passed through their network, freeing up the line for incoming booking requests. Through this feature, revenue opportunity will be increased.

'Our launch is in line with TFL's initiative focused on safety in the capital. Thanks to Totem's technology our customers will be able to book a licensed taxi 24 hours a day, seven days a week accessing every available taxi, fitted with a computer in Greater London', said Peter Gibson, Head of Corporate Development, Radio Taxis. 'Passenger safety has always been paramount to the taxi trade and to us in particular. Licensed taxi drivers possess a detailed knowledge of London and have an excellent safety record. With this new service Londoners will have access to the peace of mind that comes with a safe, secure, licensed black cab. We have chosen Totem because it was the vendor with the best track record in network resilience. It also offered us Mid Call Transfer and Vision which none of the competitors could provide.' continued Gibson.

"We feel privileged to see Totem's technology being used to make London a safer place to travel. One Number will also benefit from efficient call handling, improved customer experience, reduced cost and enhanced revenues, which in the long term will help grow their customer base", said Chris Brassington, CEO of Totem Communications.