Customer Interaction Solutions articles from November 2004

Customer Interaction Solutions archives from November 2004

Speech technology: analysis and justifications part II.(Publisher's Outlook)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... In the October 2004 Publisher's Outlook, I provided some information regarding the benefits of implementation of speech technology. In the same editorial, I presented the views of several industry leaders and finally, we concluded that contact...

Peering into the future.(High Priority!)
November 1, 2004... How low can telecom rates go? The answer: lower--much lower. The good news is that rates will go lower while voice quality improves. To date, VoIP has helped reduce telecom rates by orders of magnitude. I recall paying around 20 cents per...

The CEO spotlight.(Aspect Communications Corp's Gary Barnett)(Interview)
November 1, 2004... This month, Customer Interaction Solutions[R]' CEO Spotlight speaks to Gary Barnett, President and CEO of Aspect Communications Corp. (www.aspect.com). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIS: What is your company's specialty and mission statement?...

The TMC Seal of Approval.(2004 Teleservices Outsourcing Recommended Vendor List)(Technology Marketing Corp)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The following Recommended Vendors have distinguished themselves by winning one or more of TMC's coveted awards, earning them the TMC Seal of Approval. West Corporation Advanced Data-Comm, Inc. Creative Marketing Strategies ...

The TMC Seal of Approval.(2004 CRM/Contact Center Software/Hardware Recommended Vendor List)
November 1, 2004... The following CRM/Contact Center Software/Hardware Recommended Vendors have distinguished themselves by winning one or more of TMC's coveted awards, earning them the TMC Seal of Approval. CRM/Contact Center Software Amdocs Aspect...

Chat, e-mail and self-service, unite!(Technology Highlights)
November 1, 2004... History enthusiasts know it was Karl Marx who wrote, "Workers of the world, unite!" Although he was addressing the proletarians, it's possible to substitute "workers" to correspond with present-day technologies; in the case of this piece, the...

Avaya announces communications applications to utilize automated speech.(Avaya also plans to acquire Tenovis GmbH & Co.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Avaya Inc., a provider of business communications software, systems and services, has announced new releases of its unified communication and contact center solutions to deliver self-service functionalities across an organization through...

IEX launches TotalView Workforce Management version 3.8.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... IEX Corporation, a provider of workforce management and business optimization technology for contact centers, has announced the general availability of version 3.8 of its TotalView Workforce Management system. Version 3.8 of TotalView offers...

Citrix releases GoToAssist 6.0.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Citrix Online (a division of Citrix Systems, Inc.), a provider of Web-based access, support and collaboration software and services, has released GoToAssist 6.0 with new capabilities to make possible the delivery of real-time, remote support to...

NetWolves adds VoIP to its suite of managed services.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... NetWolves Corp., a global network continuity and security provider, has announced the availability of its new VoIP service to enable international and multi-location enterprises to reduce their telecommunications expenses without disruptive...

ErgonomicHome.com makes available its new ergonomic chair to work with users' spine.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... ErgonomicHome.com, an Internet retailer specializing in advanced ergonomic products for office and home use, has made available its Verte advanced ergonomic computer chair. The design of the ergonomic computer chair features, according to the...

InQuira announces expanded Solution for Contact Centers with two new products.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... InQuira Inc., a provider of intelligent search solutions for improving personalized customer interaction on the Web, has announced an expanded InQuira Solution for Contact Centers with the introduction of two new products. InQuira Contact...

Sennheiser releases wireless headset system with docking station.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Sennheiser Communications, a provider of acoustic and electronic headset lines for use in call centers, small offices/home workplaces and PC-based applications, has introduced the DW800, a two-transceiver wireless headset system with docking...

GM Voices CEO pens Voice Branding book.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... GM Voices, Inc., a company that specializes in producing audio treatments for telecommunications, speech recognition, multimedia and Internet Web pages applications, has announced publication of Voice Branding in America, written by company CEO...

SER announces new release of its flagship outbound call management system, CPS 8.0.(Call processing system)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... SER Solutions, Inc., a provider of software solutions to help contact center operators achieve efficiencies, maximize workplace productivity and enhance customer service, has announced the newest version of its flagship outbound call management...

CentraView announces service provider program for SFA and CRM.(Sales force automation, Customer relationship management service providers enabling by centra view LLC)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Centra View, LLC, a provider of browser-based contact management, sales force automation and customer relationship management software, has announced a new service provider program enabling service providers to offer sales force automation...

Envision introduces four new business applications for the enterprise.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Envision Telephony, Inc., a provider of business solutions for contact centers and enterprises, introduced a set of business applications to create a superior customer experience by bringing unity between the contact center and the enterprise....

Eicon releases Audio Provider module for Nuance Voice.(Eicon Networks Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Eicon Networks Corporation, a provider of communication products for networked business applications, announced in September the availability of an Audio Provider software module for Nuance Voice Platform 3.0 and Nuance 8.5. Eicon designs and...

WebEx releases CRM-integrating Sales Center service.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... WebEx Communications, Inc., a provider of on-demand collaborative applications, has launched WebEx Sales Center to enhance team selling, to keep prospects engaged throughout the sales cycle, and to allow sales managers to monitor and measure...

snom offers new VoIP phone.(New Products)(snom technology AG)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Berlin-based snom technology AG, a provider of VoIP products, specifically those based on SIP has unveiled snom 190. The new IP phone offers both sips (RFC2246) and SRTP (RFC3711) and numerous other features: graphic display (two-line); three...

eTelescript Web-based call center software solution released by Digisoft.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Digisoft Computers Inc., a manufacturer of a PC-based call center, predictive dialer and CRM software solution, has unveiled its latest Web-based call center software application, eTelescript. The solution features a browser-based, interactive...

WebSurveyor releases free Web polling tool.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... WebSurveyor Corp., a provider of do-it yourself online survey tools, has announced its release of a new Web polling tool. The fully customizable tool allows users to create a poll to be posted on a Web site at no charge. "Ideal for Webmasters,...

etalk announces new consulting services for contact center customers.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... etalk Corp. has announced a new set of consulting services for contact center customers to allow them to maximize performance management investments by optimizing solutions for their unique needs. etalk offers three new consultative services....

Asante updates IntraCore.(Asante Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Asante Technologies, Inc., a provider of networking solutions for the small to medium-sized business (SMB) market, has announced updates for its IntraCore 35516 Layer 3 Gigabit switches. The IC35516 switch's Guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS)...

Austin Logistics launches system to predict risk on the first day of new account activity.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Austin Logistics Inc., a provider of analytic software and solutions, has announced its EarlyDetection System, a software system that combines intelligent predictive modeling capabilities, aggregation of nontraditional data and dynamic...

Salesforce.com launches Supportforce.com, announces Toolkit for IBM WSAD.(New Products)(WebSphere Studio Application Developer)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Salesforce.com has announced Supportforce.com, launched with the support of contact center infrastructure providers that include Avaya, Cisco Systems, Alcatel, Aspect Communications and Genesys. Supportforce.com was designed to allow companies...

ComponentOne announces ComponentOne Response for embedded self-service.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... ComponentOne, a provider of tools and solutions for software developers who work in Microsoft Visual Studio and Video Studio .NET environments, has announced the release of a new version of ComponentOne Response that will help enable software...

APEX Voice announces general availability of call/media processor supporting XP.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... APEX Voice Communications, a supplier of enhanced services and real-time billing platforms to carriers, telecom service providers and enterprises worldwide, has announced the general availability of OmniVox version 5.0, an intelligent...

WatchIT program explains business/technology issues surrounding SOA.(New Products)(service oriented architecture)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... WatchIT, a provider of education on demand, has released an interactive program that explains the business value and technical underpinnings of the service-oriented architecture (SOA). The program also identifies the opportunities made possible...

Best Software introduces SalesLogix for Pocket PC.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Best Software has announced the introduction of SalesLogix for Pocket PC to mirror the familiar SalesLogix 6.2 user interface while delivering full-featured CRM functionality with real-time wireless convenience. SalesLogix for Pocket PC is...

Synchronica launches SyncML Gateway for Microsoft Exchange.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Synchronica, a developer of mobile synchronization and device management software, has announced the immediate availability of the Synchronica SyncML Gateway for Microsoft Exchange, providing over-the-air synchronization of Microsoft Exchange...

eGain announces multichannel Service 7 suite.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... eGain Communications Corp. has announced the availability of its new eGain Service 7 suite, addressing end-to-end issue handling, service fulfillment and improved first contact resolution in contact centers. New capabilities in Service 7...

Toshiba announces new IP Telephony System, SoftIPT SoftPhone and Wireless IP Telephone.(New Products)
November 1, 2004... Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Solutions Division (TAIS DSD) has announced its new Toshiba Strata CIX native IP business communications system. Designed for small to medium-sized enterprises or larger corporate users with...

Loquendo offers Willem, the new Dutch male voice.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Loquendo, a speech technology company, has announced that the Netherlands has been added to its portfolio. Willem, the new male Dutch voice, is the latest development in Loquendo's multilingual portfolio of lifelike synthetic speech. Customers...

ASC offers increased online storage with MARATHON EVOLUTION.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... ASC, a provider of performance improvement solutions for contact centers, financial institutions and public safety and government organizations, has announced a new data compression rate of 4.8 kilobits per second for its MARATHON EVOLUTION...

Antepo upgrades OPN System for enterprise instant messaging.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Antepo, Inc., a provider of secure, interoperable enterprise instant messaging (EIM), has announced general availability of OPN System 4.5, the latest version of its flagship EIM solution. The EIM solution already able to interoperate across...

TechExel introduces test management solution.(New Products)(DevTest)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... TechExcel, Inc., a provider of software with built-in, configurable business intelligence, has unveiled DevTest, its new test management solution to automate test coverage creation, test planning and scheduling, and the tracking of test...

Recruitmax offers vendor management application to help manage contingent labor.(New Products)(Recruitmax Beyond)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Recruitmax, a provider of workforce management technology solutions, has announced the general availability of Recruitmax Beyond, a vendor management application designed to enable organizations to more effectively control, analyze and manage...

Airo Wireless to offer GPRS modules worldwide.(general packet radio service, Airo Wireless Media Inc.)(AC300)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Airo Wireless Media, Inc., a provider of telematics solutions, has announced the AC300 range of GPRS modules for worldwide distribution. Designed by TTPCom and using TTPCom's protocol software, the AC300 series modules will be used in embedded...

ATG introduces e-marketing application to integrate inbound web with outbound e-mail.(Art Technology Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Art Technology Group, Inc. (ATG), a provider of software to help create better interactive experiences for company customers, has introduced ATG Adaptive Customer Outreach, an e-marketing product designed specifically to leverage the...

Bank of America deploys Apptera Locator for Spanish.(contract)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Apptera, a provider of configurable packaged speech applications, announced in September that Bank of America has deployed the company's voice-automated, Spanish-based branch and ATM locator application. Apptera Locator for Spanish was deployed...

Aculab and pulse form alliance to support Microsoft Speech Server 2004.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Aculab, a provider of enabling technology for the communications market, and pulse, a computer telephony solutions and related services provider, have announced a strategic partnership for the delivery of a feature-rich telephony interface...

Altitude successfully integrates Altitude uCI 7 with siebel business applications.(Happenings)
November 1, 2004... Altitude Software, an independent contact center solutions vendor, has announced that the integration between its Altitude uCI 7 and Siebel business applications v 7.5 has been successfully validated by Siebel Systems Inc. Altitude uCI 7 is a...

PC Mall to become preferred distributor of Voiceglo internet phone service hardware products.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Voiceglo, a full-service Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications company, has announced the availability through PC Mall of Voiceglo's hardware products that are used to support its VoIP phone services. PC Mall is an online provider...

CosmoCom receives U.S. patent for IP call center methods.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... CosmoCom, a provider of an all-IP, universal access contact center system, has announced that it has been awarded its second U.S. Patent, entitled Multimedia telecommunication automatic call distribution system using internet/PSTN call routing....

Vantage Commercial changes name to Vantage Software Technologies, acquires AnswerWorks.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Vantage Commercial, a Philadelphia-based company that provides business-to-business linguistic-based technology and search solutions, has announced that its company name has been changed to Vantage Software Technologies (VST). VST provides for...

iVoice provides update on company streamlining.(plans to distribute the company's shareholders)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... iVoice, Inc., a provider of speech recognition technology, offers an update on the streamlining of the company created by the spin-off of five companies to shareholders. iVoice has determined that the best way to create shareholder value,...

LSSi names new president, CEO.(J.A. McMaster)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... LSSi Corp., a developer and operator of directory databases, has appointed J.A. McMaster as president and CEO. McMaster, who will also join LSSi's board of directors, succeeds retiring CEO Walt Rickard, who continues in his role as chairman of...

Amtech Marketing and WFMG enter strategic alliance.(WorkForce Management Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Amtech Marketing Inc., a contact center consulting, training and management search firm, and The WorkForce Management Group, Inc. (WFMG), a contact center consulting practice, have announced the signing of a strategic alliance agreement between...

Envision names Activa Solutions to expanding global reseller roster.(Envision Telephony)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Envision Telephony, Inc., a provider of business solutions for the contact center and the enterprise, has announced it has signed a reseller agreement with Activa Solutions, a provider of performance improvement solutions for public safety and...

SAND Searchable Archive brings storage efficiency to SAP BI.(business intelligence, Sand Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... SAND Technology, a provider of advanced analytic data management products, has announced a software development cooperation agreement with SAP AG. Under the agreement, SAND will integrate SAND Searchable ArchiveT into an information lifecycle...

Artisoft to acquire Vertical Networks.(Happenings)
November 1, 2004... Artisoft, Inc., a provider of software-based IP-PBX and call center products, has announced its entrance into an agreement to acquire privately held Vertical Networks, Inc., a provider of distributed IP-PBX software and communications solutions...

Dictaphone announces joint marketing agreement with The Call Center School.(Happenings)
November 1, 2004... Dictaphone Corporation's Communications Recording Systems (CRS) Group, a provider of recording and monitoring systems and workforce relationship management (WRM) solutions for contact centers, has announced that it has signed a joint marketing...

Conversagent ASA pilots launched with Time Warner, Cox Communications, BT.(British Telecommunications PLC)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Conversagent, a provider of conversational customer service software, has recently launched pilots with Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and UK-based BT. Current client Comcast, also a cable company, uses Conversagent's automated service...

PeopleSoft appoints new CEO, co-presidents, board vice chairman.(Happenings)
November 1, 2004... PeopleSoft, Inc., a provider of enterprise application software, has announced that its board of directors has voted to appoint Dave Duffield, PeopleSoft's founder and chairman, as the company's CEO. Additionally, the company announced the...

Precision Response Corporation announces CEO succession.(Thomas L. Cardella resigned)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Precision Response Corporation (PRC), a provider of outsourced customer care services, has announced that chairman and CEO Thomas L. Cardella is resigning after 17 years in the teleservices industry. The company's executive vice president and...

ACI Telecentrics chooses Noble as technology vendor.(Noble Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... ACI Telecentrics, Inc., a marketing service bureau that offers fully integrated Web support, call centers and customer contact services, has replaced its existing dialers with Noble Systems Corporation's unified platform for inbound and...

Themis Computer joins Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium as founding member.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Themis Computer, a provider of embedded computers for mission-critical applications, has announced its participation as a founding member in the newly announced Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC), an international,...

Witness Systems announces reseller distribution partnership with Corsidian.(Happenings)
November 1, 2004... Witness Systems, a provider of performance optimization software and services, has announced that it has entered into a reseller distribution agreement with Corsidian, a provider of customer contact solutions. Under the terms of the agreement,...

Exstream Software adds MSI Systems Integrators to distribution program.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Exstream Software, Inc., a provider of software that helps organizations connect with their customers through fully personalized communications, has announced its entrance into a distribution agreement with MSI Systems Integrators, an...

Sheer Networks appoints new vice president for Marketing and Business Development.(Miki Zevadi)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Sheer Networks, a provider of service management solutions for carrier networks, has announced the appointment of veteran Miki Zevadi as its new vice president for Marketing and Business Development. Zevadi's appointment is aimed at expanding...

Optivon selected as LACOM's provider of IP Centrex and VoIP-enabled services.(Latin American Communications Inc., contract)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Optivon, a provider of telephony services, and Latin American Communications, Inc. (LACOM) have signed an agreement for LACOM to be a reseller of Optivon's Advanced Call ManagementSM services in Puerto Rico. LACOM, a company that specializes in...

IP: customer service anytime, anywhere, via any media.(Innovative Ideas From The IP CONTACT CENTER EXPERTS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... In this continuing editorial series, we're examining the benefits of IP contact center technology to today's call centers. Throughout the timeline of contact center technologies, one fact has always held true: the most innovative technologies,...

Voice over IP: control where it belongs--in companies' hands.
November 1, 2004... Industry analysts agree that an industry-wide move to voice and data convergence--Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP--is now underway and likely to figure prominently in companies' IT investments over the next few years. At the Intel...

What you didn't know you could do with your business data: using business-to-business predictive modeling to your advantage.(CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2004... Marketing professionals are expected to grow revenue by acquiring new prospects, quickly converting them into sales, and then expanding and growing the relationship. However, with marketing costs continuing to rise, budgets remaining stagnant...

Key steps and major challenges in improving customer satisfaction.(CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2004... In spring 2004, Quadstone commissioned a study of the approach that large consumer enterprises are taking to improve customer service experiences. The research mainly consisted of in-depth interviews with executives in the financial services...

The economics of Indian call center models.(OUTSOURCING)
November 1, 2004... Setting up a call center in India can seem quite challenging for those who are not familiar with the country. PSi's research indicates that there are many paths to success, including setting up a full-fledged, wholly owned subsidiary, forming a...

Workplace stress sucks $300 billion annually from corporate profits.(CALL CENTER/CRM MANAGEMENT SCOPE)
November 1, 2004... In 1992, a United Nations report called stress the "20th century epidemic." Four years later, a survey by the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed at stress as a "worldwide epidemic." In a fast-paced, changing business world, no one...

Vocomo announces open standards VoIP IVR product.(voice over internet protocol interactive voice response, VocomoVoice Response)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Vocomo Corporation, a provider of next-generation Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, has announced the immediate availability of its new open standards VoIP IVR platform. VocomoVoice Response for VoIP, a network-attached IVR platform,...

William Shakespeare.(views)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... "Mend your speech a little, Lest you may mar your fortunes. --William Shakespeare"

Concatenated Speech Synthesis (kon-kat' n-at').(Definition Du Jour)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A process by which units of actual recorded human speech are arranged in various combinations to synthesize human voice response to a query.

Pronexus and Vail Systems offer developers "A SIP of Speech".(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Pronexus Inc. and Vail Systems, both providers of telephony and speech solutions, have announced the availability of "A SIP of Speech," a software bundle aimed at developers exploring the growing opportunities for speech applications. The...

Voice Print unveils Activ! Insight speech analytics technology.(Voice Print International)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Voice Print International, a provider of integrated communications solutions for digital voice, data and screen recording and quality monitoring, has unveiled its new speech recognition and call mining application. Activ! Insight can be used by...

Latest trends and best practices in speech applications.(SPEECH-WORLD[TM])
November 1, 2004... The "better customer service" revolution that transformed the CRM software industry a few years ago is poised to impact the speech automation industry. Corporations have used the telephone to serve customer needs for as long as any of us...

WebEx Support Center.(TMC[TM] Labs Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 1, 2004... WebEx Support Center WebEx Communications, Inc. 307 West Tasman Dr. San Jose, CA 95134 Web site: www.webex.com Price: Starter packs: two seats: $300 per month, four seats: $600 per month No one can question the...

The economics of looking for a new call center home.(Managing By The Numbers)
November 1, 2004... Most people think of site selection as something they need to consider only when opening up a new call center. However, call centers that operate in cities such as Phoenix or Dallas (both of which are saturated with call centers) may be losing...