November 1999

• PakNetX
• CosmoCom, Inc.
• ITXC Corp.

The new Integrated Contact Center (ICC) from PakNetX is a software solution that allows companies to easily Web-enable their call centers, while adding customer service functionality to their existing Web sites. Supporting multiple means of communication, the ICC allows customers to interact with live customer service representatives through a Web site. Visitors may click a “Connect Me” button on the site, and they have the option of requesting a regular POTS callback, placing a VoIP call directly from the site, initiating a text chat session with a representative, or placing a POTS call to the customer service center.

The software supports traditional call center functionality through the PNX Diverse Media Switch, which allows communication sessions of all media types to be distributed within the contact center. Sessions are then supported by tools like browser sharing, and video and data collaboration. The ICC can operate independently, or may be integrated with a variety of call center systems, and does not require a pre-existing gateway or PBX. It may be enhanced by the PNX Telephone Interface Module (TIM) or a third-party gateway to process incoming and outgoing POTS calls.

The ICC may be installed out of the box on Windows NT, and it may also be preinstalled with a PakNetX server. It can be easily connected to the Internet, as well as the call center’s LAN, allowing service representatives to accept calls on their desktops, or through a phone if the software is connected to the TIM or a gateway. The ICC may also be integrated with major CSTA-based CTI applications, for connectivity to back-office systems.

Traditional call center features, powered by the Diverse Media Switch, include call management and control through conferencing, hold/retrieve functions, transfer, three-way calling, manager monitoring, and barge-in functionality. Additional features include the ability to play audio, video, and multimedia messages for customers on hold, as well as instant messaging using the H.323 protocol. This provides opportunities for up-selling or cross-selling while customers are in the queue, waiting for agents. For additional information, visit PakNetX’s Web site at www.paknetx.com.

The new version of CosmoCom’s Web-enabled call center software, the CosmoCall Universe, is a multimedia, multi-channel interaction center product, offering high availability and automatic distribution intelligence. The software may be scaled across multiple servers, and distributed intelligence enables up to 8,000 agents to handle 50,000 simultaneous calls or messages, for an average of 200 call arrivals per second.

The CosmoCall Universe features fault tolerance, hot swappability, N+1 server redundancy, and high availability for above-average performance standards. A clustered server fail-over architecture, along with a T1 digital interface, add to the ruggedness of this automatic call distributor (ACD) solution. Other interfaces and standards supported include E1 and Euro ISDN, H.323 compliance for voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications, and interactive voice response (IVR) support.
Management of the Universe is easy with a virtually unlimited number of queues, skills, priorities, and agent groups, as well as links among groups and queues. The software may be managed through remote administration and backup, through industry-standard scripting languages. Administrators may set up application-specific configuration and customization, and can receive real-time statistics and reporting. Application integration may also be set up via COM+ components.

Other features of the Universe include an improved user interface for administrators, and a variety of functions for supervisors, including telephone and chat coaching, silent monitoring, barge-in, remote management, team objects, and browser-based historical reports. Enhancements for agents include lower bandwidth usage for remote agents, autocomplete functionality, replaceable parameters, and URLs for canned phrases, wrap-up and unavailable reason codes, and configurable icon bars. Security features include MSMQ for communication transport, and HTTPS and SSL for secure caller data communications. Browser embedded video for callers is also included in this new version. For more information, visit the CosmoCom Web site at www.cosmocom.com.

ITXC’s new Borderless800 service allows carriers and resellers outside the United States to offer subscribers free or low-cost access to U.S. 800, 888, and 877 numbers through phone-to-phone and fax-to-fax connections. Callers can reach these numbers through a standard phone, and do not need a computer to make the connection. In addition to reducing costs for customers, the service eliminates the special dialing instructions usually required with the Universal International Freephone Numbering (UIFN) system, and the expense of the International Toll-Free Service (ITFS).

The offering allows companies with toll-free numbers advertised nationally to broaden their reach into international markets. Affiliates of ITXC throughout the world also have the ability to offer toll-free calling within their own countries now, and other carriers and resellers on the ITXC.net affiliate network will also be able to access those numbers. Additional benefits of the new service include expansion of traffic while complementing Web-based selling. Individuals with 8XX telephone and pager numbers will also benefit from the new service.

ITXC’s WweXchange service offers wholesale call completion to any phone in the world over IP and the PSTN network. Carriers, ISPs, and Internet telephony service providers (ITSPs) are part of the company’s affiliate network, ITXC.net. It operates in 73 cities, 35 countries, and offers 118 points of presence (PoPs). For additional information, visit ITXC’s Web site at www.itxc.com