Announcements/Press Releases
May 20, 2013
Announcements / Press Releases
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Announcements / Press Releases
ALLIANCE DATA CUSTOMER CARE CENTERS ACHIEVE EIGHT-TIME ‘CENTER OF EXCELLENCE’ CERTIFICATION BY INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BENCHMARKPORTAL
DALLAS – Alliance Data Systems Corporation, a leading provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, announced that its Retail Services business has again achieved the prestigious “Center of Excellence” certification by BenchmarkPortal for the quality of its care center operations and service delivery. Alliance Data also received second-place honors in the “Top 100 BenchmarkPortal Call Centers list” in the “large centers” category which compares the performance of centers throughout North America by evaluating their key metrics against industry peers. Founded in 1995 by Purdue University, BenchmarkPortal is a global leader in the contact center industry providing benchmarking, certification, training, consulting and industry reports.
The recertification of its customer care centers marks the eighth time Alliance Data has received BenchmarkPortal’s Center of Excellence ranking – more times than any company or organization in the financial services/credit industry. The Center of Excellence designation is reserved for the top 10 percent of all customer care centers surveyed by BenchmarkPortal, and is based on best-practice metrics for quality, cost, efficiency, effectiveness, and superior performance. These metrics are drawn from the world’s largest database of objective and quantitative data, which is audited and validated by researchers from BenchmarkPortal.
“It’s an exciting time for Alliance Data’s customer care centers. We view this part of our business as a competitive differentiator for our organization, and as an asset to our client partners,” said Sallie Komitor, vice president of customer care operations for Alliance Data. “Achieving the Center of Excellence recertification and earning ‘Top 100 BenchmarkPortal Call Centers list’ honors is a direct reflection of our ongoing, significant investments in people, process and technology. We know the customer interactions that drive our performance metrics are key to delivering customer care excellence; we view every customer touchpoint as an opportunity to enhance customer loyalty with our partner brands.”
In developing its call center measurement parameters, BenchmarkPortal found that 22 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) strongly correlate to quality and quantity of calls handled in call center operations. For the benchmarking survey, BenchmarkPortal monitored and measured Alliance Data’s performance against these KPIs and their large call center database to determine each center’s level of efficiency and effectiveness.
Results Include:
· High caller satisfaction. Customers calling into Alliance Data customer care centers gave ‘top box’ satisfaction ratings 23 percent higher than the industry average. ‘Top box’ satisfaction refers to the highest possible survey score customers can use to rate the service they experienced.
· Best-in-class service. Alliance Data customer care center associates answer customer service phone calls 55.4% faster than industry average.
“Certification is an important distinction because it is based on best-practice metrics drawn from BenchmarkPortal’s database of contact center metrics, which was founded at Purdue University and is the largest in the world,” said Bruce Belfiore, chief executive officer of BenchmarkPortal. “This achievement confirms Alliance Data’s commitment to service excellence; the obvious beneficiaries of which include the center’s customers, employees, and shareholders. This is an achievement of distinction.”
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WS iNet Achieves Top Payment Card Industry Data Protection Standards
Contact Center Technology Provider Recognized for Keeping Credit Card Data Safe and Secure
PLANO, Texas – WS iNet, a premier provider of on-demand contact center technology, announced it has achieved certification of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) Level 1, the most rigorous industry-recognized payment card security standard available globally.
The certification is the result of a meticulous audit by an independent Quality Assurance Assessor, Coalfire Systems, to ensure WS iNet® meets best practices and security controls that keep credit card data safe and secure during transit, processing and storage. WS iNet will be listed on VISA’s Global Registry of PCI DSS Level 1 service providers.
“Achieving PCI certification is a major milestone for WS iNet,” said Bob Moseley, vice president and general manager of WS iNet. “Our business is based on maintaining the trust of our customers and their customers. With this certification, WS iNet is recognized as meeting the industry’s most stringent security standards for protecting stored cardholder data.”
The PCI DSS is a proprietary information security standard for organizations that handle cardholder information for the major debit, credit, prepaid, e-purse, ATM and POS cards. Founded by the PCI Security Standards Council, PCI DSS facilitates the broad adoption of consistent data security.
The comprehensive, 288-point PCI standards checklist includes restricting, tracking and monitoring all access to network resources and cardholder data, as well as firewall installation, encrypted transmission of cardholder data, and regular testing of security systems and processes.
“Businesses and consumers want to know their credit card details are being handled and stored securely,” said Tim Houlne, CEO of WS iNet and Working Solutions. “As a pioneer of the home-agent virtual business model, data protection and secure customer information storage is consistently a top priority. Achieving PCI compliance demonstrates our ongoing commitment and investment in delivering the most secure, ahead-of-the-curve contact center solutions.”
About WS iNet®
WS iNet, an affiliate company of Working Solutions, innovates and hosts intelligent, on-demand contact center technology. Partnering with clients requiring flexible, robust, cost-effective solutions, WS iNet supports optimum customer engagement, satisfaction and loyalty. Founded in 1996, Working Solutions was the first company to utilize an entire workforce of home-based customer sales and service agents. Today, with a community of more than 110,000 registered agents, Working Solutions improves results and controls costs by providing the right people and technology delivered at the right time. Services include Agents OnDemand® and multichannel, social and mobile engagement tools. For more information on WS iNet, visit www.wsinet.com. To learn more about Working Solutions, visit www.workingsolutions.com.
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LanguageLine Solutions is Proud to be the HDI 2013 Exclusive Language Services Sponsor
-- Supporting Help Desk Applications in More than 200 Languages
MONTEREY, Calif., - LanguageLine Solutions, the global leader in language access solutions to Fortune 500 companies, healthcare organizations and government agencies, announced its participation in the upcoming HDI 2013 Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, April 16-19, 2013.
Its an honor to be the Exclusive Language Services Sponsor for this event, said Scott W. Klein, President and CEO of LanguageLine Solutions. Over the last 30 years, we have provided interpreting and translation solutions for many different industries. The technical service and support market is growing in importance. Overcoming language barriers in this area can be key to retaining and growing business with limited English-speaking consumers, whether theyre in the U.S. or abroad. We have solutions to help with bilingual employees in overall service delivery as well as the ability to interpret in languages that were not anticipated by the organization.
At HDI 2013, LanguageLine will be showcasing language solutions targeted to customer support centers of any size. These include: over-the-phone interpreting in over 200 languages; translation and localization services; language testing and training for bilingual staff; and remote video interpreting services offering American Sign Language, as well as spoken languages.
Struggling through language and cultural problems is frustrating. It wastes time and creates misunderstandings, Klein said. Customized solutions that allow you to effectively bridge language barriers enable you to understand and solve your customers fundamental problems. That makes for happier customers and growth opportunities. Effective solutions that reduce your time to market make you more competitive, regardless of the industry you are in.
HDI 2013 will be held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. Exhibit times run Tuesday through Thursday, April 16-18. Check your show program for Expo Hall hours. LanguageLine Solutions will be demonstrating its breadth of solutions in Booth 232.
About LanguageLine Solutions
LanguageLine Solutions is the global leader in language solutions for over 30 years, serving clients in government, healthcare, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, retail and many other industries in more than 200 spoken and written languages, as well as American Sign Language (ASL). Our mission is to enhance communications and empower relationships. We help limited English speakers almost 20 million times each year. We are recognized as a trusted partner to thousands of public and private organizations throughout the world, providing easy access to the industry's most dynamic and comprehensive suite of language solutions that drive a strong return on investment. LanguageLine Solutions, known for solving its clients' complex language communication issues, is committed to providing unsurpassed interpretation and translation expertise, and related assessment and training programs. Please call (800) 752-6096 or visit www.languageline.com.
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Albridge Awarded Silver Level Contact Center Employer of Choice® Certification
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ, -- CCEOC Inc. announced today that Albridge, an affiliate of Pershing, a BNY Mellon company, has been recognized as a Silver Contact Center Employer of Choice®.
As a Contact Center Employer of Choice®, Albridge is recognized as an industry leader and a top employer. Through the programs' in-depth reporting and analysis, management is provided with a clear understanding of key employee motivation, satisfaction drivers and opportunities for continuous improvement.
“Albridge has again achieved CCEOC certification for 2013. They have also attained the 5 Year Achievement Award. This is an outstanding accomplishment”, said Jeff Doran, president of CCEOC Inc. “Building and maintaining an employer of choice work environment has helped Albridge realize some impressive productivity, employee engagement and customer satisfaction improvements. With their dedication to ongoing improvement, Albridge continues to be recognized as one of the premier contact centers in their region.”
“The CCEOC program stands for the things that are important to us—employees, clients, shareholders, culture and community. Through the CCEOC analysis and review, we gained tremendous insight into the motivators that drive employee satisfaction,” said Tom Kelly, Vice President of Client Services, Albridge Solutions, Inc. “We’ve implemented programs targeting critical areas, including training, development and employee involvement, and have witnessed significant improvements in satisfaction, engagement and morale across the team. This recognition tells us our client services professionals think we’ve created a great place to work and we believe this will translate into a positive service experience for our clients.”
The Contact Center Employer of Choice® award is the industry standard for developing and branding people-centric contact centers. The program helps contact centers improve their ability to attract, retain and engage top talent. It also helps to reduce stress and improve performance. Companies are evaluated on an annual basis to determine their CCEOC standing for that year. There are four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Contact centers of any size, type or geographic location can become CCEOC certified. Certified contact centers include FedEx, HILTI North America, Scotiabank, AIR MILES, ING Direct, Roche Diagnostics and Davis & Henderson, to name a few.
Once the designation is achieved, the contact center is profiled on the CCEOC corporate Web site: www.ccemployerofchoice.com, receives a prestigious framed certificate and is promoted through targeted print and electronic media.
About CCEOC Inc.
CCEOC Inc. is an experienced team of industry experts, academics and research analysts who provide Employer of Choice programs and a wide variety of innovative services to help build better business cultures.
CCEOC Inc. administers and delivers the Contact Center Employer of Choice® Certification and Development program – the standard in building and branding people focused contact centers. Regional, national and international operations such as FedEx, ING Direct, Hilti International and Scotiabank have been recognized through this powerful program. CCEOC experts work with clients at all levels to develop and advance their corporate cultures. For more information on the Contact Center Employer of Choice® Certification program or to find out more about CCEOC education and development services, please email info@ccemployerofchoice.com or call 416 886-7007.
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EVOLV WORKFORCE REPORT USES DATA FROM MILLIONS OF WORKERS TO GIVE OPERATING EXECS NEW INSIGHT INTO HOURLY LABOR FORCE
From Insights On Job Hopping to the Power of On-The-Job Friendship,
Report Demonstrates Better People Management Through Data
SAN FRANCISCO - US employers hire more than 100 million hourly workers annually, and a new study of those workers by Evolv shows that attrition costs employers over $350 billion each year. The new Q2 2013 Workforce Report, released today by Evolv, offers operating executives the first comprehensive, data-driven analysis of the U.S. hourly labor force, which represents 60 percent of the total U.S. workforce. The Workforce Report reveals surprising new data insights that are revolutionizing employee selection, development and transition, and ultimately changing the way companies manage their hourly workforce.
Each organization is unique, but data reveals that most organizations experience similar challenges and follow similar inaccurate intuitions and assumptions when it comes to their workforce. A new report that compiles millions of behavioral and demographic data points from across the workforce challenges conventional thinking about effective and profitable workforce management.
“Predictive analytics and big data are transforming the way companies work,” said Max Simkoff, CEO and co-founder, Evolv. “We developed the research found in the Workforce Report to help today’s operating executives use data and analytics – not intuition and wishful thinking – to identify specific improvement areas within the employee lifecycle, predict outcomes, and ultimately become more profitable.“
Key Insights in the Workforce Report include:
• Ineffective management of the hourly workforce creates tremendous costs ($350B) – on par with some of the largest annual spending in the US economy, and much greater than annual Medicaid spending ($280B)
• HR data represents half of all enterprise data created today, and the amount of enterprise data doubles every year
• Employers continue to ground their workforce practices in intuition and commonly held assumptions that don’t hold true. Research reveals that:
o Previous experience does not predict future performance or tenure
o Job hoppers and the unemployed often make great workers
o Highly organized trainers aren’t as good as very communicative trainers
o Great supervisors positively impact employee tenure more than any other factor, even the employees themselves
Companies are investing tens of billions of dollars into Big Data to better predict future behavior. Evolv enables employers to look at their workforces through predictive analytics to select, develop and retain a more productive, positive and ultimately a more profitable workforce.
Every quarter, Evolv will publish an updated Workforce Report that shares new findings and insights that affect the hourly workforce, and that help companies better manage their workforces throughout the entire employee lifecycle. For the latest report, and to subscribe to updates, visit: http://www.evolvondemand.com/thinking/workforce-report
About Evolv
Evolv harnesses the power of big data predictive analytics and machine learning to uncover and correct the inefficiencies that undermine profitability of global workforces. Evolv’s SaaS-based analytics platform delivers actionable decision support throughout the employee lifecycle by identifying improvement areas and transforming core operational business processes to drive increased employee retention, productivity and engagement. For more information, visit: http://www.evolvondemand.com
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ENGAGE Adds Dialogic Session Border Controller to Solutions Portfolio
Australian Contact Center Solutions Provider Adds Award-Winning BorderNet 2020 SBC to Product Suite to Help Customers Transition to Next-Gen Communications
MILPITAS, Calif. – Dialogic Inc. (NASDAQ:DLGC), the Network Fuel™ company, today announced that Engage Pty Ltd (ENGAGE) of Australia has added the Dialogic® BorderNet™ 2020 Session Border Controller (SBC) to its portfolio of cloud and IP-based contact center technologies. With the addition of the BorderNet 2020 SBC, ENGAGE can now offer its customers a broader range of solutions that allow enterprises to connect with their customers anywhere, at any time, through mobile devices, video, the Internet, social media and traditional voice interconnection.
After bringing on several high-profile customers across the Asia Pacific region, ENGAGE needed to expand its offerings to support next-generation solutions and position its cloud-based services to leverage all-IP SIP trunks. The company evaluated the value of integrating SBC functionality into its service delivery architecture to support and secure multi-media communications sessions across IP and mixed-network infrastructures. ENGAGE selected Dialogic’s BorderNet 2020 SBC to further its expansion goals and connectivity needs, as well as to provide the flexibility required to support both SIP and legacy interconnects.
“Our customers are in different stages of offering mixed-network TDM and IP-based connectivity, so having a device like the BorderNet 2020 that supports both gateway and SBC functionality meant we would not have to second-guess our connectivity requirements,” said Kerry Larmer, chief technology officer at ENGAGE. “The BorderNet 2020 provided the flexibility we needed and didn’t limit us in our ability to rapidly deliver state-of-the-art services over any interconnect type.”
Dialogic’s BorderNet 2020 SBC, winner of a CTI Forum 2012 Editor’s Choice Award, enables contact center operators to integrate multi-modal, media-rich communications in a secure and optimized fashion. Recognized for its innovation, the BorderNet 2020 acts both as a gateway and an SBC, enabling ENGAGE’s contact center customers to transition at their own pace from legacy TDM to IP-based networks.
“To remain competitive and to retain customer loyalty, many companies are looking to hosted solutions to provide them not only cost savings but also advanced features and access flexibility, said Andrew Goldberg, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at Dialogic. “We are pleased to have Dialogic’s BorderNet 2020 SBC solution playing an integral role in enabling ENGAGE’s cloud based hosted contact center service to deliver the innovative IP based rich multimedia and data solutions that help companies connect with their customers in new and innovative ways.”
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CCRA Call Center Solutions Announces Significant Enhancements
Made To Its After-Hours Call Center Service
FORT WORTH, TEXAS – CCRA Call Center Solutions, a division of CCRA Travel Solutions that operates the oldest and largest emergency call center in the United States, announced significant enhancements made to its after-hours call service which provides 24/7 global emergency travel assistance to North American based travel agencies. Over the past year, CCRA has improved the call center’s infrastructure by investing in new technology that will maintain CCRA’s competitive edge in the emergency call center market, and provide travel agencies with even more tools to improve their call management and client experiences.
To continue offering North American travel agencies the most efficient, cost-effective after-hours service in the industry, CCRA upgraded its call center technology in the following ways: new dedicated data security and credit card compliance upgrades further protect the confidential information of agency partners and their clients; increased internet bandwidth allows CCRA to handle greater call volume and higher call level quality; and an upgrade to the latest version of automated call distribution system software provides CCRA with improved call management efficiency and voice recognition (IVR).
CCRA has also upgraded its call center agents’ tools to provide more efficient call handling and an improved client experience. CCRA’s new CRM tool provides CCRA with improved account management and communications, while new reporting capabilities offer travel agencies even greater transparency concerning every client call that CCRA receives.
“At the core of CCRA is our strong and ongoing commitment to improve our client relationships, increase our travel agency offerings and remain at the forefront of travel technology innovation,” said Dic Marxen, President and CEO of CCRA Travel Solutions. “We are incredibly proud to represent the largest and most respected after-hours call center in the U.S., and we will continue to invest in our call center technology so that we offer the best value and highest quality agency services in the industry.”
“CCRA has been assisting travel agencies in providing after-hours and overflow call services for more than 35 years and we remain dedicated to delivering the highest level of services to our clients,” said Jerry Paquette Head of CCRA’s Call Center Solutions Operations. “Through regular technology advancements coupled with our highly trained call center staff, travel agencies can feel confident that their clients are receiving accurate, dependable, and caring service around the clock.”
CCRA’s 24/7 Call Center Solutions provides the following call center services to North American travel agencies: Digital voice recording, CallTrak Online Agency Monitoring Service, Toll-Free Personal Touch Numbers, Electronic and Paper Ticketing, Emailed itineraries, a VIP desk, and Reservation Center. For more information about the CCRA Call Center Solutions services including agency testimonials and pricing, visit www.ccra.com or email Glenn Freeman at glenn.freeman@ccra.com.
ABOUT CCRA
Based in Ft. Worth, Texas, CCRA Travel Solutions is a global solutions provider in the Travel Industry bringing together professional travel agencies and suppliers around the world via marketing and technology. The company is comprised of the CCRA Call Center Solutions, the CCRA Global Network Division and CCRA Hotel Partner Solutions. CCRAtravel.com is CCRA’s proprietary hotel reservation booking engine that provides real-time rates and availability at over 180,000 hotels worldwide and allows travel agents to choose from up to five rate categories on a single search including: GDS rates, CCRA Preferred rates, Internet rates, Net rates and the 15% Enhanced Commission rate categories. Additionally, CCRA offers a variety of marketing opportunities to suppliers interested in reaching over 30,000 professional travel planners. For more information, please visit www.ccra.com or contact Mary Wiley at mary.wiley@ccra.com.
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Working Solutions Appoints John R. Harris as Chairman of the Board of Directors
Former EDS Executive Brings Proven Track Record in Driving Business Growth
PLANO, Texas – Working Solutions, a nation-wide leader in custom contact center solutions, today announced it has appointed industry veteran John Harris as non-executive chairman of its board of directors.
Harris has more than 35 years of experience in the information technology and services industry having served as Communications Industry Group president and corporate officer at EDS, the world’s largest independent information technology outsourcing company; and as CEO of eTelecare Global Solutions, a global business process outsourcing (BPO) firm. In addition, Harris was CEO at several private equity backed companies.
Harris, who serves as operating partner at glendonTodd Capital, a Dallas-based venture capital firm, serves on the boards of technology conferencing company, Premier Global Services; business process consultancy, the Hackett Group; Digital Generation, a next-generation advertising distribution leader; and Banctec, which provides BPO solutions to the financial services industry.
“We are extremely pleased to add someone of John’s caliber and experience to Working Solutions as we look to accelerate our long-term growth,” said Tim Houlne, chief executive officer of Working Solutions. “John has made his mark leading companies at various stages of maturity. We expect John will tap his industry resources, advise us on the latest on social and mobile customer experience platforms and energize our strategic outlook.”
“I am eager to collaborate with the strong executive team at Working Solutions,” commented Harris. “Throughout my career my passion has been building high-performance organizations with strong sales and operational capabilities and I am excited about the chance to work in a similar environment at Working Solutions.”
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CallCopy Launches Upgraded cc: Discover v5.1 Workforce Optimization Suite For Easier Access to Information and Optimal Agent Efficiency
New Features Include Widget-Based Dashboard, Enhanced UI, and Expanded Cisco Integration
Columbus, OH – CallCopy, a leading provider of innovative call recording and contact center solutions, announced the availability of cc: Discover 5.1, an updated version of the company’s flagship workforce optimization suite.
cc: Discover version 5.1 features a new widget-based dashboard that enables users to create customized views of data on a single page, so they can concentrate on the information that is most pertinent to their job function. Individual widgets can be configured to display quality assurance (QA), various KPI performance metrics, and more. Additional widgets can be downloaded from cc: Community, CallCopy’s customer success portal, and can be quickly installed by users.
Version 5.1 also includes an enhanced interaction playback interface that allows for better analytics visualization. Users can now quickly access key information related to customer interactions by toggling on or off data points associated with individual interactions, such as speech and desktop analytics, crosstalk, silence, bookmarks and blackouts, allowing them to visualize complex data in a clear and concise manner, with the ability to drill down into the data as needed.
System availability was improved in cc: Discover version 5.1 with automatic core failover recovery that allows the primary server to automatically take over from the secondary server when it comes back online.
Attendees of CallCopy’s first annual User Conference last fall voted on their top requested feature update, which was an improved method for handling post-call recording, a change that was included in this release. “This is a significant change in itself, but is especially notable since it came directly from the feedback of our most involved users,” said Jeff Canter, president and CEO at CallCopy. “We always listen to our customers’ comments and strive to dynamically adapt our solutions to fit their changing needs.”
Several updates were made to the cc: Clarity workforce management module to improve management efficiency. Management can now customize time off request parameters, set a non-standard business week, customize overtime and maximum/minimum hours worked thresholds and perform bulk updates to schedules, events and calendars. In addition, managers now have the ability to monitor agent application usage and view their desktops from directly within the WFM roster.
“cc: Discover 5.1 is a major update that enhances the value of our solution for both agents and management,” added Canter. “It offers new tools for managers to more efficiently handle their workforce, expanded Cisco integrations and a dynamic dashboard for monitoring center operations.”
Multiple enhancements with Cisco are also included in version 5.1, including integration between cc: Clarity and Cisco Unified Center Express (UCCX), a secure customer interaction management solution built for contact centers in midmarket, enterprise branch and corporate departments. Improved Cisco Contact Center support is also featured in this version, with UCCX High Availability mode support, UCCX/UCCE Agent Syncing and survey linking to individual agent interactions.
Access to the latest release is available to all CallCopy customers with a current Annual Maintenance contract. For more information about CallCopy’s solutions, please contact sales@callcopy.com or visit http://www.callcopy.com.
CallCopy was recently named by Columbus Business First as a "Best Places to Work" for 2012, the fifth year in a row the company received the honor. In 2012, CallCopy received a Business First "Fast 50" Award for the fourth consecutive year. CallCopy also received the highest Overall Vendor satisfaction rating in a customer satisfaction survey conducted by industry analyst DMG Consulting LLC (DMG).
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Denver Post Contracts with KM² Solutions Call Centers
San Pedro Sula, Honduras –The Denver Post and several of its other Colorado Newspapers have contracted with KM² Solutions for inbound customer service calls and outbound retention calling.
“As we looked at the most efficient and effective ways to run our business, KM²’s business model allowed us to achieve our goal of providing excellent customer service to our readers, while helping to reduce costs” according to Bill Reynolds, Senior VP of Circulation and Operations at The Denver Post.
“We chose KM² after visiting their Honduras site and meeting the management staff and agents on other newspaper campaigns. The professionalism, energy, engagement, and excitement to be part of KM² was evident from everyone we had interaction with during our visit. The technology, quality controls, and reporting tools are top notch and user friendly, and offer live monitoring to ensure that service level expectations to our readers are being achieved or exceeded.” Bill concluded, “we view KM² as an extension of our operation and we are excited about partnering with them to provide a positive customer experience to our readers.”
Senior Advisor Stacy Bagal commented, “We are very pleased to welcome the Colorado Newspaper Group to KM² and look forward to providing world class call center production.”
KM2 Founder and CEO David Kreiss stated, “We are delighted to continue to expand our presence in the publishing market with The Denver Post and several of its other Colorado Newspapers. This is exactly the type of business that we are aggressively targeting to fuel the growth of the company. We have found success in this market due to our highly skilled talent pool in Honduras where all our agents are accent neutral bilingual, well educated and have great customer interactions skills”.
About KM2 Solutions
KM2 Solutions provides clients with near shore contact solutions from three contact centers in the Caribbean - St. Lucia, Barbados, and Grenada. The company also has a presence in Latin America with another large center providing bilingual solutions in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. KM2 provides cost-effective solutions for customer care, telesales, collections, and customer support services through voice, chat and email.
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OAISYS Awarded Patent for Its Portable Voice Documentation (PVD) Technology
TEMPE, Ariz., — OAISYS®, a leader in business voice documentation and contact center management solutions, announced that it has been awarded patent No. 8,335,299 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its Portable Voice Document (PVD™) technology. Utilized in its award-winning Talkument® and Tracer call recording products, OAISYS PVD technology enables users to capture, archive, organize, play back and share voice documents, which combine call recordings with related information and other media, of their phone-based conversations. These voice documents can then be used to effectively drive compliance management, quality assurance, workforce collaboration, dispute resolution and overall productivity measures.
“OAISYS PVD technology was originally introduced in 2007 with the launch of our Talkument call recording solution,” said Brian Spencer, president of OAISYS. “We saw the opportunity to make the benefits of voice documentation available to all types and sizes of organizations with employees who regularly engage with customers, suppliers, constituents and colleagues by phone. Today, our PVD innovation is used in both Talkument and Tracer to maximize the secure and effective portability of this powerful content.”
As organizations confront the need to comply with evolving governmental regulations and industry standards, secure and reliable documentation and management of phone-based interactions has become an increasingly important business concern. OAISYS PVD technology gives users access to recordings via encrypted media file streaming, which facilitates sharing of recordings through link distribution, not file transfer. This greatly enhances the security of shared recordings. With OAISYS PVD technology, users can highlight portions of voice conversations, add text notes and securely share the entire file or just the highlighted segments. In addition to the digital sound file, the PVD document also encapsulates all available descriptive data from external systems, such as telecom networks, business applications and user interaction.
“I am pleased that our vision for voice documentation has been so widely accepted by the markets we serve and that the enabling technology we developed has now been further validated with the award of this patent,” added Spencer.
Complete details on the patent can be found at the USPTO website: http://tinyurl.com/blephay.
About Talkument:
Talkument personal voice documentation and collaboration software utilizes patented OAISYS
PVD technology to create digital media documents from business telephone calls, making them available to organize, retrieve, play back, annotate and share as needed. It provides company-wide control over risk management, quality assurance, customer retention, dispute resolution and other critical business concerns.
About Tracer:
Tracer is the industry’s leading call recording solution for contact centers. Tracer also leverages OAISYS PVD technology paired with advanced contact center management features, including customizable employee performance evaluations, live and auto call monitoring, quality and resource utilization reporting and synchronized desktop video recording capabilities.
About OAISYS
OAISYS® (www.oaisys.com) is a leading developer of call recording and contact center management solutions for a wide range of organizations, from small- to medium-sized businesses to multi-site large enterprises. The OAISYS voice documentation and interaction management solutions help companies within a variety of industries—including healthcare, automotive dealerships, financial services, and the public sector—attract and retain customers by digitally capturing phone-based interactions for simple retrieval, playback and management. Compatible with leading business communications system providers, as well as SIP-based communications services, OAISYS Tracer and Talkument applications help companies improve risk management, quality assurance, customer retention, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance requirements and other critical business concerns. OAISYS is headquartered in Tempe, Ariz. OAISYS Limited is located in Cambridge, England.
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Amtelco and Telescan Announce Merger Agreement
McFarland, WI – Two major TAS vendors, Amtelco and Telescan, announced a merger agreement. The announcement was made simultaneously by Roger Young, President of Telescan, Tom Curtin, President of Amtelco and Joe Everly, CEO of Amtelco, at Telescan in St. Louis, Missouri.
“The merger of Telescan with Amtelco provides a big boost to both companies and their customers,” said Roger Young. “It gives Telescan and our Spectrum System users access to Amtelco development resources, innovations and products.”
Tom Curtin said, “Amtelco and Telescan have been innovators for over 35 years. Together, the companies will offer the TAS industry a unique breadth and depth of technology and service to meet their call center business needs. Telescan’s development team and loyal customer base will be a much welcome addition to the Amtelco family.”
Amtelco was founded in 1976 by Bill Curtin and quickly became a trusted name in the Telecommunications industry. Amtelco introduced the first telephone switching system in the marketplace. Amtelco’s three major divisions, TAS call center, 1Call healthcare, and XDS digital switching, form a winning combination, backed by an esteemed service and support department.
Telescan was founded in 1976 by TAS visionary, George Meyer. Roger Young became president in 2002. Telescan’s TAS operating system, Spectrum, first introduced in 1990, has been a leader in call center innovations, helping business owners reduce operating expenses and increase profits.
The merger will not affect the daily operations of either company. Telescan will become a Division of Amtelco and will continue to operate in St. Louis, and Amtelco will continue to be headquartered in McFarland, WI. Amtelco looks forward to working with TUNe (Telecommunication Users Network) and NAEO (National Amtelco Equipment Users) to encourage the sharing of ideas, mutual support, and product development.
For more information, contact AMTELCO at (800)356-9148, or Telescan at (800)770-7662.
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KM2 Solutions Wins Caribbean Business Awards Contact Center of the Year, 2012
KM2 Solutions, a leading US-based Contact Center company has won the coveted award of Contact Center of the Year 2012, Caribbean Business Awards. The Caribbean Business Awards are given to companies that, by virtue of the quality of their products and services, creativity and innovation, and the level of engagement with and through all employees, exude consistent professionalism and high regard for achievement.
Castries, St. Lucia – December, 2012 - In an award presentation at its Castries office, KM2 officials received the award from CBA’s Janice Sutherland who praised the company for its excellent strategic vision and execution as well as its engagement with employees towards delivering an excellent contact center product. Ms. Sutherland continued that KM2 won the award beating out other companies in the same category, adding that CBA was thrilled to make the award presentation to a true industry leader.
Tony Jennings, KM2’s Caribbean Regional VP, received the award on behalf of KM2 said “that everyone at KM2 has contributed to this achievement, from the leadership of CEO David Kreiss, founding partner Gary Myers, and Chief Strategy Officer Maggi Williams, to all managers, support staff, and the customer facing agents, each in our respective roles has an enduring commitment to excellence which enables the company to succeed and be more than the sum of its parts”.
KM2 Founder and CEO David Kreiss credits KM2’s success as a near shore provider with the establishment of a strong local leadership team, solid processes, and a dedicated workforce that quickly embraced excellence in customer communications, allowing the company to grow very quickly in the Caribbean. KM2 provides a broad range of services for major international firms from banks to auto finance companies, newspapers, internet, cable TV and phone providers.
Jennings feels that the award is a testament to the excellent employee pool at KM2. He suggested that strategic vision and execution amount to little if an organization does not have the right people at all levels allowing it to execute that vision. He used the opportunity of the award presentation to thank KM2 employees across the region for their excellent work and commitment to the organization and the customers that KM2 serves.
KM2 has three contact centers in the Caribbean - the largest center in St. Lucia, a center in Bridgetown, Barbados, and a third in Grenville, Grenada. The company also has a presence in Latin America with another large center operating in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. KM2 provides customer care, telesales, collections, and customer support services through voice, chat and email.
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FULCIRCLE ADDS RENOWN BUSINESS DEVELOPERS TO TEAM
DENVER, CO - FulCircle, Inc., a national supplier of marketing intelligence and execution services, is excited to announce the recent additions to their FulCircle Sales and Marketing Team. Mark Redshaw and JB (John) Bosacker joined FulCircle as Vice Presidents of Business Development and Marketing.
Mark Redshaw is an accomplished marketing executive with expertise in shaping marketing strategy, executing campaigns and delivering results. His twenty-plus years in advertising and the last five years in online marketing align strongly with FulCircle’s consultative approach. Mark’s addition to the FulCircle team provides significant leadership to deliver cutting-edge, multi-channel marketing solutions to FulCircle’s customers. Mark, his wife Meg and their family live in Chicago, IL.
Over the last twenty years, JB (John) Bosacker facilitated many of the highest profile direct response campaigns in the United States. JB brings deep relationships with national direct marketing and media partners to FulCircle’s talented team. His rich expertise in driving sales with companies like United Health Group, Hartford Insurance, DSM and American Standard make JB an invaluable asset to FulCircle. His expertise and intuition have been honed through years of experience shaping offers and managing both online and contact center responses. JB, his wife Stacey and kids live in Minneapolis, MN.
“It’s been rewarding helping companies meet their sales and revenue goals. Now, with my joining the FulCircle team, I am excited to bring not only front-end strategies, but true one-to-one marketing and communications programs to the table,” says JB, when asked about joining FulCircle. “FulCircle engages every facet of consumer marketing communications: contact center services, database marketing, CRM strategies, e-marketing, and lead nurturing. It’s the first time I’ve been part of a team where we can truly offer a ‘full circle’ approach to our client’s challenges and goals.”
Because of FulCircle’s proven expertise, JB is especially eager to pursue more client opportunities in the Senior and Baby Boomer categories, as well as companies with dealer and agent networks.
FulCircle is a North American marketing solutions provider with an integrated, national infrastructure of contact centers and fulfillment operations. As a proactive business partner that leverages innovative technologies, custom solutions and dedicated support teams, they create the most effective results possible. Mark Redshaw affirms that, “At FulCircle we help our clients attract the right prospects, and engage them with compelling messages through a variety of integrated touch points.” FulCircle is dedicated to investing in their clients to help them grow both their top and bottom lines.
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HireIQ Unveils Numerous Enhancements in Latest InterviewIQ Release
Live interview recording, scoring enhancements, and productivity reporting among key new product innovations
ATLANTA — HireIQ Solutions, Inc., the visionary predictive analytics and talent acquisition solution company that improves the hiring and recruiting process for customer-facing organizations, announced that the latest version of its leading virtual interviewing application is now available. Enhancements to InterviewIQ further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of recruiting organizations worldwide. HireIQ’s products are deployed in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, which means that all customers have immediate access to the new capabilities.
HireIQ’s applications are well suited for customer service operations including contact centers, retailers, hospitality, and travel and leisure providers, who are often under constant pressure to quickly staff their operations with well-qualified employees. The new release of InterviewIQ further provides recruiting and talent acquisition professionals with the tools to more quickly identify best-fit candidates for open positions. As a result, recruiters provide better service to their stakeholders by hiring better performing candidates in less time, at a lower cost of recruitment.
HireIQ’s applications use media-rich web and voice response technologies to lead an applicant through a virtual interview that is configured to each customer’s unique requirements. These interviews are typically designed to test the applicant’s customer service aptitude, critical thinking, math skills, grammar proficiency, and communication skills. Because HireIQ products are web-based, applicants can complete their interviews when it is convenient for them, often outside of recruiters’ normal working hours.
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Financial Apps Among Most Used, Study Shows
51% of Smartphone Users Say They Use Financial Apps
Akron, Ohio – According to a new study commissioned by Virtual Hold Technology® (VHT®), a world leader in conversation strategies that bridge the self-service gap between customers and the people who can help, 50.7% of smartphone users say they have downloaded and used financial apps. The study, conducted for VHT by The Adcom Group, investigates how customers engage with brands using smartphones. It takes a close look at consumers who use mobile apps to perform a variety of tasks in real time, the problems they encounter completing those tasks and the behavior that results.
“The popularity of financial apps is just one example of customers today using technology to contact companies to complete tasks and achieve goals in real-time, making solutions for bridging the gap to help when self-service fails more relevant than ever,” said Eric Camulli, VHT’s vice president of marketing. “Our Conversation Bridge tap-for-acallback solution allows customers to serve themselves whenever possible and to get help easily whenever necessary.”
According to the study, Entertainment/Games apps are the most popular smartphone apps (82.3%) followed by Social Media apps (79.8%), News/Reading (72%), Financial apps (50.7%) and Productivity apps (45.3%). More than 70% of financial app users encountered problems attempting to complete tasks, and 80% say they want a customer service solution that enables them to directly contact or request a callback from customer service from their smartphone or any internet-enabled device.
The one billion smartphones expected to be in use by 2016, satellite connectivity, Wi-Fi hotspots and the proliferation of mobile apps are changing the way customers interact with companies and the way consumers view brands. Customers today live in-the-moment, and they communicate with brands while they are on-the-go or
multitasking.
VHT’s mobile conversation strategy, created for businesses that care about customer relationships and brand image, helps consumers achieve their goals more conveniently. The company’s new Conversation Bridge is a simple, intelligent multichannel solution for blending automation with the human touch. It gives today’s customers the help they need at key touch points so brand interactions are seamless and therefore more satisfying, while companies experience a simple and cost-effective tool for improving customer satisfaction.
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From Your Television to Customer Service: Please Call Me Back
VHT Demonstrates Multichannel Callback Solution at Genesys G-Force Asia-Pacific
Sydney, Australia – Virtual Hold Technology® (VHT®) is demonstrating its new Conversation Bridge™ solution that enables customers to request a callback from customer service through internet-connected smartphones, televisions and other devices to customers of its reseller partner Genesys at one of the biggest contact center events of the year worldwide.
VHT’s Conversation Bridge is a multichannel callback solution that launches callback requests to connect customers with live-service when they have reached a self-service dead end. It is the solution to one of today’s most common and frustrating customer service problems: becoming stranded in closed-loop, self-service systems with no bridge to someone who can help. The Conversation Bridge blends automated support with the human touch by offering access to live agents when customers are contacting them through channels such as mobile apps, social media and websites using devices such as smartphones, internet-enabled televisions, game consoles and store kiosks.
“Today’s demonstration shows that companies can offer an easy and efficient way to satisfy customers who have tried to help themselves but have run into an obstacle and require human assistance,” said Robert Brazier, VHT’s director of product management. “Whether your customers are trying to make a purchase or reservation, solve a problem or manage an account, there’s no reason to leave them stranded and frustrated in a self-service dead end, no matter what channel they are using. Providing callback with context is the solution.”
VHT’s Conversation Bridge integrates seamlessly with businesses’ existing communications infrastructure to save them money, optimize customer interactions and transform the customer experience. When customers’ problems can’t be solved through self-service, the Conversation Bridge offers the expected wait time along with immediate or scheduled callbacks that capture previously-entered, context data from any channel and pass it to agents using existing routing and screen-pop systems. Customers don’t have to endure extended hold times, start the process over, re-authenticate or repeat information. Instead, their call is handled by an agent empowered with the most recent relevant information and knowledge to resolve the problem.
VHT pioneered virtual queuing callback technology for contact centers and Fortune 1000 clients in the 1990s and continues to be on the leading edge with solutions for mobile platforms that are seamlessly integrated into companies’ existing strategies and systems. VHT’s multichannel callback solutions that enhance the customer experience have saved literally hundreds of years of hold time.
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Jacada Enables Simple Creation of Mobile Customer Service Interactions with Downloadable App
Available trial version allows Business and IT professionals alike to create customer service flows for mobile devices through Jacada Mobile Agent
ATLANTA– Jacada, Inc., a leading global provider of customer service technology designed to simplify the interaction between businesses and their customers, announced the public availability of the downloadable trial version for Jacada Mobile Agent, its new mobile product offering. De signed to improve the customer experience, Jacada Mobile Agent reduces inbound call volume and handle time by offering sophisticated self-service capabilities to smartphone and mobile device users. Previously released under beta, the Jacada Mobile Agent interaction designer is now available for immediate download from the company website with companion mobile client applications available in both the App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android devices.
Delivering a more sophisticated experience than a traditional IVR system, Jacada Mobile Agent presents a Visual IVR to consumers with a much greater range of options for resolving their questions or issues. Users are able to select menu options visually instead of listening for which keys to press, and experience advanced self-service capabilities with the rich features available on today’s mobile devices. Jacada Mobile Agent also bridges the gap between self-service and traditional voice channels by allowing customers to seamlessly connect to a live agent to complete the interaction, without having to repeat information.
"Every once in a while, a technology revolution occurs that is disruptive, and we are witnessing that today with the explosive growth in mobile computing. Through mobile customer service, organizations have a unique opportunity to not only improve customer interactions, but a lso improve key metrics such as inbound call volume and average handle time," said Gideon Hollander, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Jacada. "With the release of Jacada Mobile Agent we are excited to bring this technology to anyone who wishes to experience it, by offering a unique downloadable trial kit from our website."
Jacada Mobile Agent enables customers to engage in a mobile self-service session through an "app" which visually maps out the steps of their customer service interaction. This visual interaction, or Visual IVR, has full support for data entry and sophisticated self-service capabilities, including being able to proactively mine knowledge bases for information and retrieve or update customer information in real time. Jacada’s technology powers this new product by connecting the customer’s self-serve interaction directly with a company’s underlying Line of Business applications to solve their problem.
For calls that do require agent assistance, however, Jacada Mobile Agent provides a seamless transition to the voice channel from the self-service channel. Once the call is connected to the agent, all of the steps already taken by the customer, as well as any data entered, are visible to the agent. By doing so, customers will not have to repeat information. Additionally, the underlying systems can be pre-populated with the customer information, adding a further benefit of reduced handle times.
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Altitude Software unveils Unified Social Media Solution for Customer Service
Altitude Software, a global leader in contact center technology, today launch the availability of new social media customer service features in Altitude uCI 8™, the latest major release of the award-winning customer interaction management suite.
With current expansion in Social Media technology the customers actions is changing and they are using social media to solve their issues. Altitude uCI 8™ enables companies to use social media, such as Facebook and Twitter,as unified new customer service channels to reach out to more customers and prospects. Contact centers can use unified, intelligent multimedia routing, unified customer history, skilled agents and consistent business processes to monitor, engage and respond, while applying customer service discipline, metrics and resources to ensure service levels and raise productivity.
Customer service is becoming social
“As consumers turn in droves to social media to solve problems, share and search for information, customer service is becoming social” states Gastão Taveira, CEO of Altitude Software. “In this new environment, consumers increasingly value companies’ ability to engage, respond and provide good service on networks like Twitter and Facebook. Our new release enables companies to meet this challenge in the contact center with unified multichannel customer service that includes social media and effectively applies contact center discipline, metrics and resources to this new reality”.
Altitude uCI 8™ is the latest release of the proven contact center solution suite, now in use in 1100 contact centers worldwide. It includes hundreds of new features focused on increasing the contact center's ability to perform profitably, and deliver significant innovation in key contact center business areas:real time information and insights; multimedia workflow, intelligent campaigns, and unified social media interactions.
Altitude uCI 8™ new social media customer service features
Altitude uCI 8™ new social media customer service features allow contact centers to monitor, engage and respond tocustomers and prospects in Facebook and Twitter,using:
- Unified, intelligent multimedia interactions routing to skilled agents;
- Truly unified customer history, including all multichannel interactions;
- Multimedia agent desktop with knowledge base and spell check;
- Proactive notification and posting in social media;integrated chat, messaging and email;
- Tools that measure and monitor service levels, business and operational KPI’s;
- Business workflow processes for quality control and approved actions;
- Interoperability with social aggregators and social monitoring engines.
"Altitude uCI 8™ Social Media adds value in the way of customer service management to new channels. Customers feel that the brand has a definitive online presence, is proactive and follows up on customer needs wherever they express them” states Miguel Lopes, Vice-President at Altitude Software. “Customer service and marketing decision makers use the contact center operations discipline to ensure service levels and acquire visibility on interactions and productivity”.
Leading mobile operator reaches out to more customers through additional service channels
A leading mobile operator in Asia with strong customer growth and 30 million customers started a project aimed at providing customers with a better experience with more customer service channels. Together with its BPO partner,a leading global systems integrator and business transformation consulting organization, it chose Altitude’s uCI 8™ solution to extend customer service to Facebook and Twitter.
The new customer touch points(official social networking accounts in Facebook and Twitter, and e-mail account), are now active in addition to the existing channels available for subscribers such as the operator Hotlines.
Altitude Software delivers a worldwide robust, modular solution that handles all customer interactions and unifies all touch points throughout the organization in an open, platform-independent solution, based on standards. With 15 offices in four continents and a strong partner network, Altitude Software leverages existing technology investments, adding value without disruption across a wide range of situations with low total cost of ownership. In India it has its presence in Gurgaon, Bangalore and Mumbai and is associated with best of partners in the industry.
For more information about the Altitude uCI8™ social media customer service features.
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VHT Whitepaper Addresses Multichannel Strategy
Advocates a Customer-Centric Strategy to Build Brands
Akron, Ohio – Virtual Hold Technology® (VHT®), a world leader in conversation strategies that bridge the self-service gap between customers and the people who can help, has released a new whitepaper titled, “Communicate in Context to Build Your Brand.” The whitepaper addresses the problem of managing the customer experience in the multichannel age. It advocates a customer-centric approach to customer service that helps consumers achieve their goals in real-time.
The one billion smartphones expected to be in use by 2016, satellite connectivity, Wi-Fi hotspots and the proliferation of mobile apps are changing the way customers interact with companies and the way consumers view brands. Customers today live in-the-moment, and they communicate with brands while they are on-the-go or multitasking.
Shift from Reactive to Proactive
Through this whitepaper, marketing and customer service thought-leaders in a wide range of industries, website and app developers, and contact center professionals will learn the importance of shifting from a reactive to a proactive strategy for managing brand impression and loyalty. The paper presents a simple solution for blending automation with the human touch, giving today’s customers the help they need at key touch points so brand interactions are seamless and therefore more satisfying.
VHT CEO Wes Hayden says, “Your customer’s goal is the critical context for customer experiences. It’s also the critical element for building your brand. VHT is uniquely positioned to offer this insight because of our history in providing simple solutions with huge impact that transform the customer experience.”
To download the whitepaper, visit http://info.virtualhold.com/communicate-in-context/
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VoxOx In Business, Division of Telcentris, Announces Short Call Service for Outbound Call Centers and Resellers
Network, carrier and pricing enhancements enable VoxOx In Business to provide competitive offering to underserved market
SAN DIEGO – Telcentris® Inc., a leader in cloud communications and the creator of VoxOx® and VoxOx In Business™, announced the commercial availability of its short duration call service, geared towards outbound call centers, resellers, and agents that cater to call center traffic. Being offered through the company’s wholesale division, the short call service is a highly competitive offering in a starving market that lacks solutions for businesses conducting high volume short duration calls. Infrastructure improvements and new carrier contracts have enabled the company to officially launch the service.
Typically, calls under 30 seconds are low margin and, when factoring in various licensing fee costs, are considered unprofitable by most carriers. In many industries, these types of calls are balanced with longer duration calls that have high margins, but for outbound call centers, they are the norm with the majority of calls ending in voicemail, disconnected phone numbers or hang-ups.
“On average, outbound call center traffic tends to be between six and 30 seconds with many calls not answered at all, which makes it necessary to seek a specialized carrier to take on the high volume of short duration traffic,” said Tad Nikolich, VP of business sales at Telcentris. “Our platform, which was built to give away our consumer service VoxOx for free to millions of users, was specifically designed to handle very high call volumes at very low infrastructure cost. This has enabled us to create a short call service as part of our wholesale offerings.”
The launch of the short call service has been made possible by recent equipment and network enhancements, along with carrier negotiations that have resulted in new contracts and pricing. Customers that have their own switches can purchase VoxOx In Business SIP Trunks with the desired number of concurrent calls and simply sign a wholesale agreement to get started. There are two options: a flat rate per minute and an NPA/NXX option, which offers different rates for every rate center to terminate calls. The second option caters primarily to resellers interested in offering this service to their call center clients.
“While most carriers don’t want outbound call center traffic, we welcome it,” added Cliff Rees, president of Telcentris. “It’s relatively easy for us to provide this service, and there are not many carriers out there that have spent the time building infrastructure that can handle short duration traffic at a low price.”
The short call service is available directly and through the Channel Partner Program. Learn more about Telcentris and the VoxOx In Business solution suite – Hosted PBX, SIP Trunks, Hosted Contact Center and related services at www.telcentris.com, or call +1 (866) 612-VOIP. For questions pertaining to the Channel Partner Program, please email channel@telcentris.com.
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OAISYS Announces Price and Packaging Changes to Call Recording Solution Portfolio
Enhancements Aim to Expand Appeal and Adoption in SMB and Mid-Market
TEMPE, Ariz. — OAISYS®, a leader in business call recording and contact center management solutions, today announced immediate changes to its pricing and packaging model that make the advanced feature functionality of its Tracer call recording and interaction management solution even more affordable and accessible to a significantly larger market.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to simplicity, a thorough packaging review yielded an opportunity to streamline the product offering in a manner useful for all customers,” said Brian Spencer, president of OAISYS. “The software solution is now licensed by user devices for content capture and by number of concurrent users for content access. This aligns with the value proposition of the solution as realized by customers, which is intrinsically linked to the content capture and access to the software as deployed.”
Depending on their configurations, customers may realize a 20–65 percent savings on their Tracer purchases under the new price and packaging model.
Tracer functionality is built on a foundation of OAISYS’ Talkument® voice documentation solution. Talkument captures digital recordings, or voice documents, of authorized users’ phone-based conversations using patent-pending OAISYS Portable Voice Document (PVD™) technology. Conversations are captured in their entirety and can be easily and securely shared with other authorized users and supervisors for improved collaboration, accuracy and training. Tracer adds advanced interaction management functionality, including customizable performance evaluations, live and automatic call monitoring, quality and resource utilization reporting and synchronized desktop video recording and monitoring.
“Call recording continues to expand as an essential component of best practices for businesses in every commercial sector,” said Spencer. “By introducing these changes, we aspire to make Tracer’s advanced feature set accessible to a far wider range of users within the SMB and mid-market. By reducing pre-requisite costs, our customers can increase user access and achieve tremendous advantages.”
Concurrent with the global changes made to its software licensing requirements, OAISYS has also announced a hardware price reduction affecting the North American market. Of particular interest to customers integrating with voice T1 and PRI lines, the bundled cost of the OAISYS dual T1 and PRI interface board and included voice port licenses has been decreased by 20 percent.
"While other vendors charge customers a significant premium for piecemeal access to their advanced feature functionality, OAISYS continues to gain momentum by removing barriers to entry and giving customers across all markets easy and affordable access to the solutions that can positively impact their business operations,” Spencer said.
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Orlando, FL - MicroAutomation, a leading provider of contact center solutions, and Voxeo, the leading provider of Unlocked Communications™, announce that MicroMessenger™ has become the first Voxeo Connect Certified Partner Application. The interactive campaign management and outbound notification application from MicroAutomation, has undergone rigorous evaluation and validation. It is now available in the Voxeo cloud for use with Voxeo Prophecy IVR Hosting.
This is the next step in the multi-faceted strategic partnership that the two companies initially announced in 2011. At that time, MicroAutomation was certified as a preferred Professional Services partner as part of the Voxeo Connect partner program to provide IVR and CTI design, development and implementation services for Voxeo customers.
MicroMessenger 5 is a platform independent application that represents the packaging of the company's best practices born out of more than 12 years of successful outbound customer contact experience, servicing millions of our clients' customers. The latest release contains several ready-to-use campaign templates for simple appointment and payment reminders, customer surveys, and customer or employee notifications. Companies are increasingly using outbound communications to improve customer loyalty, drive revenue and cut costs.
"MicroMessenger offers an exciting opportunity for organizations that are looking to improve their customer communications through proactive event-based contact," stated Scott Fischer, MicroAutomation's COO. "By leveraging Voxeo's 100 percent uptime hosted cloud, customers can quickly and affordably create, launch and scale high-value outbound applications."
John Amein, SVP of product management at Voxeo, said, "We're excited to partner with MicroAutomation. Their proven, easy-to-use campaign manager, combined with our battle-tested outbound IVR platform offers robust functionality for mission critical applications. We've delivered billions of outbound notifications on the Voxeo platform, and we see proactive customer care using voice and mobile channels like SMS playing a larger, more strategic role in how companies interact with customers."
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Who Protects Call Centers from Telecom Fraud: Humbug Does
...Humbug Telecom Labs Announces The Release Of Their Call Center Solution White Paper
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ETECH, INC LAUNCHES “REMOTE WORKER” TECHNOLOGY
Etech, Inc. launches “Remote Worker” technology that will enable e-retailing companies to strengthen their at-home customer service agent model, save cost, and offer flexibility to employees.
Nacogdoches, TX – Etech, Inc., a global business process outsourcer, recently announced that their technology division, Etech Technology Solutions (ETS), launched their first remote worker management solution known as Nomad TMMS© (Team Member Management Solution).
Many e-retailing companies are interested in adding the ability for their contact center agents to work from home. This model has several advantages for both the company and the employees. Companies can realize a huge cost savings with this model and can employ people who previously could not commute to a regular work setting such as the disabled. It also provides an environment with little to no distractions, no commute and flexible working hours. However, there are two primary problems that prevent many companies from taking this step --management of the at-home employee and security.
Etech Technology Solutions has developed an application that controls the desktop workstation of the at-home employee. The Nomad TMMS application, which is protected by US Copyright Law, includes a number of key features to make the remote worker model possible for many organizations. It provides a secure, encrypted access portal to the company's systems as well as a number of other security measures to keep customer information safe and secure.
“The Nomad TMMS application offers a significant value proposition to companies as it will help them in cost reduction and even access that untapped valuable human resource that faces difficulty coming to work. The agents can easily work from their homes with greater flexibility,” said Mr. Dilip Barot, CEO, Etech, Inc. and President of Creative Choice Group headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Also, Mr. Dilip Barot has entrepreneurial interests in real estate infrastructure, investment, construction, asset management, and IT/ITeS. “It will enable companies to consolidate their capability of offering customer service through the home based customer agent model while maintaining the same high level of customer experience and satisfaction.”
It also has features which ensure a positive customer experience no matter where the employee is located including tracking unacceptable content and alerting management if an issue has occurred. It also includes many helpful tools to help the at-home employee do their jobs well including a built-in chat module to allow the remote workers to chat with their supervisors, a learning knowledgebase, and an announcement board.
"We're pleased to add Nomad TMMS to our technology solution offerings," said Ronnie Mize, Vice President of Etech Technology Solutions. "ETS was developed to help businesses accelerate service delivery while maintaining cost-effectiveness. Nomad TMMS is one great example of an application that will cost-effectively help companies expand to offer remote agent support. It is especially suited to the at-home customer service agent model that many e-retailing companies are looking to implement."
To learn more about Etech, Inc., visit www.etechinc.com.
About Etech
Etech is a leading provider of intelligent sales and service solutions utilizing inbound and outbound voice and web chat. We understand the importance of customer relationships. That’s why all of our solution strategies are driven by the ‘voice of the customer’. Our stringent QA process ensures an ever-improving customer experience. We also gather critical business intelligence data from each customer interaction. And we do everything with the highest integrity and quality possible. These differences allow us to provide industry-leading service, stellar CSAT scores, and high performing sales and service solutions that enable our clients to increase revenue and delight their customers. For more information: www.etechinc.com
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