Nortel Networks Announces Enhanced Contact Center, Self-Service Solutions

LAS VEGAS, NV - Nortel Networks [NYSE/TSX: NT] announced the availability of enhanced contact center and self-service solutions designed to help improve business results and build customer retention by meeting or exceeding customer demands. These solutions are part of an engaged business model, a concept that is integral to Nortel Networks "One network. A world of choice." enterprise vision announced last fall. Engaged business applications position companies to move beyond reactively providing service to improving customer service by anticipating customer needs. "Nortel Networks has clearly been spending time figuring out the next stage of contact centers and came to the conclusion that it is about an entirely new way of doing business," said Blair Pleasant, associate consultant, The PELORUS Group** and president, COMMfusion.** "That is, becoming anticipatory and proactive, while engaging customers in a way that makes them not only loyal to your company, but in some cases, reliant upon your company and its services." The announcement includes: expanded Internet Protocol (IP) Contact Center solutions; availability of VoiceXML; the validation of the Nortel Networks Symposium Communications Driver for Siebel 7; and enhanced capabilities for Symposium Express Call Center 4.2. These enhancements provide benefits to customers today by allowing them to tap into new engagement applications, and by linking their customers more directly with the service or expertise they need while helping them to evolve to an engaged business that will promote additional benefits in the future. Nortel Networks IP Contact Center solutions are now compatible with Succession Communications Server for Enterprise (CSE) 1000. Additional enhancements include: peer IP networking for distribution of calls between nodes in Succession CSE1000-based networked contact center solutions; survivable branch office solutions, enabling greater distribution of agents and centralization of applications; "Private Zone," which enables reservation of voice gateway channels for resource-critical IP agent phones; Power over Ethernet; and IP call recording API (applications programming interface). Nortel Networks VoiceXML offering extends the applications development capabilities of Nortel Networks self-service solutions by offering a dual application development environment on Nortel Networks MPS 1000 platform. It runs simultaneously with PeriProducer applications on the same Nortel Networks self-service platform, enabling customers to create applications using the VoiceXML industry-standard language, PeriProducer, or a combination of both. Symposium Communications Driver for Siebel 7 has been validated by Siebel Systems. This solution simplifies integration of Siebel eBusiness Applications into the contact center to minimize risks and deliver new capabilities. This integration, validated and documented by the Siebel Validation Program, increases the overall effectiveness of the contact center by delivering agent tools that can help increase customer service. The Siebel Validation Program applies rigorous technical scrutiny to evaluate the integration of third-party solutions with Siebel eBusiness Applications. "The validated integration of Siebel 7 with Nortel Networks Symposium Call Center Server provides intelligent and prioritized routing and escalation of incoming voice calls in real time within the Siebel 7 client," said Catherine Cherubino, executive director, Alliances for Siebel Systems. "Customer service representatives have visibility into stored customer data allowing for better service, which can result in more profitable customer relationships." Symposium Express Call Center 4.2 enhancements include new voice service capabilities and call routing treatments. This solution set is ideal for contact centers seeking simplified management coupled with the ability to leverage skill-based routing to enhance the customer experience and improve agent productivity. Nortel Networks is making the full range of contact center and self-service solutions available to small businesses, today's fastest growing market for these capabilities. "These products represent the next step in helping our customers transform themselves into engaged businesses," said Vickie Marvich, director, marketing, customer contact and voice portal solutions, Nortel Networks. "Engaged business applications position companies to provide exceptional levels of proactive personalized service, and to develop closer customer relationships." "This is achieved by integrating anticipatory, time-critical and media-adaptive characteristics into multimedia communications supporting contact center and self-service solutions to provide the intelligence, flexibility and dynamism required for success," Marvich said. "Nortel Networks is one of only a handful of companies that can provide all of the pieces necessary for this type of vision, including secure network connections, high-speed reliable networking equipment, a portfolio of voice solutions, and SIP infrastructure," Pleasant said. "We believe that Nortel Networks is currently ahead of the pack in terms of having both the vision and the architecture on which to deliver it." "One network. A world of choice." is Nortel Networks enterprise vision, centered around a commitment to productivity, options and convergence. This convergence eliminates boundaries between services, users and locations while delivering a consistent user experience no matter where and how the network is accessed. "One network. A world of choice." offers a new level of customer engagement, bringing enterprises the power of choice in deployment options. Providing solutions in voice over IP, data and optical networking, Nortel Networks offers its enterprise customers the simplicity and cost savings of converged networks, information sharing across platforms, 'five nines' reliability, and simplified deployment of security measures.