March/April 2003

Digital television operator Simply Television has chosen MGt, a Scottish-based business services and software specialist, to provide its Simply Shopping channels with a range of customer interaction and fulfilment services. They include sales order processing, customer management, payment processing, stock control and fulfilment.

Under the £750,000 a year contract, MGt will handle orders placed not only through Simply Shopping digital TV channels, but also from the Simply Web site or from its catalogue.

 

Initially MGt is taking on 25 new staff at its Kirkcaldy headquarters to manage the work. It already handles business in the broadcast sector for clients such as the BBC, Channel Four and Channel Five, and now employs 350 people in all.

UK-based Simply Television was launched in 2001, and owns and operates a network of shopping and entertainment channels, which are individually themed to cover subject areas such as health and fitness, holidays, music, nature, jewellery, home and nostalgia. They are all distributed free-to-air on satellite and cable platforms, and are available to over 17 million viewers throughout the UK.

MGt dates back to 1998, and chief executive Jonathan Guthrie says its expertise in the home shopping market "enables us to provide an end-to-end service from the initial sales order processing to the product delivery at the customer's door."

Its other customers include Sony Entertainment TV Asia, B4U, Zee TV and JML Direct, plus several local authorities and public bodies.