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November 2001
Quescom Offers Incremental VoIP Solutions
The French company QuesCom has made available its NextBX IP Telephony
Architecture, a suite of software applications and services designed to
enable a business to leverage its existing investment in PBX technology.
It is an open architecture that takes advantage of businesses' existing
PBX systems to enable them to run voice over IP (VoIP), and helps ISPs
offer more cost-competitive solutions for long-distance voice
communications. NextBX' architecture consists of SmartIAD (Integrated
Access Devices) servers, an IP enabler for PBX systems and NextBX IP
Telephony Services. As IP Telephony enablers, the QuesCom 500 and 600
SmartIAD (integrated access devices) servers convert telephone
communications from traditional PSTN networks to IP packet-based
infrastructures, with the 600 capable of handling up to 120 voice calls
per server. These are designed to allow progressive migration of current
communication systems to tomorrow's unified systems. Both the 500 and
600 models receive input as data and voice stream. Data are delivered by
the local data infrastructure via a router or by taking IP packets
directly from a LAN, using QuesCom's routing features. Voice is
transmitted from the local PBX in digital or analog format from the
opposite end.
www.quescom.com/+33 4 97 23 48 48
KANA Releases New iCARE Suite
KANA, a provider of external-facing eCRM solutions, has announced the
release of its integrated iCARE suite. KANA iCARE (Intelligent Customer
Acquisition and Retention for the Enterprise) is a Web-architected J2EE
and COM eCRM suite that was designed to provide organizations with a
scalable, external-facing contact center solution. The KANA iCARE suite is
available as a complete suite or as individual products. The suite is a
complete and fully integrated eCRM solution that includes a scalable
contact center solution, an inbound and outbound e-mail management system,
a robust knowledge base for self- and assisted-service and sophisticated
marketing and analytics.
www.kana.com/800-737-8738
Authentify Enables Safer Online Transactions
Authentify, Inc., a provider of Internet identity solutions, has released
Authentify|Register 2.0, as well as two new products, Authentify|Transact
and Authentify|Telephone Data Services. Authentify|Register 2.0 is an
automated authentication solution that enables organizations to perform
real-time, two-factor user authentication during an Internet session via a
standard Web browser and telephone line. During an Internet session,
Authentify|Register places an automated, outbound telephone call to the
user. Once connected, Authentify synchronizes the phone session with the
Web session, and can capture a voice recording to strengthen the audit
trail. Authentify has introduced Authentify|Transact as an automated
transaction authorization tool.
Authentify|Transact verifies the identity of a user during a
transaction such as credit card payment processing, online banking
transactions or online trading, among others. During the transaction,
Authentify|Transact places a phone call to capture an audit trail of the
event. Both Authentify|Register and Authentify|Transact provide stronger
audit trails than 'mail a PIN' processes or data entry alone. This is
accomplished by demonstrating control of a valid phone number and enabling
interactive, out-of-band confirmation coupled to the transaction. As an
automated service, the process is completed at a lower cost than a live
operator attempting to verify user information and without the risks of
human error or social engineering. Authentify|Telephone Data Services, or
TDS, is a complementary add-on service to Authentify|Register or
Authentify|Transact. Authentify accesses a series of third-party
databases, including Acxiom's InfoBase TeleSource, to complete a reverse
lookup on the telephone number, and provides information regarding the
provisionary characteristics and geographic location of a phone. TDS
enables Authentify customers to appropriately manage the risks of
establishing new relationships via the Internet.
www.authentify.com/773-243-0300
Centerwheel Releases Enhanced Version Of Peer
Support Solution
Centerwheel, a provider of Web-based collaboration and knowledge-sharing
solutions, has announced the release of Centerwheel Resolution 2.0, an
enhanced version of its peer support solution, which helps companies
improve their support operations by enabling users to help each other
rather than engaging company agents. Centerwheel Resolution 2.0 builds
upon earlier releases by making it easier for users to find answers to
their questions and for support administrators to monitor the resolution
of user issues. Resolution 2.0 also offers increased flexibility for
integrating the collaboration environment with other support systems, such
as e-mail or call centers. Centerwheel Resolution 2.0 was designed to act
as the first line of defense for technical support, letting users help
themselves and each other find topical information and answers to all
their questions. By implementing Centerwheel Resolution, companies can
build a reusable knowledge base of questions and answers, which helps
reduce the volume of incoming user inquiries that need to be handled by
support representatives, which can result in cost savings and improved
operational efficiencies. Centerwheel Resolution also offers competitive
advantages in developer communities, where knowledge sharing and
collaboration are critical to attracting and supporting active application
developers. Centerwheel Resolution enables companies to build thriving
developer communities that promote loyalty and application development.
www.centerwheel.com/415-627-9000
TOPCALL Provides Enhanced Convenience For
Computer-Telephony
TOPCALL International AG, parent company to TOPCALL Corporation in the
Americas, has enhanced the functionality of its CTI module with the
introduction of TOPCALL Snapware 4.0. The CTI solution now offers
additional features like call tracking I.D. and chat functions, as well as
incorporating a presence management server (PMS). The current version of
TOPCALL Snapware was designed to combine convenience with functionality
and facilitate the integration with CRM, ERP and messaging applications,
or any other required business application. The new presence management
server function helps ensure optimized customer management, allowing
companies to automatically forward incoming calls to virtually any number.
Incoming calls are no longer held in a queue or transferred to the
switchboard, but processed automatically on the basis of individually
defined profiles.
The software provides standard profiles (lunch break, vacation,
meeting, etc.), as well as offering users the option of creating cyclic
profiles. Once set up, the profile will then be applied at all times.
Users can create a cyclic profile, whereby incoming calls are routed to a
predefined number during a designated period of time. Alternatively, call
diversion of incoming calls for individual members of staff can be set up
through a number of different procedures. All incoming calls are
automatically identified on the basis of predefined phone numbers. The new
chat function offers advantages by enabling users to use a chat window to
send quick messages to colleagues while they are on the phone. The call
tracking I.D. function enables the call handler to trace each caller's
particulars. Instead of a caller having to repeat the reason for the call,
details of the call can now be stored through screen-to-screen transfers.
The integration of a new partner bar in the CTI software offers users the
option to set up workgroups and display the current staff status by means
of icons. This shows, for instance, if a call center agent is in the
process of making a call or talking to a customer.
www.topcall.com/+43-1-86353-0
France T'l'com Develops Multimedia Scarf
France T'l'com's research and development department has recently
announced the development of a prototype multimedia communications scarf
that offers many of the services expected with the new generation of
mobile telephony (UMTS) systems. Housing a touch screen linked to a mini
Web cam, the scarf functions as a permanent interface for receiving and
sending spoken, written and visual information. In this way, everyone is
able, at any time, to create a private space for themselves. Simple
actions trigger different operations. When the collar of the scarf is
raised, concealed earphones are positioned at ear level, while wrapping it
around the neck places a microphone discreetly in front of the mouth. It
is then easy to have a telephone conversation or, for the first time, a
videophone conversation. Earphones also make it possible to listen to
music. At this stage of development, the scarf is worn over a jacket that
conceals in its lining a mini computer keyboard and a GSM phone. In the
future, miniaturization will allow complete integration into the scarf,
which will make it an ideal consumer product. Viewing films downloaded
from the Internet, surfing favorite Web sites, sending e-mail or
distributing photos instantly are additional benefits. Eventually, the
scarf will act as a complete (and discreet) portable office, enabling
wearers to be able to remain connected to their company network and access
files, Intranets and other programs.
www.francetelecom.com/+33-1-44-44-93-93
Avaya Offers IP Telephony To Small And Mid-Sized
Businesses
Avaya, a provider of corporate networking solutions and services, has
announced a new converged voice and data communications solution that aims
to further demonstrate the company's commitment to small and mid-sized
enterprises (SMEs), helping to provide them with the networking and
communications applications -- such as unified messaging, contact center
services and Internet protocol (IP) telephony -- that large companies are
using to drive sales results and improve communications. The new Avaya IP
Office is optimized for up to 100 end users and/or 50 contact center
agents, with expansion up to 180 end users or 75 agents. The new solution
joins Avaya's Enterprise Class Internet Protocol Solutions (ECLIPS)
portfolio of products, applications and services, and was designed to
bring the sophistication of big-business voice and data communications to
small and mid-sized business customers at an affordable price. Avaya IP
Office is an 'all-in-one' voice, data and applications solution that
can be tailored to suit the customer's needs. IP Office can function as
an IP- or circuit-switched-PBX, complete with office communications
applications for a single site; a compact remote office solution ideal for
stand-alone branch office locations; and as a small, integrated contact
center.
www.avaya.com/866-462-8292
RightNow Web eService Center 5.0 Available
RightNow Technologies, a provider of Internet customer service solutions,
has announced the latest release of its flagship application, RightNow Web
eService Center 5.0. RightNow Web eService Center was launched as a
complete solution for assisting customers via Web self-service, e-mail,
live chat and phone. It aims to deliver a common knowledge base across all
communications channels, helping enable companies to leverage a single
support information repository. RightNow's self-learning knowledge base
technology, which builds content based on customers' actual inquiries
and interactions, can help reduce call center workloads by empowering
customers to quickly find 75 to 90 percent of the answers to their
questions online. This online self-service paradigm can result in
substantial, quantifiable cost savings and service improvements for
companies without requiring extensive up-front investments of time and
effort. In addition to automatically building its knowledge base from
day-to-day interactions with customers, the new release of RNW eService
Center also automatically organizes that knowledge base into a logical,
hierarchical structure based on the search and query terms that customers
actually use. This user-driven structure makes it easier for customers to
see what information is available online and lets them browse even the
largest knowledge bases to quickly pinpoint the answers they seek.
RightNow considers its automated structuring an improvement over
conventional approaches to self-service content. RNW eService Center
automatically creates browsable content areas that are labeled with the
same words and phrases that customers themselves use. Additionally, it
automatically re-structures content areas as required over time without
requiring manual intervention by site managers or support staff.
www.rightnow.com/877-363-5678
Sound Advantage Releases New Version Of SANDi
Sound Advantage has announced the availability of SANDi 2.1, the latest
version of Sound Advantage's speech-enabled unified communications
solution. SANDi 2.1 incorporates enhancements and new features designed to
improve the caller experience and provide greater efficiency for users in
small to mid-sized companies. With SANDi 2.1, users will increase live
call connections and avoid the 'voice mail jail' and phone tag that
plagues business. From the employee perspective, SANDi can enable mobile
workers such as salespeople, field technicians, delivery personnel and
traveling business executives to always stay connected. SANDi helps
encourage one-call access with speech-activated advanced call processing,
plus the ability to send, receive and reply to voice mail, e-mail and
faxes, all by voice. SANDi 2.1 facilitates live call connections through
the use of the 'Locate' feature often referred to as 'Find
Me/Follow-Me.' SANDi 2.1 aims to increase productivity, require little
maintenance and integrate with legacy PBX and KTS systems.
www.soundadvantage.com/800-714-8401
Inter-Tel Announces General Availability Of
Software Version 5.3
Inter-Tel, Inc. has announced the production release of Version 5.3 call
processing software and Basic-Rate ISDN S/T and U-interface hardware for
its Axxess and Eclipse communication platforms. The new software and
hardware were designed to provide existing and future customers with new
ISDN and system features to enhance single-site systems, multisite systems
and call centers. All new systems will be shipped with the Version 5.3
software. Existing Axxess by Inter-Tel and Eclipse by Inter-Tel owners may
add additional application value to their multilocation enterprises or
domestic and global call centers by upgrading to this latest version of
software. The Version 5.3 software and hardware release is another
enhancement that aims to provide new features and capabilities to existing
customers, thus adding value to and preserving their Inter-Tel platform
investment
www.inter-tel.com/800-216-1133
ServiceWare Introduces eService Accelerator
Packages
ServiceWare Technologies, Inc., a provider of intelligent service
applications, has announced eService Accelerator Packages that are
designed to meet customers' needs for an aggressively priced, low-risk
entry point for customer self-service and call center productivity. Based
on its eService Suite product line and complemented by its professional
services teams, ServiceWare's Accelerator Packages can help
organizations address current market needs by achieving rapid success
while minimizing costs. Based on ServiceWare's flagship eService Suite
product line, which enables businesses to develop and manage a repository
of knowledge to more effectively answer customer inquiries, the eService
Accelerator Packages offer the strength of ServiceWare's MindSync search
technology while using a reusable, templated services model, offering
reductions in time and costs. AnswerSite is a self-service solution that
can quickly and inexpensively provide customers and employees with access
to knowledge-based service and support FAQs over the Web. AnswerCenter can
help turn a company's call center into a knowledge-enabled contact
center while leveraging existing investments and establishing a platform
for growth across the enterprise. Answer360 provides a suite of
self-service and call center interaction tools which were designed to help
companies see measurable results immediately.
www.serviceware.com/
800-572-5748
AvantGo Delivers Mobile Sales Application
AvantGo, Inc., a provider of mobile infrastructure software and services,
is now shipping AvantGo Mobile Sales, a packaged mobile sales force
automation application that wirelessly supports all of Research In Motion's
BlackBerry Wireless Handhelds, Microsoft Pocket PC-based and Palm OS-based
handheld devices. The AvantGo Mobile Sales application is the first
packaged mobile application from AvantGo. AvantGo Mobile Sales was
designed to allow sales professionals to view and update critical sales
information from leading customer relationship management (CRM)
applications, such as Onyx, Oracle and Siebel Systems with their personal
digital assistants and Internet-enabled phones. A stand-alone packaged
application, AvantGo Mobile Sales provides wireless access to sales
information, including opportunities, contacts, service requests and
inventory. AvantGo's Mobile Sales product can help increase the ROI of
existing CRM investments by allowing sales professionals to more
effectively manage customer relationships while keeping sales management
armed with up-to-date information, thereby boosting workforce productivity
and effectiveness.
www.avantgo.com/510-259-4000
eMation Announces Availability Of Internet-Enabled
SCADA Software
eMation Inc., a provider of device relationship management (DRM)
solutions, has announced the worldwide availability of its next generation
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software, Wizcon 8.0.
SCADA software is designed to provide an intelligent user interface
between manufacturing, process and building automation systems and the
people who operate and manage them. Wizcon 8.0 provides customers with a
flexible Web-based decision support solution for controlling process and
automation systems. This new release introduces new features designed to
efficiently process and distribute real-time information, including
advanced alarm management, enhanced security model and expanded
supervisory applications. A key feature of any SCADA system is the ability
to detect fault conditions and provide notification to the local operator.
The new Advanced Alarm Management (AAM) system enables users to define and
control alarm settings, as well as to access or receive urgent alarms and
information through a variety of communications systems, such as fax,
e-mail, voice mail, SMS or Web page. Logic scripts can be created to
identify each alarm and send the correct message to the appropriate person
at the right time. Once notified, users can access, view and control the
process using a standard Web browser over an Internet or Intranet
connection, without the need to install special plug-ins or additional
software.
www.emation.com/508-337-9200
Prologue Software Introduces Web Demo
Prologue Software Group of France has announced the worldwide launch of
Web Demo, a new communication software solution in the SpartaCom range.
Web Demo is an Internet application that enables meeting organizers to
show any application in real-time to a distant public by displaying their
own screens on users' desktops over the Internet. Powerpoint
presentations, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets or displays from any
other software developed under any environment can be shown. Applications
primarily concern e-conferencing, e-learning, online support for sales and
online collaboration. The tool was designed for large corporations,
government departments and software publishers that need to communicate
rapidly with their personnel located at distant sites, clients or
partners. It is particularly suited for training establishments or large
companies for online e-training of staff who work at a distance from the
head office. No software need be installed on remote workstations to use
Web Demo. Developed by SpartaCom Technologies, a subsidiary of the
Prologue Software Group, Web Demo offers a range of functions including
the Viewport. This ensures the live screen broadcast and communication by
voice and keyboard (keyboard chat), all in real-time. It can be used to
assist Web-navigation and provides an e-whiteboarding capability with a
range of annotation tools that the organizer can use on participants'
screens, such as an eight-color virtual pencil and various predefined
shapes. In addition, it allows rights to be delegated to a user who can in
turn become the trainer.
www.prologue-software.fr/+33-1-69-29-39-39
ESI Announces New Workforce Optimization System
ESI, Expert Solutions International, has announced OptiWise, a new contact
center workforce management and optimization system. OptiWise was designed
to accurately forecast call volumes and automatically plan and schedule
the right staff needed per shift. The system monitors the contact center
operation in real-time, operating simulation tools for measuring cost
savings. OptiWise adapts to changes in the business environment by
automatically selecting the best-matched forecasting method for the
specific contact center, out of dozens of 'built-in' methods. The
product uses historical data to analyze the distribution of calls, trends
and seasonal patterns. An optimal shift-planning tool automatically
produces a list of optimal shifts, based on criteria such as company
structure, customer types, work centers and maximum number of shifts.
OptiWise offers a combined version for contact center and field service
operation, a solution which is most suitable for utilities and telco
companies. The optimal scheduling plan is based on the organization's
policies, goals and employee preferences and breaks. The contact center
manager can prioritize different organization and employee criteria.
OptiWise allows employees to take part in the scheduling processes through
e-Schedule, a Web-based interface. The product monitors contact center
operations, comparing actual versus planned performance, creating same-day
optimization and responding to ongoing changes. It monitors the costs
related to the desired service level category, enabling the highest
category's service level at the lowest cost, increasing customer
satisfaction and maintaining customer loyalty.
www.esi-knowledge.com/+972-9-9702500
youknowbest Announces New Product Detection Feature
youknowbest.com, Inc., a Web commerce service provider, has announced a
new product detection feature for its Best Price Toolbar, part of its
myList suite of tools available. The Best Price Toolbar, a free Internet
Explorer browser add-on, can now recognize products on manufacturers'
Web pages and provide a list of real-time prices and places to buy. The
new product detection feature provides consumers using the Best Price
Toolbar with the lowest price and multiple vendors for products they find
at manufacturer and dealer sites. The new feature also supports
youknowbest's continuing efforts to provide e-commerce tools and support
for consumer goods manufacturers, allowing them to sell more products
online while supporting their dealer chains. The Best Price Toolbar
detects products at major manufacturer and e-retailer sites using a series
of XML schema that define where the toolbar 'looks' to find relevant
pieces of information on each Web page. To be detected and included in the
youknowbest database, products must have four common features: a
manufacturer name, model number, product name and a price. When a product
is recognized on a Web page, the product name appears in the Best Price
Toolbar and the toolbar begins to look for more prices and dealers. If
multiple vendors for the product are found, the best price appears in red
and becomes a hyperlink to a list of all dealers and their prices. If no
other prices are found, the price found on the current product page
appears in green and the page is added to the myList product database.
Every time a Best Price Toolbar user looks at a product page not
recognized by the database, a new product is added, fostering a
peer-scaling environment. Initially, youknowbest is focusing on consumer
electronics and computing manufacturers for product detection.
www.youknowbest.com/407-566-2378
Harte-Hanks Unveils Allink Customer Data Management
Harte-Hanks, Inc., a provider of marketing database and customer
relationship management (CRM) services, recently introduced its Allink
Customer Data Management (CDM) solution. Allink CDM provides a blend of
professional services and software tools that can help businesses take
large volumes of fragmented, disparate, unstructured and inconsistent
customer data and transform them into a customer-centric database that can
help provide a single, complete view of customers and how they interact
with a company. Allink is the Harte-Hanks suite of data-centric
applications designed to paint a consolidated view of each customer across
an enterprise. Allink CDM is available in both business-to-business and
business-to-consumer environments. By implementing Allink CDM,
organizations can create the foundation on which to design and implement
CRM programs for a competitive edge. Allink CDM combines several
professional services and software products to help identify clients'
CRM needs and opportunities. First, the data quality and customer matching
needs of clients are addressed and enhanced with the Trillium Software
System and Customer Key Manager. These Allink CDM applications provide
standardized and consistent data for each customer across all back-end
systems, helping to empower CRM operations, reduce internal costs and
increase return on existing data investments.
www.harte-hanks.com/800-456-9748
LaGarde Offers StoreFront 5.0 AE
LaGarde, a provider of e-commerce software, has begun offering StoreFront
5.0 AE, its updated enterprise-level e-commerce development tool.
StoreFront 5.0 AE was designed with the discriminating developer in mind
and carries a host of new features, including an inventory tracking
system. StoreFront 5.0 AE's flagship feature is its inventory management
system, which allows merchants to manage stock levels for all products and
their individual attributes, such as size or color. Merchants have the
option to designate products eligible for back-order and specify whether
or not the software will charge for back-ordered products at the time of
checkout or when they are shipped. StoreFront 5.0 AE also enables
merchants to specify minimum stock levels for each product and will notify
the merchant by e-mail once that level is reached, allowing merchants to
ensure that their product inventories are always kept up to date.
Merchants are also given the option to indicate whether they would like
stock levels to display on product pages and in search results. In
addition to its inventory tracking module, StoreFront 5.0 AE adds
enterprise-level functionality, including multi-tier pricing, coupon
support, subcategories, gift wrapping, wish list and additional customer
management tools.
www.lagarde.com/800-943-5823
Wicom Releases Wicom CSS Version 3.0
Wicom Communications Ltd., a developer and provider of communications
management solutions, has released a new version of its Wicom CSS
architecture. Wicom CSS 3.0 provides interoperability with H.323-compliant
gateways, terminals and VoIP platforms, helping provide more flexibility
in system design and configuration, and improving the management and
administration of the communications management system. Wicom Enterprise
Telephony 3.0 and Wicom Contact Center 3.0, based on the all-IP Wicom CSS
architecture, introduces new telephony functionality and enhancements,
such as conferencing, support for external agents using mobile or
traditional phones and single sign-on for all applications. The user
interface for Wicom Switchboard has been re-designed to provide advanced
features for corporate switchboard professionals. The new line of Wicom
Contact Management applications work in conjunction with all Wicom IP
telephony products, helping form a more complete solution for the
management of personal and corporate contacts. The features enable the
management of outbound campaigns, sending of personalized messages to
groups and activity recording.
www.wicom.com/+358-9-525 77 500
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