Convergence of voice and data creates new opportunities.

A new generation of telecom solutions is emerging that allows Latin American businesses to reach out and embrace their customers. By combining the best features of voice and data communications into an integrated solution, organizations can respond to customer requests and inquiries 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- in whatever form the customer chooses.

"The phone and the web are merging," said Don Van Doren, president of Vanguard Communications, in a presentation "Transforming Call Centers for eBusiness" at VoiceCon 2001, an international telecommunications conference held in February in Washington, D.C. "Voice-oriented customer service centers are moving into multimedia. This opens up new opportunities for organizations to serve their customers in real time."

Among the telecom options are:

* Traditional voice calls, which are still the preferred form for most customer contacts and an ideal way to resolve problems.

* Fax-back systems that offer a low-cost way to provide information via a stand-alone system or one that is integrated with a businesses' web site.

* E-mail response management systems that can be automated or provide various options for customer service representatives (CSRs) to respond quickly to incoming requests.

* Dynamic self-service web site features, such as search engines or help buttons on a web site that make it easy for customers to find products, services or information.

* Web callback systems that allow a CSR to call back a customer who asks for live help while browsing on the web.

* Text chat or "instant messaging" methods so that a representative can respond in real time to the needs of an online customer.

* Push-to-talk, which is a new option on some web sites that allows a web site visitor to request and receive phone assistance from an online representative.

"We are seeing a melding of all potential customer contacts," said Van Doren. "Customers are demanding more choice and control in their contacts with businesses. That is expanding the role of telecommunications in e-business."

Building voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) networks that carry both voice and data traffic is a key factor in the creation of these multimedia customer contact solutions. This is true in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and the much larger business-to-business (B2B) segments.

"The key business drivers in the new telecom world are increasing your customer base, building customer loyalty and improving customer retention rates," said Van Doren. "Businesses that can plan for the future and implement these integrated solutions will be well on their way to increasing their share of the customer's wallet and boosting profitability."