Lucent Technologies Message Care Software Integrates E-Mail and Fax Message Capabilities Into Call Centers.

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1997--Lucent Technologies today announced software which enables businesses to efficiently and effectively route, track and respond to customer generated e-mail and fax messages as quickly and easily as they now handle a telephone call. Called Message Care, the software was announced here at the Banking Administration Institute (BAI) Retail Delivery Show `97 (Booth No.1250).

Message Care enables businesses to create a centralized process for managing electronic inquiries and requests through their existing call center. The software directs the flow of e-mail and fax messages, routing the requests to the call center agents who are most qualified to respond.

Knowledge Systems and Research, Inc. recently surveyed more than 250 large companies with call centers regarding their fax and e-mail traffic patterns. The study, commissioned by Lucent Technologies, concluded that most of these companies currently receive approximately one-half million e-mail and fax messages per year and that 55 percent of these messages go directly to a call center.

In addition, Forrester Research, Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. estimated that in 1996 about 15 percent of the domestic population sent 100 million e-mail messages per day. Forrester projects that by 2001 more than one-half the population, about 130 million people, will be transmitting 500 million e-mails daily.

"The tremendous increase in customer use of electronic messages and the demand for quicker response times will likely challenge companies to identify ways to better service their markets," said Lou Marianacci, vice president of Customer Sales and Service Solutions at Lucent Technologies. "Today's call centers are evolving into complete `any media' transaction centers which must have the capabilities to support voice calls, Internet access, video calls, electronic mail and fax messages."

Lucent's Message Care software provides call center agents with tools to effectively process received messages based on the customers' needs. Agents can include the original message in their response, use a spell check option, and preview and edit their responses. Standard answers to frequently asked questions can be created and integrated into the agents' messages along with existing documents and information to speed response time and ensure consistent content.

For example, a banking customer has a question regarding automated payment of a specific bill. In launching an e-mail query, the customer can retain a written, time-stamped copy of the correspondence. When the e-mail message is received at the bank, it is then routed to an available banking agent in the call center who has bill payment research capabilities.

Upon resolution of the query, the agent can respond directly back to the customer via e-mail using a standard response form. The agent can also record and save the transaction for future reference. In addition, Lucent's CentreVu Call Management System enables companies to generate integrated call center message and volume reports incorporating voice, Internet, and electronic message information.

Message Care works with Lucent Technologies DEFINITY(R) Enterprise Communications Server and supports SMTP/POP - 3 protocol Internet e-mail servers including Microsoft(R) Exchange, Lotus Notes(R) and cc:Mail, UNIX(R) Mail Servers, and Lucent's Intuity(tm) Audix(R).

Lucent Technologies will be demonstrating its Message Care software at the Banking Administration Institute (BAI) Retail Delivery Show 1997, Booth No.1250, from Dec. 2 to 5 in New Orleans.

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies call center solutions, visit our web site at http://www.lucent.com/callcenter.

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