Aspect Communications Unveils First IP Remote Software for Contact Centers; Offers Voice Over IP With Minimal Risk, Quick Return On Investment

Business Wire, July 31, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2000

Aspect Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:ASPT), the leading provider of customer relationship portals, today announced the availability of the first multimedia-over-IP software that enables corporations to integrate knowledge workers at geographically dispersed locations at low cost through the existing contact center infrastructure. Available in September, eBusinessIP(TM) Remote is the only software to offer customers a quick return on investment by eliminating long distance toll charges. In addition to cost savings, this new Aspect(R) product is optimized for eCRM and allows companies to test drive voice over IP in the contact center with minimum risk.

Consistent with Aspect's product roadmap, today's announcement represents the first of a series of IP-based products resulting from technology gained from Aspect's acquisition of PakNetX earlier this year. The patent-pending technology makes possible a new breed of multimedia eBusiness applications that seamlessly integrate voice, video, conferencing and Web interactions from a centrally managed software switch.

Stream International, a global leader of eCRM solutions for the world's top technology companies and eBusinesses, is installing the beta version of eBusinessIP Remote. With 15 state-of-the-art customer interaction centers around the globe, Stream anticipates resolving more than 3.5 million e-mail issues and enhancing 30 million customer care experiences this year. "Stream is dedicated to partnering with leading technology companies to provide our clients with the most advanced customer service applications available," said Lloyd R. Linnell, senior vice president and CTO at Stream. "Aspect's eBusinessIP Remote will enable Stream to provide its clients with additional capacity for our highly trained customer interaction agents."

Positioned to ride the eBusiness wave, eBusinessIP Remote is enterprise-ready to support thousands of agents over an IP infrastructure and transparently support the next generation of eMarketing, eSales and eService applications. In addition, eBusinessIP Remote adds a new dimension of service to eBusiness Web sites -- personal, live voice chats between agents and customers. The same agents who handle other Web requests can handle voice calls as well, quickly responding to customers' voice inquiries.

"eBusinessIP Remote clearly differentiates Aspect from other eCRM players as well as point offerings," said Beatriz Infante, Aspect president and CEO. "This software not only leverages legacy investments into the future as eBusiness applications expand, but it provides immediate and significant cost benefits by expanding or deploying contact centers into geographic areas where the economies of scale for the labor market are most attractive."

"As nontraditional media are introduced into the enterprise and expand into customer interface centers, Web-enabled agents who may not reside within the brick-and-mortar centers become part of the main stream of customer interaction," said Elizabeth Ussher, senior program director, GNS, META Group. "Customer-savvy enterprises look to IP-based technology as a solution to delivering the call and the application concurrently to these agents, to expand ahead of the curve in technology strategy. Best-in-class organizations will complete technology implementation and be ready to serve these customers."

eBusinessIP Remote uses the proven features of Aspect WinSet(TM) software, the desktop telephony interface for high-volume contact centers, in combination with industry-standard H.323 VoIP protocols, TCP/IP connections and the client component, Microsoft NetMeeting.

The optional WinSet Software Developer's Kit (SDK) lets development staff create robust, easy-to-maintain, integrated desktop telephony applications, add telephony features to existing applications and make Aspect WinSet software interact with other desktop applications.

The Aspect Customer Relationship Portal

The Aspect Customer Relationship Portal allows companies to build eCRM applications that integrate front- and back-office systems, eCommerce applications and multimedia contact centers into one centrally managed eBusiness system. The Aspect Portal Multimedia application unifies and personalizes customer interactions across Web, phone, fax and e-mail to identify, qualify, cross-sell, up-sell and route customers in real time. The Aspect Customer Relationship Portal was named a Best of Show award winner at the fall 1999 Communications Solutions Expo (formerly CTI Expo) and received Product of the Year in the "Multimedia Customer Contact Portal" category from C@LL CENTER CRM Solutions magazine.

Aspect Communications

Aspect Communications Corporation is the leading provider of customer relationship portals, a software platform for building and deploying eCRM applications that enable businesses to ensure consistent interactions with their customers from one centrally managed eBusiness system. Aspect's leadership position in customer relationship management solutions is based on its 15-year history and more than 7,600 customer contact center implementations. Aspect is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with offices in major cities worldwide. For more information about Aspect, visit the company's Web site at http://www.aspect.com or call 877/621-3692.