118 24 7, the UK business telephone numbers and directory enquiries service from directories business Yell, has won the title of “Best UK Service” for a fourth year at major international awards for the information services industry.

The win gives the service a 100 per cent success rate for each year the category has been run in the International Directory Assistance Awards – a significant track record and a reflection of Yell’s focus over the years in establishing a high quality service run from UK call centres.

118 24 7 also clinched awards for “Best Marketing Campaign” and “Customer Service Agent of the Year” in the 2009 awards, organised by the independent industry monitor 118tracker.com.

Its win in the “Best Marketing Campaign” follows 118 24 7’s highly successful advertising campaign earlier this year across TV, radio and online, and based on the cult internet cartoon character “Magical Trevor”.

Matthew Bottomley, director of new media product marketing for Yell in the UK, said: “When you promote a service with the tag line of ‘Directory Heaven’, it is vital that the experience lives up to the billing.

“We have continued to build on our track record for excellent service, through highly effective staff training and a determined focus on always putting our callers first. Our clutch of awards in a strongly contested international event is a huge endorsement of the quality of our service and our people.”

118 24 7, which operates from call centres in Bristol and Newport, secured the “Best UK Service” award after being judged on criteria including service quality and performance management, efficiency and innovation.

The “Customer Service Agent of the Year” title went to Bristol call centre agent Kevin Allen who has worked at 118 24 7 for three years. He was cited in the submission as setting himself apart from his peers “through hard work, a positive approach, and a constant determination to improve the service.”

118 24 7’s recent “Directory Heaven” campaign was its first stand-alone advertising drive and aimed at promoting usage and awareness through emphasising the service number in a fun, highly catchy manner.

In its first weeks it generated an uplift in calls of around 70 per cent and attracted a huge following on YouTube and internet forums.

Matthew Bottomley added: “The ‘Directory Heaven’ campaign really struck a chord with our consumers. As well as being particularly successful in driving calls, the innovative way we developed our brand created a clear identity which gained strong affinity with users.”

-Ends-

For more information please contact:
Yell
Jon Salmon, Yell Press Office
Tel: 0118 950 6656
Mobile: 07801 977340
jon.salmon[at]yellgroup[dot]com

Demelza Fryer-Saxby
Tel: 0118 950 6977
Mobile: 0783 4893174
demelza.fryer-saxby[at]yellgroup[dot]com

118tracker.com
Tel: 0844 357 5749
info[at]118tracker[dot]com

Notes to Editors
About 118 24 7
118 24 7 is a telephone-based information service that provides in-depth, up-to-date classified business information, business and residential listings, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More than just a number, 118 24 7 provides essential business information such as opening hours, location details, prices and special offers or even film times and summaries*. The service is also available via SMS through TextBack.

118 24 7 is provided by Yell, a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK, US, Spain and Latin America through printed, online and telephone-based media. Yell’s principal brands include: in the UK, Yellow Pages, Yell.com and 118 24 7; in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com; and in Spain, Paginas Amarillas and PaginasAmarillas.es. All these brands are trademarks.

Yell's online image library, containing product shots and logos can be found at: www.yellgroup.com/images
*Film summaries only available for 118 24 7 voice service.
www.yellgroup.com

About 118tracker.com
118tracker.com is Europe's leading provider of quality conferences, awards and networking events for all aspects of the information industries. 118tracker.com was launched in 2003 before the UK de-regulation of directory enquiries. Directory enquiries has developed from just providing numbers into complete information services e.g. ask for anything, local search,
mapping, directions, mobile applications, location based services & enhanced
information. All conferences and awards reflect the current topics and ensure discussions are relevant and up-to date.

Distributed on behalf of Yell by NeonDrum (http://www.neondrum.com)
Nicky Denovan
Tel: +44 7747 017654
nicky[at]neondrum[dot]com