FrontRange announced the availability of IP Contact Center 5.0 (IPCC) to the Communication Management solution family. The new version of FrontRange's Voice Over Internet Protocol-based (VoIP) software suite features Quality Management and integration with other FrontRange product families.

M-Tech Information Technology announced the offering of its enhanced turn-key telephony-enabled password reset solution, ID-Telephony 4.0.

IEX Corporation announced the general availability of version 3.9 of the TotalView Workforce Management system at the Avaya Evolution Forum being held in São Paulo. TotalView 3.9 offers skill block scheduling features that make it easier to manage multichannel contact types and other back office work. The new version also heightens agent empowerment with new time off management and schedule preference capabilities.

Audiovox has realized a return of more than 1,989 percent on its investment in RightNow's CRM solutions over the last three years. The company's savings, which amount to more than $2.7 million, resulted from the redirection of significant phone call and email volume through the optimized use of the web as a self-service channel -- as well as increased efficiency in customer service operations.

Nextel Communications and ServicePower announced the availability of SERVICEMobility, a wireless scheduling solution that electronically dispatches jobs to technicians, thereby saving contractors time and eliminating the need to travel back to the office to pick up paperwork or to place lengthy phone calls to the dispatcher. The service, which works on GPS-enabled handsets, replaces manual or semi-automated scheduling solutions used by most companies.

SupportSoft announced that the majority of the world's largest IT outsourcers including ACS, CompuCom, CSC, HP Managed Services, and IBM Global Services, among others, have selected SupportSoft service automation software to assist in managing service level agreements (SLAs) for a number of their clients. These same IT outsourcers are also positioned in the leaders' quadrant in the Gartner Magic Quadrant analysis for North American Desktop Outsourcing.

Coach-Net Services Group, a provider of 24 hour emergency roadside assistance, announced their selection of eOn Communications eQueue to replace their Avaya system in their Lake Havasu, AZ contact center. Coach-Net wanted to add intuitive service enhancement features that could be integrated into their current IT service applications. Coach-Net also wanted an upgrade in their quality assurance features, which are playing an increasingly important role within the emergency roadside service industry.

Large contact centers with high call volumes can now use Aspect and TuVox technologies together to increase the number and type of transactions that can be automated with voice self-service. TuVox speech applications are deployed on Aspect's open standards-based IVR platform -- AspectCustomer Self-Service (CSS). Aspect recently validated TuVox technology on Aspect CSS.

Salesforce.com announced that ITA Audio Visual Solutions has selected salesforce.com to replace its CRM solution from Siebel. ITA chose Salesforce for its ease of use by sales and support staff and Sforce for its easy integration with the company's accounting and quote-generation systems.

KANA Software announced that the Dutch parliament's House of Representatives, 'Tweede Kamer,' is using KANA Response to allow the Dutch parliament to create a dialogue between its 150 members and the public, and to enhance internal communications.

  "OUR TAKE" (more)

8/5/2005 - Outsourcing by the Numbers One reader shares his experience as a tester of call centers. This person has real data on user friendliness and call satisfaction as it relates to outsourcers. He writes:   Comments seen in the press that American resistance to offshore outsourcing is racist are pure horse manure. Racism has never-not one time ever, shown up in our test caller feedback. Americans in general are an impatient group, and they don't care if the agent is white, brown, red or blue. They just want decent service. So as complaints arise over accents causing communication problems, it is only due to an inability to easily communicate.   Ergo, a part of your decision as to what outsourcer to use should include being convinced that agent accents will not be a barrier. Every other reason for less than stellar service from outsourcers has its roots in poor planning/design and technical shortcomings. Nothing else.   Gary Lemke, Publisher (Share your thoughts)