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VOCALIS GROUP PLC INTERIM RESULTSFOR THE SIX MONTHS TO 30 SEPTEMBER 1998 Vocalis, the speech recognition telephony company, announces today its interim results for the six months to 30 September 1998. Key Points:
The order book is currently £748k, with a letter of intent received for a further £2.5m Commenting on the results and future prospects: "Vocalis continues to be a leading name in the global speech recognition industry and our products are delivering service to customers across all continents. The directors continue to have confidence in the fundamental worth and growth potential of your company."
For further information:
Chairmans Statement Interim report for the six months to 30 September 1998 Progress in the period In the half year to 30 September 1998, sales were £1,342,000, a 33% increase on the same period last year (1997 £1,005,000). The operating loss was £1,139,000 (1997 loss £1,560,000) and the loss before tax was £1,050,000 (1997 loss £1,490,000). The loss per share was 3.22 pence (1997 4.64 pence). Operating costs have been carefully controlled during the period, ensuring that the resources of your company have been wisely deployed. Cash balances at the end of the period were £2,540,000. Since the end of the reporting period, business has increased and our order book currently stands at £748,000. Additionally, Ericsson Telecom AB has provided a letter of intent to Vocalis for a further major order, valued in excess of £2.5m, to be delivered in the current financial year. Most importantly, Vocalis has continued to develop expertise, skills and professionalism; this was acknowledged recently by the award of ISO 9001 accreditation. Sales of "SPEECHtel", our core product over the past year, have been slower than we had hoped although, in the main, prospective orders have been delayed rather than lost. As an "Intelligent Peripheral", SPEECHtel is dependent on the existence of global sales of Intelligent Networks which have been less than forecast, disappointing many of the worlds leading telecommunications infrastructure vendors. However, we know that a number of leading network providers are pursuing business cases for Intelligent Network development, and there is good reason to expect this market to advance again. We will continue to focus strongly on these prospects. Product review In our Annual Report for 1998, we emphasised that there were many enticing opportunities before us and that we would select those which best fit our skills and technology, while offering the potential for the highest return on investment. In pursuing this strategy, we have launched three new products that are attracting keen interest in the marketplace. "Vocalis SpeechWare" is our brand for licensing Vocalis's core speech recognition technology to other component providers or systems integrators. Two market dominant component players, Dialogic and Natural Microsystems, have both signed partnership agreements with Vocalis. "ENtelAgent" is our new branding for enterprise, or corporate, solutions. Underpinned by successful development work in a range of European Union projects, several prospects are in active discussion. These will build on our existing core of corporate call centre customers, such as Abbey National, Anglian Water and Yorkshire Electricity. "SpeecHTML" is a novel product concept that has caught the imagination of the press and a range of potential partners. In summary, the product enables telephone conversations rather than keyboard interactions with web sites. SpeecHTML offers tremendous opportunities and will be trialled with one of the largest Internet Service Providers during the next few months. Prospects As I indicated in a statement issued in October, revenue continues to be contingent on a small number of high value orders, demonstrated by the recent letter of intent from Ericsson. However, our product and distribution strategies address the need to widen our business base. Vocalis continues to be a leading name in the global speech recognition industry and our products are delivering service to customers across all continents. The directors continue to have confidence in the fundamental worth and growth potential of your company. As our society demands improved technology at an ever increasing pace, the potential for speech driven solutions, replacing the relentless button pressing needed to scroll through tone based system menus, is truly unlimited.
Consolidated Profit and Loss Account For the six months to 30 September 1998
The accompanying notes form an integral part of this consolidated financial information. Consolidated Balance Sheet as at 30 September 1998
The accompanying notes form an integral part of this consolidated financial information. Consolidated Cash Flow Statement for the six months to 30 September 1998
The accompanying notes form an integral part of this consolidated financial information.
1. Basis of preparation 2. Loss/earnings per share 3. Circulation to
shareholders |
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About Vocalis Vocalis works with organisations to create contact centre solutions that build the organisations business and brands. These solutions can turn your contact centre from a cost to a profit centre by ensuring it builds your brand, helps your business be more competitive, and increases customer loyalty through more effective and efficient service. Vocalis was formed in 1993, is publicly traded on FTSE Stock Market and has been listed since July 1996. Vocalis brings back the reassurance of the most personal human touch in business - putting voice to work. The Vocalis Website is at Email: [email protected] |
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For further Vocalis Group information, contact:
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