Data Capture Software Firms Merge

Canadian firm In-Touch Survey Systems has acquired NCI Mobility of Chicago. Both firms provide technology-based data capture tools.

NCI will be acquired for 670,000 In-Touch shares, and a cash amount of $750k will be paid over three years, contingent on meeting monthly revenue targets.

Privately held NCI provides technology to enable brand and event marketers to gather consumer information including contact information, demographics and brand preferences. The firm also designs mobile technology which allows personalized communications to be sent to attendees during or immediately following events.

Similarly, In-Touch offers a wide range of data capture products, including its interactive marketing kiosk, PDAs, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solutions, and CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). The firm also runs full service mystery shop programs.

In-Touch plans to add NCI's customer base to its own, and expects to realize economies of scale from merging the two operations. It also plans to consolidate research and development and operations at its Ottawa facility to improve profit margins and optimize current operational resources.

Six NCI employees will continue their employment with In-Touch, including four sales people and two employees in client operations.

'We are excited at the prospect of providing a broader and deeper array of digital marketing solutions' said NCI SVP David Perlmutter. 'We view this alignment as a means to enhance our current offering, providing our clients with the most technologically advanced products and services to meet and exceed their event, engagement and CRM goals.'

In-Touch CEO Michael Gaffney says the acquisition will provide additional momentum for the firm's goal of reaching $2.5m in quarterly revenue in 2009: 'With this new sales presence in Chicago we are very excited to add another building block on our goal of 30-40% annual growth through a combination of organic growth and acquisition'.

Earlier this year, In-Touch acquired MarketLine Research, supplier of the MarketVU CATI / analysis system.

Web site: www.intouchsurvey.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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