This is the company's first step towards building and enhancing a comprehensive database, which it will make available to the public.
Jul 10, 2007
SPH Search Pte Ltd (SPH Search), a joint venture between local media giant Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and Norway's leading media group Schibsted ASA (Schibsted), has launched a nation-wide project to collect business data of all companies here.
SPH Search has appointed Connect Centre to assist it with this project.
Connect Centre, a professional contact centre, will contact all local and foreign companies and businesses in Singapore to collect key information on their set-up. The initial data collection process will take 3 to 6 months.
The business data collection exercise is the company's first step towards building and enhancing a comprehensive database, which it will make available to the public.
The core of this database comes from information collected over the years from multiple sources by many units within the Singapore Press Holdings' group.
This database will form one element of the core products of SPH Search's offering at launch next year. SPH Search aims to provide the country's first online search engine focusing on all things local.
Ms Elsie Chua, Chairman of SPH Search, said: 'SPH Search aims to be the leading local search engine, the first choice for anyone who is searching for information on Singapore, its people and businesses. This data collection exercise is key for us to ensure that SPH Search is able to provide the latest and most relevant information that consumers want.'
'SPH Search's efforts will build on the set of business information collected over the years through other SPH business units,' she added.
Mr Paul Jansen, SPH Search's Chief Executive Officer, said: 'We picked Connect Centre because we were impressed with its professionalism. It gives us confidence that the information it gathers for us will be accurate.
'This is important in order for us to serve our users well. But it is even more important for the businesses, whose cooperation we seek, as the information they provide will increase their transparency and boost their public profile, enabling them to reach out to more potential customers once we make public our database.'
Mr Johnson Goh, Director of Marketing for SPH Search, says the information in SPH Search will be constantly updated.
'Companies can look forward to an easy to use interface that allows them to update their particulars online in the near future. That service will be made available on our website soon,' he said.
Connect Centre won the Gold Award (Best Outsourced category) in 2006 for both Singapore as well as Regional Contact Centre Awards (China/HongKong/Malaysia/Singapore), organised by Contact Centre Association of Singapore.
Ms Catherine Foo, General Manager of Connect Centre, said her firm will provide timely insight for client's planning and decision-making purposes.
Members of the public or corporate companies who wish to verify that the calls they received are from Connect Centre can contact the company at the following numbers:
Tel: 6511 0622
Fax: 6511 0636
Email:
sphsearch@connectcentre.com.sg
sourxe:
http://ir.asiaone.com/sph/membercoSt...00bd0a0a0aRCRD 
