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Customer Inter@ction Solutions News
May 2001

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Expansions

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Lucent Launches ClientCare 3.0
Lucent Technologies Inc. launched Release 3.0 of its ClientCare Call Center DE (Deluxe Edition) product. ClientCare is designed to allow small- and medium-sized businesses using Centrex systems to more cost-effectively manage customer contacts with many of the sales and service contact center capabilities usually associated with larger companies. The new TrueConnect feature allows ClientCare to support enterprise call centers where some or all agents do not have personal computers running a soft-phone application. Agents can use any telephone to carry out all of their call center work functions. ClientCare Call Center DE offers inbound call handling and routing that can be blended with complex outbound campaigns and a comprehensive Internet suite of services. The Internet Suite gives call center agents the ability to simultaneously handle voice, e-mail, fax, chat, call-back, call-through and Web-based queries. Part of Lucent's iCentrex Solutions product portfolio, ClientCare is a switch-independent, network-based application.
www.lucent.com / Ph: 800-526-7819

OutlookSoft Releases Analytic Software Portal
OutlookSoft Corporation announced the availability of its OutlookSoft Enterprise Analytic Portal (EAP), designed to provide the benefits of end user-driven enterprise analytic reporting and collaborative, bi-directional data collection. These benefits include immediate access to critical information; an improved flow of data throughout a corporation; an enhanced decision-making process; and the ability of managers to quickly adapt to changing market conditions. OutlookSoft EAP also provides many features of a corporate portal, including access to multiple internal and external data stores, but with faster implementation and at a fraction of the cost of traditional portals. OutlookSoft also announced availability of Financial Planning and Analysis (FPA), its first application module built upon the EAP foundation. The application replaces the company's current Everest offering.
www.outlooksoft.com / Ph: 203-964-3100

Magic Web Development Tool Debuts
Magic Software Enterprises unveiled Magic eDeveloper, its new Web development tool. Magic eDeveloper is designed to enable developers to easily and rapidly build interactive Web applications and complex e-business solutions in a dynamic environment. Part of the Magic eBusiness Platform, eDeveloper employs an enhanced, browser-based deployment paradigm and offers open, extensible support for leading Internet Web browsers and servers, application servers, languages and databases. Features include an object-oriented repository that developers can use to define objects once and use the object properties throughout their applications; a component framework for building application components and to integrate external application components and other business processes; and improved event-based programming for better definition of application logic.
www.magicsoftware.com / Ph: 877-673-8737

CallCenter@nywhere 4.0 Activates
Telephony@Work recently introduced CallCenter@nywhere 4.0, its e-contact center solution for call centers, telcos and application service providers (ASPs). It includes a suite of browser-based supervision, provisioning and report generation interfaces, and completes the platform's migration to thin-client, browser-based computing. Contact center supervisors and systems administrators can perform all tasks from anywhere in the world using any computer equipped with a Web browser. The product also includes new Multi-Host Data Streaming Technology that allows telco or ASP subscribers of hosted CallCenter@nywhere services to have their real-time contact center data streamed into their on-premises databases, even through firewalls. CallCenter@nywhere 4.0 can now be hosted on multiple UNIX platforms as an alternative to Windows NT/2000.
www.telephonyatwork.com / Ph: 858-410-1600

Siemens Powers Up MobileOffice Portfolio
Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc. released enhancements to two key elements of its HiPath MobileOffice portfolio, the HiPath Xpressions 470 unified messaging system and the HiPath Teleworking application. HiPath Xpressions 470, a converged, mobile unified messaging system, now features increased networking capability to serve larger enterprises, SMTP notification for wireless devices, a single point of administration for adding, modifying and deleting subscribers, and concurrent support of up to five languages per system. The HiPath Teleworking mobility application, designed to deliver greater flexibility and control, now includes the flexibility to use the device of choice (e.g., fixed or mobile telephone, PC, PDA), access to powerful Hicom features, voice menus for easy feature access and HiPath DeskSharing for corporate hotelling.
www.hipath.com / Ph: 800-814-1680

Personalized Portal Services From Novell
Novell, Inc. announced the availability of Novell Portal Services 1.0, e-business software designed to boost employee productivity and enhance relationships with customers and partners by providing personalized, single-view access to files, collaboration tools, information and applications from all over the Net. Users sign on once to gain browser-based access to the applications and information resources they need. Novell Portal Services takes advantage of the identity-based information stored in Novell NDS eDirectory to create a personalized portal for each user. The content for personalized portals can come from any source; e.g., a corporate network, an Extranet, the Internet, etc. Based on Internet standards such as Java and XML, Novell Portal Services simplifies the accessibility of all Net resources regardless of platform, supporting NetWare, Windows NT/2000, Solaris and Linux operating systems, and provides a framework that simplifies access to Web-based services as well as enterprise applications.
www.novell.com / Ph: 888-321-4272

MatchLogic Enhances eVista
MatchLogic, Inc. announced the latest version of its relationship marketing application, eVista 3.0. Designed specifically for marketers, this release is intended to assist companies in better managing their customer interactions and to enable marketers to analyze customer data and create sophisticated, relevant offline and online campaigns easily. eVista 3.0's enhancements include a browser-based interface for personalized message creation, the capability to create embedded, trackable URLs within message content, improved campaign navigation and management, content testing, message format optimization, customized e-mail campaigns with response tracking and the availability of past campaign response data as selection criteria for future campaigns.
www.matchlogic.com / Ph: 888-205-5899

ObjectWorld Unveils UM Solution
ObjectWorld, Inc. recently launched CallAttendant Office, a multichannel, PBX-integrated, object-oriented unified messaging application and communication system. Geared to small- to medium-sized enterprises, the solution is fully integrated with MS Exchange, providing a single communications interface for corporate users. It features an intuitive graphical user interface for management and administration, intelligent call flow scripts with a variety of options and remote visual management from any network-connected computer.
www.objectworld.com / Ph: 819-770-9998

Mercom Intros Support Option
Mercom Systems, Inc., a provider of computer telephony solutions for CRM and related markets, announced that Network Attached Storage (NAS) support is available as an option for its Audiolog Recording Servers. The option allows Audiolog Recording Servers to archive recorded material to standard NAS devices with TCP/IP addressing that have been attached to the same local or wide-area network as the Audiolog Recording Server, providing automated backups and centralized management and security for the files. Archiving can be automated both for offices on a LAN and for geographically dispersed branch locations on an enterprise's WAN. The software can also control how long the material is stored on the NAS device before deletion.
www.mercom.com / Ph: 888-637-2661

Talisma Presents Marketing Suite
Talisma Corporation rolled out its Talisma Marketing Suite, designed to help companies attain better one-to-one marketing through its seamlessly integrated service, sales and marketing capabilities. This integration provides a comprehensive customer view that leverages information across entire organizations, allowing the creation of highly personalized, traditional and electronic marketing campaigns to generate leads, sales and increased customer loyalty. It uses data from multiple channels (e-mail, phone, Web, fax, etc.) for targeting specific audiences and connects with external data sources to increase mailing list size and "reach." Additional features include graphical workflow tools for campaign design and management, personalized messaging capabilities, distributed analytics for real-time analysis and decision support, on-the-fly campaign adjustment and future campaigns forecasting.
www.talisma.com / Ph: 888-462-3484

ASP-Based Field Service Management System
Antenna Software, Inc. completed the rollout of Antenna ServiceTools ASP, a hosted version of its enterprise Web and wireless field service management software. ServiceTools is intended to meet the needs of small- and mid-market service providers for improving client satisfaction and increasing profits using the newest technologies. Designed for the Internet, ServiceTools connects service managers, technicians, inventory managers and customers in real time. It enables everyone in the service delivery chain to track service requests and service status via the Web and wireless devices, ensures that parts are ordered and shipped, and service is delivered; eliminating telephone bottlenecks and communications breakdowns. Full-featured and easy to use, ServiceTools wireless applications communicate with the ServiceTools Web server via a wireless service provider network.
www.antennasoftware.com / Ph: 212-343-2866

Island Data Enhances Express Response
Island Data Corporation has released Express Response 5.4. This version of the hosted online customer service solution is designed to expand the ability to follow up on abandoned service interactions, enable feedback from end users on the quality of automated replies and broaden the set of knowledge base management tools. The application receives Internet-based customer queries from Web forms, e-mail and FAQs, analyzes the queries using natural language processing techniques and generates relevant responses from its existing knowledge base. Enhancements to the Knowledge Base Manager (KBM) allow companies to enter information more easily, review documents and publish them to the knowledge base. New functionality enables knowledge base managers to gather customer insights and feedback by showing how their end users are selecting information supplied from the company's knowledge base.
www.islanddata.com / Ph: 760 517-4161

CustomerSat Delivers Satisfaction Solution
CustomerSat, Inc. released eCEM System 4, a hosted solution designed to provide enterprisewide help to increase retention rates and build customer and employee loyalty. The solution captures real-time feedback and measures performance from almost any customer and employee contact point. Using new functionality to capture, link and analyze ongoing feedback, eCEM System 4 creates a single view of the customer experience, empowering users throughout the organization and delivers personalized service for building customer loyalty. The solution offers user-specific portals and dynamic reports that provide users with feedback and performance information relevant to their responsibilities. Also, application-specific products were designed to more easily integrate with key enterprise systems. The products include CRMConnect (integrates with CRM/contact systems), WEBConnect (integrates with Web sites), HRConnect (with HRMS systems) and ITConnect (with internal help desk systems).
www.customersat.com / Ph: 800-372-7772

Eyeball Adds Chat, Privacy Enhancements
Eyeball Networks, Inc. reported the release of Eyeball Chat LE v1.2, the new version of its free video chat service designed to deliver high-quality video over any Internet connection. The new version adds instant messaging capabilities, intended to bridge the gap between text and video communications. Additional features include enhanced text messaging, call management features for personal privacy and tighter integration with Web-based services. Eyeball Chat LE v1.2 for Windows is available as a free download from the Web.
www.eyeball.com / Ph: 604-921-5993

InTelegy Delivers Employee Evaluation Product
InTelegy Corporation unveiled InTelegent Performance (IP), a proprietary human resources software product designed to evaluate, track and improve employee performance within contact centers. IP is an Internet-based program with an underlying Microsoft SQL Server database, which will be hosted and secured at a service provider's data center. IP can track, score and weigh performance of call center employees in categories including attendance, job knowledge, productivity, revenue, quality and leadership. The performance data can be mined on a daily basis and be used to support career-path development for employees. The data from each call center will also be monitored by InTelegy management for review and evaluation of each center's performance, as well as comparisons, tracking and trending between call centers.
www.InTelegy.com / Ph: 877-478-2255

Unica Adds Privacy-Enabling Features To Affinium
Unica Corporation, a provider of analytical CRM and marketing automation solutions, announced a "privacy initiative" intended to help companies automate best privacy practices. New privacy enabling features embedded throughout Unica's modular, cross-channel marketing solution, the Affinium Suite, are designed to help companies protect customers' privacy while offering the benefits of personalized marketing and services. The automated features enable Unica customers to build sound marketing and privacy practices into their day-to-day operations more easily while reducing human error, limit access to and visibility of customer information, implement e-mail best practices and honor customer preferences throughout the marketing process. In a related move, the company named its general counsel, Rachael Shanahan, its first chief privacy officer.
www.unicacorp.com / 781-259-5900

Everdream Launches IT Solutions Service
Everdream Corporation recently deployed ITReady, a service designed to enhance the competitive advantage of IT solution providers, including enterprise IT departments, VARs and OEMs. With ITReady, solution providers get the license to use Everdream's services under their own brand. ITReady gives solution providers the ability to enhance customer ownership, add value to their existing service and product portfolio, and generate new revenue streams.
ITReady clients gain access to the Everdream Solutions Center that delivers a variety of services, including: secure online backup, virus protection, Virtual Desk-Side Assistance, self-healing capabilities, image management and back-end integration, unlimited Internet access (including a Web-based e-mail account), Web design and hosting, etc.
www.everdream.com / Ph: 510-818-5500

Calltrol Upgrades OTS
Calltrol Corporation (formerly Buffalo International) implemented upgrades to its Object Telephony Server (OTS) for reducing network overhead and improving system performance. OTS can complement or eliminate traditional telephony systems and is designed to facilitate quicker, seamless integration for telephony-enabling e-business and CRM applications. The changes to OTS are implemented in the optional Active X controls provided to integrators and developers. Calltrol also reported the launch of a virtual version of OTS. This hosted option uses dynamically shared, network maintained resources for easier configuration of multiple sites and home-based agents.
www.calltrol.com / Ph: 877-673-6284

ToonUp Your Morale-Building Efforts
MaraStar Communications introduced a CD-ROM entitled "ToonUp Your Call Center." The product includes ToonUps and StarGrams; short, animated cartoons that deliver training and communications messages directly to the desktops of employees via e-mail. The animations help to improve skills and boost morale. ToonUps include animations of typical call center scenarios along with messages and tips. StarGrams are animated cartoons that can be sent via email to recognize achievements and promotions, announce company events and welcome new employees. The CD includes ToonUps, StarGrams, a user's guide, course guides and printable takeaways.
www.marastar.com / Ph: 866-866-6877

GMT Planet-Jupiter Edition Enhanced
GMT Corporation (GMT) announced version 7.5 of GMT Planet-Jupiter Edition. Release 7.5 has a more powerful scheduling wizard and provides instant feedback of critical information (such as service levels, cost budgeting, paid time off and schedule changes) and enhancements for controlling a variety of scheduling scenarios. The Paid-Time-Off module now allows for allocation of paid-time-off usage for all positions worked by employees who work multiple positions. Additional features include long-term FTE planning and cost budgeting. Staffing requirements are summarized on a new screen and there is a schedule pop-up window that shows all details of a shift including phone time, off phone work, other duties, breaks, etc. A new Crystal Reports feature provides a wide range of customized and standard reports. The reports can be exported via e-mail using MAPI e-mail and can be viewed simultaneously along with other GMT windows.
www.gmtcorp.com / Ph: 770 416-6000

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Convergys And Geneva To Combine
Convergys Corporation, a provider of integrated billing and customer care services, and Geneva Technology Ltd. of Cambridge, U.K., a provider of convergent billing software for the telecommunications, e-commerce, utilities and online services marketplaces, announced intentions to merge. Geneva Technology will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Convergys Corporation, operating as the Geneva business unit. A spokesman stated that the company is positioned to now deliver both modular and end-to-end billing solutions to all tiers of the communications marketplace, in licensed or outsourced delivery models, for current and next-generation communications providers. The expanded product portfolio will drive sales in targeted, vertical markets in Western Europe, the United States and Latin America.

Crius Nets Web-Based Collection And Reporting Systems Developer
Crius, Inc., a consulting firm in the areas of computer networking, architecture and communications, announced it has acquired the assets of privately held Galileo Development Systems. Specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The acquisition provides Crius with products, technologies and industry experience expected to extend its capabilities as a provider of high-level network and information system consulting and solutions. This will provide Crius' customers with an expanded ability to create Internet and e-commerce technology-based services, as well as provide what Crius terms a critical product in the Web-based time and expense marketplace. As part of the acquisition, Galileo's president and co-founder, Michael Strich, has joined Crius as President of Galileo Development Corporation and will serve on its board.

OnDemand Acquires North Systems
OnDemand Inc., a provider of partner relationship management solutions, and North Systems, Inc., a multichannel, business-to-business solutions provider, signed a definitive merger agreement, combining OnDemand's cross-industry customer base and strategic industry partnerships with North System's strength in the manufacturing and industrial markets. The merger expects to achieve greater product penetration across a wider range of vertical markets, targeting companies of all sizes that need to leverage different types of partners across their demand chain.

SAS Acquires Intrinsic Value
SAS Institute Inc., provider of analytical customer relationship management solutions, has acquired the business of Intrinsic, a U.K.-based campaign management software vendor. The acquisition follows a successful partnership through which SAS and Intrinsic developed the end-to-end SAS Solution for Enterprise Marketing Automation (EMA). The partnership was announced in June 2000, when SAS made an investment of $5.78 million in Intrinsic. The acquisition weds the combination of data warehousing and data mining with state-of-the-art campaign management and is expected to power what SAS termed a "total marketing automation" integrated solution.

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Echopass Initiates Echosystem Program
Echopass Corporation, a provider of integrated contact center communication solutions, announced the Echosystem program, intended to link technology and service companies engaged in building next-generation, hosted contact center communications solutions. The network currently includes companies such as Compaq Computer Corporation, e-Mail Solutions, Genesys, NICE Systems and Nortel Networks.

GWI Announces Exchange 2000 Server Support
GWI Software, a provider of collaborative IT help desk and customer support solutions, announced it is diversifying its focus to support additional collaborative platforms. GWI will become a Microsoft business partner and develop the first "shrink-wrapped" IT help desk and customer service solution for the Microsoft Exchange 2000 environment. The company will port its c.Support application to the MS Exchange 2000 platform and provide features including incident management, knowledge management, task management, asset management and end-user self-help features. The MS Exchange 2000 version of c.Support is slated for availability during the second quarter of 2001.

IKON To Offer HDI Training Program
IKON Education Services, a business unit of IKON Office Solutions, Inc., was granted a nonexclusive license to deliver Help Desk Institute's (HDI) certification training programs. Initially, IKON will provide training leading to the first level of certification, Help Desk Analyst, and has plans to offer courseware leading to Help Desk Support Engineer (HDSE) and Help Desk Manager (HDM) certification.

ReaderBoards.com Adds File Sharing For Members
ReaderBoards.com, a Web site designed for building a community and interactive resource for people who work within or support the call center industry, announced the availability of an online file-sharing feature for its members, which will allow them to share documents and files with each other or the Internet community. Members can manage their documents using simple pushbutton functions. Each member is provided two personal file areas, one for files visible across the entire Web, the other for "members only" viewing. Members wishing to set up more restricted security areas (to support their clients or employee groups, for example) are also accommodated. Membership is free. A valid e-mail address and sign-on are the minimum requirements to join.

Calvin Meets CRM
Swallow Information Systems reported that the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is implementing CHARTER continuum, Swallow's enterprisewide CRM solution, to handle service for its 54,000 members, pensioners and dependents. The contract is for a 100-seat license to cover both frontline customer service and back-office administration within the various departments of the organization. The Board decided it needed a centralized system to manage all channels of member communication in order to offer value-added services and develop greater member intimacy. CHARTER continuum replaces the Board of Pensions' homegrown call tracking system and will be used to scan in paper correspondence and record all contact and member inquiries. The last stage of implementation will include the integration of a tool to manage Web contacts and face-to-face visits by representatives at regional locations.

You'll Never Surf Alone: WEBHEADS
Tired of just having your own reflection for companionship between e-mail and screen pops? First Ideas, creators of the Couch Potato Doll, came up with a companion/distraction that is all in good fun. WEBHEADS, plush 8-inch high dolls, come in a variety of characters (Auntie Virus and e-Male, for example) that sit on or around your computer and have a photo frame embedded in their heads. A squeeze to the top of the doll's head causes the plastic frame covering its face to open, providing a photo opportunity to personalize the character.

Expansions

Knowledge Anywhere Increases Regional Presence
Knowledge Anywhere, a provider of Web-based training solutions for corporations and business professionals, expanded its Seattle, Washington headquarters and reported expansions in six regions in the U.S. To accommodate current needs and projected demand, it added sales personnel in Los Angeles, California, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois and Portland, Oregon, and opened branches in San Francisco, California and Florida. The company also plans to expand to seven additional cities during the second quarter of this year.

Marketlink Adds New Facility
Marketlink, Inc. opened a new outbound call center in Fairmont, Minnesota. The 48-station call center will initially have a staff of 50, the majority of which are full-time telephone sales representatives. The firm specializes in telephone-based sales services for the cable television industry.

Syntellect Continues European Expansion
Syntellect Inc., a provider of software and hosted services for customer contact centers, announced it is opening two new offices, one in the Benelux region and one to serve the Nordic market. The Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Benelux office will be managed by Heiko Oberman, with the Stockholm, Sweden-based Nordic office run by Joachim Roken. Both offices will report directly to Syntellect's international headquarters based in Berkshire, U.K.

Excell Expands In Scotland
Excell Multimedia announced plans to build a new call center in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. The facility represents a $3.6 million investment and will create 200 jobs. The center, slated to open this summer, will employ the latest multimedia technologies and offer a range of new services for Excell's clients.

Special Data Augments Program
Clearwater, Florida-based direct marketer Special Data Processing Corporation announced expansion of its Home Agent Program into six additional Florida cities: Ft. Pierce, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Orlando, North Daytona and South Daytona. The program allow agents to work full-time from their homes, taking inbound sales calls and generating leads from consumers nationwide. Approximately 200 Home Agent positions will open up in each city. As part of the expansion, Special Data will open satellite offices in the cities for training, local management, field recruitment and human resources administration to run day-to-day operations and support the agents in each area.

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Onyx Moves With Incentive
Incentive Systems, Inc., provider of enterprise incentive management solutions, will partner with Onyx Software Corporation to offer an integrated solution to the customer relationship management and incentive management marketplaces. The partnership expects to enable companies to maximize CRM investments by motivating employees and partners to drive performance and productivity through rapid alignment of channel priorities with changing corporate goals. The companies expect the technology combination to enhance customer relationships by motivating and appropriately rewarding the extended enterprise (from employees and call centers to supply chains and business partners) for achieving CRM goals and focus on productive relationship management and serve to increase profitability and customer loyalty.

Fulcra And Spanlink Collaborate For CISCO Solutions Implementation
Fulcra Solutions, Inc., a provider of contact management consulting and implementation solutions, announced it will provide deployment capabilities to customers of Spanlink Communications, Inc., a provider of contact center and unified communications products and services for enterprise businesses and service providers. Under the terms of the professional services agreement, Fulcra will provide services to Spanlink customers implementing contact management solutions using the Cisco Systems customer contact software platform and Spanlink's own FastCall suite of CTI products. The partnership permits Fulcra to sharpen its strategic focus on the Cisco platform while providing additional expertise with the addition of Spanlink's products, and allows Spanlink to leverage the implementation expertise of Fulcra in delivering contact management solutions.

Kana Partners With HPS
Kana Communications, Inc. and HCL Perot Systems (HPS) formed an alliance to offer integrated enterprise relationship management solutions to Fortune 100 companies in the finance, telecom and travel industries. The partners will combine Kana's Web-architected enterprise relationship management product family with HPS' consulting and outsourcing expertise to provide end-to-end business and technology solutions for both companies' customers. The alliance gives HPS' customers a Web-based solutions for collaborating with customers, partners and suppliers to more efficiently manage relationships in the extended enterprise, and provides Kana's finance, telecom and travel customers a new source of broad-based business and technology consulting expertise.

ZAMBA Teams With Palm For Remote Interaction Enhancement
ZAMBA Solutions has joined Palm, Inc.'s Enterprise Alliance Program, under which ZAMBA and Palm will collaborate on the marketing, sales and delivery of mobile and wireless CRM solutions. Through this relationship, ZAMBA will develop solutions that enable greater access to applications and integrating mobile and wireless channels with overall CRM solutions, producing faster and more accurate delivery of service from field workers to customers. The relationship also will explore solutions for innovative opportunities that expand direct customer interaction channels for business-to-business and business-to-consumer commerce.

Intecom Elicits Elix Pact
Intecom Inc., a provider of e-communication solutions, entered a strategic partnership agreement with Montreal, Canada-based Elix, a provider of interactive business solutions, including products and services for the contact center market. Under the terms of the agreement, Elix will collaborate with Intecom's Professional Services division to deliver systems integration and support for Intecom customers. The alliance expects to expand the depth of multimedia solutions offered by Intecom, leveraging Elix's Opus software suite and contact center systems integration capabilities.

Saratoga Systems Joins Red-M In Bluetooth Development
Red-M, a developer of Bluetooth networking solutions and subsidiary of Madge Networks N.V., announced that Saratoga Systems joined Red-M's m-dev program to develop mobile CRM solutions to enable access to customer information over a wireless connection from a variety of Bluetooth enabled devices. By combining CRM with Bluetooth, Red-M and Saratoga expect to help end users extend the benefits of Saratoga Systems' software, Avenue, by allowing sales teams to access current customer information over a Bluetooth network directly from their handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs). Sales teams can share customer data, efficiently maintain customer records and instantly deliver current information to clients over the Bluetooth network. Remotely collected customer data can be synchronized with the central system quickly and easily over the network, offering real-time customer information at any time or place.

Synchrony eCRM Integrates With Vignette
Synchrony Communications announced general availability of Synchrony eCRM for the Vignette Corporation's Vignette V/Series of Internet applications. The integrated Synchrony-Vignette solution is designed to provide enhanced Internet customer service and marketing capabilities. Features include: a unified view of the customer across the extended value chain; closed loop relationship marketing that provides built-in data mining tools for enabling customer segmentation based on behaviors and profile details; extended online self-service capabilities; and transaction exception management (for resolving partial shipments purchase order to invoice mismatches, etc.) regardless of the communications channel used by a customer.

Acxiom Inks Keane Alliance
Acxiom Corporation, a provider of customer data integration and customer recognition infrastructure, announced an alliance with Keane Consulting Group (KCG) designed to provide clients with comprehensive solutions for data management consultation services, customer data integration and IT outsourcing. As part of the alliance, KCG will offer Acxiom's AbiliTec software along with Acxiom's InfoBase data products, data warehousing and other data management outsourcing services through KCG's consultative services for CRM solutions.

Cylink, Securant To Offer Integrated Solution To Sustain Security
Cylink Corporation, a provider of e-business security solutions, partnered with Securant Technologies, a provider of Internet security software for managing user access to Web-based resources. Under the agreement, the companies will integrate Cylink's NetAuthority public key infrastructure (PKI) solution with Securant's ClearTrust SecureControl access management system. The integrated solution aims to provide enterprises with a single audit point of control for managing access to PKI-secured Internet and Extranet applications, content and transactions for employees, customers and partners.

Precision Reaches Accord With Motif
Precision Response Corporation (PRC), a provider of outsourced customer relationship management, announced a strategic alliance with Motif, Inc. to expand its e-mail and live-chat handling capabilities. Motif is a full-service Internet communications company headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, and operates two state-of-the-art technology centers in India, which are fully integrated with PRC's communication and customer service network in the United States. Wes O'Brien, president of PRC, said this was the company's initial move into the international customer care arena and marks its expansion strategy to align with "best of breed" partners in the CRM industry.

Nuance And Cisco AVVID For Integration
Nuance Communications and Cisco Systems announced a multiyear agreement under which Cisco will integrate Nuance's speech recognition and voice authentication software into its Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (AVVID) products as part of its IP-based enterprise communication solutions, including Cisco's Call Manager and associated applications. The AVVID products are scheduled to launch in the second quarter.

Harte-Hanks Selects Xchange Deal
Harte-Hanks, Inc. and Xchange, Inc. formed a global strategic alliance. Through an application service provider (ASP) or a hosting arrangement, Harte-Hanks has purchased Xchange's analytics and campaign management software, and will package and resell the product as a key element of its integrated CRM offerings. A Web-enabled version of Xchange's products was made available to Harte-Hanks customers this past March. By offering an ASP or hosted CRM solution, marketers can launch campaigns quickly and eliminate much of the initial infrastructure costs associated with customer relationship management projects. According to Harte-Hanks, a Web interface allows its clients to retain control of their customer and prospect data, and actively participate in the direct marketing process.

Sonus Joins Comverse For Enhanced Service Offerings
Comverse Technology, Inc. reported that it has signed an agreement with Sonus Networks, Inc. for the joint marketing of enhanced IP telephony solutions for the Comverse enhanced services portfolio, integrated with Sonus' Packet Telephony suite. The companies have developed an interoperable solution based on open standards and supporting SIP that is designed to enable deployment of these services over converged packet- and circuit-switched networks. The integrated product will enable IP-based services including unified and instant messaging, Internet call management, multi-access call answering and voice-controlled services.

RightNow And TrustedAnswer.com Alliance
RightNow Technologies Inc., a provider of Web customer service solutions, announced a strategic alliance with Amdahl Corporation's TrustedAnswer.com, a provider of outsourced customer support services. RightNow will license its Web self-service technology, which TrustedAnswer.com will incorporate as the core component of its outsourced customer service offering. TrustedAnswer.com provides technology and financial services companies with an outsourced customer support solution that combines Web customer support with knowledge base design supported by 40 call centers and 50 Internet data centers.

Artisoft And Onset To Offer Converged Fax And Voice Solution
Artisoft, Inc., a provider of software-based phone systems, and Onset Technology, a provider of message conversion solutions, announced a relationship to jointly market a solution that converges fax and voice technologies for small- to medium-sized businesses. The solution combines Artisoft's TeleVantage software-based PBX with Onset's ThruFax product to handle inbound telephony needs and enhance employee productivity. TeleVantage provides intelligent, flexible call handling with the option for users to receive voice mail messages in their e-mail. Onset's ThruFax identifies inbound fax addressees, converts the faxes into editable, text-based e-mail messages, and routes the messages to addressees' e-mail clients. The combined solution is expected to enable employees to receive all their communications in a central place where each message can be sorted, prioritized and forwarded as e-mail. Additionally, both companies are developing solutions on the CT Media standard, a platform that is hardware-independent, interoperable with software from multiple vendors and aligned with Intel's Converged Communications Platform.

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