November 1, 1995

NYNEX CONTACT: Media Relations, (212) 395-0500

NYNEX and Nobody Beats The Wiz Sell Communications Services

Over the Air and Off the Shelf

ALBANY, NY -- Ordering telecommunications services took a leap into the future today when a videoconference kiosk at the Nobody Beats The Wiz electronics store in Albany connected shoppers by voice and video with NYNEX sales representatives.

The first-of-its-kind video kiosk, which is being tested at the Nobody Beats The Wiz superstore at the Crossgates Shopping Mall on Western Avenue in Albany, will enable shoppers to see and talk face-to-face with NYNEX representatives located in Westchester County about the full line of NYNEX consumer and small business products and services.

The kiosk utilizes NYNEX ISDN technology to create a full-color videoconference between the shopper and the NYNEX representative. A Nobody Beats The Wiz customer can inquire about NYNEX products and services, such as Call ID, Call Answering, or an additional line, and then discuss the necessary communications equipment, such as a modem, fax machine or number display device, with a store salesperson.

In another innovative program between the two companies, NYNEX Call Answering Servicesm will be packaged at all 31 Nobody Beats The Wiz stores in New York, so shoppers will be able to pick the service off the shelf and pay for it at the stores cash registers, just as they would any other consumer electronics product. NYNEX Call Answering is a network-based service that records messages from callers when the customer is using the telephone or not able to answer the phone.

The packaged Call Answering in a Box offers shoppers a significant discount over standard prices. For just $9.99, Nobody Beats The Wiz customers can get six months of the service. After purchasing the packaged Call Answering, all a person needs to do to activate the service is call a toll-free number included inside the box.

These two programs represent an innovative approach to technology use and creative marketing, said Judy Haberkorn, NYNEX vice president for Consumer Markets. The video kiosk creates a virtual representative within a successful high-traffic, retail environment. It is also a valuable way to familiarize customers with the capabilities of our ISDN service, the future means of transmission. The packaged Call Answering, which is perfect for gift-giving, enables shoppers to see and touch a service that is the next generation answering machine.

Calls over the video kiosk and orders to activate Call Answering will be handled by specially trained NYNEX customer service representatives.

Said Kathy Ciner, president of Communications Workers of America, Local 1105, The kiosk concept is a true example of technology being utilized to improve the companys market share and increase sales. The CWA and its members are pleased to be part of this inventive program that brings together NYNEX and Nobody Beats The Wiz customers with state-of-the-art communications.

According to Michael Frosch, senior vice president for Sales at Nobody Beats The Wiz, the new programs mean greater customer convenience and satisfaction. Once again, Nobody Beats The Wiz leads the way in putting technology to good use for its customers. If a customer wants to order Call ID, they need only walk a few feet to sample telephone sets that have a built-in screen. If they purchase a computer, ordering an additional line to accommodate the modem is a simple task.

NYNEX is a global communications and media company that provides a full range of services in the northeastern United States and high-growth markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Gibraltar, Greece, Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Corporation is a leader in the telecommunications, wireless communications, cable television, directory publishing and entertainment and information services.

FAX copies of recent NYNEX news releases are available free of charge, 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-331-1214 and an automated system will provide instructions.

return to news archive