TMCnet News
Dictaphone Announces Joint Marketing Agreement With The Call Center School FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDICTAPHONE ANNOUNCES JOINT MARKETING AGREEMENT WITH THE CALL CENTER SCHOOL Companies to Generate Exposure for Complimentary Learning Management and Training Solutions STRATFORD, Conn., September 28, 2004 – Dictaphone Corporation’s Communications Recording Systems (CRS™) Group, a leading provider of recording and monitoring systems and Workforce Relationship Management™ (WRM) solutions for contact centers, today announced that it has signed a joint marketing agreement with Nashville, Tenn.–based The Call Center School, a company providing a full range of educational and training solutions for call center professionals. The agreement will enable Dictaphone to integrate The Call Center School’s training materials into its ContactPoint‰ Trainer module, a full-featured Learning Management System for contact centers. First among the e-learning programs that will be integrated into ContactPoint is “Call Center ABCs,” a program developed by The Call Center School that has already introduced thousands of individuals to the fundamentals of call center operations. The 5-course program is geared toward new agents and existing staff and covers 15 key topics including: an overview of the call center profession, performance measurement and management, workforce management, call center technology, and customer relationships. This and other SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model)-compliant Call Center School training materials will be integrated into Dictaphone’s ContactPoint Trainer module for use in customer demos, trade shows, conferences and other venues. ContactPoint Trainer was designed to help contact centers optimize their staff by delivering focused training content directly to the agent’s desktop, and by providing tools for managing classroom training and resources. ContactPoint Trainer uses SCORM-compliant content. SCORM is a compilation of technical specifications that enable interoperability, accessibility and reusability of Web-based learning content. “Dictaphone is well known for its innovative approach to optimizing agent performance,” said Penny Reynolds, founding partner of The Call Center School. “Our solutions compliment each other perfectly and we are very excited about the additional exposure this agreement will bring for both companies.” “We are fortunate to be working with such a reputable company as The Call Center School, and are confident that this partnership will provide revenue opportunities for both parties involved,” said John Kaiser, vice president of global marketing for Dictaphone’s CRS Group. About ContactPoint Trainer An automated Learning Management System (LMS), ContactPoint Trainer is one of three modules in Dictaphone’s ContactPoint Workforce Relationship Management software suite. The ContactPoint solution provides a fully-integrated solution for optimizing agent performance, focusing on three major functions: recruiting, training and assessments. All three modules within the ContactPoint software suite – Recruiter, Trainer, and Assessor – are linked together through a common competency model, unique to ContactPoint. ContactPoint Trainer is designed to help contact centers optimize their staff by providing the focused training that agents need. Trainer links a contact center’s assessment and training programs through a shared competency model (that identifies the skills, knowledge and abilities that agents need to succeed on the job). With ContactPoint, the competencies that are central to the agent’s success on the job become the focal point for performance assessments and training. The software continuously benchmarks an agent’s assessment scores against targeted proficiency levels for key competencies. It then recommends and helps to deliver the necessary training to close any competency gaps and improve agent performance. ContactPoint Trainer also helps contact centers manage their training resources more effectively, and facilitates the delivery of training in both classroom settings and online. Trainer provides tools for managing training components that are core to classroom-style training – such as trainers, venues, schedules, registrations, and test results. SCORM-compliant training content can also be imported into Trainer for delivery to agents’ desktops. Testing, which is an integral part of any training exercise, is done using ContactPoint’s assessment engine that provides a seamless approach to creating tests and assessments across the various modules. Tests can be created within Trainer or imported as part of any SCORM-compliant training material. Whether training is delivered offline or online, ContactPoint Trainer can also capture post-training test scores for agents so contact centers can tell just how effective their training programs are. About Dictaphone Corporation's Communications Recording Systems (CRS)‰ Group With over 18,000 installed customers worldwide, Dictaphone Corporation's Communications Recording Systems (CRS‰) Group is a leading provider of recording and monitoring systems for contact centers, and Workforce Relationship Management solutions designed to optimize agent performance. Dictaphone CRS is a division of the Stratford, Conn.-based Dictaphone Corporation. Dictaphone’s ContactPoint Workforce Relationship Management solution optimizes agent performance by helping contact centers hire and retain the best agents, assess them fairly and consistently, and empower them with the right training and rewards. The centerpiece of ContactPoint is a competency model that enables the creation of job profiles that outline the skills, knowledge and abilities that agents need to be successful. Once identified, these skills, knowledge and abilities can then be systematically applied to the contact center’s hiring, training, and assessment programs using ContactPoint, to increase agent effectiveness and improve customer service. The ContactPoint solution was designed to work in combination with Dictaphone's Freedom“ Enterprise system. Freedom Enterprise records customer/agent interactions, using standard voice recording or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) recording. The agent's desktop screen activity can also be captured. Other features supported by ContactPoint and Freedom Enterprise include: remote playback via Web access; Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) for data capture, service observe, and advanced analytics; and integration to legacy HR systems to capture recruitment, assessment and training data. For more information, call 1-800-886-4908, or visit www.dictaphone.com. About The Call Center School The Call Center School provides a wide range of education and training services for call center professionals. Based in Nashville, TN, the company provides e-learning programs for training frontline staff and supervisors, a 50-topic web seminar curriculum entitled The Masters Series in Call Center Management, traditional classroom courses on a wide range of call center operational topics, and call center management books and resources. The Call Center School also specializes in customizing educational programs to fit the specific needs of any organization. For more information, visit www.thecallcenterschool.com or call 615-812-8400. Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based on Dictaphone Corporation's current expectations and estimates as to prospective events and circumstances that may or may not be in Dictaphone Corporation's control and as to which there can be no firm assurances given. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and there can be no assurance that any of these forward-looking statements may prove to be correct and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad, the ability to complete and deliver products and services within currently estimated time frames and budgets, the ability to effectively manage diverse and geographically dispersed operations, difficulties with integrating product plans, schedules and resources, potential that the information and estimates used to predict future performance were not accurate, market acceptance of Dictaphone Corporation's products, competitive products, pricing pressures, and other risks. Dictaphone Corporation disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Dictaphone®, Freedom®, Communication Recording Systems™, CRS™, ContactPoint™ and Workforce Relationship Management™ are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by Dictaphone Corporation. Other products or marks referenced herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Dictaphone Corporation's Freedom® recording system is the subject of U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications. © Copyright 2004 Dictaphone Corporation, all rights reserved. Contact Info: John Kaiser, vice president, global marketing CRS‰, 203-381-4631, [email protected] Linda Haelsen, director, marketing communications CRS‰, 203-381-7316, [email protected] # # # |