Customer Interaction Solutions articles from February 2005

Customer Interaction Solutions archives from February 2005

In contact centers, CRM & teleservices ... quality and marketing are not part-time jobs!(Publisher's Outlook)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... In this MVP Quality and Speech Technology Excellence Award issue, I have the great privilege and honor to congratulate several industry leaders and pioneers who have earned such highly respected awards in teleservices, outsourcing and speech...

Search engine marketing, VoIP and other news from the telecom front.(voice over internet protocol)(meshed briefs)(Column)
February 1, 2005... Search Engine Marketing Search engine marketing, or search engine optimization (SEM and SEO, respectively), are terms you're probably hearing a lot lately. It's a field that is brimming with activity these days. As with many tools, it's...

The TMC Seal of Approval.(2005 Recommended Vendor List)(Technology Marketing Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The following Recommended Vendors have distinguished themselves by winning one or more of TMC's coveted awards, earning them the TMC Seal of Approval. Teleservices Outsourcing West Corporation InfoCision Management Corporation ...

West VACD removes agents' geographic limitations.(virtual automatic call distributor)
February 1, 2005... This monthly feature generally offers, unbiased and without endorsement, product options to readers. February's exposition is slightly more abstract; the information subsequently offered is not so much of a product as it is of a technology that...

SPSS' new Clementine 9.0 supports predictive modeling Oracle Data Mining.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... SPSS Inc.'s latest version of its data mining workbench, Clementine 9.0, leverages the analytics software/solutions provider's open, standards-based architecture to offer explicit integration with Oracle's Database 10g. Oracle Database 10g...

Syntellect launches new contact center suite.(Continuum)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Syntellect Inc., a provider of self-service and live-assistance solutions and services, has officially launched its new contact center product suite, Continuum, a combination of the company's previously released Vista 5.0 and Interchange,...

Comdial announces contact center solution.(CONVERSip Contact Center)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Comdial Corporation, a provider of communications solutions, has announced a new solution for the small to midsized business contact center market. The CONVERSip Contact Center offers the tools to manage external call volumes and to improve the...

SIPfoundry announces 3 solutions to advance SIP adoption.(session initiation protocol, sipX, reSIProcate, SIP Forum Test Framework)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... SIPfoundry, a non-profit organization for the development of open source Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based communication solutions, has announced the availability of three new software solutions with the intention of advancing the...

Empirix launches solution to manage, improve Nortel IVR platforms.(Nortel Networks Corp., interactive voice response, OneSight)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Empirix Inc., a provider of Web and voice application solutions, has launched a new solution to help companies manage and improve the performance of Nortel Networks MPS 1000 interactive voice response (IVR) platforms. Empirix's OneSight for...

Microsoft introduces Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration.
February 1, 2005... Microsoft Corp. recently announced Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 3.0, a next-generation hosted service that addresses the requirements of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The new offering, made available...

Colibria unveils server to evolve converged presence-driven communications.(Colibria Companion Instant Messaging and Presence Server)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Colibria AS, a developer of mobile instant messaging and presence (IMPS) technology platforms, has unveiled its new generation core network mobile platforms. The carrier-grade Colibria Companion Instant Messaging and Presence Server is a...

Citrix, SAP America to jointly offer bundle for SMBs.(Citrix Systems Inc., small and medium-sized businesses)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Citrix Systems, Inc., a provider of access infrastructure solutions, and SAP America, Inc., a provider of business software solutions (and subsidiary of SAP AG), have announced the future joint offering for small and medium-sized businesses...

Antepo, Jive partner to offer IM/customer support integration.(Jive Software, instant messaging)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Antepo, Inc., a provider of a secure, interoperable Enterprise Instant Messaging (EIM) system, together with Jive Software, a provider of customizable, Java-based collaboration applications, has announced a strategic partnership. Through the...

Textalert.com launches SMS marketing solution.(text messaging service)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Textalert.com, a provider of SMS (short message service, i.e., text messages) marketing campaign solutions, has launched its SMS marketing campaign solution for small and medium-sized businesses to take advantage of mobile marketing. ...

Pronexus announces rapid application development environment.(VBVoice 5.3)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Pronexus Inc., a provider of computer telephony and speech software solutions, has announced the release of VBVoice 5.3, a rapid application development environment for creating scalable and flexible telephony applications, such as...

MIPS, third-party VoIP solutions developers offer multichannel voice on single chip.(voice over internet protocol, MIPS Computer Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... MIPS Technologies, Inc., a provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital consumer and business applications, together with D2 Technologies, HelloSoft, RADVISION and Trinity Convergence, has announced a solution for...

New Voiceglo option allows users to make Internet calls in a click.(enhancement of GloPhone, GloConnect)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Voiceglo, a communications and networking company, has announced the enhancement of its Web- and PC-based applications, GloPhone and GloConnect, with a new feature called Click-to-Call. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Click-to-Call allows users...

Zultys announces VoIP software interface for Mac, Linux.(voice over internet protocol, Zultys Technologies)(Media Exchange Interface for End Users)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Zultys Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of products that converge telecommunications and data communications for businesses, has announced the availability of MXIE to run on Macintosh and Linux. Available now, MXIE (Media Exchange...

Pipkins adds new pop-up message tools to workforce management.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Pipkins Inc., a supplier of workforce management software and services for call centers, has added new pop-up alert capabilities to its Vantage Point workforce management software to assist call center supervisors in ensuring that agents adhere...

Left Bank aims workforce management system at large contact centers.(Left Bank Solutions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Left Bank Solutions, a provider of workforce optimization solutions for small and medium-sized contact centers, has announced the release of its newest version of Monet Workforce Management System with the addition of multisite and...

Siebel announces CRM OnDemand upgrade.(customer relationship management, Siebel Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Siebel Systems, Inc., a provider of business applications software, has announced Siebel CRM OnDemand Release 6. This upgrade introduces a prebuilt industry-specific solutions that can provide organizations with cost and time savings...

Telstra launches Service Provider Solutions in U.S. market.(Services)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Telstra Incorporated, a provider of advanced communications services to multinational corporations, has announced its new Service Provider Solutions offerings. Telstra's Service Provider Solutions offer customizable data communications services...

3Com offers solutions set with telephony, data, wireless, PoE for SMBs.(power over ethernet, small and medium business)
February 1, 2005... 3Com Corporation, a provider of converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes, has expanded its small and medium business (SMB) product portfolio with a new standards-based Power over Ethernet (PoE)-enabled wireless...

Gefen releases dual link DVI products for high definition video.(digital video interactive DVI-DL Switcher, DVI-2000 HD)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Gefen, a provider of consumer electronics and audio/video connectivity solutions, has released two new dual link DVI products to work with high definition video transmitted through dual link DVI, which uses all 24 pins of the connector to send...

Best Software upgrades CRM solution.(customer relationship management software, ACCPAC CRM v5.7)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Best Software, a provider of business management products and services for small and midsized businesses, has announced the launch of ACCPAC CRM v5.7, an upgrade to its customer relationship management software. The new version includes...

appStrategy announces v1.5 of appRadius for Microsoft CRM.(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... appStrategy, Inc., a provider of .NET-connected software tools and solutions for customer relationship management (CRM), has announced the worldwide availability of a rapid application development (RAD) system that allows Microsoft CRM partners...

Oracle / PeopleSoft launches Intellisync-powered mobile sales product.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Intellisync Corp., a developer and marketer of wireless software for the worldwide mobile communications industry, announced that Oracle | PeopleSoft has launched an Intellisync-powered mobile sales product in the EnterpriseOne line. PeopleSoft...

Parature announces Professional and Enterprise Support Software Editions.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Parature, a provider of on-demand customer support software, has announced the immediate availability of the Professional and Enterprise Support Software Editions. Best-suited for a support team of one to four representatives, the Professional...

NetSuite offers new ERP modules.(enterprise resource planning, NetSuite Advanced Financials Module, NetSuite Revenue Recognition Module)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... NetSuite, Inc., a provider of integrated business application software for small and midsized businesses, has announced a pair of new advanced enterprise resource planning (ERP) modules, both designed to deliver financial application software...

Salesforce.com announces Microsoft Office System sforce Developer Program.(On-Demand)
February 1, 2005... Salesforce.com, a provider of on-demand customer relationship management (CRM), recently announced the creation of the sforce Developer Program for Microsoft Office. Through this program, millions of developers building on Microsoft Office 2000...

TechTeam Global announces acquisition of Sytel, Inc.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... TechTeam Global, Inc., a provider of information technology and business process outsourcing support services, has announced its purchase of all outstanding stock of Sytel, Inc., effective as of January 3, 2005. Sytel, with over 300 employees,...

eTelecare International, Phase 2 Solutions changes name of united operations.(eTelecate Global Solutions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... eTelecare International, Inc., and Phase 2 Solutions, Inc., two call center outsourcers, are changing their name to eTelecare Global Solutions, Inc., effective immediately. The companies, which merged in May 2004 when eTelecare, acquired Phase...

iVoice joins 3Com Voice Solution Providers Program as 'reseller approved' solution.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... iVoice, Inc., a provider of speech recognition technology, has announced it has joined the 3Com Voice Solution Providers Program (VSPP). 3Com is a provider of converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises. Under the terms of the...

AT & T selects InPhonic for its new mobility solutions.(Happenings)
February 1, 2005... InPhonic, Inc., an online seller of wireless services and devices, has announced a two-year agreement with AT & T to provide a subscriber management system to support AT & T's launch of wireless voice and data services to enterprise customers....

Contactual, NEC announce product licensing agreement.(NEC Australia Proprietary Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Contactual (formerly White Pajama), a provider of on-demand contact center solutions, and .NEC Business Solutions (NEC) in Australia have announced that NEC will be hosting, selling and managing a hosted contact center, dubbed Agent99, licensed...

Orb Data joins FrontRange channel network, will integrate FrontRange with IBM.(FrontRange Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... FrontRange Solutions, a provider of business software and solutions, has fortified its global channel network for its new IT Service Management (ITSM) suite of software products by signing UK-based Orb Data to its expanding international...

APEX eliminates licensing fees for ASR module.(Happenings)
February 1, 2005... APEX Voice Communications, a supplier of multiservices platforms for enhanced services and real-time billing solutions, has announced it will no longer charge licensing fees for its Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) module on OmniVox AES, its...

Vocent appoints new president, CEO.(Jeffrey A. Scheel, Vocent Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Vocent Solutions, Inc., a provider of voice security solutions, has announced that Jeffrey A. Scheel has joined the company as president and CEO. Scheel will leverage his 18 years spent in enterprise software and systems to further enhance...

Apptera appoints new CEO.(Marketta Silvera)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Apptera, a provider of packaged speech applications, has announced the appointment of Marketta Silvera as the company's new CEO. Silvera brings more than 25 years' of leadership and technology experience to Apptera, where she will provide the...

Sonata, Microsoft announce strategic alliance to benefit ISVs, enterprise customers.(Happenings)
February 1, 2005... Sonata Software Ltd., an IT consulting and software services company, and Microsoft Corp. have announced the forging of a strategic alliance between the two companies, to bring significant business benefits to independent software vendors...

Intel, ZTE to jointly deliver broadband wireless using WiMAX.(Happenings)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Intel Corporation, a manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products, and ZTE Corporation, a telecommunications equipment provider, have announced plans to jointly deliver global broadband wireless solutions using WiMAX...

Citrix offers 3 promotional offers for a limited time.(Citrix Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Citrix Systems, Inc., a provider of access infrastructure solutions, has announced three limited-time promotional offers for Citrix customers. These promotions can help companies take advantage of the new access capabilities offered by Citrix...

ASI Europe launches reseller program for its CRM software.(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Software vendor ASI Europe has launched a UK reseller program to promote its iMIS CRM software. ASI iMIS is a suite of integrated, scalable and customizable modules designed to help not-for-profit businesses organize back-office systems and to...

Want loyal customers? Don't stop at satisfaction.(CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2005... Basic service delivery isn't enough to differentiate an organization in today's competitive marketplace. Understanding which service qualities customers value, and leading employees toward incorporating these qualities into their daily...

New rules for better customer relationships.(CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2005... Customer self-service Web applications built without regard for other contact channels have placed many companies in the position of showing customers internal inconsistencies and inefficiencies. One service channel often doesn't synch with the...

Pay attention to customer experiences.(CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2005... Years after most major corporations have implemented traditional customer relationship management (CRM) systems, those organizations are still losing up to 30 percent of customers annually, according to some sources. Thus there is legitimate...

Six Sigma awareness--let's rejuvenate.(CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2005... Every year many people make resolutions to change themselves in some way they perceive would be for the better. For example, I've resolved to reduce the amount of coffee I drink from a full pot to a single cup per day because I believe drinking...

12th annual MVP Quality Award winners.(marketing via phone)
February 1, 2005... This is the twelfth year Customer Interaction Solutions[R] has brought you the winners of its MVP (Marketing Via Phone) Quality Awards. In the ensuing years since we introduced the awards in 1993, we have been impressed by the growing...

Personal preference: live agent or virtual agent?(INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FROM THE TELESERVICES EXPERTS)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... If you're like me, the answer is, "It depends." If you're a customer service organization, the trick is in understanding when your customers are likely to want to speak with a human, and when they're more than happy to interact with a virtual...

Reduce cost per order without sacrificing service with "Interactive Agent".(customer relationship management software)
February 1, 2005... It is only natural that companies of all sizes constantly seek out new ways to reduce customer acquisition and customer service costs. For many, automation seems like the easy answer. Replacing agents does reduce labor costs, but simply...

Beyond search engine marketing--increasing post-click conversion rates with intelligent search.(CONTACT CENTER TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2005... Every marketer who stays current with marketing tactics knows that SEM (search engine marketing) has very quickly become a critical part of the marketing mix. According to a MarketingSherpa survey of over 3,000 marketers, SEM accounts for 15...

12 secrets to finding the right workforce management system.(MANAGEMENT SCOPE)
February 1, 2005... The contact center is the frontline of an organization. Customers turn to it to resolve issues and, consequently, to form opinions about the company based on their experience. Those experiences directly impact the bottom line. For many,...

IP contact center technology: what you need to know (part I); Multisite contact center technology centralization: eliminating the risks.(INNOVATIVE IDEAS FROM THE NEXT-GEN CONTACT CENTER EXPERTS)
February 1, 2005... Introducing The IP Contact Center The core value of voice-over-IP ("VoIP") technology lies in its inherent ability to convert voice communications into data packets and transmit those packets on the same data networks that carry multimedia...

Overcoming "we've always done it this way" syndrome.(new technology in customer services)(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... Throughout time, technological advancements have had to find a way to cure "we've always done it this way" syndrome. Mr. Biro, inventor of the ball point pen, faced a staunch set of detractors unwilling to give up their beloved inkwells and...

Voice2Form goes live with telephone self-service solutions from NetByTel.(SPEECH-WORLD[TM])(contracts)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Voice2Form, LLC., which uses a patented voice recognition system to help people fill out forms for a variety of commercial and governmental agencies, recently announced that it has gone live with the first application developed and managed by...

SimpleCast 3 cent voice broadcast.(SPEECH-WORLD[TM])(product launch by SimpleTelecom)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... SimpleTelecom has announced the public availability of SimpleCast, a solution designed to deliver "no-hassle" three cent voice broadcast calls to telemarketers, non-profits, political campaigns and schools. SimpleCast voice broadcasting...

Dialog manager.(Definition Du Jour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The dialog manager is a component of the W3C Speech Interface Framework. It prompts the user for input, interprets the input received and then follows the instructions in a dialog script specified using VoiceXML. As a result of the particular...

Thomas Carlyle.(SPEECH-WORLD[TM])(quotations)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
February 1, 2005... "Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time." --Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

Advanced, packaged applications to bring speech capabilities to the mass market.(SPEECH-WORLD[TM])
February 1, 2005... From Early Adopters To Mass Market Speech technologies and solutions have created excitement in the telecommunications market for many years now, but they have not yet reached the mass market. The novelty and complexity of speech solutions...

Speech Technology Excellence Award[TM].(SPEECH-WORLD[TM])(software industry)
February 1, 2005... Finding cost efficiencies in the call center seems to be following Moore's law: that is, as more and more call centers implement various call center technologies, it becomes more and more difficult to "squeeze" cost savings on each phone call....

Salesforce.com Winter '05 Edition.(TMC[TM] Labs Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2005... Salesforce.com Winter '05 Edition Salesforce.com The Landmark @ One Market Ste. 300 San Francisco, CA 94105 Ph: 415-901-7000; Fax: 415-901-7040 Web: www.salesforce.com Price: $1,500 per year per agent. Free trial...

A fairy story for a cold February night.(the beginning of the use of satellite television )
February 1, 2005... Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Monopolopolis, there were three nobles. The first, Prince Cable, roamed his land on his proud steed, dropping huge bills on his peasant populace. When they complained, he laughed and said, "Fine! Go...