Reading Eagle Company has successfully deployed VoicePort's speech application CircPort onDemand, to field circulation phone calls. CircPort is completely integrated with the newspaper's DTI/PBS circulation database for real-time transaction processing.

 

VoicePort's hosted solutions provide smaller newspapers with the opportunity to implement a self-service speech recognition application without the associated capital expense. The Reading Eagle can now offer subscribers instant access to their account to schedule vacation holds, report delivery problems, make account payments, and much more.

 

"VoicePort has made it simple to provide our customers with increased service. We are extremely pleased with the performance of the application in its first few months of use," Richard D. Auman, Director of Circulation at the Eagle, was quoted as saying in the report.

 

CircPort is a self-service circulation IVR that automates a newspaper's basic circulation functions over the phone, such as:

 

Inbound: 

·        Delivery problem reporting

·        New subscription service 

·        Account status

·        Vacation holds

·        Credit card payment, one time or automatic pay

·        Address changes

·        Up sell potential for promotions

·        Cross-sale potential

·        Transfer to agents with intelligent information

·        Surveys

·        Email capture

 

Outbound:

·        Retention start & redelivery verification

·        Credit card decline

·        Easy pay conversion

·        Service expiration reminders

·        Surveys

·        Complaint resolution follow up calls

·        Transfer to agents

 

With the CircPort OnDemand circulation IVR, there is no equipment or software to purchase or maintain. It is a secure hosting center that lends itself to selectable and scalable service. Varying call volumes are not a problem and user can pay only for minutes in the system. There are tiered rates per minute in the system, the more minutes spent, the lower the rate. CircPort employs convenient and intelligent transferring to customer agents, with an available CTI component by UpStream Works. All the information gathered by the system is available to the agents, as well as access to the input screens.

 

 

"Hosted solutions are an affordable option for newspapers who want to provide 24/7 service to their customers. The Reading Eagle joins more than 130 other newspaper customers who have implemented a VoicePort application to improve service and reduce cost," Kevin Cawley, Director of North American Sales at VoicePort, was quoted as saying in the report.

 

VoicePort is the leading provider of automated speech recognition applications to more than 130 of the top daily newspapers in North America. The CircPort application is offered in both on-premise and hosted models, fully integrating with all major industry and proprietary circulation databases. CircPort's comprehensive suite of custom and configurable circulation applications includes WebPort and Dispatch. VoicePort is a Genesys Interacts Partner and a Nuance (News - Alert) speech solutions partner. To know more about VoicePort products and services, log on to: www.voiceport.net.

 

The Reading Eagle is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania. This family-owned newspaper has a daily circulation of 59,550 and a Sunday circulation of 82,872. It serves the Reading and Berks County region of Pennsylvania.