Customer Interaction Solutions articles from August 2003

Customer Interaction Solutions archives from August 2003

Offshore outsourcing in perspective: the good, the bad and the ugly: a brutally honest assessment of the situation to help you decide to go or not go offshore!(Publisher's Outlook)
August 1, 2003... As the publisher of the industry's preeminent magazine since 1982, which laid the foundation for what is now the multibillion-dollar CRM, contact center, outsourcing and customer interaction industries, it is my paramount responsibility to...

Congratulations to the 2003 Rising Stars.
August 1, 2003... I'd like to extend a special congratulations to the companies recognized in this issue in Customer Inter@ction Solutions[R] 2003 Rising Stars Ranking. To provide you a gauge of teleservices companies' growth, and to provide these companies with...

Putting the TSR and dialer controversy in perspective.(High Priority)
August 1, 2003... If your company places phone calls to consumers to sell them anything, or if you sell office or Cleaning supplies to businesses, I urge you to read this entire column, including the Q&A section that follows. I begin this article with a...

The great dialer debate.(High Priority)
August 1, 2003... Rich Tehrani recently posed a series of questions to five prominent predictive dialer vendors to gain their perspective on another vendor's claim that a dialer that uses digital signal processing boards cannot help a company comply with the new...

Supply chains connected to demand chains? An obvious idea just became easier.
August 1, 2003... Taking a holistic process approach to managing your business technology is more than just the latest trend; it's the key to survival in an increasingly unpredictable economic climate. To succeed today, your enterprise has to undergo a...

The CEO spotlight.
August 1, 2003... This month, the CEO Spotlight focuses on Vinod Gupta, founder and chairman of infoUSA. infoUSA is a provider of sales and marketing support for products for all types of businesses, from small "Mom and Pop" shops to large corporations. The...

Executive roundtable.
August 1, 2003... This month, the editors of Customer Inter@ction Solutions[R] welcome to the Executive Roundtable Steve Brubaker, senior vice president of corporate affairs at InfoCision Management Corp. in Akron, Ohio. CIS: What are your thoughts on the...

Filling the teleservices sales pipeline.(The Outsourcing Market)
August 1, 2003... Most business owners will state that the key to corporate survival is repeat business. This is true, but you'll hear a different story when you speak to their salespeople. For salespeople, the key to survival is new business. (Of course, new...

SAP launches industry-specific CRM solution.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... SAP AG recently announced the latest release of mySAP Customer Relationship Management (mySAP CRM). SAP claims that with a set of industry-specific and core CRM functionality to support end-to-end customer-centric processes, the solution...

American Power Conversion introduces next generation of its Smart-UPS line.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... American Power Conversion (APC) recently announced the next generation of its Smart-UPS line of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) with the new 2200VA and 3000VA rack-mount models. The new design occupies only 2U of valuable rack space, while...

Salesforce.com and Genesys partner.(Happenings)
August 1, 2003... Salesforce.com and Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcatel, have announced a strategic alliance to support integration between salesforce.com S3 and Genesys contact center software. The combined salesforce.com and...

Altitude joins forces with Verint.(Happenings)
August 1, 2003... Altitude Software, Inc. recently announced the integration of Altitude uCI with the Verint ULTRA Intelligent Recording platform. The Altitude and Verint joint offering was forged to provide increased workforce performance, improved customer...

ISS announces Web+Center.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Internet Software Sciences (ISS), a provider of Web-based help desk and CRM applications, has announced the release of a its new 4.0 version. The new release includes added features such as integrated customer surveys. The Web+Center is a suite...

Clear joins HP OpenView Solution Alliance Program.(Happenings)
August 1, 2003... Clear, a supplier of optical, broadband and digital performance management software, has announced it has joined the Hewlett-Packard OpenView Solution Alliance Program as a Solution Level partner. The company plans to deliver a solution,...

RightNow launches RightNow Hosting 2.0.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... RightNow Technologies, a provider of multitenancy hosted customer service and support solutions, has announced its new, accelerated application hosting platform, RightNow Hosting 2.0, which harnesses added features and capabilities such as a...

Symon Communications releases NetLite II wireless LED displays.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Symon Communications, Inc., a provider of contact center and enterprise performance and productivity tools, has announced the release of its next-generation LED display, NetLite II, an advanced wireless LED panel. Symon created NetLite II...

Indigo Software and i3 Micro partner.(Happenings)
August 1, 2003... Indigo Software, a developer of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)-based communication solutions for IP networks, and i3 Micro Technology, provider of residential gateway products, have announced that they have entered into a partnership...

Spherion launches bilingual contact center.(Happenings)
August 1, 2003... To enhance its ability to serve organizations that are focused on the expanding Spanish-speaking market in the U.S., Spherion Corporation announced it has opened a new bilingual contact center near Panama City, Panama. Spherion officially...

Salesforce.com launches sforce, new alliances.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Salesforce.com, which specializes in delivering software-as-service, has announced the launch of sforce, the salesforce.com client/service application development utility; announced strategic alliances with BEA Systems, Microsoft and Sun; and...

Castel unveils latest version of DirectQuest.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Castel Inc. has announced its new approach to outbound calling with its DirectQuest call management solution. Castel believes that DirectQuest is a fundamentally different outbound calling solution that allows businesses to make and take more...

Edify welcomes new CEO.(Happenings)
August 1, 2003... Edify Corporation, an S1 company and a supplier of multichannel CRM solutions throughout the enterprise, recently announced that Mitch Mandich has been named president and CEO of the company. Mandich has more than 20 years of management...

Bustronic offering new 6U 3-slot cPCI backplane.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Bustronic Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance backplanes, has developed a new backplane for low-profile horizontal CompactPCI (cPCI) chassis. CompactPCI backplanes are most common in 4, 6 and 8-slot sizes. That company...

Genesys enhances IP Contact Center portfolio.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcatel, has announced that Genesys is extending its Internet Protocol (IP) family with the introduction of Enterprise IP Contact Center (IPCC) and Network IP Contact Center, and...

VoiceLog announces "pay as you go" call logging.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... VoiceLog LLC, a provider of third-party verification and call recording services, has announced its new VirtualLogger call recording service. Like traditional call loggers that record all or part of a call, the VirtualLogger can be used for...

Pipkins releases agent notification system.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Pipkins Inc. recently announced its Agent Notification System for its Vantage Point workforce management software that expedites intra-day schedule adjustments by enabling call center supervisors to send pop-up messages to agents' computer...

Centergistic announces AgentView Web version 3.0.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Centergistic Solutions has announced the latest release of AgentView Web, version 3.0, which comes complete with three predefined page views of contact center performance information. Included is a message/information page that can be...

Expertcity introduces DesktopStreaming 4.0.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Expertcity, Inc. recently announced the launch of DesktopStreaming 4.0, a new version of its remote-assistance service designed to enable help desk organizations to provide improved service and more cost-effective support for the real-time...

Stratasoft unveils StrataVoice SV4.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Stratasoft, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of I-Sector Corporation and a provider of contact center solutions, has released the latest version of StrataVoice SV4, its interactive voice response system with outbound notification capabilities....

Teltone releases Notify.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Teltone Corporation, a provider of telephony solutions, has announced the release of Notify for OfficeLink. Notify enables proactive announcements to inform key personnel quickly in crisis and non-emergency situations. Notify is a value-added...

Selligent creates Web Content management tool.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Selligent, a vendor of CRM solutions, has announced the availability of Selligent Web Content, a Web content management tool designed to offer companies an easier means of delivering relevant information to their extended relationship network...

Fused Solutions enters workforce management market with second revision.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... Fused Solutions, a supplier of contact center solutions, has announced the general availability of the 2.0 version of EmPlex. Part of a broader solution suite of technology, services and expertise, EmPlex was designed to combine the features of...

KANA announces availability of KANA Service 8.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... KANA, a provider of enterprise customer support and communications applications, recently announced the availability of KANA Service 8 software, its application for multichannel contact center management. To help ensure more rapid delivery of...

DPS announces Version 7 of Results.(New Products)
August 1, 2003... DPS Consulting, LLC has announced version 7.0 Of its Results software with new features, designed to provide users with one-click access to information. Created to address the needs of consultants, small business owners, associations and other...

How well do your customers treat you?(Customer Relationship Management)
August 1, 2003... A new idea has emerged to predict customer retention. Instead of measuring how well businesses are treating their customers, businesses are starting to measure how well customers are treating them. When it comes to understanding and...

CRM: providing a unified view of your customers.(Customer Relationship Management)
August 1, 2003... The Problem Consider a very common case that customer service centers in companies often confront. A customer purchases an item from a company as a result of a telephone marketing campaign and the item is shipped. The customer, however,...

The Fastest-Growing Teleservices Companies--the Annual Survey and Ranking of Rising Stars.(Outsourcing)
August 1, 2003... To provide you a gauge of teleservices companies' growth, and to provide them with the recognition they deserve for their accomplishments, Customer Inter@ction Solutions[R] magazine developed "The Fastest-Growing Teleservices Companies--The...

Speaking up for cost savings in the call center: VXML takes on the dinosaur of legacy IVR.(e-CRM)
August 1, 2003... Most enterprise call centers and service providers today are saddled with aging, proprietary IVR systems that are costly to maintain. These providers are trying to keep up with changing customer demand. As a result, many are looking to the...

Special global call center outsourcing summit highlights.
August 1, 2003... Rich Tehrani, President and Group Editor-in-Chief, TMC William Durr Jr., Chief Evangelist, Blue Pumpkin RT: Lately, it's very fashionable for industry analysts to claim that CRM was a huge failure. Do you agree? If not, where do you...

Nashville, Tennessee: country music, charming culture and world-class call centers.(Re: Locations)
August 1, 2003... When Nashville, Tennessee was settled in 1779, no one could have dreamed that the city would become the business and trade center it is today. This is due, in part, to the active and growing call centers, service centers and back-office...

Ask Dr. Jon.(The Purdue Page)
August 1, 2003... Q: Does the order taking/tracking category of the performance metrics include sales associates in a consultative sales environment? A: Yes. Almost every sale over the telephone requires some "sales consulting" prior to the...

Aspect communications: helping enterprises deliver exceptional customer service.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... What company wouldn't like to be more effective when it comes to managing customer relationships? Aspect Communications believes the contact center is at the heart of your enterprise. With our contact center solutions you can bring...

Castel: our solution.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Castel delivers solutions that enhance the communications between your business and your customers, vendors or partners. This contact management solution is Castel DirectQuest[TM]. Castel DirectQuest is designed to increase the quantity and...

cccInteractive.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... CCC Interactive Overview CCC Interactive is a full service Inbound, Outbound, and eCRM Contact Center services provider, supporting clients in the Financial Services, Energy/Utility, Telecommunications, and Consumer Products Industries....

Center Partners: the hassle-free alternative to conventional call centers.(Profile: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Center Partners stands alone. Whether the program you're about to launch requires 10 seats or 1,000 seats, Center Partners can answer your need for a faster start-up, customer care that builds greater loyalty and profitability, and a...

Convergys.(Company Profile: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... CONVERGYS AT-A-GLANCE * Provides integrated billing, employee care and customer care services * Member of the S&P 500 and Forbes' Platinum 400 * $2.3 billion in 2002 revenues * Serves top companies in wireless,...

Edcor.(Company Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Delivering More Than Just Customer Service Building customer loyalty is tougher than ever before. A quality product sold at a reasonable price is just not enough. Companies must be able to respond to their customers quickly, effectively and...

Expertcity: like being there: revolutionize the way you work with our Web-based remote access and support technologies.(Corporate Profile: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Company Overview Founded in 1997, Expertcity, Inc. is the leading provider of Web-based remote-access and customer-support technologies. The company's award-winning screen-sharing technology enables users to view and control a remote...

InfoCision: telephone marketing experts.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS ONE CALL AT A TIME For 21 years, InfoCision Management Corp. has been providing inbound and outbound services to some of the nation's leading corporations and nonprofit organizations. In fact, we raise more money for...

infoUSA: sales solutions.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... For over 31 years, infoUSA Inc. (NASDAQ: IUSA) has been compiling databases of people and businesses. As reported by "60 Minutes II," infoUSA is the biggest database company, infoUSA has a complete database of 14 million businesses, 220 million...

Left Bank Solutions.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Discover the Art of Workforce Management[TM] Discover the Art of Workforce Management with Monet[TM]--the first end-to-end workforce management system for small and mid-sized contact centers. With features normally reserved for products...

LumenVox.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... LumenVox is a developer of accessible speech technologies that allow you to create: --Speech Driven Customer Service --Speech Driven Auto-Attendants --Speech Driven Technical Support --Speech Driven Store Locators ...

Netopia.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Netopia is a global leader providing real-time technical support technologies for the multi-channel call center, network operations center, and the enterprise helpdesk. Browser Based. Live. On-Demand. Netopia enables...

Nortel Networks[TM].(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Deliver the Definitive Customer Experience to Increase Profitability Effective businesses today must earn their customers' trust. They must learn from every interaction and use this knowledge to deliver the definitive customer experience,...

Precision Response Corporation: your trusted experts in customer care.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Company Overview With over 22 years of experience, PRC is a trusted outsourced provider of solutions such as Inbound/Outbound Teleservices, Email Management, Voice Self Service, Web Services and Fulfillment, each fully integrated to...

Company: Prosodie Interactive, Inc.(Business Profile)
August 1, 2003... Multi-national company takes a leadership role in Hosted IVR/CRM and Business Intelligence FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA 2003 -- Prosodie Interactive, Inc., with offices and technology centers throughout the US, Canada, and Europe continues to...

SER Solutions, Inc.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Breakthrough Leader Since 1989, SER has led the contact center industry in delivering products that significantly improve operational efficiencies and agent productivity. SER's flagship outbound product, Call Processing System (CPS), is...

SpartaCom.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Company Overview Linktivity[TM], division of SpartaCom Technologies, Inc., provides server-based conferencing and collaboration products that enable person-to-person interactions through a browser window. Linktivity products include...

Spectrum Corporation.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... COMPANY PROFILE Spectrum Corporation provides solutions to communication problems! Since 1971 Spectrum Corporation has consistently been an innovated leader with products such as the Spectrum Ultra LinkII real time software. Spectrum...

StarTek: business process outsourcing.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Company Profile StarTek is a global provider of business process outsourcing services which encompass the entire customer lifecycle. Each service offering utilizes the latest technology and web-enabled systems to provide clients real-time...

Symon Real-time Communication Solutions.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Symon Real-time Communication Solutions Symon is focused on information communication, and solutions that collect, analyze, and optimize real-time productivity data. We deliver information to contact centers, and other enterprise...

T1 Rates.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... THE BEST SOLUTIONS, PRICES AND SERVICE. GUARANTEED! Call: 1-866-T1Rates No fee consulting. We work for you and the phone companies pay us! Your one contact for all carriers. Local, LD, Internet, Data--no project is too big. Call...

TargetVision[R].(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... It's time for better communication. Tune in to TargetVision[R]. A leader in visual systems since 1986, TargetVision is an important part of the communication culture for millions of people at thousands of locations. TargetVision customers...

TARGUSinfo.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... TARGUSinfo[R] Partners with Systems Integrations, Inc. to Rebuild U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Call Center U.S. PTO Gains Significant Operational Improvements The Problem * Lengthy call wait times resulting in frequent call...

Telvista: imagine having a true customer care solutions advocate.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... One That Champions Your Cause, Your Company And Your Success Imagine Telvista A recognized customer care solutions provider where quality and innovation come together to help you strategically reduce costs, drive incremental revenue...

West Corporation.(Corporate Profiles: Advertising Supplement)
August 1, 2003... Integrated Customer Contact Solutions West Corporation is one of the nation's premier providers of customer contact solutions with a proven track record of success for many of today's top Fortune 1000 companies. We have the experience and...