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Coach Manager Web Pack to Be Launched November 2004 – Allowing Online Quotation Requests

HAMILTON SQUARE, NJ -- Paradigm Technology Consulting, LLC (PTC) is pleased to announce the upcoming release of a new module (Web Pack) for Distinctive Systems Limited’s (DSL) Coach Manager CBS which is scheduled to be launched November 2004.

The Web Pack, which is being developed using Microsoft ASP .NET, will allow both an operator’s clients and staff to access selected features of the Coach Manager CBS product over the Internet using nothing more than a standard web browser.

The first Web Pack feature is a quotation request capability that will be accessed from a link on an operator’s website. Quotation requests, completed online by potential clients, will be written directly into the existing Coach Manager Quotation and Pricing System Microsoft SQL Server 2000 database structure. At this point operators will have a choice of two different response methods, either manual or automatic. In manual mode the system acknowledges receipt of the request and informs the operator’s staff that a new request has been received. A member of staff can then calculate a price using the existing Coach Manager price calculator. As soon as this has been done the system will email the price along with attached terms and conditions back to the client. In automatic mode the system uses the existing Coach Manager price calculator to work out the price and emails it straight back to the client. The Web Pack quotation request form will be able to validate the accuracy of pickup points and destinations using the Microsoft MapPoint Web Service, a low cost online service that operators can subscribe to. Use of this service will be optional in manual mode, but mandatory in automatic mode.

The second Web Pack feature will be a browser-based version of the Coach Manager CBS allocations diary. Operators will be able to use this to view their bookings for any given date and optionally change vehicle and driver allocations. There will also be facilities for checking available vehicles or drivers and accessing information such as driver’s telephone numbers. The main benefit of the Web Pack allocations diary is that it will enable operators to manage their bookings in response to changing operational circumstances when they are away from the office. This could be from home on a winter evening, or now that Wi-Fi connectivity has arrived, from beside the swimming pool at a hotel on the other side of the World. The Web Pack allocations diary will make use of the existing Coach Manager CBS security system to ensure that access is only granted to authorized members of staff.

The third and final Web Pack feature will be a selection of tools that will allow authorized clients to list their current bookings, view their account details and optionally print a statement or reprint an invoice.

PTC is the sole US distributor of the Distinctive Systems Limited product line and is a Microsoft Business Solutions Certified Partner as well as a Microsoft Certified Partner.

For further details please call toll free on (866) PTC INFO or visit www.busandcoachsystems.com