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March 1996

New Products...
CTI Products...
Happenings...
Mergers & Acquisitions...
Strategic Alliances...
Contracts and Installations...
Expansions...
International News...
People...

New Products...

  • Telemarketing Software For Windows
    3D Software Services has announced it now offers a Windows version of TelePrompt software (version 1B) that will allow the user to select a contact from a list in the main screen and tab to a profile edit, multiple item, unlimited notes or call history screen. The Windows version is available for Windows 95 or Windows 3.x and can use local files or client/server databases. The local files supported are FoxPro, Dbase and Paradox. Client/server databases are Oracle, Sybase or any ODBC 2.0-compliant database. For more information, contact David Cushman Griffis at 415-574-0178.


  • Two New Headsets
    ACS Wireless, Inc. has announced the release of two new headsets. The Expression(TM) headset is designed for image-conscious business professionals who thought they would never wear a headset. Weighing only 0.9 ounces, the Expression features a self-positioning receiver that can rest on either ear, a patented ear-lobe hinge that adjusts to the individual to provide stability and a custom fit, and a slim, tapered microphone boom with noise-cancelling capabilities. ACS also announced the release of the Applause(TM) series of monaural and binaural headsets, which provide a low-profile receiver with soft foam ear cushion(s) mounted on a rotating ball joint that precisely positions either style on an individual's ear(s). Applause's custom fit ability is designed to allow users to appreciate its rich bass sound quality, and its noise-cancelling microphone and amplifier are designed to deliver communications without 95 percent of the background noise. For more information, contact Cynthia Zumwalt at 408-461-3281.


  • Topic Management System
    Appintec Corporation has announced the introduction of ActionWare400(R) (AW/400(R)), designed to allow AS/400 users to manage a database of contacts and activities with a single keystroke. AW/400 was evolved from Appintec's contact/activity management system, TeleMagic/400, a relational database to support information management in the AS/400 environment, functioning both as a personal and group information manager. Additional new add-on products include CallProWare(TM), CallCenterManager(TM), FastFaxWare(TM) and ActionMail(TM). Key features of AW/400 include: data manager for business contacts; activity manager, an automatic tracking system; campaign management, which provides integrated scripting; on-line mail handling and electronic mail; inbound/outbound call handling; and individual and group productivity tools. For more information, contact Monica Samaniego at 510-450-1550.


  • Ergonomically Correct Chairs
    BodyBilt Seating has announced the release of its Zero Gravity K-Series chairs. Studies of astronauts resting in the zero-gravity environment of space show that the body's natural, stress-free posture was a trunk-to-thigh ratio of about 128 degrees. This ratio places the various parts of the musculoskeletal system in correct alignment, and facilitates proper breathing, digestion and circulation. BodyBilt's line of seating was developed to help users approximate that zero-gravity posture while working. BodyBilt chairs have a variety of special armrests, the Linear Tracking Arm(TM) and Pivot!Arm(TM) that are designed to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries. The contoured seat was initially based on the design of an English saddle, a design that reduces seated pressure by as much as 50 percent. All BodyBilt chairs come with a computerized owner's manual called the On-Line User's Guide, which allows seated workers to access specific remedies for lower back pain, neck and shoulder tension and other aches and pains commonly associated with long-term seated posture. For more information, call 214-233-8504.


  • Workgroup Information Software
    Commence Corporation (formerly Jensen-Jones, Inc.) has announced the introduction of Commence 3.1, an upgrade of Commence 3.0 Workgroup and Personal versions. Designed to meet the business needs of corporate departments and small to mid-sized businesses, the software enables users to manage their business information across networks and within workgroups, including remote users and off-site locations. New features include: improved Views and Forms due to improved reporting capabilities that allow items to be grouped, with optional subtotals for each group; new tools such as Find & Replace, a Floating Tool Bar, Tiled Views for either horizontal or vertical display, and Drag and Drop Filters; and an improved desktop that allows each desktop to have a unique View Bar, View Menu, and Agents. Commence 3.1 also offers increased protection and improved agent features for task automation. For more information, contact Monica Felsmann at 908-530-4666, ext. 203.


  • Skills-Based Routing Product
    Cybernetics Systems International and BARD Technologies, Inc. have announced the release of callLAB Professional, a skills-based routing companion product designed to assist users of WorkForce Manager Professional (a Windows-based forecasting and scheduling system) in optimizing schedules for their call centers. The current version of WorkForce Manager Professional gives the user the ability to forecast and schedule in a skills-based routing environment. callLAB Professional is designed to give the user the ability to test the results of the schedule prior to implementing it. The schedule created in WorkForce Manager Professional is optimized based upon performance predicted by callLAB Professional. This iterative process will enable WorkForce Manager to produce a schedule that best utilizes available call center resources. For more information, contact Lori Fratilla at 305-529-0020, ext. 3015.


  • Faxing From The Web
    CyberData, Inc. has announced the availability of its Select-A-FAX fax-on-demand service on the World Wide Web. Using a home page on the World Wide Web to display an index of product literature has proven to be an excellent tool for customer service or sales personnel to select and send sales literature to those who request it. Each requested document is selected with a click of the mouse by the customer service/sales representative on the Internet home page and then delivered via fax to the requesting party along with a custom cover note. Select-A-FAX can also be activated with e-mail. A formatted e-mail message generated at a client location can be forwarded to CyberData's host computer (where the client's product literature is stored) across the Internet to request product literature to be faxed to a specified party with a custom cover note. For more information, contact Theo Mavros at 516-942-8000.


  • Fax Developers Kit For Unix
    GammaLink Inc. has announced the release of its GammaFax Developers Kit (GDK) for Unix 1.1. The GDK for Unix 1.1 provides the software and utilities needed to create fax applications in SCO(TM)Unix, Interactive(TM)Unix and Unixware(TM)2.0 operating systems. The GDK for Unix 1.1 provides developers the capacity to build a 60-channel, send-and-receive fax system in Unixware 2.0. It features T.434 Binary File Transfer, providing the capability ofsending binary files at speeds up to 14.4Kbps with Error Correction Mode. GammaLink's fax board product line features 14.4 Kbps transmission/reception, MR (Modified READ) and MMR (Modified Modified READ) data compression, dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) detection, and Error Correction Mode. For more information, call 408-744-1400.


  • Software Evaluation Guide
    Information Management Associates, Inc. (IMA) has announced the availability of its newly developed Software Evaluation Guide. The guide is available to help companies that are looking into starting a call center or revamping their current operation to evaluate their needs and decide upon their functionality requirements. Respondents work through a Software Functionality Checklist of several major areas of concentration, including telemarketing, customer service, field sales and computer-telephony integration, and rate each item on its importance to their organization. The worksheet format is designed to encourage respondents to think about the functionality they need and consider what would enhance their operation. For more information, contact Kathy Corry at 203-925-6831.


  • Web Browsing With Pre-Paid Phone Card
    Interactive Media Works, LLC (IMW) has announced the introduction of its sampleNET CardSM (patent pending). Distributed as a promotional premium, the sampleNET CARD awards consumers a pre- determined amount of time either to make long-distance calls or surf the Web. With the sampleNET CARD, consumers first call an 800 number that instructs them to input their card's unique PIN (personal identification number). They are then prompted either to make a long-distance call or to leave their name and address if they want IMW's proprietary sampleNET Web access software mailed to them. After installation, the user's computer accesses the Internet and uses the same PIN to activate the browsing time. The Internet connection is made through local phone numbers of one or more national Internet access providers, lowering sponsor costs. Whenever the sampleNET software is used, it automatically connects to the Internet via the advertiser's home page, guaranteeing that the Web site will receive repeat visits each time the user logs on. For more information, call 913-385-0055.


  • Staff Planning & Monitoring Software
    Interface Solutions, Inc. has announced the release of Software Tools For Call Center Manager(TM) with Staff Planner version 5.0, Call Monitor version 3.0 and Staff Scheduler version 1.5. Staff Planner Version 5.0 includes new features that allow the user to define time intervals for service level and handle time, which can be independent of each other, to allow the user to set different performance levels for different times of the day. Additionally, reporting has been enhanced with staffing versus demand and "slack" bar graphs by time of day. Call Monitor version 3.0's new functions include a planning and scheduling feature. This feature uses individual performance levels to determine the sequence of the individuals and the number of calls to be monitored for each individual. A "to be monitored" scheduler will present the "to do list" of pending monitoring sessions. As monitoring schedules are completed, the individual will be rescheduled. Version 3.0 also includes the Client Performance Reporting function for reporting service quality. For more information, contact Paul Lucking at 970-668-0695.


  • A Quintet Of New Lists
    JAMI Marketing Services, Inc. has announced the availability of five new lists. The Sweepstakes Winning Hotline list contains highly responsive buyers of sweepstakes and premium incentive offers; the America's Elite New Credit Card Issues list contains new credit card holders; the Angel Times(TM) Magazine list contains highly responsive, mostly female subscribers to a growing, new publication about angels; the New Home Owners Superfile is one of the largest, most extensive new homeowners lists on the market; the Fiesta Marketing - Hispanic Buyers list features direct mail buyers of astrological forecasts and sweepstakes targeted to the Hispanic market. For more information, call 914-620-0700.


  • UPS Series
    MINUTEMAN has announced the introduction of the MINUTEMAN Pro Series of uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs). The Pro Series are available in 280, 420, 650, 1,000 and 1,400 VA units. Line- interactive boost and buck capabilities extend the voltage range of input power that the UPS can use without going into battery modes. The series also guards against spikes, surges and brownouts. A built-in microprocessor enables the bidirectional communications capability needed to work with MINUTEMAN's LANMASTER power management software. This software option offers safe, unattended shutdown capabilities and several power management functions. The series also has the ability to automatically sense the frequency of the incoming power and adjust itself accordingly. In addition, the series has an automatic self-diagnostic test, which is performed every 14 days, and a user- enacted test. For more information, contact Bill Allen at 214-446-7363.


  • Call Center System
    Pyderion has announced the availability of its Integrated Call Center System(TM) (ICCS). The ICCS architecture is designed to allow a company to start with a basic application and then expand as the needs of the company grow. The base ICCS system collects real-time data on the multiport control card processor. This multitasking capability extracts and stores the pertinent data from the CBX/PBX into a standard relational database format. The base system also provides the ability to store the raw data for a period of time to reprocess if necessary. A terminal emulator lets the user pass through ICCS and be on- line to the user's switch to see exactly what the user's workstation is receiving. Software application modules for the ICCS include Visual Display in real-time, Wall Display, Standard Reporting, Forecasting, Scheduling and Real-Time Agent Adherence. For more information, call 800-685-3180.


  • Support Services Group
    Principals from The MUNS Group, SAGE, The Knowledge Company, Help Tech and Enterprise Solutions, along with Char LaBounty, former director of membership services for Help Desk Institute, have announced they have formed Renaissance Partners, Inc. Renaissance Partners has acquired the assets of The MUNS Group and will combine these assets with the existing operations of the additional enterprises. The existing clients from each enterprise will continue to be served by Renaissance Partners. Renaissance Partners helps clients develop support services as a strategic leveraging point for improving organizationwide business performance. Renaissance Partners provides services throughout North America and around the world, including: operations; technology; outsourcing assessments; organizational development; team building; staffing analysis; process reengineering; market and customer research; project planning and project management; and training. For more information, contact Lon Hendrickson at 719-481-3823.


  • New Call Center Software
    Rockwell International Corporation, Switching Systems Division, has announced the release of two new call center software releases. The new release of Rockwell's Spectrum(TM) system software includes the following enhancements: call trace, which records step-by-step events as a call flows through a routing sequence; enhanced monitoring, which allows service quality monitoring of calls from any location; intelligent networking, which allows distribution of calls along multiple locations; and single-cabinet redundancy, which provides full system redundancy without requiring a second cabinet. Rockwell's Switching Systems Division also announced the release of Total ReCall Reports(TM), the first of Rockwell's Vision Suite(TM) family of call center productivity tools designed to work consistently with Rockwell's proposed Information Gateway Architecture for Call Centers client/server solutions. It offers easy access to historical data stored on Rockwell's Call Center InfoServer(TM) as well as information sources. Total ReCall Reports comes with a wide range of essential call center report templates. The templates are organized into three key categories: System Management, Network Resource and Staff Management. Users can create custom reports and can also import artwork or graphs from other applications into their reports and incorporate report data into other Windows applications. For more information, contact Ralph Schoen at 708-960-8111.


  • New Telemarketing Service
    Telemarketing service agency Telnet Systems, Inc. has announced the introduction of SAM, a Small Account Management service. Telnet service representatives assigned to SAM customers are thoroughly trained on the client's products, policies and procedures and made responsible for selling products, introducing promotions, price changes, etc. The TSR calls his or her assigned accounts as often as the client desires. When a customer initiates a call, it is always handled by the same Telnet TSR. Telnet says having customers always deal directly with the same person quickly establishes the rapport and confidence that builds sales at low cost that would otherwise be lost due to lack of consistent contacts by the client's field sales staff. For more information, contact Jerry Ray at 612-895-8307.


  • Help Desk For Mac And Windows
    Teubner & Associates, Inc. has announced the release of ESP, The Expert Support Program, a help desk system with cross-platform capability that allows it to run on both the Mac and on Windows and access the same set of ESP data from either workstation. With ESP's Fuzzy Logic Search (FLS) techniques, no programming is required and all solutions are presented in search results displays and are ranked in order of highest probability. ESP has the ability to retrieve a valid solution as long as some part of the search input is valid. Other features include: ESP Li@ison, which allows customers with Inter/intranet access to access their ESP knowledge base using a WWW browser; call logging, which, if a caller is unknown to the system, allows the help desk agent to enter the caller from the same call logging screen and then create the caller record behind the screen; and licensing of the ESP source code. For more information, contact Laine Medina at 916-432-3710.


CTI Products...

  • Windows-Based ACD
    Dees Communications has announced the availability of Mediator Direct, a Windows-based ACD (automatic call distributor). Designed to provide a cost-effective solution to the under-20-agent call center in a Centrex environment, Mediator Direct provides a fully functional ACD with comprehensive reporting and customizable queue announcements. Installation is done on a standard IBM-compatible PC, the Dees Mediator hardware interface, software and two Meridian(TM) Digital Centrex lines, eliminating the need for the installation of ACD software on the DSM100(TM) Central Office Switch or the installation of an on-premises ACD switch. Mediator Direct utilizes the Dees Mediator platform that incorporates Digital Signal Processor (DSP) technology that allows Mediator Direct to process and queue calls as well as play custom greetings to queued calls with its 8Kb voice compression algorithm. Mediator Direct includes: Queue Status Summary, Agent Status Summary, Abandoned Call Rate, Average Hold Time, Average Talk Time and more. For more information, contact Garry Shearer at 604-946-8433.


  • Half-Size Voice Board
    Dialogic Corporation has announced the availability of the DIALOG/4(TM), a four-line voice board in half-size format. The DIALOG/4 supports a full range of operating systems and runs on Windows 95, Windows NT, UNIX, NetWare, OS/2 and DOS. It provides four telephone line interface circuits approved for direct connection to analog loop-start lines and is widely scalable within the family of two- and four- line products. With the DIALOG/4, developers can create voice mail and messaging applications, interactive voice response (IVR) programs and telemarketing solutions, among other computer-telephony applications. A Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and general-purpose processor with 512k of memory compose a dual-processor system that offloads the PC host and frees it from complex applications. Up to 16 DIALOG/4s can be supported in a single system to allow growth up to 64 ports. Downloaded firmware algorithms, Dialogic's SpringWare, enable variable voice coding, DTMF detection, DTMF cut-through and talk off/play off suppression and global network signaling over a wide variety of telephone line conditions. For more information, call 201-993-3000.


  • Global CTI Software Products
    Genesys Labs has announced the availability of the Genesys Labs Product Suite, which connects to a wide range of popular automatic call distributors (ACDs) and switches and includes the following: T-Server, CTI middleware that integrates public or private switches, ACDs, IVRs, voice mail systems and predictive dialing technologies with other software applications; Call Router, software that makes routing decisions for single and multiple networked call centers based upon calling line identification (CLID), dialed number identification service (DNIS), agent skills and caller history; Call Center Manager, software that provides a real-time display of inbound, outbound and internal call center events from Genesys Labs products and other intelligent resources such as application software, IVRs and ACDs; Campaign Manager, software that delivers predictive dialing capabilities to a call center and implements inbound/outbound call blends; Call Concentrator, software that enables cradle-to-grave reporting of voice and data devices and targeted applications by depositing that information into a supported relational database management system (RDBMS); Softphone, screen-based telephony and other software tools that provide telephony events to existing customer applications; Video ACD(TM), software that supports voice, data and video call control for multimedia-enabled call centers; and T-Object 95(TM), a point-and- click development tool in Visual Basic that allows end users to combine and invoke features from telephone networks, Genesys Labs Applications and Microsoft Windows NT/95 packages. For more information, call 415-588-5149.


  • Call-Routing Software
    GeoTel Communications Corporation has announced the availability of Version 1.3 of its Intelligent CallRouter (ICR) software. It is a telephony software solution that provides call-by-call routing to multiple, geographically dispersed agent groups. The ICR creates a virtual call center network by linking agent groups across different automatic call distributor (ACD) platforms and 800-number providers. Version 1.3 includes more than 15 new features and enhancements. General areas include support for interface protocols for all three major interexchange carriers (AT&T, MCI and Sprint), the inclusion of additional switch interface support, upgrades to previously supported switches, customer database routing, SNMP support, automated installation procedures, the addition of Post-Routing(R) capabilities for the AT&T Definity G3 switch, fault tolerance on the Northern switch and distributed system synchronization. With Version 1.3, the ICR exceeds the network interface specifications, service performance requirements and responsiveness test standards of AT&T, MCI and Sprint, making it the only enterprisewide call distribution system to exceed the testing and benchmarking standards of all three major interexchange carriers. For more information, contact Nancy Pieretti at 508-486-1149.


  • Video Call Centers
    Intecom has announced it will make available EyeSite(TM), a video product designed for end users who can benefit from PC-based applications supplemented by personal interaction or product demonstrations via video. EyeSite relies on an ISDN-capable public or private network to provide connectivity between the video call center and remote customers. The Intecom E, an enterprise networking system with call center functionality, is the core platform. Intecom's Incite video products are integrated with the Intecom E via CTI links to create a true video call center. The remote customer interface will operate through video kiosks equipped with one or more vendor-specific PC-based application. Intecom plans to begin shipping EyeSite in the third quarter. For more information, contact Roxanna R. Cavazos at 214-447- 8085.


  • Client/Server Telemanagement System
    ISI Infortext has announced the introduction of Infortel-ETS(TM), its new client/server telemanagement system. It is designed to provide a single, relational database that is fully integrated with modules for call accounting, billing, network fault management, cable/facilities management, asset management and automatic switch interface (ASI). Infortel-ETS was designed for larger, multiple-site organizations with 5,000 stations or more. Because the entire system is served by a single, unified client/server relational database, the integrity of all data is ensured and the most current and comprehensive information is maintained. Infortel-ETS employs and supports Windows clients, Dynamic Data Exchange, Infortel-ETS APIs, open database connectivity, TCP/IP, Windows SNMP, UNIX servers and Windows sockets. For more information, contact Mitch Weiss at 800-366-6550.


  • Incoming Network Management Tool
    MCI has announced the release of MCI Call ManagerSM, a network management tool for major call center customers. The service automatically directs individual calls and balances loads across multiple agents completely within the MCI Intelligent Network. For call center customers, the MCI Call Manager processes calls in the network, freeing them from maintaining equipment at their premises. Within a fraction of a second, the network-based MCI Call Manager analyzes and directs each incoming call based on customer-specific policies or other pre-defined conditions. This rules-based routing allows the MCI network to automatically adapt to changes in call volumes and staffing resources for each destination in the network. On a call-by-call basis, MCI Call Manager sends the calls to the agent location that most closely matches the caller's profile and service requirements. By combining knowledge of the caller that is gained via automatic number identification (ANI) or customer-entered digits (CED), and the characteristics of the possible answering locations via live ACD feeds, each call is directed to the group of agents and the location best suited to handle the subject of the call without transfers or extended hold time. MCI developed the new network management tool in conjunction with IEX, a software development firm. For more information, contact Paul Adams at 800-644-NEWS.


  • Enhanced Call Center Capabilities
    SRX has announced the availability of OmniWorks(TM) Release 2.0. OmniWorks Release 2.0 supports eight simultaneous CTI links to different host computers, enabling call center applications to search effectively through a company's entire information resource and to deliver customer facts to agents. Searches can be launched by public network information such as automatic number identification (ANI) or dialed number identification service (DNIS), customer-entered digits (CED), or an unlimited range of OmniWorks decision parameters. This information is used for screen pops, to connect callers to automated services or to personalize routing of individual calls. Release 2.0 allows an agent to transmit automatically relevant information from a fax library or transfer the caller directly to specific audio messages. It also can display up to five questions on agent telephones. Through these questions, agents can collect facts about the transaction during or after the call. Release 2.0 also supports up to 15 OmniWorks InfoBoard messaging display units. Each user-defined color display can show any information available to the supervisor. Individual boards can be tailored to specific agent teams. For more information, contact Ly'nne Grignon at 214-985-2742.


  • Telephony Toolkit
    Technically Speaking, Inc. has announced the availability of ReadIt, software-only text-to-speech conversion tools for Show N Tel(TM), Technically Speaking's computer-telephony application development environment. Based on Berkeley Speech Technolo-gies' BeSTspeech TTS-Soft(TM) text-to- speech technology, ReadIt is designed to make it easy for developers to add advanced speech synthesis functions to messaging, interactive voice response and other telephony applications. ReadIt allows Show N Tel applications to support up to 30 concurrent synthesized speech processes on any Pentium-class PC without dedicated text-to-speech processing boards, eliminating the cost and support demands of additional system hardware. Since text-to-speech resources can "float" from phone line to phone line as needed by callers, a single system can share text-to-speech resources on up to 96 lines. With ReadIt, text- to-speech functionality is enabled through Show N Tel development objects called VoiceSentences(TM), which weave prerecorded speech with variables retrieved from database queries - defined graphically or through SQL objects - to create an application's voice responses and prompts. ReadIt allows developers to embed text-to-speech elements in VoiceSentences to speak the contents of ASCII files, database variables and text input in Show N Tel VoiceSentence comment files. For more information, contact Al Balasco at 508-229-7777, ext. 163.


  • Network-Based Application Management
    Voicetek Corporation has announced the introduction of Generations(R) 3.0, the latest release of its open and extensible graphical software platform for the development, deployment and management of computer-telephony applications. Release 3.0 offers enhanced capabilities in three key areas: management, development and internation- al signaling protocol support. Using its integrated Simple Network Manage-ment Protocol (SNMP) support, messages can be sent from within user applications and from Generations' internal system processes to remote network management systems, such as IBM NetView, Sun Mircrosystems SunNet Manager, or HP OpenView. The SNMP option enhances existing Generations event reporting, diagnostic and trouble-shooting capabilities. The CELL BUILDER option enables users to create reusable Generations functions ("cells") to represent processing or server interfaces unique to their installation. Designed to support Bellcore's Analog Display Services Interface (ADSI), the new ADSI option provides a family of applications cells to facilitate integration of ADSI-based screen telephones, providing users with the ability to develop a new class of applications that provide the caller with screen menus and input forms on display telephones. Other productivity enhancements in Release 3.0 include simplified access and order control of SQL queries, enhanced subroutine development functionality to allow more flexible development of modular applications, and remote access to relational databases. It also has incorporated additional signaling protocol support. Specifically, international signaling systems for China, Germany, Malaysia (Singapore), Mexico, Switzerland, the UK and most of Europe are now supported by generations. For more information, contact Catherine Jaspersohn at 508-250-7924.


Happenings...

  • Brock Announces Internet Strategy
    Brock Control Systems, Inc. has announced the first phase of its Internet/World Wide Web strategy, which includes Brock's own Internet Web site, http://www.broc.com, as well as new integrated Web solutions which Brock will begin delivering at no additional charge with its TakeControl(TM) software in mid-1996. Brock will utilize a Microsoft Windows NT server with Microsoft Internet Information server, the Microsoft Internet Studio Web authoring tool, and by the second quarter of 1996, Brock will use the Microsoft SQL Server(TM) database to support its on-line information repositories.


  • Davox Web Home Page
    Davox Corporation has announced that its new home page is now on-line on the World Wide Web. The Davox home page offers a variety of company, product, investor and employment information. The Davox Home Page is accessible via all major Web browsers and provides an electronic mail feature to allow visitors to request additional information. Davox's Web address is http://www.davox.com.


  • New Name, Headquarters For Innovative
    Innovative Telemarketing has announced in has changed its name to Innovative TeleSoulutions, L.P. to better reflect its mix of business, which in addition to outbound sales and lead generation also includes specialty inbound calling and telesales consulting. "We found that many people, upon hearing our name, pictured purely an outbound consumer sales operation," said Innovative CEO Rod Sanders. "Whereas our outbound business consists largely of business-to-business calling, our total business mix also includes a great deal of inbound call taking and consulting." The new headquarters, in the top floor of a downtown Ft. Worth office building, are designed with clients in mind. They feature two sizeable guest offices for visiting clients to work from, plentiful meeting areas and a spectacular view of both downtown and west Ft. Worth.


  • InterVoice Issued Patent
    InterVoice, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued it a patent relating to computer-telephony integration (CTI) in customer premise equipment (CPE) and telephone company (telco) call centers. The patent was issued to Daniel Hammond, InterVoice co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board, and assigned to InterVoice. Said Hammond, "Though the patent covers a number of areas relating to the handling of calls into call centers, there are at least two key components of the patent, both of which offer benefits to callers and call center personnel. First is the system's ability to transfer callers to multiple applications and to customer service representatives while retaining unified software control of the calls from inception to termination. Second, the patent covers the system's ability to monitor and collect information throughout the duration of a call, and create and maintain, on a call-by- call basis, a single, meta-record of the entire call."


  • Telephone To PC Through USB
    Mitel Corporation has announced it has demonstrated the world's first telephone-to-PC connection using the Universal Serial Bus (USB) during the Universal Serial Bus Developer's Conference in Santa Clara, California. Mitel's demonstration of an actual USB telephone marks the arrival of USB telephony, a new class of PC peripheral. PCs can now be telephony-enabled simply and easily without having to open the box while providing the same level of functionality as traditional plug-in card solutions. Designed to provide a standard, low-cost, "plug-and-play" interface between PCs and peripherals, the Universal Serial Bus brings higher speed PC-to-peripheral communications, allows for hot attach/detach of peripherals and provides for the connection of multiple devices to a single serial port. Mitel also announced the launch of its World Wide Web site on the Internet, which can be accessed at http://www.mitel.com. Containing product and corporate profiles, career information, news clippings, press releases, customer profiles and sales information, the Mitel WWW site has been designed to offer a thorough overview of Mitel's products, services and human resource needs.


Mergers & Acquisitions...

    • Aurora Systems To Be Acquired By Comdial
      Aurora Systems, Inc. has announced it will be acquired and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Comdial Corporation. Aurora Systems is a supplier of computer-telephony integration (CTI) software and is the manufacturer of FastCall(R), which runs on the Microsoft TAPI and Novell TSAPI standard CTI platforms. Comdial Corporation is a designer, developer and supplier of a broad range of advanced telecommunications products and system solutions based on CTI. Aurora will continue to be led by Paul M. Gasparro, CEO, and Maryann P. Walsh, president, and will remain in its Acton, Massachusetts headquarters.


    • Discount Acquires Great American Events
      Stuart Discount, president of Tele-Response Center Inc., has announced that he has acquired Great American Events Inc. of Parkersburg, West Virginia, for an undisclosed amount of cash. Discount said that he purchased 100 percent of the Great American Events stock and has taken over the management of the firm, which provides tele-fundraising campaigns for law enforcement and fire associations throughout West Virginia. In addition to its Parkersburg headquarters, the company will continue to operate offices in Huntington, Morgantown and Wheeling. Discount also notes that he plans to expand the company's client base and create more employment opportunities within the state.


    • Harte-Hanks To Merge With DiMark And Acquire Stake In SiteSpecific
      Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. and DiMark, Inc. have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement providing for the merger of DiMark with a wholly owned subsidiary of Harte-Hanks in a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction to be accounted for as a pooling of interests. Under the agreement, DiMark stock holders will receive, in a fixed exchange ratio without a collar, .656 of a share of Harte-Hanks common stock for each share of DiMark common stock, which equates to $15 dollars per share based on the closing price of Harte-Hanks common stock on February 2, 1996. Harte-Hanks also announced plans to acquire a minority stake in SiteSpecific, Inc., a full-service creative Internet agency focusing on strategic on-line marketing services and tools. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.


    Expansions...

    • ChekDEBIT(R) Relocates
      ChekDEBIT has announced it has completed its expansion and relocation. The new location in Seminole, Florida, which encompasses 3,600 square feet, is double the size of its previous location in Seminole. ChekDEBIT employs more than 30 people.


    • Dakotah Direct Opens New Facility
      Dakotah Direct Incorporated has announced it has opened a new facility for its subsidiary, Dakotah Reserva-tions Services. The new office is located in Newport News, Virginia and will handle reservations for the East Coast airline ValuJet. Initially, the facility will employ 330 people with employment rising to 600 at maturity in July or August of this year. Housed in a 21,000-square-foot building located at the airport in Newport News, it will primarily service ValuJet's reservation needs, but will also solicit other inbound call telemarketing business. This new addition brings Dakotah's employee base to 1,500 nationwide when coupled with its other call centers in DeKalb, Illinois, Blair, Nebraska and the corporate office in Spokane, Washington.


    Strategic Alliances...

    • Dictaphone/Applied Voice Technology Venture
      Dictaphone Corporation and Applied Voice Technology, Inc. have announced a multimillion-dollar strategic alliance in which Dictaphone will market and support AVT's voice and call processing systems worldwide under the Dictaphone brand name. The agreement brings significant technological enhancements to Dictaphone's current line of digital voice processing systems. Dictaphone will immediately begin marketing and supporting the product line through its more than 1,600 sales, service and support representatives worldwide and in more than 190 U.S. cities, and through direct operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy. Dictaphone's dedicated dealer organizations in 40 other countries will also market the products. Dictaphone will market the AVT system under a newly created trademark - synergy(TM) systems - a family of digital computer-based integrated communications management systems. As part of the agreement, Dictaphone and AVT will collaborate to further evolve the synergy system's capabilities.


    • Davis Software/Samsung Partnership
      Davis Software Engineering and Samsung Telecommunications America has announced they have joined forces to provide a total TSAPI computer-telephony integration (CTI) solution for the desktop. Davis Software has written TSAPI switch driver software to interface with the Samsung ProStar DCS key telephone system. The driver integrates with Novell's NetWare Telephony Services (NTS) allowing these applications to connect to the switch and route or manipulate calls. NTS is a server-based system for linking telephones and switches to a computer network. "The marriage of the popular Samsung DCS Key Telephone System with the Novell LAN NTS provides a significant user empowerment in the business work group environment," said John J. Holesha, senior product engineer, Samsung Telecom-munications America. "The result is a modular approach to putting together business computer and telephony applications."


    • Gannett Marketing Companies Form Alliance
      Telematch, Gannett Telemarketing, Inc. and Gannett Direct Marketing Services, Inc. have announced they have launched a joint venture by combining the services they offer to the rapidly expanding direct marketing industry. The new service group has the ability to develop and implement direct marketing programs for targeted markets through the combined resources, capabilities and services of the three units. As a full service provider, the units offer a complete range of services that include inbound and outbound telemarketing, telephone number and data appending, database management, data processing, direct mail solicitation, fulfillment and laser printing.


    Contracts and Installations...

    • AT&T Contracts
      AT&T has announced it has won three-year contracts worth at least $56 million with Westin Hotels & Resorts to provide the telecommunications power behind Westin's growth strategy. The contracts extend Westin's existing Software Defined Network (SDN) linking all Westin locations. Also included is AT&T Toll-Free 800 Service to give customers access to Westin's reservation center. For Westin's guests, AT&T offers teleconferencing services and "O+" operator services for charged calls. AT&T also announced that Public Technology, Inc. (PTI), a nonprofit technology organization for local and state governments, has chosen AT&T in a competitively bid procurement process leading to a five-year contract worth at least $30 million. Now local governments and state agencies can sign up for group rates on AT&T long-distance calling, toll-free calling, cellular calling, switched data services and teleconferencing. Participating jurisdictions also have the option of AT&T calling cards, allowing government employees to enjoy group rates when calling from off-site locations.


    • Periphonics Contracts
      Periphonics has announced that the Vermont Department of Employment and Training has installed a Periphonics interactive voice response (IVR) system to automate the operations of its job placement and unemployment compensation programs. "The realization of The Job Line and The Unemployment Line has allowed the Vermont Department of Employment and Training to provide improved unemployment insurance services to our clients," said Ed Orton, project administrator. "The Job Line lets the public learn of all available jobs, free of charge, from any telephone in Vermont," continued Orton. The Unemployment Insurance Line permits callers to file for their next weekly benefit, verify when the last check was written and request district office locations. This information is accessed with a social security number along with a personal identification number. Periphonics also announced it has installed its VPS/VAS IVR technology at PacifiCare Health Systems, based in Cypress, California. PacifiCare provides service for 1.7 million members in six states through multiple organizations. "Our first application," said Brad Kobayashi, PacifiCare's development manager, "was developed to support our HMOs in Florida, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, California and Washington. This application allows hospitals and providers to verify patient eligibility with PacifiCare. The second application we developed was the Pharmacy Benefit Maximum Verification system. This application was developed for members of our Secure Horizons program, who have a pharmaceutical dollar limit each year. They can call into the system to find out the remaining balance allowed under their benefit."


    • Government Purchases Rockwell System
      The Switching Systems Division of Rockwell International Corporation has announced the sale of a Spectrum(TM) Integrated Call Center System to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, headquartered in Washington, D.C. This Spectrum system is used by an estimated population of 2.3 million government retirees to obtain information regarding their retirement annuity, make adjustments to health benefits, tax withholdings and life insurance. The calls will be handled by 59 agents located in Washington, D.C., with a remote center located in Boyers, Pennsylvania using 49 agents. Recently, the Office of Personnel Management added 14 more agents to handle the Retirement Tax Department's calls at the Washington location. In addition to offering retirement information, the Rockwell system supports a private congressional and senatorial hot line to allow inquiries by Congress and the Senate into retiree concerns. This Spectrum application involves connection with several PBXs, one located at the remote site, and a voice response unit. The Spectrum system will collect caller names and addresses in order to receive various retirement forms when requested.


    International News.

    • ICT Group Opens Center In St. John
      ICT Group, Inc. has announced the opening of a call center in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The 8,000-square-foot facility will specialize in marketing to the financial services and insurance industries. At full capacity, it will have 80 predictive dialing stations staffed by nearly 250 telephone sales and service representatives working multiple shifts. The Saint John area was chosen for this center because of its strong, bilingual (French/English) workforce, its pro-business government and its state-of-the-art, fiber-optic digital telecommunications infrastructure. ICT Group employs more than 275 professionals in management, sales, systems and operations and 3,000 TSRs and research interviewers. With 22 telemarketing call centers in nine states, Europe and Canada, it supports outbound as well as 800 inbound calling for domestic and multinational corporations and institutions.


    • Puerto Rican Service Agency
      Servitel, Inc., located in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, has announced it has begun offering telemarketing services and consulting services. Telemarketing services offered by Servitel include: sales promotions, surveys, promotions for services and products, appointment making, promotions and mailings, and other telemarketing applications. As consultants, Servitel offers seminars, workshops, training and conferences, as well as consulting for in-house telemarketing departments. As an additional service, Servitel provides its clients with a monthly newsletter about telemarketing. For more information, call 809-763-3868.


    • Voysys/CSK Distribution Agreement
      Voysys Corporation, a supplier of voice communications systems, and CSK Corporation, one of Japan's largest software companies, have announced that CSK will distribute Voysys' voysAccess interactive voice response (IVR) toolkit to the Japanese market. Under the terms of the agreement, CSK will translate VoysAccess for Japanese users, and develop and market complete IVR applications to key vertical markets in Japan. VoysAccess is a family of IVR toolkits that provides developers and value- added resellers with the tools they need to build telephony applications without prior telephony experience. Currently, VoysAccess is compatible with most popular programming languages, including FoxPro, Visual FoxPro and Visual Basic. CSK will distribute the Visual Basic version of VoysAccess, which includes VoysDesigner for quick generation of Visual Basic source code and an OLE custom control (OCX) for adding telephony functions to any database application.


    • Watts To Open New Center
      Watts Communications Ltd. has announced it will open a call center in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The new center, when fully operational, is expected to create 240 full-time jobs and will be located in the West Royalty Industrial Park. "This is great news for Charlottetown and for the entire province," said Premier Catherine Callbeck. "We are making progress in developing new industries to supplement our traditional ones. I am very proud that we have been able to attract such a reputable company with a solid track record. They are bringing good, relevant, full-time employment to Islanders." Colin Taylor, president of Watts Communications Ltd., added, "It is our intention to establish a long-term presence on the Island. We are proud of our role as employers and developers of people. We look forward to partnering with Enterprise PEI and Island Tel to the benefit of all involved."


    People...

    • Edify Corporation, a provider of software for interactive services, has announced the appointment of Dr. Stewart Schuster to its board of directors.


    • Telemarketing service agency Custom Telemarketing Services, Inc. has appointed Richard F. Madzel as senior partner.


    • List and computer services provider Database America Companies has named Jule Albanese as vice president of national sales for its List Services Division.


    • Gloria Osborn has been promoted to vice president of sales and market development for telemarketing service agency MATRIXX Marketing, Inc.


    • Professional services provider Arthur Andersen has announced the following appointments: Kelly Klute, consulting manager, to its U.S. National Communications Practice; Michael Mullineaux, consulting manager, to its U.S. National Telecommunications Practice; and Rick Rolph, senior manager, to its U.S. Communications Industry Practice.


    • Check-over-the-phone service provider ChekDEBIT(R) has announced the following appointments: Jeffrey Ray as marketing director, Andrea Constantine as marketing assistant and Connie Tewksbury as assistant to the president.


    • Coherent Communications Systems Corporation, a provider of voice enhancement technology, has announced the following appointments: Dan Wonak as vice president of operations, Ed Pruitt as vice president of manufacturing, Kirk Kern as wireless sales manager and Sperry Kaler as wireline sales manager.


    • Teleconferencing service provider Connex International, Inc. has announced the following appointments: Michael Bowman as technology manager of Connex's Lawrence, Kansas facility, Diana Kitsmiller as teleconferencing manager and B.J. McAlhaney as human resources manager.


    • Victoria Erickson has been named public relations and information manager at telemarketing service agency Dakotah Direct, Inc.


    • Call center solutions provider Melita International has named Kenneth T. Venuti director of product management.


    • John Krug and Bill Castillo have both been named as manager of telemarketing at telemarketing service agency TeleSTAR Marketing, Inc.



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