This past Christmas, I was among the many shoppers who took to the Web in an effort to
avoid the parking nightmares and madding holiday crowds. And, for the most part, my Web
shopping experiences were good ones; of at least a dozen items ordered from the Web, only
one — a relatively hard-to-find aquarium-hobbyist atlas — did not arrive in time
for Christmas.
The news from the other side has been equally promising. For many e-commerce sites,
this past Christmas shopping season lived up to its promise as an alternative to brick and
mortar stores for consumers. And despite continuing challenges, particularly with regard
to better customer service and having advertised items in stock, most e-commerce sites
were not particularly rattled by the rush.
Now the question is whether customers will continue to shop online and whether they
will develop loyalty to certain sites as they commonly do for brick-and- mortar stores.
While there’s no predicting with certainty whether Web-based commerce will evolve to
replace many brick and mortar stores or continue as an adjunct to them, there are many
things that e-commerce sites can do to encourage consumers to continue to rely on the Web
as a primary source for shopping. And certainly, as with call centers, knowing your
customers — as individuals, to a large degree — goes a long way towards giving
the people what they want.
A consortium of industry leaders has recently emerged with the goal of helping
companies answer those questions about their online business structures. The Centric Group
— a collaboration of companies led by Ernst & Young and including Lucent
Technologies, Siebel Systems, and Genesys Telecommunications — recently announced
plans to help companies to establish total Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
solutions.
Leveraging the talents of the sponsor members, The Centric Group hopes to serve as a
customer connection catalyst to help companies figure out their customer relationship
strategies and solutions. The sponsor members announced that they have built an integrated
technology showcase using a Connected Enterprise Architecture that demonstrates end-to-end
CRM solutions. They are also offering training at their Customer Solutions Center in
Chicago, with three types of program choices to address customer needs at different
stages. The education session is an ongoing series of high-level discussions hosted by The
Centric Group that focuses on critical customer connecting issues. These sessions are
intended to raise awareness of key customer contact strategies, from capitalizing on the
Web and ensuring customer care to understanding your customer relationship management ROI
and more.
The Centric Group’s online Knowledge Center provides a wealth of information on
integrated CRM solutions and strategies, including case studies, white papers, articles,
and useful links. Topics cover a wide range of issues, from workflow management
considerations to successfully integrating your front-end and back-end systems. While it
should not be considered your only source for figuring out the complexities of creating a
CRM solution, it is a good start. The following pages should help point you to the most
current product releases and industry news to ensure that your considerations include the
most up-to-date information as well.
Customer Contact News
MCK Releases IP-Enabled Remote Telephony Solutions
MCK Communications has released its IP-enabled product suite, allowing remote and branch
employees to utilize the features of corporate business telephone systems over IP
networks. MCK’s new IP product family includes a new EXTender 4000 client device, a
software upgrade to the Branch Office EXTender 6000, and a PBXgateway. The MCK EXTender
4000 is a compact plug-and-play device that attaches to the remote worker’s digital
business telephone and desktop PC. It can be plugged directly into a 10BaseT Ethernet port
on a LAN or an IP network device, such as a router, DSL modem, or cable modem, for remote
access applications. The Branch Office EXTender 6000 is designed to support remote offices
with 24 employees or fewer, and will allow new and existing Branch Office EXTender 6000
customers to use, or migrate to, the new IP platform.. The PBXgateway is a higher-density
switch solution that terminates remote clients. It resides on the corporate network and
provides an interface to the enterprise PBX and all of its supported applications.
Enhancements include SNMP management support and an HTML monitoring interface.
No. 530, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Right Now Upgrades E-Service System
Right Now Technologies announced that it has upgraded its Right Now Web e-service system,
incorporating several new features to help companies deploy Web-based customer service
systems. Right Now Web 3.0 incorporates new modules, including Right Now Email, a natural
language auto e-mail response system; Right Now Survey, an automated customer satisfaction
survey; Right Now Contracts for service contract administration; Right Now Live, which
supports real-time chat and telephony integration; Right Now SDK, which helps customers
integrate Right Now Web’s knowledgebase engine into other home-grown and third-party
applications; and expanded multilingual product support. Right Now Technologies plans to
introduce other new products and services over the next six months, which will culminate
in the creation of a portal-class Internet customer-care system.
No. 531, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
NICE Enhances NiceLog Recording System
NICE Systems introduced the next generation of its flagship digital recording system,
NiceLog version 8.1, tailored specifically to meet the needs of the trading floor and
contact center markets. NiceLog 8.1 offers multiple capabilities for customers on one
platform, including total recording, recording on demand, selective recording, real-time
monitoring and recording, and quality management. NiceLog 8.1 now offers additional
playback options, as well as the traditional speaker, voice over LAN, and dial-up playback
methods. Up to 60 users can play back conversations simultaneously from a single recorder
via speakers, telephone, or multimedia PC, and users can send recordings as e-mail via
Microsoft Outlook. NiceLog users can also access recordings from any telephone by using a
new IVR system. NiceLog 8.1 offers up to 224 recording channels per unit, and unlimited
number of channels per system. Other enhancements include free-seating capabilities, more
archiving options, and improved reliability including dual power supplies in every system.
No. 532, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
COM2001 Enhances InternetPBX
COM2001 introduced an Operator’s Console and a new module to its InternetPBX, an
office and communications system featuring unified messaging based on Microsoft Exchange.
The Operator’s Console simplifies the monitoring and answering of calls from anywhere
within the virtual organization, allowing users to better manage tasks related to
real-time calling and caller identification, regardless of the type of telephone set being
used. The Call Center ACD module, designed for small to medium-sized call centers, enables
call center agents to see which callers are waiting in the queue and allows supervisors to
hear, whisper, and barge into conversations in progress. The InternetPBX runs under
Microsoft Windows NT, and integrates with Microsoft Exchange Server and BackOffice.
Features include unified messaging, integrated digital phone system, conference bridge,
and auto-attendant with speech recognition capabilities.
No. 533, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Intersis Ships VoiXX Version 2.5
Intersis has released VoiXX version 2.5, voice for Microsoft Exchange, with enhanced
features including automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech technology from Lernout
& Hauspie. Using VoiXX 2.5, a user can send and receive voice or e-mail messages using
their Microsoft Exchange/Outlook account or any telephone. When the user receives an
e-mail or voice message in their inbox, VoiXX can automatically call the user on their
cell phone and play the message or use natural text-to-speech technology to read the
message to the user. The user can then reply to the message and VoiXX sends the voice
reply to the original sender via e-mail. VoiXX is a software-only unified messaging
environment that relies on the same information stores, directories, transports, and
security as Microsoft Exchange Server. VoiXX can be scaled to thousands of users and
supports both multi-server and multi-site installations. Six languages, in addition to
English, are supported.
No. 534, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Lucent’s IP ExchangeComm Now Available
Lucent announced the IP ExchangeComm system and applications, allowing businesses to move
voice, data, and fax communications over LANs and WANs, and eliminating the need for
separate voice and data networks. IP ExchangeComm’s distributed architecture allows
businesses to share resources across multiple locations, eliminating the need for a server
at each site. IP ExchangeComm runs on Compaq’s ProLiant 1850R or 1600 server using
Microsoft Windows NT. IP Exchange CallManager software provides call routing and PBX-like
telephony features, including hold, transfer, conference, and call forward. A built-in
auto-attendant function and voice mail are also included. IP ExchangeComm can handle up to
96 devices, including analog phones, Lucent multi-button PARTNER digital phone sets, and
fax machines. Lucent IP ExchangeAdapters convert telephone and fax machines into IP
clients, and an IP telephony gateway from Natural MicroSystems connects the system to the
PSTN. The price for the system is $500–$900 per user, depending on configuration.
No. 535, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Hammer Unveils ON-SITE SLM IVR Monitoring Service
Hammer announced its ON-SITE SLM services for continuous service level monitoring of
production Interactive Voice Response (IVR) applications. The new service places automated
test calls every 15 minutes into IVR applications to identify busy or out-of-order trunks,
IVR port failures, prompt errors and slowdowns, database and host access issues, and other
problems that can impact IVR application availability. If problems are found, the service
will generate an immediate page to the appropriate technical support group, identifying
the nature of the problem and where it was found. Unlike network-based system monitoring
tools, Hammer’s ON-SITE SLM surveillance places actual test calls into IVR
applications, interacting with the IVR applications just the way a customer would by
“listening” to IVR prompts, determining if the right prompt is playing, and
entering the appropriate responses to step through a call flow. Pricing starts at $5,000
per month plus a $5,000 one time set-up charge.
No. 536, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Artisoft And Intel Team To Deliver Standards-Based Computer
Telephony
Artisoft and Intel announced an intention to deliver standards-based computer telephony
(CT) products, which will allow both organizations to accelerate industry movement toward
open CT systems. Under the terms of a recently signed letter of intent, Artisoft will port
their software PBX, TeleVantage, to Intel’s CT Media open software platform; Intel
will license its CT Media platform to Artisoft; and Intel will acquire the rights to
Artisoft’s widely recognized Visual Voice product line. CT Media is an open software
platform for designing standards-based telecommunication servers that support
computer-telephony applications such as messaging, fax, automatic call distribution, and
other applications from different vendors. Additionally, Artisoft has recently announced
three strategic partnerships related to delivering open, standards-based computer
telephony products — with Intel, Toshiba, and TELECO.
No. 537, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Brooktrout Delivers RealComm 100 Server
Brooktrout announced its RealComm 100 standards-based communications server and software
development kit (SDK) that provides developers with an open, standards-based platform for
developing computer telephony (CT) applications. Release 1 of RealComm 100 includes client
and server software that implements the ECTF S.100 Revision 2 specification, GUI-based
configuration management utilities, and GUI installation scripts. Subsequent releases will
support a broader choice of capabilities, including support for the ECTF M.100 management
API, text-to-speech and automated speech recognition technologies, conferencing, IP
telephony, and implementation of future ECTF specifications such as A.100, S.300, and
M.500. The RealComm 100 SDK will initially support Brooktrout’s voice processing
boards, with later support planned for Brooktrout ‘s full line of voice and fax
boards. The RealComm 100 SDK is available immediately to selected participants of
Brooktrout’s Early Adopters initiative, and will be generally available to all
developers in March 2000 via the Brooktrout Web site.
No. 538, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Tundo Rolls Out Boundless PBX
Tundo released its Boundless PBX solution, which integrates the
customer’s existing legacy investments with an IP-based system, providing a migration
path from traditional circuit-switched networks to reliable, scalable packet-based
telephony. This solution will enable customers to utilize the features and functionality
of the PBX, while enjoying the cost and business benefits of the IP network. The Tundo
design utilizes open standards such as H.323, H.450, MGCP, CSTA, and SNMP to support
components from multiple vendors, system inter-working and applications integration. This
gives customers and developers flexibility in creating solutions that can build on
customers’ existing legacy telecom infrastructure and IP networks to lower operating
costs and increase functionality. The Boundless PBX solution is based on Tundo’s
Network Telephony System, which utilizes the company’s Distributed Open
Telephony-Operating System (DOT-OS), a Windows NT-based software platform and development
environment that uses distributed servers.
No. 539, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
IDT Offers Free Internet, Free Phone, And Free Fax
IDT Corporation announced that ZeroDinero.com will provide free Internet
service to all subscribers and free IP long distance and fax services to customers
nationwide. In addition to free Internet, domestic long distance, and fax services,
ZeroDinero.com plans to give subscribers the opportunity to earn credits toward free
international long-distance telephone calls by clicking on advertisements. The free
international long distance over the Internet will be available early in 2000. Customers
can call 1(800) 4-DINERO or go to www.zerodinero.com to pre-register for the service, and
get more information about ZeroDinero.com’s Free Internet service. Subscribers will
be e-mailed when service is available in their area.
No. 540, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
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