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. . With over one thousand daily merchandiser visits to supermarkets in the U.K. The Brand Company is a leading supplier of field marketing services. Clients are typically major food and dry goods manufacturers who want verification that their products are currently displayed in the location and manner previously agreed with the supermarket. For each audit merchandisers complete a questionnaire by hand. The questionnaire can range from quite simple to complex according to clients’ requirements. The results of the audit must then be reliably transmitted to The Brand Company as fast as economically possible. Speed and accuracy are of the essence. At a convenient time during the day merchandisers call a free phone number which is answered by a custom PhoneSoft application running 24 voice ports. The merchandiser is prompted to enter a job code on the telephone keypad. This identifies both the merchandiser and the audit that has been performed. PhoneSoft then prompts the merchandiser to respond to the audit questions by entering the collected data on the telephone keypad. The captured data is written to an NSF for further processing and analysis. The principal benefit of using PhoneSoft is that results from the field are reliably transmitted back to The Brand Company as fast as possible without the need for investment in broadband or handheld units. Although handheld units would deliver the information somewhat faster experience shows that the cost/questionnaire is vastly more expensive due to hardware and associated administration costs. PhoneSoft is a fast, reliable, user friendly and cost effective solution. Tom Allardice, The Brand Company's I.T. Manager, is particularly pleased with PhoneSoft’s reliability. On a recent visit to PhoneSoft’s European office Tom was categorical “PhoneSoft is a vitally important part of our business offering and it is essential that downtime is at an absolute minimum. PhoneSoft doesn’t fall over, it just runs”. The Brand Company The Brand Company creates and delivers customized outsourcing solutions that achieve results. Driven by leading edge technology The Brand Company has developed a range of services which include: full in-store support, contract staff, sampling, price and space auditing, strategic team building, tactical sales drives, merchandising, product demonstrations, warehousing and distribution, exhibitions and promotions.