A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Direct-dial web service launches
Irish-owned customer relations support company Rigney Dolphin has launched a service that allows visitors to a website to make direct contact with customer service staff through telephone buttons on the site.
When a customer tries to leave a site, a pop up appears, offering to put the person in touch by phone with the company through conveniently placed buttons on the website.
Research has found that 66 per cent of online order forms are abandoned before being submitted, while 91 per cent of customers prefer human contact when the price point gets too high, or if it involves an important decision.
Around 40 per cent of customers would be more comfortable with an online purchase if there were more human contact. Rigney Dolphin has been appointed the exclusive distributor in Ireland for the system, which is provided by ButtonTel. It has already signed up the Bewley Hotel Group for the service.
Digiweb given 088 number
Digiweb has been assigned the 088 mobile number by communications regulator ComReg for Ireland's first fourth-generation network. The company said it would provide mobile broadband and mobile phone services to all regions of Ireland in the next 18 months.
UCD launches seminar series
UCD's innovation and technology transfer centre NovaUCD has launched its Entrepreneurs Live! seminar series, where Irish entrepreneurs talk about their experiences of setting up and running their businesses.
The seminar was launched by Barry Maloney, partner in Benchmark Capital and director of Bebo.com, and the series will feature Oliver Tattan, founder and chief executive of Vivas Health, Garry Moroney, founder of Similarity Systems, and Dermot Lawton, director of eBay European service.
The aim of the series is to promote a spirit of entrepreneurship among the academic, research and student population at UCD.
Software firm appoints chief
Paul Milsom has been appointed chief operating officer of Zarion, the Dublin-based provider of management software solutions to the financial services sector. Mr Milsom had previously served on the board of software and services company Misys.
Media group in Ukraine venture
Vimio, a provider of live TV, media distribution solutions and content to mobile network operators, has entered into a joint venture with Nichols Ltd, a British Virgin Islands-registered company, to start operations in the Ukraine through a newly acquired company VEE.
Nichols will invest $2 million (€1.5 million) in VEE to establish an operations centre in Kiev, in return for a 50 per cent stake in VEE.
Nokia is 'most popular phone'
Nokia is the most popular brand of mobile phone in Ireland, according to a recent iReach survey. It revealed that 66 per cent of all Irish people possess Nokia mobile phones.
This is followed by Motorola, with a 15 per cent share of the market and Sony Ericsson, with 5 per cent.
Visa quota hits US tech firms
US technology companies may face a shortage of skilled workers later this year after US immigration services reached its annual quota for visa applications in one day.
The US immigration service received more than 150,000 applications for the H-1B visa on Monday, nearly double the number of visas it can grant for the fiscal year beginning October 1st, 2007 .- (Reuters)
