June 2000
eLoyalty Launches Service Provider Model: Loyalty
Foundation
eLoyalty, a global business/management consulting and systems
integration organization, announced the availability of Loyalty
Foundation, a comprehensive, hosted eCRM solution. eLoyalty said that the
solution is designed to help companies achieve customer loyalty by
providing a single view of the customer across all channels. The company
expects Loyalty Foundation to deliver several benefits, such as: an
alternative to on-premise systems, removal of operational and technical
complexity, faster time to market, cost reduction by leveraging
infrastructure and applications and establishing baselines for customer
channel performance management and measurement. eLoyalty assumes
responsibility for maintaining, upgrading and operating the offering,
creating a scalable, cost-effective solution that minimizes risk and can
be deployed within four to six months. Loyalty Foundation services are:
initial setup and conversion, consisting of configuration, resource
administration and network cut-over to the hosted site; daily operations,
including resource, channel, network and performance monitoring and change
control; monthly consultation for review of the reporting package,
business issues/requirements and capacity planning; and technology
upgrades, consisting of current releases, annual software upgrades and
hardware upgrades.
No. 510, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
Pivotal Announces eSelling 2000
Pivotal Corporation announced the availability of Pivotal
Intelligent eSelling 2000, an Internet application suite based on Exactium
Ltd.'s technology for establishing eSelling operations (see Mergers &
Acquisitions for related story). Pivotal Intelligent eSelling 2000 will be
fully integrated with the Pivotal eRelationship 2000 solution for
e-business relationship management (eBRM). The product leverages
Exactium's technology and aims to offer intelligent features for
performing needs analysis, recommending products and services, advising
customers on features and options and simplifying the configuration of
complex orders. Pivotal expects the product to deliver state-of-the-art
capabilities for single and multivendor product/catalog aggregation,
personalization, proactive notification, recommendation, quoting and order
management. Intelligent eSelling 2000 is built on a distributed Internet
architecture based on the Windows DNA 2000 framework. This multi-threaded
architecture is designed to deliver enterprise-class scalability and
reliability, including dynamic load balancing and fail-over protection,
and leverages standards-based technologies, including XML, XSL, SQL Server
7.0 and COM+. The product uses XSL templates for creating personalized
Internet buying experiences. A template server selects templates and
dynamically merges them with content and data to create a personalized
browser view. Intelligent eSelling 2000 can simultaneously support
multiple languages, currencies, units of measure, products and pricing.
When integrated with Pivotal eRelationship 2000, Pivotal Intelligent
eSelling 2000 will use customer and product knowledge from the Pivotal
database to create personalized buying experiences for each customer. The
multiuser authoring environment allows distributed workgroups to share
management of the solution in real-time using a Web browser. The solution
presents a user interface and functionality appropriate for individual
responsibilities. Pivotal Intelligent eSelling 2000 is expected to be
available to customers after the closing of the acquisition of Exactium by
Pivotal.
No. 511, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
eCreator: Medicine For MIS Melancholy
American Tel-A-Systems, Inc. (Amtelco), a provider of
computer-based messaging equipment and solutions, recently introduced
eCreator, its rapid development tool for simplified agent scripting and
application building for contact centers. eCreator is designed to help
users create customized Web-based agent scripts for contact center agents
that can be used internally or published on the Internet. eCreator has
database connectivity intended to save MIS time and the need for
programming. The customized agent scripts are meant to replace the
proprietary applications a center may be running. The key components are
the eCreator Palette and the eCreator Response Elements. The Palette is
designed to simplify the creation of Web-based scripts and tailor them for
the numerous applications that a contact center's clients might require.
The Palette can be customized to group objects into folders that you
designate and works closely with Microsoft's FrontPage application.
Response Elements are drag and drop items designed, in part, to allow
nontechnical people to create both custom scripting and Web applications.
One immediate benefit is that special programming or valuable MIS resource
allocation to an application development project is not required.
Additionally, the Response Element(s) integrates with an existing database
so that, when an agent performs a lookup to a client's information
database, eCreator populates fields with the correct information. Some of
the fields include credit card, address, ZIP code, phone number,
state/province name and abbreviation and e-mail address. Some of
eCreator's uses include appointment taking, CRM, data collection, event
registration, referrals and order entry. eCreator is available in three
forms: eCreator System; eCreator System Applications, applications
provided by Amtelco for use "as-is" or customizable; and
eCreator Web Hosting Services, by which Amtelco will build and host your
Web applications on its server.
No. 512, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
e-talk Enhances e-talk Advisor
e-talk Corporation, a provider of customer care center performance
technology, unveiled e-talk Advisor 3.4, the latest version of its agent
evaluation and reporting software. The company said that it has added
skills mining and Web-based surveying capabilities to the product. Advisor
3.4 is designed to take agent performance data and translate it into
numeric values used to drive skills-based call routing, agent scorecards
and training management systems. These scoring values are generated in
real-time, eliminating the need for manual processing of call routing
data. The e-talk Advisor 3.4 browser-based, skills-mining module is meant
to promote the growth and retention of competent, friendly and productive
agents by combining monitoring, evaluation and computer-based training
that is tailored to an individual agent's skill set. By simultaneously
updating the agent's quality and productivity ratings, Advisor's
skills-mining module is able to communicate performance information to
ACDs and training systems that will match and route calls to the
appropriate agent and provide appropriate training based on agent skill
level and quantified strengths and growth areas. The skills data is also
useful for other skill-dependent CRM applications, such as skills-based
workforce scheduling. In addition, the product has Web-based surveying
capabilities, intended to allow customer care centers to collect real-time
data from employees, customers and vendors. Surveys capture both response
data and demographic data using a variety of question and answer types.
The survey module includes a selection of reports designed for easy
analysis of survey results. e-talk Advisor 3.4 also offers unlimited,
customizable score sheets, a wide selection of charts and reports, and
easy access through a company's Intranet. e-talk Advisor 3.4 is part of
the e-talk Performance System, a performance management package designed
to help managers recruit, record, train, measure and evaluate.
No. 513, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
Selligent Enters B-To-C Market With Contact Centre
Module
Selligent, a Belgium-based developer of multilingual e-business
and CRM software solutions, announced the availability of its new Contact
Centre Module. This offering marks Selligent's entry into the
business-to-consumer marketplace. The Selligent Enterprise Contact Centre
solution combines Selligent's marketing, sales and support offerings with
out-of-the-box CTI functionality. The intended result is a multimedia
customer contact solution for both business-to-business and
business-to-consumer environments. The new module is designed to enable
companies to create a unified view of the customer and provide data
analysis enhancements for greater customer personalization. Tailored to
meet the users specific workflow needs, the system delivers real-time
customer information, direct to the customer service, sales and
telemarketing agent's desktop. Combining with Selligent's marketing, sales
and support offerings, the solution's features include automatic number
identification, intelligent call routing, simultaneous transfer of calls
and customer records, outbound call and predictive dialing, call campaign
management and desktop screen-based telephony controls.
No. 514, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
FulFillment PLUS Provides Back-End Fulfillment Solution
Fulfillment PLUS, Inc. (FFP), a provider of turnkey e-commerce
fulfillment, introduced its interactive customer service and fulfillment
solution for e-business. Designed to enhance consumer loyalty for
"dot-com" merchants, FFP's technology-based solution provides
online order fulfillment and personalized customer care. By integrating
Web technologies, automated business processes and a quality customer
service program, FFP offers a back-end solution designed for handling the
scale and complexity of the Internet. With its real-time order fulfillment
software system, FFP manages the physical logistics of delivering
merchandise to cybershoppers. This automated system is designed to process
high volumes of orders every day. Additionally, the FFP system regulates
inventory management, shipment tracking and merchandise returns
management. Through its proprietary software systems and infrastructure,
Fulfillment PLUS integrates operations logistics with Web technologies to
provide and facilitate warehouse and inventory management. Fulfillment
PLUS also provides multilingual customer service for handling all customer
inquiries via the telephone and Internet.
No. 515, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
Cincom Encompass 3.3 Released
Cincom Systems, Inc. released its Cincom Encompass 3.3:
Multi-Media Contact Center at the Communications Solutions EXPO� Spring
2000 held in April in Washington, D.C. Cincom Encompass is a CTI-enabled
customer interaction software solution intended to help organizations
provide efficient Customer Relationship Management in their contact
centers. The latest release, featuring Web integration and unified
messaging, is designed to enable organizations to evolve their call
centers into customer interaction centers through the management of
multiple customer contact channels. Encompass Web is designed to manage
all aspects of customer contact within a call center, including Web chats,
Web callback requests, voice over Internet requests and Web page
customization. The intent is to allow customers to request a callback or
communicate in real-time with a customer interaction center, route the
request into the appropriate queue and deliver it to the appropriate
agent. Additionally, Web pages may be customized to gather information and
associate it with outbound marketing campaigns. Cincom Encompass Unified
Messaging is designed to allow customer interaction centers to receive
incoming e-mail, faxes and voice mail into an integrated inbox, and then
queue, distribute, track and report them the same way as telephone calls.
The feature helps manage the history of e-mail, voice mail and fax
interactions; simplifies message forwarding with combined media; enables
remote retrieval of messages; and increases productivity through
integrating message delivery and saving agent time through prioritization.
No. 516, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
HoldWare From IntelliTouch
IntelliTouch Communications, designer and manufacturer of
message/music-on-hold hardware and software, announced the availability of
its HoldWare product. HoldWare is intended to provide businesses with a
tool to enhance their images and improve customer communications. HoldWare
is meant to allow even the smallest companies to entertain, educate and
inform customers while they are on-hold. HoldWare includes a digital
music-on-hold player-recorder and MessageStudio software that is designed
to enable users to create their own custom on-hold audio from the desktop
of any Windows-based PC and digitally transfer the audio to the HoldWare
player-recorder for continuous playback. HoldWare is compatible with
keyswitch, PBX and both single and multiline phones. HoldWare digital
player stores up to eight minutes of CD-quality music and voice in digital
memory. The nonvolatile flash memory retains its content, even in the
event of power failure, yet may be instantly changed. The MessageStudio
software also offers a wide variety of music choices and prerecorded
"thank you for holding" messages in both English and Spanish.
The royalty-free music tracks include several musical styles, such as
classical, country, pop, new age and jazz. An optional Deluxe Music
Package adds 50 additional music tracks from which to choose, enabling
users to select just the right music for their customers, style and
projected image. MessageStudio also includes a variety of different
preformatted message templates to which users can add their own text or
edit or to create customized scripts.
No. 517, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
TeleManagement Search Publishes Salary Guide
TeleManagement Search, a national executive search firm that
recruits managerial call center, telemarketing and customer service
personnel, has published its 15th annual edition of the Call Center,
Telemarketing & Customer Service National Salary Guide. Positions
covered in the Guide are in three sections: corporate, service agency and
other telemarketing support. In her introduction to the Guide, Connie
Caroli, president of Telemanagement Search, cites the steady growth of
call centers in the U.S. driving a projected annual growth rate of 20
percent for agent positions. She also points out that e-commerce is
fueling a demand for articulate, trained agents who can adapt to the
increasing level of technology required in the new call center. This
demand, in turn, is driving salaries upward. The full report with 22 job
descriptions and salary ranges is available from the company for a fee and
your business card. The address is 114 East 32nd Street, Suite 927, New
York, NY, 10016.
No. 518, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
ResQPortal Debuts
ResQNet.com, Inc., a software firm that provides intelligent
Web-enabling technology, launched ResQPortal, its server-based HTML
Web-to-host connectivity solution for e-businesses. Written in Java for
the broadest possible cross-platform server compatibility, the super-thin
client is designed to work with all browsers. ResQPortal is designed to
allow companies to provide graphical access to critical host-based
information to anyone with Internet or Intranet access. ResQPortal runs on
the Web server and requires no local installation, configuration, host
code changes or plug-ins. ResQPortal is intended to enable companies to
give mobile and occasional users simple customized access to host-based
information. The product complements ResQNet, the company's Java
applet-based Web-to-host solution. Both products use ResQNet.com's
drag-and-drop Customization Studio, designed to add the conveniences of
the Windows environment. ResQPortal presents legacy host screens
graphically with defined input fields, clickable hot spots and menu
buttons. It requires only one HTTP port and can be integrated with most
popular application servers, including IBM's Websphere, Bluestone
Corporation's Sapphire/Web, Netscape's Application Server and Sun
Microsystems' NetDynamics.
No. 519, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
Voter.com announced that Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Carl
Bernstein has joined the company as executive vice president and
executive editor. Bernstein's responsibilities include content acquisition
and distribution, Web site content and business development strategies.
Comverse Infosys, Inc., a provider of multimedia contact center
recording and CRM, appointed Karen Ferraro vice president of global
marketing. Ferraro's most recent position was with Nortel Networks. She
will have responsibility for all strategic marketing across Comverse
Infosys' recording divisions.
Mary E. Thomas was named chief financial officer of Wrenchead.com,
a provider of automotive aftermarket e-commerce tools. Prior to joining
Wrenchead, Thomas was managing director in Citicorp North America's media
and telecom department.
The Telecommunications Industry of America (TIA) announced that
it has hired Jason Leuck as its director of global technology
policy and Latin America programs. Leuck comes to TIA from the U.S.
Department of Commerce, where he served as an international trade
specialist.
Anthony Arote has joined Telrad Networks as vice
president of sales and marketing. Arote held several key positions with
the NYNEX Corporation, bringing 30 years of experience to his new
position.
ICT Group, Inc. announced that Timothy F. Kowalski was
appointed president of ICT ConnectedTouch.com LLC, its subsidiary company
that provides integrated CRM solutions for e-commerce sales and service.
He was most recently chief e-commerce officer and chief information
officer for the ICT Group. Additionally, ICT Group named John P. McCabe
president of ICT Management Services, the company's division that provides
business and consumer customer care. McCabe's prior position was president
and chief operating officer of Global Telecommunications Solutions, Inc. Karen
Arsenault joined ICT Group as vice president of marketing. She was
most recently vice president of global marketing communications for Dun
& Bradstreet.
Servicesoft Inc. appointed Joseph Kain vice president of
professional and alliance services. Kain was most recently an executive
with Darwin Partners. Servicesoft also named John Malanowski vice
president of employee care. Prior to joining Servicesoft, Malanowski was
vice president of human resources at Fidelity Investments.
Witness Systems, Inc. announced that Deon De Villiers
will manage its new sales office in Sydney, Australia. De Villiers most
recently was sales manager for value-added resellers and systems
integrators of specialized products for the call center and financial
markets.
AFFINA Corporation, a provider of integrated marketing services,
promoted Mark Entenman to president and general manager of consumer
electronics. Entenman previously served as AFFINA's senior vice president.
Dallas businessman Lynn A. Barringer has joined Media Fusion
LLC as senior vice president. He will oversee the rollout of the
company's patented powerline communications technology (Advanced
Sub-Carrier Modulation) in the United States. Barringer is co-owner of SFO
Corporation, a plastic molding company, and has owned or presided over
several business ventures.
Aegis Communications Group, Inc., a provider of integrated
customer solutions for large corporations and e-commerce businesses,
announced the appointment of Michael J. Graham as executive vice
president and chief financial officer. Graham was most recently vice
president and chief financial officer of Club Sports International.
Stonebridge Technologies, Inc., a provider of e-business
solutions, named Greg Clark vice president brand relationship
management. Prior to joining Stonebridge, Clark served as principal for
The Richards Group and founded Click Here Interactive Communications.
SITEL Technology Services, a business unit of eCRM services
provider SITEL Corporation, appointed John Barnes as director of
business development. Barnes was previously business development manager
at Sykes Enterprises.
Peter J. Hopfensberger was named vice president of sales by
MessageMedia, Inc., a provider of e-messaging solutions and services.
Hopfensberger comes to MessageMedia from TransUnion, where he served as
group vice president.
Cincom Systems, Inc. recently named David Graham director
of worldwide professional services for the company's call center
technology group, Cincom Encompass. Graham will be responsible for
developing a complete solutions delivery and consulting capability for the
group's client base. Graham joins Cincom Encompass from Lucent
Technologies, where he developed call center solutions for that company's
customers throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.
Larry Fromm was appointed vice president of business development
at CELLIT, Inc., a provider of contact management systems for e-business.
Fromm was most recently an executive at Dialogic Corporation, credited
with creating and managing Dialogic's IP Telephony business unit.
Plan B Communications, a telecommunications and Internet access
provider, announced several executive appointments. Richard Yalen,
former CEO of Cable & Wireless USA, was appointed chief executive
officer of Plan B Communications in addition to his position as chairman
of the board. Yalen held a series of senior positions with Cable &
Wireless, including CEO of the company's U.S. business. Paul Burgess was
appointed chief operating officer. Burgess was previously director of
operations with MetroNet Communications in Canada, where he was
responsible for deploying the company's coast-to-coast and intra-city
networks. MetroNet recently merged with AT&T Canada. Jim Hogan
has joined the company as executive vice president of sales and marketing.
Hogan, who previously held senior executive positions with AT&T and
Teleport Communications Group, currently serves as co-chairman of the
Communications Sub-Committee for the New Jersey Technology Council.
IMAGINE USA, a developer of communications software solutions
that provide live customer interaction via the Web, named Jesse Knowles
as vice president of sales for North America. partnerships. He brings to
IMAGINE a solid background in the call center/customer support industry
and extensive leadership experience.
Tim Caulfield joined EnvisioNet Computer Services, Inc.
as vice president for sales and marketing. He will be headquartered at
EnvisioNet's new office in Irvine, California. Caulfield was most recently
senior manager of service product marketing at Gateway Computers.
Todd Dale was named vice president of operations by CustomerLinx.
Dale will be responsible for managing the company's LinxCenters, its
Web-based customer support centers. Prior to his appointment, Dale was
vice president of commercial marketing and sales at Lionhearth
Technologies.
Berkeley Enterprise Partners, a professional services firm
specializing in connecting customer communication channels to the Web,
appointed Bob Couture to the position of chief operations officer.
Couture will spearhead rapid infrastructure growth to meet Berkeley's
expanding enterprise client base. His most recent position was senior vice
president with Xerox's Documents Solutions Group.
Pete Sherrill was named vice president of European business by
eFORCE, an e-business solutions integrator. Prior to this appointment,
Sherrill was senior vice president of Technology Solutions
Corporation-Europe.
network intelligence inc., a provider of integrated
telecommunications products and services for small businesses, appointed Kenneth
F. Melley, Jr. vice president of market research. He will be
responsible for regulatory affairs and direct the company's market
expansion efforts. Previously, Melley was vice president of regulatory
affairs at WorldxChange Communications.
Glenford F. Griffin was named president, chief executive officer
and chairman of the board of directors for 3iNet, Inc., a Linux Internet
applications provider. Griffin has many years of experience as a chief
executive officer and chief marketing officer of public and private
corporations. He has taken many companies public and negotiated several
mergers and acquisitions, primarily in the technology and biotechnology
industries.
Eric Doescher was named vice president of marketing by Ukibi,
a provider of contact management engines. Doescher was most recently vice
president of marketing with International Telcom Ltd.
Direct marketing agency DataMark, Inc. named Dean Lukehart
senior vice president of new business development. Lukehart comes to
DataMark from Grizzard Communications, where he was senior vice president
and a member of the executive committee.
IPC Information Systems, Inc., a supplier of voice and data
telecommunications products for the financial services industry, announced
three managerial appointments for its Information Transport Systems (I.T.S.)
division. Richard Bono, a former assistant vice president with
Lehman Brothers, will head I.T.S.'s estimating, finance, purchasing and
warehouse operations. Thomas Carino will lead the I.T.S. project
management and field operations teams. James Vinci, formerly with
Conserv Corporation and Neptune Marketing Technologies, will lead the
I.T.S. sales effort.
OneVoice Solutions and OpNow!, operating units of Teltrust,
Inc., announced the appointment of five senior management executives. Blaine
Colton was appointed vice president of sales and account management
for OpNow!, Teltrust's call center outsourcing unit. Colton has served in
executive positions with France Telcom, Cirque Corporation and Sorenson
Vision. Tim Dorr was named vice president of marketing for both
OpNow! and OneVoice Solutions, Teltrust's multimedia inbound customer
relationship management outsourcing unit. Dorr was most recently a senior
consultant/technologist with the Center for Concept Development of
Princeton, New Jersey. Additionally, Chris Plato was named vice
president of product development. Prior to joining Teltrust, Plato was
director of product and service development for Net Exchange. Keith
Reynolds was appointed vice president of call center operations.
Reynolds brings 21 years of experience in the call center industry to the
position. Bill Palafox was named vice president of customer
service. Palafox was previously with Net Exchange, Inc
Contigo And Evoke Plan Merger
Contigo Software, Inc., a provider of Web collaboration software,
announced that it entered into a merger agreement with Evoke Incorporated
(formerly Vstream), an Internet communications service provider. Under
terms of the agreement, Contigo will become a subsidiary of Evoke. Both
companies said that the proposed merger will provide their customers with
an integrated, Web-based solution for Internet communications services.
Contigo offers Web collaboration tools, such as whiteboarding, text chat,
application viewing, Web touring and polling, that allow real-time
interaction among participants in a Web conference.
NICE Acquisition Of CenterPoint
NICE Systems Ltd. announced that it has completed its acquisition
of CenterPoint Solutions, Inc., an application developer of Web-enabled
solutions for statistical tracking, digital recording and automated
customer surveys for contact centers. NICE expects to integrate several of
CenterPoint's products into its CRM solutions, including data mining
tools, customer callback automation and voice response survey tools using
interactive voice response (IVR) technology. NICE said that the
acquisition is a major step in its commitment to delivering solutions that
enhance customer relationship management.
Pivotal To Acquire Exactium
Pivotal Corporation, a provider of customer relationship management
solutions, signed an agreement to acquire Exactium Ltd. Exactium, based in
Atlanta, Georgia, is a provider of e-sales solutions optimized for
Internet and Microsoft standards. Exactium has been majority-owned by
publicly held Industrial & Financial Systems AB, which is active in
the enterprise application marketplace. As part of the transaction,
Pivotal and IFS have established an alliance agreement whereby IFS will
distribute Pivotal's eBRM solution and Pivotal will provide support
services for IFS's customers and prospects. Pivotal expects the
acquisition to afford them a strong position in what they describe as two
mission-critical areas: e-selling and e-business relationship management.
The company also said that, upon completion of the acquisition, Exactium
will be established as the Pivotal Intelligent eSelling product division
and Eli Barak, presently Exactium's president and CEO, will be appointed
to the position of vice president and general manager of the product
division. Pivotal simultaneously announced the availability of Pivotal
Intelligent eSelling 2000, an Internet application suite based on
Exactium's technology for establishing e-sales operations. Pivotal
Intelligent eSelling 2000 will be fully integrated with the Pivotal
eRelationship 2000 solution for e-business relationship management (eBRM).
QSM And ConsortiaAnnounce Merger
James Schinco, CEO of Quality Service Management, Inc., a customer
care and CRM solutions company, and Mike Browne, founder and CEO of
Consortia Ltd., a data-driven database marketing organization, announced
the merger of the companies. QSM said that Consortia's strengths in
database marketing, quantitative services, creative services and direct
mail marketing services complement QSM's offerings, such as strategic
planning, tactical implementation, outsourced call center solutions,
Internet marketing program management, e-commerce and quality assurance
benchmarking. Additionally, both companies share a focus on clients in the
financial services industry. Mr. Browne will join the board of directors
of QSM and will remain with the company as a senior partner.
MUSE Set To Acquire AVS
MUSE Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced perceptual
computing and collaboration software, announced that it signed a letter of
intent to acquire Advanced Visual Systems (AVS), a provider of data
visualization. The new company is expected to focus on developing and
integrating software and solutions using 3D graphics technology. MUSE and
AVS produce products used by software developers to build customized
visualization solutions. The combined companies plan to leverage their
industry experience to create new software to meet the demand for desktop
visualization applications, and establish visualization and perceptual
computing as the standard for business intelligence and collaborative
decision making.
ANTARA Changes Name, Launches New Product Line
ANTARA, a firewall provider, has changed its name to ANTARA.net,
to reflect its expanded role as an Internet infrastructure enabler.
ANTARA.net introduced a new line of e-business infrastructure stressing
and testing tools, ANTARA.net/FlameThrower. The product family is intended
as scalable attack and multilayered traffic emulation tools for supporting
e-business networks. The products are designed to perform accurate
transaction-level tests on networks, helping IT professionals know what
their e-business networks can handle so that their company's
infrastructure can be optimized and security breaches prevented. The
intent is to allow e-businesses to conduct real-world performance
validation of their sites, from emulating actual user volumes during peak
periods to denial-of-service and security attacks.
TSYS To Support Outsourcing For AT&T
Total System Services, Inc. and its subsidiary TSYS Total
Solutions signed an outsourcing agreement with AT&T to offer account
management and customer care services for AT&T's long-distance Direct
Bill Card (DBC) consumer accounts. AT&T's DBC accounts were converted
to TSYS' TS2 Processing System, and TSYS will provide credit, customer
service collection and fraud management solutions.
Roska Selected As Beta Site For USPS "MailTrak -
PLANET Code" Service
Roska Direct, a full-service direct advertising agency serving
clients in a variety of markets, was selected by Communication Packaging
Services, Inc. of New Jersey as a Beta site for the newly launched U.S.
Postal Service "MailTrak - PLANET Code" mail-tracking service.
According to Communication Packaging, Roska was chosen because it (Roska)
has shown aggressive assimilation of new technologies within its business
model. MailTrak is a mail tracking and reporting system designed to help
direct marketers take advantage of Confirm, a new USPS product that uses
PLANET Code technology, to capture time-based direct marketing
information. The combination of MailTrak and PLANET Code technology aims
to provide direct marketers with fast and inexpensive access to their
mailing delivery statistics. MailTrak offers tracking through fax or
e-mail enclosure, reporting on both outgoing and incoming automated,
letter-size mail, while distributing statistics 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. Roska Direct will know when the recipient has received its
direct-mail solicitation, eliminating the guesswork and ultimately helping
to streamline its marketing efforts.
Community Voice Mail Reaches Out To Homeless
In 1991, a Seattle non-profit organization, Community Voice Mail (CVM)
was created in response to the need for a communication link for homeless
job seekers. Today, CVM is operating in 33 U.S. cities, connecting over
15,000 homeless and poor people to job opportunities, housing
availability, medical test results, family and friends. Washington State
Senator Lisa Brown, chairwoman of the Energy, Technology and
Telecommunications Committee, has championed Community Voice Mail in
Olympia, Washington, citing increased state access to CVM as one of her
priorities. Robert L. Richmond, chairman of unified messaging and
computer-telephony solutions provider Active Voice Corporation, has been
instrumental to CVM's growth across the country. He was the first
corporate executive to receive the United State's Presidential Service
Award for his efforts in providing voice mail technology access to the
country's homeless and poor. Community Voice Mail is a nonprofit program
that provides access to voice mail messaging systems for persons out of
touch and out of the economic mainstream. It offers 24-hour access to
telephone messages they might not otherwise receive from potential
employers, landlords, case managers and family, while protecting the
user's privacy. CVM and the Repartee voice messaging system, developed by
Active Voice, are the tools that help people conduct their business with
dignity and motivation. For more information, contact the Community Voice
Mail Web site at www.cvm.org.
SITEL And Bellsystem24 Form Strategic Partnership In
Japan
SITEL Corporation, a provider of electronic customer relationship
management (eCRM) solutions to large corporations, and Bellsystem24, Inc.,
a Japanese provider of total marketing solution and Internet-related
services, announced an exclusive strategic alliance. Under the terms of
the agreement, Bellsystem24 will provide and implement eCRM management,
services and support in Japan for SITEL's present clients and other SITEL
clients entering the Japanese market. In return, SITEL will provide eCRM
solutions for Bellsystem24's clients in the United States. Within the
partnership agreement are terms to encourage cross-border growth of
existing clients as well as the mutual pursuit of new business. In
addition, both companies are agreeing to an active program of knowledge
sharing and personnel exchange programs. The agreement includes terms for
revenue sharing, but more specific financial details were not disclosed.
In connection with the formation of this partnership, Bellsystem24 will
acquire the assets associated with SITEL's contact center in Kawasaki
City. Bellsystem24 services in Japan include contact center design and
management, e-business and e-business-related services, sales leads and
sales promotion, content and information services and new business
services.
varetis LaunchesHungarian Subsidiary
varetis AG of Munich, Germany, a provider of directory solutions
for the telecommunications, call center and Internet markets, announced
the opening of a new subsidiary in Hungary. The company stated the new
office is an important step toward its development of the growing Eastern
European market. varetis Communications HU Kft. will be located in
Budapest. The initial focus of the office is the further development of
varetis software, although plans are being formulated to provide sales,
consulting and customer services at the site. varetis offers telcos and
information service providers directory solutions for the Internet,
customer care and directory assistance call centers and for data purity
and integration. The Group's services include development and
implementation of technology, consulting, project management and customer
support.
Lucent's Enterprise Networks Group And Blue Pumpkin
Ally
Blue Pumpkin Software and Lucent Technologies' soon to be spun off
Enterprise Networks Group announced an alliance to provide solutions for
managing human resources in multichannel customer contact centers. Blue
Pumpkin develops, markets and supports the PrimeTime suite of products
designed to help companies provide customer service across a variety of
contact media, including phone and e-mail, and tools meant to efficiently
schedule and manage customer contact personnel, ensuring the right person
with the right skills handles customer interactions. Under the agreement,
the Enterprise Network Group will resell Blue Pumpkin's workforce
management software, incorporating it into Lucent's suite of CRM
solutions. Blue Pumpkin Software's workforce management products are
designed to optimize the forecasting and scheduling of agents in contact
centers. The companies will also embed the Blue Pumpkin products into the
Enterprise Network Group's CRM solutions products, which include
information routing and workflow capabilities with products such as
CentreVu Advocate, CRM Central 2000 and CentreVu Internet Solutions.
Lucent Enterprise Networks Group's CRM solutions include a range of
systems, software and professional services, including multimedia customer
care and computer-telephony applications, CRM software, predictive dialing
solutions and interactive voice response (IVR) products. The Enterprise
Networks Group will start reselling Blue Pumpkin's workforce management
products in the third quarter of this year. The companies' combined
solutions will be introduced during the fourth quarter.
iPass And Terra In Alliance For Global Internet Roaming
iPass Inc., a virtual network provider, announced an agreement
that makes the iPass Internet Roaming Service available to customers of
Terra Networks S.A. , the Internet business unit of Telef�nica S.A. The
agreement is intended to give Terra customers secure and reliable access
to the Internet at the cost of a local phone call through iPass' more than
5,000 access points in 150 countries. The iPass service will also allow
Terra Networks' business customers to use the iPass virtual global network
with a virtual private network (VPN) for secure, Internet-based
connectivity to their corporate networks. Terra currently provides
Internet access services in Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Guatemala
and the United States and operates Internet portals serving those
countries and Argentina. Terra plans to launch news portals in other Latin
American countries. The iPass network includes more than 145 active
Internet service provider partners offering iPass services throughout
Latin America and more than 650 Internet service providers offering iPass
services worldwide.
Interactive Intelligence, Sapphire Partner For
Distribution In India
Interactive Intelligence, Inc., a developer of multichannel
customer interaction management software, announced that Sapphire Infotech,
an integrated end-to-end solutions and services provider, will sell,
market and support Interactive Intelligence's Enterprise Interaction
Center (EIC) throughout India. Sapphire Callnet, an affiliate of Sapphire
Infotech, will offer EIC as its premium platform for Web-enabling its call
center customer base. EIC allows organizations to handle Web-based
interactions, such as telephone, text chat, Web callback, voice over
Internet, faxes and e-mail. A single server running EIC is capable of
replacing a variety of legacy devices, including PBXs, call distributors,
voice response systems and fax servers. The agreement is intended to
facilitate Sapphire Infotech to enable its call center customers rapidly
and easily, based on the EIC unified architecture. The company plans to
establish India's largest integrated network of server-based, Web-enabled
call centers in India. The network would be used to offer various
IT-enabled services and CTI solutions, and would host ERP, CRM and other
applications. The partnership is Interactive Intelligence's third
distribution agreement in India.
Tundo And Telephony@Work Form Strategic Alliance
Tundo Corporation, a provider of open IP telephony platforms, and
Telephony@Work, a provider of open call center and e-contact technology,
have entered into a strategic technical and marketing alliance. The
alliance is intended to allow application service providers (ASPs), dot-coms
and enterprise customers to rapidly implement call center and e-contact
solutions using Telephony@Work's CallCenter@nywhere technology running on
Tundo's Network Telephony System. The CallCenter@nywhere solution is
integrated as an application working on top of Tundo's Distributed Open
Telephony�Operating System (DOT-OS). The combination provides enterprise
customers, both e-businesses and traditional call centers, with a
large-scale, fault-tolerant environment for handling multimedia customer
contact interactions, including phone, fax, e-mail, chat sessions, Web
calls and Web callback requests. Tundo's Network Telephony System is a
scalable, IP telephony platform designed to provide an open,
standards-based service creation environment for converged network
applications developers. The alliance expects to provide the additional
capability of partitioning subscribers on a common network infrastructure
while maintaining the privacy of individual subscriber companies.
Davox, Knowledge Impact Sign Partnership Agreement
Davox Corporation, a developer of customer contact solutions, and
Knowledge Impact, Inc., a provider of e-learning and performance support
solutions, announced an agreement to jointly market their offerings.
Knowledge Impact's e-learning solutions are expected to complement Davox's
solutions by providing Web-based, customized application and business
process training to end users. Both companies said the training component
will help customers' agents learn more about the automation capabilities
of Davox's Ensemble suite and other Davox solutions. The Ensemble customer
contact suite consists of integrated software modules designed to help
companies manage inbound and outbound customer contact, generate real-time
and historical reports and provide customer information to agents.
AMO Allies With RecoverDebt.com
Asset Management Outsourcing, Inc. (AMO), a provider of
receivables management solutions, and RecoverDebt.com, an Internet portal
company providing outsourced debt collection coordination for small- to
mid-sized businesses, announced the formation of a strategic alliance. AMO
will benefit through direct access into this market, while RecoverDebt.com
will add AMO's accounts receivable optimization services to its offerings.
RecoverDebt.com acts as a coordinator for creditors of all sizes in a
variety of industries. By bundling their receivables into large groups by
specific areas of debt and collection method, it makes it possible for
smaller businesses to be served by national service providers, such as AMO.
RecoverDebt.com's Web-based product provides creditors with greater
control of receivables and diminishes administrative costs for a service
provider. The ability to track performance results and report payments
online through RecoverDebt.com makes it economically viable for AMO to
service these accounts.
Spotfire And Tripos Deliver Data Management Solution
Spotfire, Inc., a provider of decision analytics solutions,
announced a partnership with Tripos, Inc., a provider of integrated data
and discovery research. Under terms of the agreement, the companies will
build a product interface that links Spotfire.net, Spotfire's Web-based
decision analytics solution, to Tripos' MetaLayer data integration and
analysis system. The partnership is in response to a demand for improving
access and analysis of life sciences information from disparate data
sources. Spotfire.net is structured to provide a decision analytics portal
for scientific and industrial decision-making communities, and aims at
accelerating the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing
processes in a variety of industries. Tripos' MetaLayer architecture is
designed to provide life sciences researchers with a single view of their
data by enabling access to all information available in a company's
databases, regardless of location or format.
DAX Partners With Sun For SPARCs
DAX Systems, Inc., a manufacturer and systems integrator of CT
solutions, announced an agreement with Sun Microsystems to provide the
SPARCengine family of products as part of their CT solutions package. The
SPARCengine solutions include three motherboards, the AXe, AXi and AXmp,
and the Compact PCI Single Board Computer. The AXe single processing
engine is targeted at the low-end CTI market. The AXi, also with a single
processing engine, is targeted at the mid- to high-end CTI and call center
markets. The AXmp, with up to 4 multiprocessing engines, is targeted at
the high-end unified messaging and PC-PBX markets, while the Compact PCI
Single Board Computer is intended to support ultra-high reliability
requirements in the PC-PBX, Internet telephony and ISP space. DAX supports
both Sun Solaris and Linux on the SPARCengine platforms. It is currently
working with several software vendors to provide their UNIX-based
applications as part of DAX's bundled solutions program.
Witness Australian Expansion
Witness Systems, Inc., a provider of recording and analysis
software, announced the opening of its new operations base in the
Asia/Pacific region. As part of its strategy to capitalize on the growing
international contact center market, Witness Systems established an office
in Sydney, Australia. The company intends to focus on Australia, Hong
Kong, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand, citing strong demand for its
eQuality suite in the region. A major factor in Witness Systems' selection
of Australia as its Asia/Pacific base is Australia's burgeoning,
multibillion-dollar contact center industry.
LinxCenter Opens In Durant
CustomerLinx, a provider of e-commerce customer management
services, recently opened a new $1.5 million customer care center in
Durant, Oklahoma. The state-of-the-art LinxCenter facility has traditional
customer care capabilities, such as fax and voice, and integrates those
with e-mail, interactive Web chat and other Web site support services. The
center aims to offer its clients a flexible range of outsourced support
options capabilities based on the latest technologies.
eFORCE In Europe
eFORCE, an e-business solutions integrator, opened an office in
London, U.K. The new overseas operation will concentrate on launching and
developing eFORCE's integration services for European businesses. eFORCE
said that this move is part of its strategy to provide its solutions to a
global customer base, helping European companies to establish themselves
in e-commerce while supporting U.S. multinationals' overseas requirements.
TMNG Expands Into Argentina
The Management Network Group, Inc., a provider of management
consulting services for the global telecommunications and e-business
industries, announced the opening of a branch office in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. TMNG said that the decision is in response to demand for
Internet and more efficient telecom capabilities as the Latin American
telecommunications market undergoes deregulation. Carol Bleecker, a
principal with the company, will lead the Latin American practice.
EnvisioNet Adds West Coast Office
EnvisioNet Computer Services, Inc., a provider of customer care
solutions for Internet business, established a West Coast office in
Irvine, California to solidify its sales efforts for western U.S. and
Pacific Rim clients. EnvisioNet staffs contact centers in Winthrop,
Augusta and Brunswick Maine, with centers opening in Orono, Maine, New
Brunswick, Canada and Scotland by August. An additional contact center is
planned for the West Coast later this year. The company handles technical
calls on installation and software and customer service questions on
products and services. It employs over 1,500 Internet specialists year
round with additional representatives added to handle calls during
seasonal peaks. The new contact centers are expected to add about 1,000
employees by next year.
Advanced Data-Comm Opens New Sites
Teleservices provider Advanced Data-Comm, Inc. recently opened two
new call centers in Moline, Illinois and Ashland, Wisconsin. The Moline
site is being used to complete survey interviews with Fortune 1000
companies and is set up to handle outbound calling. The Ashland site is
equipped to handle both inbound and outbound projects. The centers provide
Advanced Data-Comm with an additional 122 workstations and allow for
future expansion.
Grand Opening For Convergys Contact Center In Texas
Convergys Corporation, a provider of outsourced, integrated,
billing and customer care services, officially opened the doors of its
Brownsville, Texas contact center. The 43,000- square-foot center houses
400 workstations and employs about 700 people. The center is dedicated to
providing customer service support for inbound AT&T customer
inquiries. Convergys also operates contact centers in four other Texas
cities, employing over 5,300 people statewide.
Telex Locates To Arkansas
Telex Communications Inc., a manufacturer of audio, wireless and
multimedia communications products, will open its doors in Morrilton,
Arkansas this month. The company said that Morrilton was chosen due to its
proximity to many of Telex's key markets, its strong workforce and
potential for growth.
Atento To Launch Multimillion Dollar Call Center In
Puerto Rico
Atento, a worldwide telemarketing company, has selected Puerto
Rico as the site of its Caribbean interactive customer service call
center. Atento's investment will amount to $25 million and is expected to
create 3,000 jobs over the next five years. Atento, based in Miami,
Florida, manages call centers in several countries, including Brazil,
Chile, Guatemala, Morocco and Spain.
Precision Response In Dade County, Florida
Precision Response Corporation, a provider of outsourced customer
care, announced the opening of its new multimedia interaction center in
Perrine, Florida. The facility will house 450 workstations (with expansion
to over 600 possible) and create over 800 jobs. The center is the first
major expansion in the area since the devastation of Hurricane Andrew and
is viewed as an important economic component for the community.
Americall Opens In Tinley Park
Americall Corporation opened a new calling center in Tinley Park,
Illinois. The company notes that the 250 calling stations represents a
significant expansion in its telemarketing operations. The center will
integrate technology for a number of programs, including direct sales,
product information, user assistance, cross-selling and collections.
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