Speech Strategy News, August 2009
"Unified Communications" (UC) sometimes seems like one of those terms that expands to fit whatever the vendors using the term want to add to their repertoire. UC has lately come to include a company's contact center as well as internal communications. Certainly, the concept of looking at communications as an integrated solution has merit.
Aspect Software has 35 years of experience in UC, and the company says it helps more than two-thirds of the FORTUNE Global 100, as well as small and medium enterprises, "power their business processes with communications." The company announced enhancements to its UC applications for the contact center, including new instant messaging capabilities, expanded presence functionality within the contact center, and increased integration with the Tellme on-demand voice portal. Available now through the Aspect Unified IP 6.6.1 platform product, the new features augment the capabilities available through the UC applications' core queuing, routing, and reporting functionality.
Tellme is a Microsoft subsidiary that recently announced enhancements to its hosted service (SSN, May 2009, p. 1), including an option for signing up for a toll-free number through Tellme. In their enterprise hosting business, Tellme serves more than two billion calls per year from more than 40 million callers per month, according to the company. The connection with Aspect will make it easier for Aspect customers to integrate the service into their customer service operations. The "Aspect On-Demand Voice Portal, powered by Tellme," supports activities such as proactive customer contact, post-call surveys, automated appointment reminders, notifications, and business continuity with on-demand self service through Aspect products "Seamless Customer Service," "Streamlined Collections," and "Blended Interaction."
