Lucent Technologies Unveils CRM Central 2000. Breakthrough Software Manages Enterprise-Wide Customer Interactions - Product Announcement

Cambridge Telcom Report, Sept 6, 1999

Lucent Technologies Monday announced an innovative, comprehensive suite of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and tools to help businesses optimize the way they support customer contacts, manage information and deliver work across their enterprises. Called CRM Central 2000, the solution makes it easier for businesses to consistently deliver on their commitments to customers.

National City Bank in Cleveland will be the first business to take advantage of CRM Central 2000, which is the first product resulting from Lucent's recent acquisition of Mosaix, Inc.

"Businesses are finding that the development of long-term customer relationships are critical for growth," said Janice P. Anderson, vice president, Customer Relationship Management Solutions, Lucent Technologies. "CRM Central 2000 provides the tools and intelligence to manage all customer interactions to completion, and helps deliver the kind of compelling experiences that keep customers coming back again and again."

For the first time, businesses will have a powerful software engine that supports multi-media customer contacts, manages and delivers critical business and customer information, automatically triggers the work required to fulfill requests, and monitors service levels to ensure quality.

CRM Central 2000 helps ensure all customer contacts and queries are supported by the company's best resources, and that all required tasks are completed. The solution integrates all areas where companies interact with customers -- from the front-office call center to supporting functions such as order processing, fulfillment, billing and back-office processes.

CRM Central 2000 will direct customer contacts -- through multiple media channels such as voice, fax, letter, e-mail and Internet -- to the appropriate resource based on criteria set up by the business. Criteria can be based on historical information - such as customers' buying preferences - or circumstantial information such as customer contact volumes. For traditional voice contacts, CRM Central 2000 can work with routing patterns already programmed into a company's telephone switch software, or ACD - including call handling enabled by Lucent's CentreVu Advocate, the industry's most advanced routing software.

CRM Central 2000 includes robust reporting capabilities, and process and flow design tools, so businesses can constantly monitor how they are meeting customers' needs and make rapid adjustments as required. The software captures all customer interactions, so workers at any stage of service or fulfillment can see the customer's entire relationship with the company - including a complete case history, required tasks to fulfill requests and related documents.

The solution's first customer, National City Bank, is a bank holding company that offers a full range of financial services to businesses and consumers. CRM Central 2000 will help support the bank's customer relationship management approach, according to Tim O'Mara, National City Bank's assistant vice president and general manager, voice engineering services.

"CRM Central 2000 is the glue that brings together our various systems and data sources," O'Mara said. "We're excited about its ability to join disparate systems and manage work so we can focus better on our customers. Its flexibility and ease of use are also major factors in its implementation."

Based on open and flexible Windows NT architecture, CRM Central 2000 integrates with popular enterprise software applications such as those from Siebel Systems, Oracle, Peoplesoft and SAP, and data sources from providers like IBM, Oracle, Microsoft and Sybase. CRM Central 2000 links departments and systems that traditionally are separate within companies, enabling them to strongly align their operations around serving customers.

CRM Central 2000 will be available in September, 1999 and will be rolled out in a series of releases. The solution initially is compatible with Lucent's DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server (ECS). Subsequent releases will work with communications systems manufactured by Nortel. The first release supports voice, interactive voice response (IVR) and Web forms, and subsequent versions also will support fax, Internet contacts and scanned documents.

The initial release supports Lucent's INTUITY CONVERSANT IVR system as well as IVR systems manufactured by Periphonics. It supports the needs of single sites and will evolve to manage multi-site, distributed enterprises. The next release of CRM Central 2000 -- including multi-site support, Internet, e-mail, document compatibility and compatibility with Nortel equipment - will be available in the first half of 2000.

CRM Central 2000 will have the full consultative and services support of Lucent NetCare CRM Professional Services. Lucent also will work with leading systems integrators and consultants to assist enterprises in deploying the solution.

CRM Central 2000 will be initially available in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with in-language versions delivered to selected regions around the world during 2000.