Press Release
D&E COMMUNICATIONS, INC. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 8, 2005 | NEWS RELEASE CONTACT PERSON: |
EPHRATA, PA - D&E Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DECC) is using advanced technology to transform J.C. Ehrlich Co., Inc. district offices located from New York to North Carolina into virtual "next-door neighbors."
D&E, a Pennsylvania-based integrated communications provider, is installing Inter-Tel® Axxess® Converged Communications Platforms that allow voice calls to travel over Ehrlich's existing data network. This Internet Protocol (IP) system transmits voice calls using "packet" technology, similar to the way data travels over the Internet.
As the largest privately held pest control company in North America, Ehrlich operates 41 district offices and three distribution facilities in seven Mid-Atlantic states. To help bridge the distance between locations, Ehrlich uses IP technology to enable its coworkers at offices in different cities to call each other by simply dialing extension numbers. This reduces toll charges. Also, if staff at a district office is busy, their local customer calls can be answered in Ehrlich's corporate office in Reading, PA, all of which is transparent to the customer.
"With IP technology, Ehrlich can use a single network to carry both voice calls and data, which improves the company's long-term return on its technology investment," said G. William Ruhl, Chairman, President and CEO of D&E. "This technology effectively erases the geographical distance between offices. From its corporate headquarters, Ehrlich can monitor its entire communications network, and this capability will enable Ehrlich to improve efficiency within district offices."
Inter-Tel's Call Center Suite gives Ehrlich significant capabilities to route and monitor customer service calls. The collaboration software allows the company to view call traffic statistics and track what happens to each call from the moment it's answered - including when and where it's transferred - until the call ends. Ehrlich can create customized calling activity reports, enabling it to continuously analyze and improve service.
"The ability to provide better service to Ehrlich customers was the driving force in selecting this new system," said Victor Hammel, Ehrlich President. "When someone calls with a pest problem, they want to speak with someone quickly. The technology D&E presented us with minimized the chances that a customer will have to leave a voice mail message. Even when their local Ehrlich office is closed or busy, they can still usually speak with a Customer Service Representative who can schedule their appointment."
The IP system consolidates and reduces Ehrlich's long-distance telephone charges. Ehrlich operates offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina and the District of Columbia. When a coworker at any of these offices places a long-distance call to an outside number, the call goes through Ehrlich's private routed network to its Reading headquarters, where it is automatically connected through the public telephone network.
D&E provides telecommunication services to more than 175,000 lines in central and eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1911 and based in Lancaster County, D&E also offers long distance, Internet, voice and data network systems integration, and video services. For more information, visit www.decommunications.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of D&E's management concerning the development of our business, are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause actual developments and results to differ materially from our expectations. These include factors that we have indicated could adversely affect our business and financial performance contained in our past and future filings and reports, including those filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. D&E undertakes no obligation to revise or update its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.