Advanstar Communications Taps Concerto Software for Unified CIM Platform with VoIP to Improve Customer Service and Contact Center Efficiency.WESTFORD, Mass. -- Publishing and Tradeshow Company to Use EnsemblePro for Multi-site Routing, Universal Blending, Multichannel Using two or more paths for transmission or processing. It can refer to a variety of architectures including (1) multiple I/O channels between the CPU and peripheral devices, (2) multiple wires in a cable, (3) multiple "logical" channels within a single wire or fiber or (4) multiple Customer Interaction Management Concerto concerto (kənchâr`tō), musical composition usually for an orchestra and a soloist or a group of soloists. In the 16th cent. concertare and concertato implied an ensemble, either vocal or instrumental. Software, Inc., a proven provider of contact center solutions, announced today that Advanstar Communications, Inc., a leading worldwide market-focused publishing, tradeshow and marketing services company, has selected Concerto Software's EnsemblePro unified customer interaction management (CIM (1) (Computer-Integrated Manufacturing) Integrating office/accounting functions with automated factory systems. Point of sale, billing, machine tool scheduling and supply ordering are part of CIM. ) platform for its multichannel contact center. Advanstar will deploy EnsemblePro over a voice over Internet Protocol See Internet and TCP/IP. (networking) Internet Protocol - (IP) The network layer for the TCP/IP protocol suite widely used on Ethernet networks, defined in STD 5, RFC 791. IP is a connectionless, best-effort packet switching protocol. (VoIP) network to manage customer interactions via multiple channels including inbound in·bound 1 adj. Bound inward; incoming: inbound commuter traffic. Adj. 1. inbound and outbound voice, interactive voice response (IVR (Interactive Voice Response) An automated telephone information system that speaks to the caller with a combination of fixed voice menus and data extracted from databases in real time. ), email and fax. Rather than build out its current private branch exchange (PBX (Private Branch eXchange) An inhouse telephone switching system that interconnects telephone extensions to each other as well as to the outside telephone network (PSTN). ), Advanstar will interface EnsemblePro's VoIP platform with its existing data infrastructure in order to leverage the efficiency and cost-savings of converging voice and data onto one network. Specifically, the integration with EnsemblePro's VoIP functionality will enable Advanstar to create a multi-site remote agent environment. In this environment, EnsemblePro's industry-leading predictive dialer An automatic telephone dialing system that dials from a list of numbers and turns the call over to an agent when a human responds. It increases productivity in a call center, because the agents can spend their time talking rather than waiting for calls to go through as well as hanging up will make outbound calls to support b-to-b telemarketing telemarketing, the practice of selling goods or services to customers by means of the telephone or of surveying consumer preferences in telephone conversations. and event coordination efforts from Advanstar's primary center in Duluth, Minn. Based on business rules set by Advanstar, live calls will then be routed to agents in satellite centers around the country in locations such as Boston and Woodland Hills, Calif. This configuration allows Advanstar to pool the resources of its various contact centers, streamlining operations and maximizing agent productivity. In addition, Advanstar will use EnsemblePro's inbound automatic call distributor (ACD (Automatic Call Distributor) A computerized phone system that responds to the caller with a voice menu and connects the call to the appropriate agent. It can also distribute calls equally to agents. ), IVR, email automatic response and fax capabilities to provide customer service for its event registration and industry publishing efforts. Seventy percent of the Advanstar agents will have inbound/outbound voice blending capability, and the remaining agents will have universal blending capability, enabling them to easily toggle To alternate back and forth between two states. toggle - To change a bit from whatever state it is in to the other state; to change from 1 to 0 or from 0 to 1. This comes from "toggle switches", such as standard light switches, though the word "toggle" actually refers to between communication channels as dictated by business needs or customer behavior. "We look forward to working with an established technology leader like Concerto Software to improve our customer service processes and reduce complexity in our contact center," said Adele Hartwick, vice president, treasurer and controller of Advanstar Communications, Inc. "EnsemblePro was a perfect fit for our organization because the platform delivers all the tools we need to offer superior service and increase agent productivity, from a leading-edge VoIP solution to powerful inbound routing and IVR functionality to blended, email, fax and voice communications." EnsemblePro is a unified, multichannel contact center solution that has been designed from the ground up to incorporate the broad multimedia functionality required by today's contact centers - including ACD, predictive dialing, IVR, email, Web chat and collaboration, universal queuing, recording and reporting. EnsemblePro also offers the ability to connect with and add value to existing contact center point solutions. Available in English and seven additional languages (Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Korean and Spanish), EnsemblePro is also making it easier for companies in non-English speaking countries to operate more efficiently and deliver enhanced customer service. "Advanstar's decision to leverage EnsemblePro for VoIP and across multiple channels is a prime example of the direction that the contact center industry is headed in today," said Ralph Breslauer, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Concerto Software. "Increasingly, strategic businesses like Advanstar realize that they must converge voice and data, and create a unified, multichannel environment, to meet customer demands and offer the highest levels of customer service. With a dedicated focus on the global contact center market and a 20-year heritage of technology leadership, Concerto Software is the ideal partner to help companies drive these critical improvements, now and in the future, incrementally or all at once." About Advanstar Communications Advanstar Communications Inc. (www.advanstar.com) is a worldwide business information company serving specialized markets with high quality information resources (1) The data and information assets of an organization, department or unit. See data administration. (2) Another name for the Information Systems (IS) or Information Technology (IT) department. See IT. and integrated marketing solutions. Advanstar has 115 business magazines and directories, 78 tradeshows and conferences, numerous Web sites, and a wide range of print and electronic direct marketing, database and reference products and services. Advanstar serves targeted market sectors in the art, automotive, beauty, e-learning, call center, digital media, entertainment/ marketing, healthcare, fashion & apparel, manufacturing and processing, pharmaceuticals, powersports, science, telecommunications and travel/hospitality industries. The Company has more than 1,400 employees and currently operates from multiple offices in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. , Europe and Asia. About Concerto Software Concerto Software, Inc. is a proven and reliable provider of contact center solutions that help companies better manage customer interactions via voice, email, the Web and fax. With multiple strengths - including financial stability, talented people, innovative technology, more than 20 years of industry expertise and a singular focus on the contact center - Concerto Software is a trusted partner to companies across the globe. Concerto Software was selected by leading industry analyst firm, Frost & Sullivan, as the sole recipient of its Contact Center Company of the Year Award in 2003 and 2004, and is also the only company to earn this distinction two years running. Concerto Software is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts Westford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,754 at the 2000 census. History Westford was first settled in 1635. Originally a part of neighboring Chelmsford, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own , with operations across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.concerto.com. Note: Concerto Software and EnsemblePro are trademarks of Concerto Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
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