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Hamburg University library wins government-backed IT award
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Virtual library assistant Stella awarded for innovation and efficiency
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Chatbot helps students and takes load off librarians
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Hamburg, November 21st 2006 –
For the past two years or more, Stella has been tirelessly answering queries relating to the Hamburg State and University Library - seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and always with a friendly smile. Now she has received her well-earned wage: the virtual officer was distinguished as a particularly efficient and innovative library IT application at the "Library Innovation 2006" competition. Stella was developed using the dialogue software produced by Hamburg software company novomind.
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This competition, which is backed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, comes with some attractive prizes: Stella’s Hamburg-based "employer" is the happy recipient of €7,000 for book acquisitions, as well as software licences worth another €5,000. The IT departments of Bremen and Bielefeld’s university libraries also received awards.
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The Hamburg Chatbot provides research advice, informs people about opening hours and assists borrowers in extending their lending periods. Stella is popular among students; she conducts more than 300 conversations every day. The high quality of information provided often means people do not need to make their way to Reception or reach for the phone. This way Stella takes the load off her human counterparts, who are left with more time for more complex advisory tasks.
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This has all been made possible by the novomind iQ™ communication technology developed by Hamburg software company novomind. This software, which has won the "Seal of Excellence" award several times, provided the basis for Stella. Stella was equipped with the specialist knowledge required by library users in collaboration with kiwi repro 68 interaktive medien gmbh, and in close conjunction with the State and University Library. novomind’s online agents are now guiding users through the websites of the German Bundestag, several government ministries, and numerous well-known online shops.
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novomind is a software developer in Hamburg and the fastest-growing company in the field of electronic customer communications and mail management. As the leading provider of innovative solutions for digital customer communications, novomind AG provides software for service-oriented and personalised customer dealings. The software not only optimises efficiency in customer administration significantly, it also gives the user a faster return on investment. The portfolio of the Products division includes the novomind Self Service Suite™. The software package contains all the communication modules necessary for a customer service centre on a central knowledge basis: e-mail management, virtual customer consulting and systems for interactive, real-time communication. The novomind AG Services division implements complex e-business applications. More than 40 major companies have already decided in favour of novomind technology, among them Citibank, Otto, Yello Strom and the German pension institution Deutsche Rentenversicherung. Club Bertelsmann, EnBW and Mexx as well as public-sector users, such as the German Bundestag (parliament) and the German Department of Trade and Industry, have already successfully introduced novomind systems to optimise their customer communications, turnover and PR.
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