Siemens (News - Alert) Enterprise Communications has enhanced its OpenScape Contact Center portfolio. New functionality will provide customers with advanced interactive features and monitoring in a more cost-effective and easier to deploy hosted package.

Natural speech technology, enabled by an IVR solution, is an important tool for today’s contact centers. However, the cost of stand-alone IVR systems can be too high for many businesses, which makes a hosted solution a cost-effective choice.  This has been achieved by partnering with Contact Solutions Inc (CSI).

CSI delivers shared IVR and contact automation services to customers throughout North America, helping them leverage the latest technology while staying within their budgets and expertise.

The combined offer from Siemens and CSI will include integrated contact automation, platform management, robust reporting tools and enhanced caller interaction, all on a per minute or per transaction pricing model. In addition, since OpenScape is an open solution, the new offer will facilitate integration when live agent interaction is required.

“With Contact Solutions, Siemens has chosen to deliver their hosted self service offer with an experienced partner, but also one with a highly-valued core selling proposition,” according to Sheila McGee-Smith, Principal Analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics.  “CSI’s ‘secret sauce’ is continuous improvement, working with customers to automate more transactions each month. That strikes at the very heart of the reason most companies choose to deploy self service applications.”