American Finance & Investment Selects WebLine Communications' Teleweb Software for Its Internet-Based Mortgage Sales Operations.BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 1998--WebLine Communications, a leading provider of "teleweb" solutions for customer interaction, today announced that American Finance & Investment, Inc. (AFI AFI American Film Institute AFI Awaiting Further Instructions AFI Armed Forces Insurance AFI A Fire Inside (band) AFI Air Force Instruction AFI Australian Film Institute AFI Agencia Federal de Investigación ), a leading provider of Internet-based mortgages, has selected WebLine(tm) for use within its call center operations. As a result, consumers will be able to receive faster, more effective service during the mortgage application and review process via the ability to connect to an AFI representative from AFI's Web site and share Web content and visual information over the Web during telephone calls. "AFI is committed to being an early adopter of promising new technologies designed to revolutionize rev·o·lu·tion·ize tr.v. rev·o·lu·tion·ized, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·ing, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·es 1. To bring about a radical change in: Television has revolutionized news coverage. 2. e-commerce, and we view WebLine as being precisely that type of solution," said Jack Rodgers, president of AFI. "WebLine changes the traditional e-commerce paradigm by enabling call center agents to share customized Web content with customers during telephone calls and perform synchronized syn·chro·nize v. syn·chro·nized, syn·chro·niz·ing, syn·chro·niz·es v.intr. 1. To occur at the same time; be simultaneous. 2. To operate in unison. v.tr. 1. , escorted Web browsing," he continued. WebLine is a Java-based, enterprise-class application that enables call center agents to visually interact with remote prospects or customers over the Web during any telephone call, using nothing more than their Java-enabled browsers. Agents can share static and dynamic Web content, navigate callers around the Web, demonstrate software, interactively complete shared forms and transfer downloadable files - all while conducting a voice conversation. "We are committed to providing customers with advanced teleweb solutions that integrate the ease of telephone contact with the visual content and interactivity of the Web - allowing them to reduce sales cycles, lower operating expenses Operating expenses The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted. and provide more effective customer service," said Dan Keshian, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of WebLine Communications. "We are pleased to welcome AFI to our growing roster of financial services The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. customers, and believe they will gain strategic market advantage as a result of implementing the WebLine solution within their call center," he continued. With WebLine, visitors to AFI's Web site will have the option to click on a "callback An authentication technique that calls the sender back. After connection is made, the receiving side breaks the connection and calls the sender to ensure that the logon was made from the authorized computer. Callback prevents a stolen ID and password from being used on a different machine. " button to request a telephone call from an AFI representative, should a situation arise where they need real-time, human assistance. Upon submitting a request, a Java applet A Java program that is downloaded from the server and run from the browser. The Java Virtual Machine built into the browser is interpreting the instructions. Contrast with Java application. is downloaded to the remote caller's Web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. , connecting he or she into a WebLine session with an AFI representative. Once connected, the AFI representative and the prospective customer can share static and dynamic Web content, navigate each other around the Web, interactively complete mortgage applications and transfer downloadable files. WebLine's unique application demonstration feature will also enable AFI representatives to walk callers through various loan options by sharing real-time calculations of different mortgage options directly to the caller's Web browser. As a result of WebLine, prospective AFI customers will receive immediate answers to their questions and be able to complete mortgage applications with an AFI representative during a single call. AFI plans to implement WebLine in May, 1998. Targeted at financial services and information technology companies, WebLine is an open-architecture solution that integrates easily with existing computer and telephony equipment (including automatic call distributors (ACDs) and Internet telephony Another term for IP telephony and VoIP. In the late 1990s, some people made a distinction between Internet Telephony and VoIP: Internet telephony referred to voice over the public Internet, while VoIP referred to voice over private IP networks. gateways) and e-commerce systems. Unlike fat-client applications, WebLine is a firewall-friendly solution that works with an organization's existing firewall set-up, allowing call center agents to establish secure, reliable connections with remote callers. It is also voice channel neutral, enabling customers to deploy it as a two-line solution in which voice and data information are carried over separate telephone lines or as a single-line solution using an Internet telephony gateway. About WebLine Communications Founded in 1996 and based in Burlington, Mass., WebLine Communications is a pioneering developer of "teleweb" solutions for customer interaction within Internet-enabled call centers and sales and service operations. In 1997, WebLine was named to Computerworld's list of 100 Hot Emerging Companies. The company's flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , WebLine, is a Java-based application that allows call center agents, sales and service representatives to visually interact with remote prospects or customers during any telephone call, using any Java-enabled browser. WebLine Communications is backed by more than $8 million in venture capital funding from Information Technology Ventures, Advent International Advent International - a long-established and leading global private equity investor Background Advent was founded in 1984 by Peter Brooke and Clint Harris to focus on international private equity investing. , Draper Fisher Jurvetson Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) is a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California with affiliate offices in more than 30 cities around the world and over $4.5 billion in capital commitments. and Advanced Technology Ventures. For more information, contact WebLine at 781.272.9979 or visit www.webline.com. About AFI American Finance & Investment is the consumer direct division of First Mortgage Network, a residential mortgage lender and national leader in laptop origination technology. AFI is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Mortgage Banker A company, individual or institution that originates, sells and services mortgage loans. Notes: Don't confuse a mortgage banker with a mortgage broker. Association and the Better Business Bureau. The company has achieved national prominence by developing the "Mortgages Made Simple" process. Visit the AFI Web site at http://www.loanshop.com. -0- WebLine is a trademark of WebLine Communications Corporation. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Copithorne & Bellows (for WebLine) Diane Parazin, 617.450.4300, ext. 250 diane.parazin@cbpr.com or WebLine Communications Marcie Lascher, 781.852.2106 marcie.lascher@webline.com or First Mortgage Network Ginny Cain, 925.426.8863 ginnycain@1stmtg.com |
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