Lucent Technologies Adds Speech-Enabled Directory Searching to Its Enterprise Directory Solutions - Product Announcement

Cambridge Telcom Report, Sept 20, 1999

Lucent Technologies Tuesday announced it has added advanced speech-enabled directory searching to its family of Enterprise Directory Solutions. This capability allows callers and phone attendants to "look up" a desired phone number -- in a corporate directory of up to 1 million entries -- by speaking the person's name. It will be demonstrated here this week at CT Expo Fall '99.

Using PhoneticOperator, companies can direct incoming calls from customers to a receptionist or forward them to the system for automated speech-based processing, including automatic forwarding to the desired extension. Employees can call one another by simply saying an individual's name. This is especially convenient for users of cellular phones when access to a directory is not possible. Employees also can make outsides calls with speech-enabled "name dialing" from a global company directory.

Lucent's Enterprise Directory Solutions include online directory management tools for streamlining directory administration, and directory lookup applications for enterprise users and phone attendants. PhoneticOperator, made by Phonetic Systems, Inc., integrates with all four of the products in the Enterprise Directory Solutions portfolio:

- MasterDirectory Data Manager is a desktop database application that is specifically designed for consolidating and managing directory information. It serves as an information gateway, collecting and synchronizing information from a wide variety of sources such as HR databases, PBXs, e-mail and voice mail directories, call accounting systems and other corporate databases. Once the data is consolidated, MasterDirectory can distribute the updated directory information to PC Console attendants, PhoneLine users, and to PhoneticOperator for speech-enabled access.

- PC Console provides attendants with convenient PC-based call handling and directory lookup capabilities. It lets attendants easily keep track of how long callers have been on hold and for whom they are waiting. Attendants can monitor up to six calls at once, transferring each call with a mouse-click, and can make notes on their computers about what each caller needs.

- PhoneLine CTI provides fast, flexible online access to current enterprise information with the resources to use the information in networked, stand-alone and mobile computing environments. Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) lets PhoneLine users dial any directory entry and manage all phone activities through their PCs.

- PhoneLine Enterprise provides access to directory information via the company intranet through a desktop browser.

These products operate through standard Windows(1)-based personal computers and Java(2) clients.

"PhoneticOperator integrates very well with our Enterprise Directory Solutions' excellent data handling capabilities," said Bob Kaufman, Lucent product manager. "Its efficiency in handling large directories makes it a useful, productivity-enhancing tool for even our largest customers."

"We are excited that Lucent has chosen our technology to speech-enable its award-winning Enterprise Directory Solutions products," said Mark L. Bannon, VP of Marketing and Sales, Phonetic Systems. "Lucent is a key player in the exploding market for on-line directories, and we believe our state-of-the-art technology will further strengthen its market position."

PhoneticOperator will be available in the United States from Lucent in November. The basic software-plus-card package starts at $21,000 for up to 1,000 entries.

Founded in 1994, Phonetic Systems is the world leader in the innovation, development, and deployment of state-of-the-art speech-enabled, telephony-based directory search solutions designed for large-scale directory access and automated attendant applications, serving corporations, telcos, and call centers. More information about Phonetic Systems is available at www.PhoneticSystems.com.

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, 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 Laboratories is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit its web site at http://www.lucent.com.