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June 2001
Epsilon Offers Marketing
Solution For Credit Issuers
Epsilon Data Management Inc. is offering what it
describes as a high-performance prospect database
marketing platform supporting the massive data
requirements and complex needs of credit issuers. Its
proprietary platform, Strategic Credit Opportunity
Recognition Engine (SCORE), allows credit issuers to
more rapidly test, analyze and execute large-scale
customer acquisition campaigns using direct access to
prospects' credit history while complying with
stringent Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guidelines.
SCORE is designed to enable credit issuers to better
identify prospects (and existing customers) most
likely to accept/use credit products, reduce
time-to-market for customer acquisition campaigns,
provide marketing users with direct access to vast
credit bureau-sourced prospect data and ad-hoc
external data sources, use all available consumer data
attributes while maintaining FCRA compliance and
combine prospects and customers into a single
repository. www.epsilon.com
/ Ph: 800-225-3333
Light-Weight Earset Debuts
ArialPhone Corporation announced its company launch as
a provider of wearable, wireless earset communications
devices and voice-enabling software applications. Its
signal product, the ArialPhone, weighs about an ounce
and is a hands-free device that fits onto the user's
ear and makes use of speaker-independent voice
recognition technology. The ArialPhone offers
communications within a 150-ft. range, even through
walls. A single "action button" alerts the ArialPhone
base station, attached to a PC, to listen for user
voice commands. Users can perform automated functions
(e.g., voice dialing by name, call screening, PC and
Internet operations) while walking around the home or
office. It requires no customization or PC integration
and is ready to use out of the box. The earset can be
used as a wireless microphone for software
applications utilizing voice input. ArialPhone
consists of an earset and a base station that works in
concert with a PC for telephone calling, contact
management access, Internet calling and other
operations. www.arialphone.com
/ Ph: 847-573-9925
GeoExpress: Hosted E-Learning
Solution
GeoLearning, Inc. has released GeoExpress, a
streamlined learning management system intended to
meet the needs and budget constraints of mid-sized
organizations. Designed to launch, track and manage
online training, the solution can be implemented in 30
days or less. The GeoExpress learning management
system includes a built-in courseware authoring tool,
test and survey creation engine and real-time chat,
scheduling and communication features. The system's 3D
user interface imitates a "brick and mortar" learning
environment that each company can customize to match
its corporate look and feel. Additional modules, such
as live Webcasting, a product library system, class
scheduler and e-commerce capabilities can be added to
the system for enhanced functionality. GeoExpress is a
thin-client solution hosted on GeoLearning's
application service provider model.
www.geolearning.com
/ Ph: 800-970-9903
A Solution For "Do Not Call"
Woes
CallCompliance.com, Inc. released Teleblock, a service
to help prevent telemarketers from erroneously
completing outgoing calls to numbers on state and
proprietary Do Not Call lists. Teleblock connects to
telemarketers' phone lines and automatically blocks
numbers dialed that appear on Do Not Call lists. The
service does not require upgrades or modifications to
existing telephone systems and is designed to help
telemarketers attain compliance as painlessly as
possible. As part of the service, CallCompliance
automatically updates state Do Not Call lists as they
become available from each jurisdiction. Telemarketers
also can log on to their Web
site and block additional numbers of individuals
who make such requests to the company directly. www.callcompliance.com
/ Ph: 888-674-6774
Kabira Introduces Business
Accelerator
Kabira Technologies Inc. has announced the Kabira
Business Accelerator, a set of advanced frameworks and
software engines that support dynamic business process
control, network service creation and workflow
management directly from UML activity diagrams. The
Business Accelerator was designed with direct input
from customers building 2.5G and 3G wireless services,
bandwidth-on-demand over optical fiber networks,
hybrid fiber/coaxial (HFC) and multiservice operations
(MSOs). The product allows providers of convergent
services to quickly create new offerings that can
scale to millions of users using visual modeling
tools. Kabira Business Accelerator is a suite of
frameworks and pre-compiled modules running on the
Kabira ObjectSwitch server platform. Detailed features
and specifications for the Kabira Business Accelerator
include industry-standard modeling and interfaces,
design and runtime flexibility, real-time business
process performance, and user access and system
interfacing. www.kabira.com
/ Ph: 415-446-5000
Call Interactive Christens
Customer Care Suite
Call Interactive introduced its Call Interactive (CI)
EasyServe suite of customer service products. Designed
to automate a variety of customer service functions,
CI EasyServe products feature next-generation
technology for phone, Web and wireless access. Call
Interactive's multichannel approach allows customers
to access the functionality of the solutions through
both touch-tone and conversational speech recognition
technologies. Through advanced Web integration
technology, Call Interactive clients are able to use
one database for both Web and IVR customer service
solutions. Call Interactive's initial EasyServe
releases for specific industries include: MarketTalk
(brokerage), CardServe (financial) and BenefitServe
(insurance). All CI EasyServe solutions are "modular"
in design for easier addition of new features and
rapid implementation. www.callit.com
/ Ph: 800-428-2400
Compaq R1500 XR Debuts
Compaq Computer Corporation has released the new UPS
R1500 XR, a high power density solution designed for
customers who want to provide power protection in
space-constrained rack environments. A "refresh" of
its existing R1500 UPS, it brings increased power
density and enhanced features, including easier
configuration via an enhanced front panel display,
independently controllable load segments and remote
monitoring of UPS devices on a network. The UPS R1500
XR can be connected to up to two optional Extended
Runtime Modules (ERM). Customers can increase the
run-time on their UPS R1500 XR by using this ERM. The
Compaq UPS "XR" denotes "eXtended Runtime capable"
models.
www.compaq.com /
Ph: 800-345-1518
Mindmaker Unveils FlexAnswer
Service
Mindmaker, Inc., a developer of intelligent assistants
and other artificial intelligence technologies,
recently presented FlexAnswer, an automated, Web-based
question answering service. FlexAnswer utilizes
next-generation natural language processing
technology, helping companies to provide improved,
Internet-based customer service for technical support,
sales support and eCRM. It incorporates spelling
correction, morphological forms, grammatical
structure, as well as semantic, pragmatic and dialog
information. The result is a highly logical
representation of the question designed to provide
more accurate and useful responses to customer
questions. FlexAnswer can learn from previous
questions and answers, thus allowing the service to
automatically improve over time. The solution also
provides a number of features useful to project
supervisors, including knowledge management, service
customization and performance monitoring. The solution
is offered as a fully hosted Web service. www.flexanswer.com
/ Ph: 408-467-0458
TechExcel Help Desk Solution
TechExcel Inc. has released TechExcel HelpDesk, an
integrated suite of products designed for managing all
aspects of internal IT support. HelpDesk is designed
to optimize internal help desk processes by
integrating a Web interface with wireless and
client/server applications. The solution consists of
ServiceWise, which manages the technical support
process and provides workflow and process automation
features (routing, escalation, notification, etc.)
based on fully definable criteria; AssetWise, an asset
management package; and FormWise, a Web-based forms
automation solution. www.techexcel.com
/ Ph: 800-439-7782
FrontRange Fires Asset Tracking
HEAT Missile
FrontRange Solutions Inc. introduced HEAT Asset
Tracker, a new module for IT help desk inventory
control. Designed to work with HEAT 6.0 help desk
software, Asset Tracker is designed to enable the
automatic location, identification and management of
an organization's IT assets from one central location.
Three major components of the solution are: InfraTools
Desktop Discovery, which automatically scans and
captures hardware and software data; Tracking Manager
for managing inventory, software licenses, upgrades,
changes, repairs and equipment retirement, etc.; and
Asset Details, which displays asset information on
every user for technicians responding to calls. The
solution also provides a variety of customizable
reports. www.frontrange.com
/ Ph: 800-776-7889
Teradata's LDM Version 5.0
Available
Teradata, a division of NCR Corporation, recently
released Teradata Communications Logical Data Model (LDM)
Version 5.0. The Communications LDM is the strategic
customer relationship management enabler and data
model foundation for a Teradata data warehouse. It
ties together all of the information about a
communications company's customers, relating customer
events, status, accounts, contracts, product/service
offers, sales channels, revenue, usage, network and
campaign information to address business questions on
customer acquisition, retention and growth. It
recognizes critical points of integration between
customers, product usage and events, making it
possible for applications to answer difficult business
questions. Enhancements in Version 5.0 include: the
ability to integrate with the Teradata Communications
Fraud Management system; integration with the Teradata
Performance Measurement and Management system; and
integration with Teradata CRM Solutions for
Communications. www.teradata.com
/ Ph: 937-445-2667
Small Business Voice Processing
Assistance
Vodavi Technology, Inc. has introduced MiniVoice, the
newest member of its voice processing product line. A
nonproprietary, entry-level solution designed to
streamline business communications, MiniVoice provides
business users of Vodavi's STARPLUS, STARPLUS TRIAD
and Infinite DVXPlus key telephone systems with a
low-cost, analog voice mail system with auto attendant
features and message storage. Targeted at small
businesses, MiniVoice is a 4-port voice processing
system with 32 mailboxes and up to 1.5 hours of
message storage. An optional expansion board delivers
an additional 3 hours of storage and 32 more
mailboxes. Straightforward to use, features include
time and date stamp, password protection, message wait
light and message routing. Users can retrieve messages
and change their voice mail parameters from any
touch-tone phone, and the product can be programmed to
send pager alerts when users have a new voice mail
message. www.vodavi.com
/ Ph: 800-843-4863
Customer Interaction Center
Solution From PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft Inc. announced availability of the
PeopleSoft CRM Customer Interaction Center, a scalable
solution designed to manage customer interactions
throughout the customer lifecycle, across all
customer-facing functions (sales, marketing and
service) and all customer communication channels (Web,
voice, e-mail, fax or wireless). Intended to extend
the effectiveness of traditional call centers with
functions to assist agents in quoting accurate prices,
it can also accelerate the processing of customer
orders and serve as a single point of contact for
overseeing the entire customer relationship. The
solution features an integration platform for
accessing back-office information, a prebuilt order
entry system, integrated configuration and workflow
systems for improved order accuracy and processing and
a simplified user interface to support reduced
training costs and higher employee retention. www.peoplesoft.com
/ Ph: 800-380-SOFT
Outbound Workforce Management From CenterForce
CenterForce Technologies, Inc. announced the availability of CenterForce Planner Release 2.0, a companion application with CenterForce Optimizer, developed to assist managers of outbound and blended contact centers to balance campaign productivity with human resources availability/expenses and to forecast the optimal number of phone agents needed for outbound calling campaigns. Using outbound phone contact history and additional variables, CenterForce Planner calculates the most effective and efficient staffing configuration for each hour of the day. The forecast details the number of agents required on phones at each hour to maximize productivity as well as the revenue benefits of staffing in the optimal calling hours. The system also shows the financial expectations of this forecast and the ramifications of deviating from it. Users also have the ability to model different scenarios and tailor hourly forecasts to agent availability.
www.cforcetech.com
/ Ph: 301-718-2955
Expanded Reporting From
Centergistic
Centergistic Solutions released AgentView
Enterprise "C" Expansion Module, a new interface
designed to provide call center managers with
additional historical reporting capability. The "C"
Expansion Module includes a report viewer, enabling
customers to create a set of historical reports that
are customized to their needs. The user can then add
to them or change them using Crystal Reports. This
addition to AgentView Enterprise is intended to
provide a robust dual reporting option for customers
who desire greater flexibility in the design and
content of reports for their contact centers. The
AgentView Enterprise engine collects real-time data
from single or multiple site data sources and relays
critical information to employees. It displays current
queue statistics, messages and the results of
user-defined calculations to wireless devices and
display wallboards. www.centergistic.com
/ Ph: 800-852-9249
MetricStream Enhances
Management Suite
MetricStream, Inc. announced availability of its
Enterprise Business Management (eBM) Suite Release
2.41. MetricStream's eBM Suite is designed to help
executives and managers improve the management of
business operations within and across distributed
enterprise applications. Using MetricStream's
Web-based eBM Suite, executive and IT management can
proactively monitor the performance and integrity of
all business processes via customizable dashboards
that provide real-time access to exception-based
business process information. MetricStream's eBM Suite
addresses a range of back-office operations (shipping,
invoicing, procurement, manufacturing and
distribution) and front-office processes such as
customer interaction and sales force automation. Other
features include multilevel visibility and analysis of
business processes, rules-based problem resolution and
Web-based management and reporting tools. www.metricstream.com
/ Ph: 408-982-8667
e-FORCE 3.1 Features
Multichannel Enhancements
Interactive Software Systems unveiled e-FORCE 3.1, the
newest version of its workforce management product
suite. The latest release is integrated with e-mail
and CRM technology providers (such as Kana
Communications and eshare Communications), allowing
the solution to utilize these systems' servers to
forecast and schedule employees to respond to e-mail,
fax and live Web agent demand, and use this
information to model demand across the entire customer
contact chain. e-FORCE 3.1 also includes: e-FORCE
EmpowerTools, employee self-service tools; e-FORCE
Employee @ccess, a self-service Web application that
allows employees to view and bid for schedules,
request schedule changes and trade schedules with
other employees over the Web; e-FORCE Vacation
Planner, to assist in forecasting and managing
time-off for employees; and e-FORCE MessageNet, an
employee messaging and polling solution that
facilitates more efficient communication between
administrators and employees. As a hosted ASP
solution, the e-FORCE workforce management suite
resides on a centrally managed server. www.intersoftsys.com
/ Ph: 954-717-0180
NextNine Remote Troubleshooting
Assistance
NextNine, Inc. (formerly RTview) introduced NextNine
R&D, a software infrastructure for remotely
troubleshooting and debugging embedded devices
throughout their lifecycles, from integration and beta
testing through ongoing field use. Targeted at
telecom/datacom vendors who make routers, switches,
cellular base stations and other mission-critical
devices, NextNine R&D allows developers to view
application code and operating system data without the
need of direct access to the device. NextNine R&D
analyzes performance under actual conditions and
automatically collects/stores/analyzes data throughout
the life of the system. The NextNine R&D solution
includes five software components: an embedded Agent,
an R&D viewer and three server components that
reside at customer and vendor locations. NextNine
R&D is scheduled to ship this summer. www.nextnine.com
/ Ph: 617-547-2560
Cerillion Gains CACI Unit
Customer care and billing specialist Cerillion
Technologies announced the purchase of the IBAS
Interconnect and Carrier Management product business
from CACI Information Systems, a provider of software
development and systems integration services to the
telecommunications sector. The IBAS product offers
interconnect rating, billing and settlement to
telecommunication operators and service providers, and
delivers management tools to maximize the
profitability of interconnect business through
advanced least-cost routing. As part of the
transaction, all of the staff employed within the IBAS
division have moved to Cerillion Technologies, which
will take over support for all existing IBAS users.
Louis Hall, Cerillion's managing director, expects the
acquisition to give them an "enhanced capability in
the wholesale interconnect market."
Kana And Broadbase Plan Merger
Kana Communications, Inc., a provider of enterprise
relationship management (eRM) solutions and Broadbase
Software, Inc., a provider of customer interaction
solutions, announced the signing of a definitive
merger agreement. The merger is expected to close in
the third quarter of this year. The combined company
will be called Kana Software, with Chuck Bay, current
president and CEO of Broadbase, as president and CEO
and Jay Wood, presently chairman and CEO of Kana, as
chairman of the board of directors.
eYak Hooks Brooktrout
eYak, Inc., a provider of Internet Protocol (IP) media
server software and solutions for voice applications,
announced the acquisition of Brooktrout Software,
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Brooktrout, Inc.
Brooktrout Software provides open, standards-based
communication software and services for the
enterprise. The acquisition combines eYak's
SoftTelephony technology with Brooktrout's graphical
application development environments (Show N Tel and
ActiveCall) and consulting services, and allows eYak
to deliver voice technologies, products and services
to a wide range of customers including channel
partners, enterprises and service providers. The
combined offerings extend eYak's reach into the
rapidly emerging voice services market. David Friend,
eYak's co-founder, will be the chairman and chief
executive officer of the combined company, and Mark
Flanagan, the former president and CEO of Brooktrout
Software, has been named president and chief operating
officer. Jeff Flowers, eYak's other co-founder, will
be the combined company's chief technology officer.
Quintus Asset Deal Completed
Avaya Inc., a global provider of business
communications solutions and services, announced
completion of its asset purchase agreement with eCRM
solutions provider Quintus Corporation. Avaya acquired
substantially all of Quintus' assets for approximately
$29 million and has assumed certain Quintus
liabilities up to an additional $30 million. Avaya
expects the acquisition to strengthen its presence in
the customer relationship management market by
enhancing its ability to offer a broad, multivendor,
multiplatform portfolio of software solutions. Avaya
also announced it will focus its CRM solutions
portfolio in three areas: interaction management;
solutions for implementing enterprisewide dynamic
business processes; and business intelligence
solutions.
Datapoint Transformation
Datapoint Group, a firm specializing in customer
interaction solutions, was launched in the United
States. (In July 2000, CallCentric, a company in the
United Kingdom, acquired Datapoint Corporation of San
Antonio, Texas. The Datapoint name was retained
because of its worldwide recognition.) Datapoint Group
announced details of its U.S. plans, including new
sales and management offices in Beverly,
Massachusetts. The company also announced two new
members joining the U.S. team: general manager for
U.S. operations Robert Sharp and vice president of
professional services Mary Hart. John Perkins
continues in his role as vice president of operations.
According to David Berger, CEO for U.K.-based
Datapoint Group, the market (particularly in the U.S.)
for customer interaction centers is growing faster
than any other sector of the IT industry, yet the
market is underserved. The company expects to gain
market share by exploiting new technologies,
leveraging existing relationships and strong financial
backing.
Octave Secures Siemens
Certification
Octave Communications, a developer of next-generation
conferencing products, announced that its OnSemble
platform received Siemens Ready certification for
interoperability with Siemens Enterprise Networks LLC's
Hicom 300 H and Siemens International Platform Hicom
330 communication systems. Testing and certification
were conducted as part of Siemens' Developer Support
Program.
IT Certification Program Set To
Launch
This month Pink Elephant Inc., a provider of
information technology education and service
management, introduces its IT Executive Management
Certification program. The four-level program,
targeted at chief information officers and senior IT
managers, is a formal, structured curriculum designed
to assist them in understanding and implementing the
strategic business elements of information technology.
Part of the curriculum is built around the Information
Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), a public
domain set of best practices for IT service management
to promote business effectiveness, developed by the
Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA)
in the United Kingdom. Pink Elephant is not affiliated
with any hardware or software vendor and is accredited
by the Examination Institute for Information Science,
the Information Systems Examinations Board and the
CCTA. At press time, the inaugural session was slated
to commence on June 20th in Toronto, Canada. For more
information, visit its Web
site.
French Firm Garners COPC Laurel
Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC), a
performance management organization for the customer
contact industry, has awarded certification of the
COPC-2000 Standard for the first time in continental
Europe. COPC awarded certification to the Paris
facility of ClientLogic Corporation, a provider of
customer management services, for its inbound customer
services and outbound customer contact management
offerings. COPC-2000 is an independent certification
standard for operational performance. It includes
performance metrics, processes, people, planning and
leadership. The Standard was developed in 1995-96 by
representatives from customer-focused companies
concerned with the level of service quality provided
to customers by customer service organizations. More
than 200 locations in 30 countries are using the
standard to improve performance.
Do You Know Where Your Children
Are?
Magic Software Enterprises announced it has been
awarded a contract to deliver a Web-based Juvenile
Tracking System (JTS) for the Office of the
Administrator of the Courts (OAC) for the State of
Washington. Magic will be working with its solutions
partner, Stephenson Computer Consulting, to design and
implement the solution. The JTS to be delivered under
the contract will replace an existing COBOL-based
mainframe application. It will be integrated with OAC's
existing applications and will be deployed using
browser-based clients in order to minimize remote
systems management.
Segue Enhances Silk Support
Segue Software, Inc. has implemented Segue TechNotes,
its online resolution database for customer support.
The new search offering is a 24/7 service giving
customers real-time answers to over 1,000 potential
scenarios. Along with Segue's customer service and
support center, TechNotes supports the company's Silk
products, reliability applications that model
e-business environments and simulate the stress
presented by up to tens of thousands of concurrent Web
site visitors. Segue's e-business solution set
includes a comprehensive suite of scalability,
performance, monitoring, reliability and verification
methodologies. The company also expanded its support
hours -- from 15 to 18 hours per day.
Tundo Initiative Announced
Tundo Corporation has implemented a company strategy
to target the fast-growing IP contact center market.
This initiative leverages Tundo's existing expertise
in providing IP contact center solutions to large
enterprises and outsourced call centers. Tundo's IP
Contact Center initiative builds upon its
carrier-grade media control platform, the Tundo DOT
Server. Tundo's solutions for call center customers
include Tundo Boundless Call Center, which provides
multimedia capabilities for managing e-mail and Web
contacts and voice, and the Tundo HomePort, which
allows clients to extend their contact centers' voice
and media to remote and home-based agents. Timothy B.
Steele, recently appointed president and chief
operating officer, will lead Tundo's new initiative.
Stream In MS Gold Program
Stream International, a CRM outsourcing and support
services provider for technology companies and
e-businesses, announced it has been named a Microsoft
Gold Certified Partner for Support Services, due to
its proven competence on the latest Microsoft
technologies. Membership in the program will provide
Stream with early access to product information,
advanced training, backup support, etc., enabling it
to deliver high-quality technical support for
Microsoft solutions and ensure that Stream's technical
support personnel have evaluated, tested and are using
the latest Microsoft solutions. Additionally,
enhancements such as the new peer-networking
opportunities will allow Stream to expand the types of
solutions and services it offers to customers.
Microprocessor Pioneers Feted
Last month, the three men credited with the invention
of the microprocessor were honored by the American
Computer Museum in Bozeman, Montana. This year marks
the 30th anniversary of the invention of the
microprocessor by Dr.Ted Hoff, Dr. Federico Faggin and
Mr. Stan Mazor at the then small and little-known
company called Intel. Their invention has impacted the
global economy from computers, to telephones, to
entertainment devices to countless numbers of other
modern devices. Messrs. Hoff, Faggin and Mazor were
presented with the coveted George R. Stibitz Computer
Pioneer Award. Previous honorees include Steve
Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer; Jack Kilby,
inventor of the integrated circuit; Tim Berners-Lee,
inventor of the World Wide Web; and Vinton Cerf and
Robert Kahn, co-inventors of the Internet.
Capital Infusion Spurs Growth,
Name Change
ASC Billing Solutions Inc. announced a new name,
Sentori, market expansion into Europe and Asia and a
new president, John Bennett. Named after its
convergent billing and customer care software system,
the company has built a customer base among IP- and
circuit-switch-based communications service providers.
Chairman of the board and CEO Vincent Vu announced
that Sentori's plans for expansion into Europe and
Asia, along with new senior management appointments,
are based on recent first round venture funding led by
Edison Venture Funds. A privately held company,
Sentori is expanding its employee base to ensure that
market penetration and client satisfaction objectives
are met.
TechExcel Opens In The Keystone
State
TechExcel, Inc., a developer of integrated software
solutions for optimizing business processes, announced
the opening of an East Coast office to support its
expanding customer base in the eastern United States.
Located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, TechExcel's new
branch office provides sales, consulting and customer
support services. The company's headquarters and
primary support center remain in Lafayette,
California.
Dialpad Gains Asian Presence
IP telephony solutions provider Dialpad Communications
announced the opening of Dialpad Japan, Inc., an
independently operated entity located in Tokyo, the
first of several regional operations in Asia and
Europe that Dialpad plans to open as it pursues
international expansion. Dialpad's president and
co-founder Hyunduk 'Doug' Ahn said that, rather than
extending its infrastructure to reach a global market,
it would found country-specific operations in key
regions worldwide, allowing its U.S.-based team to
remain focused on technology innovation. Toshimitsu
Tanaka, Ph.D., was named president and chief executive
officer, overseeing all aspects of the regional
operation. He will report directly to Dialpad Japan's
board of directors.
Core Opens Center In Fremont
Core Communications Corporation opened a new inbound
customer contact center service bureau in Fremont,
Nebraska. The custom-designed facility includes a new
13,500-square-foot building. The center has a capacity
of over 160 stations, including 25 training stations,
employing state-of-the-art service technology for
voice and Internet processing and which allows clients
to select various methods for customer communications
and interactions. Core also has moved its headquarters
to the new facility.
Help Desk NOW Opens New Office
Help Desk NOW, a North Carolina-based provider of
outsourced teleservices and telesales, announced the
opening of its new center in the North Atlantic
province of Newfoundland, Canada. Initially, the
facility will house 200 workstations and is expected
to expand to over 300 seats. Help Desk NOW utilizes
state-of-the-art telephony and CRM technologies to
support both inbound and outbound campaigns under
technical and nontechnical contracts.
Nortel And
PricewaterhouseCoopers To Provide Next-Gen Centers
Nortel Networks and PricewaterhouseCoopers announced
plans to jointly develop, implement and promote a
network of next-generation customer contact centers
for outsourcing of business-to-business and
business-to-consumer interactions. The strategic
alliance will leverage Nortel's Internet and
communications expertise with PricewaterhouseCoopers'
end-to-end business process expertise and operational
capabilities to help businesses take advantage of the
latest in contact center, CRM and IVR technologies.
The customer contact centers will be based on a
central, integrated platform for Web and voice-enabled
customer interactions such as customer service and
technical support. The first center is scheduled to
open during November 2001 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The
companies also plan to upgrade the centers over time
with the latest technology to service customer needs
and to showcase joint products and services.
HeyAnita, Gold Partner For
Voice Apps
Gold Systems, Inc., a voice and wireless Web solutions
provider, and HeyAnita Inc., a voice technology
company, announced an agreement to integrate HeyAnita's
FreeSpeech Platform with Gold Systems' Vonetix product
for development of speech-driven applications for a
broad range of integrated voice response (IVR)
platforms. Gold Systems will jointly market HeyAnita's
voice applications and services to enterprises,
Internet service providers and telecommunications
service providers. The FreeSpeech Platform is a
VoiceXML-compliant middleware environment that
controls and manages the interoperation of telephony
hardware, voice applications and speech recognition
engines. Vonetix technology provides telephone access
to Web-based content through its Java/XML/HTML/ XHTML
interface, eliminating the need for duplicating a Web
site's back-end infrastructure for automated telephone
access.
AvantGo Joins Onyx In XML-Based
Mobile Solutions
Onyx Software Corporation and AvantGo Inc. have
partnered to deliver real-time, mobile customer
relationship management solutions to large,
field-based sales and services teams for wireless
access to customer information. The combined solution
features AvantGo's mobile infrastructure software and
services with Onyx's XML-based CRM platform. The
integrated solution will enable an organization's
mobile professionals to manage contact information,
review and update sales opportunities, access urgent
service requests and view customer history using
handheld devices. As a result of the alliance, AvantGo
will expand the mobile CRM capabilities delivered
within its existing product suite. AvantGo also plans
to deploy the mobile solution internally for improved
efficiency and decision making for its mobile
workforce.
Austin And Davox Offer Expanded
CIM Capabilities
Austin Logistics Inc., a provider of call center
productivity solutions, announced an agreement with
Davox Corporation, a developer of customer interaction
management solutions, to jointly market its call
center suite of software solutions, including OnQ and
CallTech. Austin Logistics will provide ongoing
development to enhance and test synergies with Davox's
technology solutions, ensuring the interoperability
and compatibility of Davox's outbound call management
solutions and Austin Logistics' enterprise call
scheduling and list management technology.
Dialogic And SpeechWorks Team
For Voice-Driven Functionality
Dialogic Communications Corporation and SpeechWorks
International, Inc. have partnered to deliver
speech-enabled functionality for subscribers calling
into cable television (CATV) customer contact centers.
The addition of SpeechWorks' natural language speech
recognition to Dialogic's ARU3 IVR solution is
expected to expand options for greater customer
service and contact center performance. CATV
subscribers can handle their own routine requests for
information, thereby reducing call flow to customer
service agents. Freed from routine call handling,
contact center agents can better utilize their talents
for account management, problem solving and upselling.
ARU3, a Windows-based interactive voice response
solution for contact centers, automates the call
filtering process. SpeechWorks provides speech
recognition and text-to-speech solutions that allow
people to speak into any phone to conduct transactions
and receive information automatically.
Avaya And MHLL Aim For
Standardized CRM Training Courses
Avaya Inc., a provider of corporate networking
solutions and services, has allied with McGraw-Hill
Lifetime Learning (MHLL), a provider of e-learning
solutions, to develop qualified CRM-focused training
courseware for contact center agents. The two
companies plan to establish a technology-based contact
center training program and will work to establish
standardized courseware for industrywide training of
CRM agents. Avaya will provide expert content focused
on what it takes to be successful in a
customer-relationship-managed, multimedia contact
center and generate sales leads through its existing
customer base. MHLL will provide project funding,
instructional design support, technology platform and
support for disseminating content, media versioning,
localization as well as a sales channel. Courses
recently announced run the gamut from basic contact
center skills to consultative selling practices to
media functions and etiquette.
Akibia Accord With Sun
Akibia, Inc., a provider of eCRM consulting and IT
support services, announced it has formed a strategic
partnership with Sun Microsystems, Inc. Akibia will
directly provide Sun customers with support services,
including technical support, hardware maintenance and
service delivery consisting of creative logistics
programs, professional services, education and
training. Under a second agreement, Akibia was named a
channel sales partner in the Sun Service Manager
program, allowing Akibia to resell Sun hardware and
software services directly to its customers.
AppsMall.com To Offer A Magic
E-Commerce Solution
Magic Software Enterprises, Ltd., a provider of
application development technology and business
solutions, announced that its North American
subsidiary, Magic Software Enterprises, Inc., has
signed an agreement with AppsMall.com, L.L.C. to
market and sell Magic eMerchant in North America.
eMerchant is Magic's a customizable e-commerce
template that combines an e-commerce solution with a
virtual order center. Under the terms of the
agreement, AppsMall will market and sell Magic
eMerchant through its network of value-added
resellers. AppsMall, an e-commerce portal for
e-business applications, is a central source for
software solutions, information and pre- and post-sale
support and fulfillment for its VARs.
Sprint, Echopass Ally For
Integrated Solution
Sprint Corporation and Echopass Corporation, a
provider of integrated contact center communication
solutions for enterprise customers, announced that
Sprint and Echopass have entered into an agreement to
deliver integrated voice and e-media (e-mail, Web
chat, co-browsing, etc.) communications services to
the enterprise contact center market. In support of
this effort, Echopass has been accepted as a member of
Sprint's Enabling ASP Program. Echopass remotely hosts
and maintains the technology necessary to deploy and
operate high-volume enterprise-class customer contact
centers. Echopass' Echocenters, hosted integrated
voice and e-media data and communications centers, are
co-located on the Sprint high-speed data and voice
network through which the two companies are providing
the offering.
MCK/Tech Data Partnership
Tarkets VARs, Integrators
MCK Communications, Inc., a provider of solutions for
delivering business-quality distributed voice over
existing and next-generation networks, announced a
distribution partnership with Tech Data Corporation, a
supplier of IT products, logistics management and
other value-added services. The partnership will make
MCK's portfolio of distributed voice solutions
available to Tech Data's network of worldwide
technology solution providers, thereby extending the
reach of MCK's products to the growing channel of
value-added data resellers and systems integrators.
Witness eQuality Integration
With PeopleSoft
Witness Systems, a provider of customer interaction
recording, analysis and e-learning software, announced
both a partnership with PeopleSoft, Inc. and
certification under PeopleSoft's Alliances
Certification Program. Leveraging the eQuality Connect
middleware, Witness' eQuality multimedia recording
software now integrates with PeopleSoft CRM Support
and HelpDesk, applications that link front-end CRM
information with back-office data about customers,
suppliers and employees. A major focus of the alliance
is helping companies access critical customer
information more easily, inspect vital business
processes and capture specific customer interactions
to ensure quality service as well as the effectiveness
of their CRM implementations.
Avolent Accord With LASERCOM
Avolent, Inc. announced it has entered into a
partnership agreement with LASERCOM, a systems
integrator and developer of customer communications
solutions in Europe and Australia. Avolent, a provider
of electronic bill and invoice presentment and payment
solutions (EBPP/EIPP) and interactive customer care,
will provide its business-to-business billing solution
BizCast to LASERCOM as part of the agreement. LASERCOM
integrates electronic billing and customer
communications solutions primarily in the
banking/finance and telco/utilities sectors. The
partnership expects to provide billing solutions that
fully integrate with customer care and CRM systems,
and offer customers a greater range of online
interactive services.
FaceTime And Ask Jeeves Deliver
The Message
FaceTime Communications, a provider of instant
messaging for businesses, and Ask Jeeves, Inc., a
provider of natural language navigation and business
intelligence systems, announced a strategic
partnership to deliver a combination of self-service
and live-assistance capabilities for large enterprise
customer care organizations. FaceTime's instant
messaging solutions will work with Ask Jeeves'
self-service question answering systems to escalate
customers to live, real person assistance when they
need it. By offering users live help at critical
moments in the e-commerce and e-support cycles, the
combined technologies are expected to help improve "look-to-book"
ratios, reduce support costs and improve customer
loyalty.
WhiteCross And ABCi Offer Site
Activity And Behavior Data
WhiteCross Systems, an analytical solutions provider
for the telecom and IP industries, announced a new
initiative to offer its analytical/data mining
services to the online media industry. To that end, it
signed an agreement with online verification service
provider ABC Interactive (ABCi), the interactive
affiliate of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC).
The partnership aligns WhiteCross' strength in
outsourced and automated data reporting and ABCi's
reputation for delivering objective, credible online
activity verification. WhiteCross' new focus on the
online media industry stems from its current
partnership with ABCe, an interactive auditor and ABC
affiliate in the United Kingdom.
Primus-Motive Collaboration
Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc., a provider of
knowledge-enabling software, and Motive
Communications, Inc., a provider of intelligent
service software, formed an alliance to deliver
integrated software solutions for automated problem
identification, diagnosis and resolution to hardware
and software companies. The Primus Associative Search
Engine enables customers or service experts via phone,
e-mail, chat and Web channels to search for answers to
questions submitted in nontechnical language. The
Motive solution, built on the Motive ServiceNet
platform, provides real-time, contextual information
about a user's device, system or application to
expedite the problem diagnosis and resolution process,
and improve the accuracy of results presented in the
Primus system.
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