Voicetek ships Generations version 3.02 providing most complete ADSI functionality and international capabilities.

CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 1996-- Voicetek Corporation announced today the introduction of the latest release of Generations (version 3.02), Voicetek's open, object-oriented software platform for the development and deployment of integrated voice response (IVR) and computer telephony integration (CTI) applications. The new version of Generations provides users with the most advanced and complete functionality for the development and deployment of Analog Display Services Interface (ADSI) applications, as well as expanded support for E1 and ISDN international digital telephony standards. Generations version 3.02 makes it easier for customers to develop mixed-media applications and to deploy them on a global basis. In addition to ADSI and enhanced digital telephony compatibility, new features also include rotary dial detection, and enhanced CTI support.

"Generations' increased support for international standards will definitely make it more attractive both in Europe and around the world," says Pierre Wolters, Vice President Engineering of Group 2000, a European-based systems OEM that re-sells Generations. "Enhanced support for E1 and ISDN will help us further penetrate into the world of digital telephony. This is especially true for the network operators and communications service providers. The introduction of Generations 3.02 shows that Voicetek is committed to maintaining their technological leadership in features and functionality," continues Wolters.

Dan Poranski, Voicetek's Vice President of Marketing says, "International organizations can now use this feature-rich development environment to deploy robust customer services, including screen telephone capabilities that take full advantage of the new ADSI screen-telephones. Deeper support for the E1 standard, and pulse detection help our corporate users better serve their international markets with consistent worldwide services," he continues.

Enhancements for Screen Display Phones

The ADSI standard has been adopted internationally to provide the simultaneous transmission of data and voice over telephone lines. The ADSI capability enables coordinated voice and screen-prompted transactions which feature the visual display of, for instance, caller account information. New enhancements to Generations enable applications to handle full alphanumeric input; automatically identify the characteristics of screen phone and adjust transmission to accommodate varying screen widths, screen heights, the number of vertical LCD display lines, and the number of programming keys (soft keys) on the various ADSI phones. Related features control the choice of displaying information on the entire screen, or for scrolling across the LCD display. Formatting control of the displayed information (flush left, flush right, centered, and indenting) is provided, as is the ability to access the low-level ADSI commands, if required for the specific application.

Expanded E1 and ISDN Support

Generations now offers expanded support for E1, Europe's 2.048 Mbps digital carrier system. Generations-based applications can now handle ISDN PRI and Channel Associated Signaling (CAS) protocols over E1 on a country-by-country basis. The new E1 CAS capability provides support for systems in Europe; as well as, China, Mexico, and Malaysia. ISDN PRI support enables interfacing to the following international protocols: VN3 (France), 1TR6 (Germany), DASS-2 (UK), ETS300 (EuroISDN), and enhanced DPNSS. Interfacing with the telephony network occurs directly from the Voicetek VTK voice response units, eliminating the requirement for the system to be front-ended by a switch.

Rotary Dial Support

A significant proportion of the internationally installed base of telephones features rotary dialing. The audible clicks of the rotary phone are now detected and processed by Generations to provide access to IVR and CTI applications, such as, home banking and other customer services.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Integration

Integration with the enterprise's database enables the automatic sending of caller information to call center personnel through coordinated call transfers and 'screen pops'. Screen pops display background information on the caller drawn from the corporate database to facilitate better and faster customer service. The new CTI integration features provide Generations with the ability to interface with a number of switches and Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) centers manufactured by different switch vendors including Hewlett-Packard TCM/CCM, Nabnasset VESP, and others.

Additional Features

Also included in this version of Generations is 5250 host connectivity, and the ability to handle large vocabulary, natural language Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR).

Voicetek Corporation, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA, designs, manufactures, and markets the Generations software and VTK hardware product lines to provide a comprehensive platform for the development of voice processing and computer telephony applications. Voicetek was first-to-market with an easy-to-use, object-oriented development environment for integrated voice response applications. Its system architecture is known for its ability to easily scale upward (to thousands of caller ports), and to accommodate new communications technologies within the application solution. Voicetek markets internationally through direct and third-party sales in the United States, Europe, South America, and the Pacific Rim. -0-

Generations, Voicetek, and VTK, are registered trademarks; and Prompt Manager, Service Console Interface, and System Monitor are trademarks of the Voicetek Corporation. All other registered trademarks and trademarks are the properties of their respective holders.

CONTACT: John Hill

Voicetek Corporation

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