Calabrio Unveils Software-Based Contact Center Suite in Web 2.0 Framework

Calabrio, a provider of customer interaction and contact center management software, today introduced Calabrio One, the first and only software-based contact center suite to deliver workforce optimization (WFO) applications in a Web 2.0 framework. New applications in the framework include Calabrio Call Recording 8.0 and Calabrio Quality Management 8.0, which provide application widgets for call monitoring, call recording, quality management, and performance management dashboards and reports.

Calabrio also announced Calabrio Speech Analytics, which integrates with Calabrio recording software to provide a quick-start approach for tapping into the many business benefits of speech and content analytics.

“Workforce Optimization suites have not lived up to their promise,” said Tom Goodmanson, president and CEO of Calabrio. “Though packaged, priced and described as a suite, they fall short when it comes to the common interface, usability and supportability advantages that truly define a suite, and the complexity of the implementations continues to be an obstacle.”

Calabrio One is designed as a software suite of applications that share a look-and-feel, leverage common underlying data, and minimize cross-application administration. Workspace views are personalized by employee role, providing the ability to match the work style of different types of users. For example, agents, supervisors and evaluators can log into their customized workspace to access the tools they need to provide excellent customer service, manage effectively and keep the contact center in line with business goals.

“A Web 2.0 architecture is a welcome and refreshing entry for a contact center suite of the 21st century,” said Grant Sainsbury, practice director for customer interactive solutions at Dimension Data, a Calabrio partner. “Market research shows that the most important trend in contact centers is around process optimization, and applications that bring together a meaningful and relevant combination of information to contact center personnel are going to have an impact. The Calabrio One architecture will allow us to demonstrate more business value to clients investing in Dimension Data solutions, and allows us to use these important applications as a point of differentiation.”

Calabrio Call Recording 8.0
Calabrio Call Recording 8.0 works within the Calabrio One framework and includes the following new features and benefits:

• New network-based recording architecture, which provides a robust architecture for enterprise recording
• Live voice monitoring, which allows managers to silently monitor calls in real time
• Role-based alerts, which notify users of various types of events that require attention

Calabrio is now the only recording solution to offer three recording architectures: desktop, server, and network-based. Any and all architectures can be mixed within a single deployment, which means IT staff can choose the best architecture for the technical environment, while the business user is able to choose the best architecture for the business need.

Calabrio Quality Management 8.0
Calabrio Quality Management 8.0 operates within the Calabrio One framework. It includes all of the new features of Calabrio Call Recording 8.0, as well as the following new features and benefits unique to quality assurance:

• Evaluation form enhancements, including adjustable question-level weighting, hints and more flexible editing options
• Enhanced configurable and graphical reports for performance management
• Live screen monitoring, which is synchronized with live voice monitoring to provide the supervisor/manager with the full view of the interaction

Calabrio Speech Analytics
Calabrio Speech Analytics provides an intuitive and practical approach for enterprises to find and review calls of interest to pinpoint customer service issues, identify trends and improve performance. Calabrio uses a phonetics-based approach to locate words or phrases within spoken audio, which is faster and less complex to deploy than alternative speech-to-text-based solutions.

“Speech analytics is one of the fastest growing technology sectors in the contact center market because of the tremendous value these applications deliver to enterprises,” said Donna Fluss, president of DMG Consulting. “When used properly, speech analytics gives enterprises insights into customer needs, wants and trends. This information allows enterprises to proactively resolve issues, helping them to cost effectively provide an outstanding customer experience.”

The product ships with predefined quick-start templates that customers can use as is or customize, as well as a bundled professional services offering that provides implementation support and training designed for early success. Calabrio plans future releases that will continue to build on the initial functionality and allow the customer to expand as they learn.

“Speech analytics has too much value for businesses to shy away from it due to complexity,” said Goodmanson. “Our approach is to provide customers with a solution from which they can realize benefits without heroic learning curves or extensive investments. This phase of our product may provide 100 percent of the features required for many customers today, or it may provide an entry point for others that are interested in learning more about the technology in a manageable way before investing further.”