THE SUCCESS of SMS messagingin reducing ‘Did Not Attends’(DNAs) for hospitals and clinicshas prompted strong interest inPageOne’s Appointment Reminders.

Missed appointments cost the NHSand other organisations millions ofpounds every year, mainly for onesimple reason – the patient forgets.

IMPROVE ATTENDANCELiverpool’s Aintree UniversityHospitals Foundation NHS Trustis among a number of organisationshoping to improve attendance ratesby using PageOne Connect to sendout SMS reminder messages.

ENGAGING AND COMMUNICATING“We see the use of SMS remindersas potentially a positive way ofengaging and communicating withpatients and reminding them oftheir appointments, to try toreduce the number of DNAs,” saidSimon Barton, the Trust’s AssistantDirector of Performance & ServiceImprovement.

“Should this be successful, it will bea win-win both economically andclinically.” The pilot started in June 2006and runs for a year.

October 2006

IN THIS ISSUE:

Page 3

Why more

and more

businesses

are adding

SMS to their

portfolios

Page 6

A London Chamber of

Commerce survey

suggests many

businesses are

vulnerable to

critical events

WAKE-UP CALL

Page 6

Paging is now a

proven form of

communication

when mobile

networks are

overwhelmed

RESILIENCE IS KEY

RESELLER SUCCESS

Page 8

New-look

websites cut

the clicks for

customers

NET GAIN

No show? PageOnemessaging can helpto reduce missedappointments inhospitals, clinicsand GPs’ surgeries.

“We see the use ofSMS reminders as

potentially a positiveway of engaging

and communicatingwith patients and

reminding them oftheir appointments.”

Simon Barton, AintreeUniversity Hospitals

Foundation NHS Trust.

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

Reminding patients about hospital or clinicappointments with a simple SMS message can dramaticallyimprove attendance rates.

The perfect antidote formissed appointments

InTouch2

NEWS

In this issue we’re taking aclose look at the impact ofSMS messaging on healthservices, including a casestudy on a flying ambulanceservice (page 5).

We also examine how areport by the London Chamberof Commerce exposessurprising flaws in the

business community’semergency communicationplans (page 6).

Finally, we’re treatingreaders to a sneak preview ofour brand new service,FreeText Short Codes – whatwill this mean for yourbusiness? (page 8)

So, whatever your interest in

messaging and the messagingindustry, we hope you’ll findInTouch useful and informative.

Chris Jones,Managing Director, PageOne.

WELCOME to issue 5 of InTouch, the magazinefor all of our customers, partners and affiliates.

THE InTouch WELCOME MESSAGE FROM CHRIS JONES

PAGEONE has won an extended contract to supply messaging andpaging services to the MoD.

Following months of negotiation, the MoD’s DefenceCommunication Service Agency (DCSA) has awarded the

company preferred/single supplier status via a NationalFramework Agreement.

“PageOne has been a preferred supplier to the MoD since1990 but the contracts are regularly re-tendered and we aredelighted that we have been successful in negotiating

another period,” said Alistair Wren, SalesManager, Government Projects.

Being a single supplier will bring manybenefits to PageOne. “For example, it hasallowed us to develop a relationship

with the Army which has led to a 12month pilot programme for providingSMS services via its ArmyNET website.”

ENERGY giant BP has selectedPageOne Connect to supportits emergency call-outprocedures at another majorUK site.

North Sea gas piped to BP’sterminal at Dimlington, nearHull, accounts for about onequarter of the company’s UKincome from its 18 offshoreplatforms. Keeping theterminal operational andcompleting any repairs asquickly as possible are highpriorities for the company,said Telecoms TechnicalAuthority Michael Ferrier.

“Effective communicationsare crucial for us,” saidMichael.

“In the event of a majoremergency, we can send agroup message to all of ourengineers, plus the terminalmanager and themaintenance manager. It canalso be useful for tellingpeople not to come to theterminal in certaincircumstances.”

It’s early days for BP’s useof Connect, but Michaelhopes to extend use of thesystem to notifyingemployees of shiftarrangements, and also towarn of travel problemswhen snow blocks the accessroad to the terminal.

BP choosesConnect foremergencycall-outs

MoD contract success

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

Vocal’s voiceheard inbombingterrorTHE RECENT review by MPs into theJuly 7 London bombings last yearhas highlighted the importanceof emergency messaging services.

While communications failuresand the collapse of the mobilephone networks caused hugeproblems, the service provided byVocal, a PageOne-supportedcompany, helped police to keepthe business community informedthroughout the disaster.

Vocal is the UK’s leading

emergency messaging supplier withmany Government-approvednational contracts supporting boththe emergency services and over athousand corporate organisations inpreparing for disaster situations andcontingency planning.

It operates the City of LondonPolice Priority Alert Scheme whichwas called into action as the eventsof 7/7 unfolded. It provided liveinformation from the police controlroom throughout the day and duringthe subsequent false alarms.Organisations were informed of whatto do, where to go and receivedreassurance in times of confusion.

Daren Rapley, Sales Director, ofVocal said: “Over 185,000 messageswere broadcast on the day withmany companies using the policemessage in conjunction with Vocal’s

Business Continuity messaging toolsto co-ordinate the movements ofstaff, mobilise key response teamsand invoke contingency plans.

“Despite the well publicisedstrain placed on the mobileinfrastructure, the Priority AlertScheme and messaging platformcontinued to perform. Even at theheight of activity throughputremained at a consistently highlevel. This resilience is key to itsBusiness Continuity application andunderpins its use within thenationwide priority alertingschemes.”

PageOne has supported Vocalsince 1990, providing pagingservices and secure, resilientmessaging integration through web-based GUIs. Further details can befound at www.priorityalert.co.uk

SMS suitscustomers’needsIN-BOUND and out-boundtelemarketing campaigns now havean extra dimension for Richmond-based The Listening Company (TLC).

By adding SMS messaging to itsown portfolio TLC can now offer itsclients the opportunity to textmessages to their customers.

For example, at the BritishInternational Motor Show in London inJuly, TLC was able to help two majorcar manufacturers by sending SMSmessages to potential customers, withdetails of their nearest dealership.

“Why SMS? It came down todemand from our clients, driven inturn by demand from theircustomers,” said Robin Fazal, TLC’s ITProject Manager.

“The advantages include ease ofuse, and instantly getting messagesto customers, wherever they are.From our clients’ point of view, theycan see how this adds value to thebusiness they want to outsource.

“From a strategic point of view, tobe able to send SMS requires areasonable platform, which can becomparatively expensive. HavingPageOne as a partner gives usexpertise in this area and the cost isfairly reasonable. We couldn’t do itwithout PageOne.”

When responding to in-bound calls,advisors can offer customers a numberto text keywords to, for information tobe sent to their phones.

Quick winswithin reachCOMMUNICATIONS integrator Affiniti isthe latest to sign up for PageOne’sreseller programme.

With established customers in awide range of sectors includinghealth and finance, Affiniti seesconsiderable potential for SMSmessaging. Its reseller partnershipwith PageOne begins this month(October).

“We see a number of quick winsfrom offering SMS to existingcustomers,” said Affiniti MobileProduct Manager Phil Sharpe. “In thehealth sector, SMS is being usedwidely as a reminder mechanismwithin appointment-making systemsto reduce non attendance.

“Our opportunities within financeinclude credit control, allowing thebanks to update their customers by SMSon their account status, and also tosend SMS reminders to chase up debts.

“Another potential sector is localgovernment, for example councils areusing SMS to help residents keep intouch about local issues.”

As InTouch went to press, Affinitiwas also exploring the potential ofPageOne Connect for some of its in-house functions.

THE OPPORTUNITY to add SMS messaging to virtually anycommunications portfolio is proving highly attractive for agrowing number of PageOne partners.

As well as improving a company’s competitive edge, oftendifferentiating it from its competitors, messaging can opennew markets that were previously inaccessible.

PRODUCT OF CHOICE“SMS can be built into any software product. Increasingly,users expect SMS capability to be available in the software orservices they buy, and they’ll choose those products thatdeliver what they want,” said Phillip Clement, PageOne’sChannel Development Manager.

“PageOne provides the technical expertise to build SMSintegration into third-party applications and our commercialflexibility means that once we understand a partner’sbusiness model, we can tailor an agreement which allows

the partner to resell SMS without being held back byinflexible pricing or billing.

“Our partners get their very own bespoke messagingproduct but with all of PageOne’s credibility and resilience,and there’s expert support for them whenever they need it.”

InTouch 3

FEATURE

Opening new marketsPartnership with PageOne gives companies the capacity to offerbespoke SMS messaging services to their own customers.

CASE STUDIES

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

SPECIAL FEATURE: HEALTH SERVICES

InTouch4

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

IMAGINE the scenario. There’s been a serioustraffic accident with victims trapped and seriouslyinjured. Medical help is urgently needed.

When the emergency 999 call comes throughto the South East Coast Ambulance Service, firstaiders who are nearest the scene can be quicklydispatched thanks to the PageOne Connectmessaging system.

Linked directly to the service’s new Command& Control CAD system, the PageOne system meansthat emergency calls can be paged not just tothe ambulances but also to the teams ofvolunteers, called co-responders. They canrespond quickly to administer vital first aidbefore the ambulance arrives.

PARTNERSHIPThe ambulance service has a co-responderpartnership with a number of groups includingKent Fire and Rescue, the Bluewater ShoppingCentre and BASICS Kent, a team of doctors andnurses.

Secamb’s IT analyst Richard Thomas explained:“Each member of our community / co-responderand BASICS teams has a PageOne pager. When acall is received in our emergency control centre,the system will automatically advise thedispatcher that a responder is near andavailable.

“Once the call has been given out, theresponders’ pagers will go off and advise themof details. The responders' mobile telephonesare also linked into the Connect system so anSMS message will still be sent as well.”

COMMUNICATIONThe PageOne system has also been programmedwith a priority group function to alert keypersonnel of major incidents.

“Although major incidents are very few andfar between we did use this during the 7/7attacks on London to advise staff of thesituation,” said Richard. “The mobiletelephone system within affected parts ofLondon was restricted but we were still ableto communicate.”

EVERY moment counts when you’re dealingwith life and death situations. That’scertainly the case for the air ambulancesrun by Woodgate Executive Air Charter.

And that’s why the Belfast-basedcompany turned to PageOne to speed upthe response times of the aero-medicalservices it provides for the healthauthorities in Belfast and the Isle of Man.

Director John Keen explained: “Time isobviously of the essence when you aretransporting sick or injured patients. Weare called on for all sorts of patienttransfers, from accident victims to takingsick babies to special units.

“We used to take calls from thehospitals on a land line and then getmessages out to our on-call people via cell

Help is on the way

AN UPGRADE of PageOne software has givenambulance crews in the East Midlands a faster andmore reliable messaging service for dealing withpatient transfers.

The new software, which replaces the previous TAPconnection with a SNPP link, is part of an improvedComputer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system being used byEast Midlands Ambulance Service on its PatientTransport Service.

The system allows patient details to be sentdirectly to the pagers of ambulance crews, givingthem valuable up-to-the-minute information aboutoutpatient transport.

Gary Spiers, General Manager for the PatientTransport Service, said: “We went live with thenew system on June 26 and are very pleased withhow it has gone.

MORE RELIABLE“From the user point of view there is no difference butthe PageOne upgrade provides a faster, more reliableway of transferring messages from our computer to thepagers carried by our out-patient ambulance crews.

“Previously we have lost connection on occasionand experienced some delays but the new system hasbeen problem free with no disruption to service.”

PageOne installed the new paging interfacesoftware after being informed about the plans toupdate the EMAS Outpatient system.

“There are not many ambulance services that usepagers for out-patient transport but we find itinvaluable for giving crews the very latest journeyinformation,” said Gary.

“It also prevents the need for paper log sheets andall the associated confidentiality issues with paper-based information being carried in the ambulance.We have yet to fully roll out the paperless system butplan to do so over the coming months.”

AMBULANCE CREGET THE MESSAG

SNPP made simpleSNPP, or Simple Network PagingProtocol, offers organisations asimple yet reliable way to sendboth paging and textmessages. SNPP operates via acustomer’s internet connectionand enables organisations tosend messages to pagers and tomobiles phones (regardless ofnetwork) without incurringtelephone charges.

It’s a faster, more efficientand more reliable method ofsending messages than viamodem or email.

Air ambulance respons

Emergency response:text messages can helpsave vital seconds.

JARGON BUSTER

5

Patients can now contact theirdoctor’s surgery by text under a pilotscheme operated by PageOne.

The May Lane Surgery in Dursley,Gloucestershire is using the Connectservice for non-urgent queries suchas requests for repeat prescriptionsor long-term appointments.

“We wanted to give our patients away of contacting the surgery viaanother channel,” explained surgerymanager Jerry Steeden. “This savesthem having to come into thesurgery in person or waiting on thephone to get through.”

Using a nominated text number,patients can register to use thesystem to send messages to thesurgery. The surgery is alsoplanning to use the service to sendout information to patients.

“There are lots of ways it willcome in useful,” said Jerry. “We arehoping, for example, to use it tosend out reminders about the fluclinics we run each year for peoplewho are eligible for flu jabs.”

The scheme, which has beenrunning for three months, is anextension of another PageOne pilotscheme which ran for a yearallowing teenagers to get pregnancyand sexual health advice. Afterdiscussions with PageOne, thesurgery made some changes to themessaging system to widen its use.

“People are now getting used to itand are finding it a good way ofkeeping in contact with the surgery.We thought it might just appeal toour younger patients but, actually, alot of our older patients use it just asmuch.”

Texting byappointmentEWS

GE

InTouch

e times are on the up

Problem-free: PageOne Connect is simple and reliable.

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

phones. But this was not ideal and couldresult in delays so we looked around forother ways of handling the calls.”

After some research, John spoke toNorthern Ireland Ambulance Service whichhas been using PageOne for some time andrecommended its service to Woodgate.

“We started using the paging system inBelfast about six months ago and were so

impressed that we have now got it on theIsle of Man as well,” said John. “It is easyto use and, after some initial teethingproblems, we have had no trouble at all.

“Since using PageOne we have nevermissed a call and have had very goodfeedback from the health boards who arepleased with the way our response timeshave improved.”

THE USE of paging within a robust, multi-channel communicationstrategy has been highlighted as one of the key lessons to belearned from the events on July 7, 2005.

A new report by the London Regional Resilience Forumfocuses on the additional strain faced by the emergency servicesdue to an over-reliance on mobile phones.

The report states: “Responders must not rely on mobilephones for critical functions in a crisis. [They] need to havededicated communications that will work in an emergency.”

The forum, consisting of emergency services, transport, NHSand the government, was set up after the September 11 2001attacks on the US to prepare for potential emergencies in London.

Its report also suggests that paging can get messages throughwhen mobile phone networks are congested. The City of LondonPolice successfully used its pager alert scheme on July 7 toupdate key business personnel.

PageOne’s Sales and Marketing Director Nigel Gray commented:“When mobile phone networks were overwhelmed on 7/7,PageOne’s messaging proved itself a robust and reliable way forusers to keep in touch.

“We are the UK’s largest independent paging provider andhave invested several million pounds over the last five yearsdeveloping our infrastructure. It’s designed to operate reliablyunder disaster scenarios.”

InTouch6

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

NEWS

MORE THAN a third of London companies do not have a business continuity planin place, despite the 7/7 bombings and recent security alerts.

The London Chamber of Commerce report, One Year on from 7/7, revealsthat 41 per cent of businesses questioned lacked a contingency plan tocounter a major threat.

“Worryingly, these survey findings indicate that 7/7 may not have been the‘wake up call’ to businesses that many thought,” said LCCI Chief Executive, ColinStanbridge, pictured left.

“These figures suggest that London firms may be complacent about the threatposed to their businesses. This is in spite of a plethora of recent examples, both athome and abroad, demonstrating the serious consequences of being unprepared,”explained Colin.

Larger companies are more likely to have contingency plans thansmaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The LCCI is

encouraging a buddy system for larger firms to workwith SMEs on improving business continuity, forexample on their communications systems.

Resilient and robust communications are acrucial part of any business continuity plan.

When mobile phone networks wereoverwhelmed on 7/7, PageOne’s SMS

messaging proved itself a robustand reliable way for users to

keep in touch.

Businesses urged to reviewterror contingency plans

To read the latest onresilience and PageOne comments please log on to the news section:www.pageone.co.uk/newsfor more information

Learning lessons from the July 7 attacks

PAGERS: So long as they are sufficiently independentof other networks, consider using pagers for alerting andmobilisation, including preset pager groups, where thisfunction is critical. They can enable messages to getthrough when mobile phone networks are congested.

InTouch 7

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

GETTING the right people in the rightplace at the right time is vital forEssex County Fire and Rescue Service.And that’s just what PageOne Connectallows it to do.

With just one click of a button, itsbusy Control Room operators canguarantee a rapid response from thepeople needed to cope with anyemergency situation.

PageOne provides Connect andpaging services for 280 keyoperational and support workers suchas fire officers, administrators andspecialist teams who need to keep incontact with the Control Room.

Communications Manager DaveElwell explained: “The Connectsystem means our operators can callgroups of people out at the press of abutton on their screen which savesvital time.”

The Essex service switched toPageOne in December 2004 when O2

discontinued its paging service and isdelighted with the way it works withits integrated control system.

“We use it a lot to call out variousspecialist groups to incidents,” saidDave. “For example, if people aremade homeless in a fire, we can callout the British Red Cross fire victimsupport service who will quicklyattend to help organiseaccommodation and sort outinsurance problems.”

Urban search and rescue teams, setup in the wake of September 11, canalso be called out quickly as canspecialist search and rescue teamsresponding to emergencies abroad.

Rapidresponsefor fireservice

SMS MESSAGING is the ideal way of filling urgent job vacancies at short notice,according to recruitment specialists SkyBlue Solutions.

The company, which provides temporary and permanent staff to the construction,civil engineering, highways and rail industries, says sending a text is a quick andconvenient method of notifying lots of people of vacancies at one time.

Leeds Branch Manager Lee Grimes explained: “It is much more efficient thancontacting people individually by phone.

“By phone we could probably only guarantee speaking to 12 associates an hourand not all of those would be interested in or available to fill the vacancy.

“A text, on the other hand, can deliver the vacancy direct from our databaseto the mobile phones of 250 associates within a matter of seconds. Theassociates who are interested can then call us back. This is obviously much moreefficient and also keeps our name in the minds of the many associates that areregistered with us.”

“Text messaging also saves hours of valuable time when important informationneeds to be sent to a lot of people at one time,” said Lee.

“For instance on bank holidays, we may bring our payroll deadline forward toFriday as opposed to Monday, and wish to communicate to over 1,000 associateswithin the business that they should submit their timesheets early in order forpayroll to be processed. Contacting 1,000 associates would take up hours uponhours of consultants’ and administrators’ valuable time but a text can get the jobdone in minutes.”

Jobs firmemploysPageOne

Alertingcandidates to

new jobopportunities

by SMSenables them

to respondquickly.

InTouch8

For more information call 08700 55 53 03 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

NEWS

PAGEONE will be one of the first operators to adapt the flexibility and easeof use of Short Codes for use in business applications. Our FreeText ShortCodes will allow users to text in to request the latest brochure for free, justas they would ring your free phone telephone number – except this way youdon’t have to answer the call!

HOW DO THEY WORK?Text messages are free to the mobile phone user when sending SMS texts tothe FreeText PageOne Short Codes. The FreeText Short Codes mimic the use of

free-phone 0800 numbers to encourage customers who are reluctant to paycall charges to contact you. FreeText is a great solution for today’s businessrequirements. Your customers could simply text you a request for a brochureor ask for a quotation by ‘texting’ a FreeText Short Code.

ARE YOU INTERESTED? If you are interested in being one of the first to use FreeText Short Codes orour other low-rate tariffs, why not give us a call on 08700 55 53 03 or emailus at shortcodes@pageone.co.uk to register your interest or to find out more.

PageOne set to launch FreeText Short Codes

EASE OF use for customers was one of the top prioritiesin PageOne’s redesign of its pageone.co.uk andoventus.com websites.

Both new-look sites, which went live in September,will help customers and developers find theinformation they need in as few clicks as possible.

The new oventus website has been designedspecifically for developers looking to integrate SMS intoexisting systems. It offers advice on all of PageOne’sconnectivity options as well as technical documentation,free sample code, FAQs and other support.

Customers who already use the PageOne SOAPinterface will be familiar with the oventus web address,so turning oventus.com into a site targeted atdevelopers was the ideal solution.

The SOAP/XML pages contain lots of sample code tohelp developers get up and running and sendingmessages quickly. There’s also a great tool to helpdevelopers check that their code is correct, plus acontact form and dedicated email addresses, so thatdevelopers can have their questions answered quicklyand professionally.

The new pageone.co.uk website has been designed tomake it much easier for people to find the informationthat they are looking for. As well as information onPageOne products and services it also contains sectionson solutions such as critical messaging, systemmonitoring and employee communications.

“We’ve put a lot of hard work into both of these sitesto ensure our customers find the information they’relooking for quickly,” said Clair Cawley, MarketingManager. “Both sites will continue to grow over thecoming months as we get more feedback. So pleasetake a look and let us know what you think.”

The new look oventus.com and pageone.co.uk websiteswill help customers keep the clicks to a minimum.

Fresh new look for websites:

Net gain