This article originally appeared in the April 2011 issue of Unified Communications

Avaya (News - Alert) is promoting the success of its Avaya DevConnect program and emphasizing that it is creating more choices for business customers.

Avaya DevConnect is the company’s developer and technology partner program, which provides developer-oriented resources, including access to application program interfaces, developer tools, and technical support. Membership in the program grew more than 16 percent in the last year, and 30 to 40 new solutions are added monthly.

The recently announced various solutions, created by its DevConnect (News - Alert) partners, targeting small and mid-sized businesses. In fact, there are more than 300 tested solutions from DevConnect members across all Avaya SME communications platforms.

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Presence Tailored to the Small Business AdvaTel has developed InTouch, a second generation UC application that brings together internal presence and federated presence to all of one’s external contacts via Yahoo!, Skype (News - Alert), MSN Lync and Outlook calendar. The solution, which does not require a server, lets users move between voice telephony, instant messaging, SMS and e-mail with just one click, helping users make the right communications choice at any time, while driving faster collaboration.

Hospitality Applications Enhance Guest Service for Hotels The DuVoice DV2000 is a messaging system and property management system interface for Avaya IP Office that is suited for hotels. DV2000 capabilities include everything from voicemail and wake-up call management to enabling employees to handle mini-bar inventories via phone. DuVoice also provides 911 features for Avaya IP Office that alert the front desk when emergency calls are made and pinpoint the location of the room requiring help.  Resource Software International (News - Alert) Ltd. provides call accounting software – Shadow CMS Enterprise – which performs telecom billing functions and interfaces with a hotel’s PMS. The company interoperates with Avaya IP Office, providing a fully-scalable UC management solution that lets administrators forecast, monitor and allocate communications management expenses. Hotel-centric features include the ability for cleaning staff to enter the status of a room’s condition using a phone, wake up calls, emergency notification and features for deploying messages, menus or advertisements to phone sets.

SIP Capabilities Bring New Value to SMEs  Optimum Voice SIP Trunking from Cablevision’s Optimum Business delivers voice service to small businesses through a converged voice and data network that can scale as needed for up to 100 employees. As a DevConnect partner, Optimum Business brings an affordable, easy-to-manage communications system to SMEs. This capability lets businesses use all of Avaya IP Office’s features, while it improves the quality and reliability of voice services, simplifies configuration, reduces equipment costs, and provides significant room for scalability at about half the cost of traditional T1 solutions.

Contact Center Solutions for Streamlined Customer Service KnoahSoft (News - Alert) complements and enhances Avaya IP Office’s customer service capabilities using the KnoahSoft Harmony suite, which offers secure call recording, silent monitoring, screen capture of agent sessions, as well as extensive quality management and reporting capabilities based on search parameters. By bringing these capabilities to Avaya IP Office and providing legal compliance support for contact center recording, KnoahSoft extends customer service to the SME environment.

Solutions for Assisted Living Facilities Improve Resident Care The Telecor VS-600 Staff Call Station seamlessly integrates all the functions of a staff call system, and helps IP Office offer features to retirement and assisted living facilities that improve communications among residents and staff members. Telecor brings instant two-way speech communications capabilities customized for this environment, enabling residents to reach staff quickly and directly with the push of a button, increasing responsiveness, along with a resident’s comfort.

Automated Applications Simplify Processes Computer Instrumentsoffers e-IVR, which contains the components that allow companies, schools, churches and others to reach out to constituents automatically to remind them of appointments, inform them of school cancellations, and alert them of emergencies. These messages may be sent via phone, e-mail or text by seamlessly integrating with Avaya IP Office. Inbound functions are just as useful, allowing callers to find out about homework that is due, renew a prescription, or pay their utility bill – all via the simplicity of speech recognition or phone prompts.The combination of Computer Instruments’ e-IVR vertical team and Avaya IP Office helps many organizations simplify how people get information out. The company enhances Avaya IP Office with self-service applications for weather alerts, hospital lab results, or last minute searches for substitute teachers. In education, an absentee application lets teachers use a phone to mark students present, and if someone is absent, a message goes to parents via e-mail, phone or text message.