[June 5, 2002]

Telcordia Technologies Teams With Microsoft And CosmoCom On Hosted Contact Center Solution

Telcordia Technologies announced that it has joined forces with Microsoft to offer a solution to promote its IP-based contact center platform powered by CosmoCom for use by network operators.

Known as the "Hosted Contact Center" (HCC), the solution helps network operators work with customers to build profitable new revenue sources by offering hosted contact center services over existing network infrastructures.

"The market for telecommunications services is highly competitive, and new sources of revenue are critical for survival. The Hosted Contact Center solution is consistent with our strategy to reduce front office costs by enabling greater self service," said Rich Fialkoff, executive director, Telcordia. "To meet the needs of our customers, we are utilizing products from Microsoft, CosmoCom and Telcordia along with services to create a reliable, high-quality Hosted Contact Center solution for service providers to add to their current telecom and advanced IP offerings."

The Hosted Contact Center Solution is available to network service providers and builds upon key technologies including CosmoCall Universe, CosmoCom's all-IP contact center platform; the Microsoft Windows Hosting platform including use of the Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 and SQL Server 2000; and the Telcordia Customer Manager suite of products. In addition, Telcordia provides professional services for implementing solutions based on the platform, and offers a quick-start program featuring a 60-day trial of the solution.

"The Hosted Contact Center Solution brings partner technologies to the Microsoft Hosting Platform, creating solutions for service providers to offer their customers," said Frederik Winsnes, General Manager, Network Service Provider Group, Microsoft. "As a solution, the Hosted Contact Center reinforces the power, performance, and business potential inherent in Microsoft's hosting platform. The Hosted Contact Center is one more Windows-based solution offering that service providers can build upon to drive additional revenues from their existing network infrastructure."

Many telecommunication service providers are looking for new high-margin services to expand on current business offerings. Long distance calling and toll-free services, for example, have increasingly become commodity sales with thinning margins. Hosted contact center solutions are in growing demand and help service providers reach mid-tier customers as well as larger enterprises.

"CosmoCall Universe delivers a full-service, multichannel contact center solution on the Microsoft Hosting Platform, enabling telecommunication service providers to tap into new markets, grow business with existing clients and create new sources of revenue," said Ari Sonesh, CEO, CosmoCom. "Our close work with Microsoft and Telcordia helps us jointly deliver cost-effective, IP-based contact centers that can be hosted over a network."

The Hosted Contact Center business model offers attractive cost benefits to end user customers subscribing to services through a service provider. In addition to saving on the initial hardware charges upfront, end users will not have ongoing maintenance and upgrade costs. To get started, end users will only need a network connection to the service provider, a Windows-based PC, Windows XP, with its rich multimedia functionality and headset for each contact center agent. The solution eliminates the need for a phone line.

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