Aspect Communications Delivers First in Series of XML Web Service Products for Multichannel Contact Centers

Business Wire, April 17, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 2001

Company Announces XML Initiatives for Workforce Management,

Real-Time Information and Administration for the

Multichannel Contact Center

Aspect Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:ASPT), the leading provider of contact servers for managing customer transactions across all communication channels, today announced the availability of an XML Web Service -- the Aspect Workforce Management Adapter -- the first in a series of XML Web Services for the multichannel contact center. This product captures statistics in extensible markup language (XML) from summarized contact center data, simplifying the delivery of information to workforce management software. This is the first step in a broader initiative to define and develop XML Web Services for multichannel contact centers, which will also include XML for real-time information and administration of contact centers.

"XML provides an open, Internet-native method of integrating different applications," said Rod Butters, Aspect's executive vice president of products and chief strategy officer. "Based on our expertise in multichannel contact centers, we are defining standard ways to utilize XML to leverage enterprise information and systems within the contact center. Thus, businesses can respond rapidly, adapting to changing market dynamics, because they can know and anticipate their customers' requirements and needs quickly."

Aspect Communications has partnered with SYMON Communications, the worldwide leader in real-time reporting and visual-alerting communications, to define an open and easily extensible XML framework for delivery of real-time information and events in the contact center. Real-time notifications of contact center statistics and events can be delivered over the Web or to wireless devices, enabling quick responses to changing conditions or escalations.

"Teaming with Aspect, we have defined a versatile XML Web Service for the real-time information that is key to the operation of multichannel contact centers," said Chuck Odom, president of SYMON. "This enables the rapid creation of sophisticated real-time metrics, combined with new wired and wireless delivery, dramatically increasing the responsiveness of multichannel contact centers."

Aspect's eWorkforce Management application enables accurate forecasting of call volume and the creation and assignment of optimized work schedules for agents. Using XML simplifies the connection between the contact center and the workforce management application. Customers currently using the Aspect Call Center report server will find that the new Aspect Workforce Management Adapter provides a simpler, more robust solution that delivers expanded functionality from their workforce management systems. XML Web Service packages include out-of-the-box connectivity for Aspect eWorkforce Management, Blue Pumpkin and IEX products.

Lastly, Aspect is defining XML for managing all administrative information for the contact center. Utilizing XML will enable administrators to organize and automate the management of their contact centers easily. Management data and control can be presented to administrators, managers and supervisors through easy-to-use Web pages that are formatted via standard Internet mechanisms, such as XSL, saving time in routine contact center operations. The use of XML also simplifies integration of data from other systems that need to connect to the contact center, such as human resource systems that manage agent data.

SYMON Communications

SYMON Communications is a privately held technology company specializing in real-time visual reporting and alerting software/hardware for all types of contact centers. Installed in over 2,000 centers worldwide, the company's family of products include SYMON(2000), a publish/subscribe message server NT engine that provides a wide range of interfaces to practically every ACD platform, predictive dialer, IVR, workforce management, trouble ticket, SNMP, etc., system found in contact centers today. On the output side, SYMON(2000) supports a wide selection of visual display devices for real-time reporting and alerting such as NetBrite (the industry's leading fully integrated Ethernet TCP/IP wallboard family); DeskView (award-winning agent desktop "soft wallboard" application for single-site, multisite or home-agent environments in either a client/server or thin client browser-based version); and wireless devices for supervisor exception alerts (pagers, cell phone, PDAs), large SVGA/TV monitors, etc. Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas (a Houston suburb), SYMON has offices in major cities throughout the world. For more information, refer to the company's Web site at: http://www.symon.com or call 281/240-5555.

Aspect Communications

Aspect Communications Corporation is the leading provider of customer relationship portals, contact servers for managing dynamic customer contact transactions across all wired and wireless communication channels. The Aspect Portal contact server allows businesses to manage all customer contacts dynamically and turn them into relationships, opportunities and loyalty. Aspect is the only company today that delivers a complete multichannel contact center -- the core of any company's CRM strategy. Aspect's contact server synchronizes all customer contact points, including live- and self-service, with demonstrated customer return on investment. Aspect's leadership in CRM is based on more than 15 years of experience and over 7,600 implementations deployed worldwide. Aspect powers 78 percent of the Fortune 50. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with offices in major cities around the world. For more information, visit Aspect's Web site at http://www.aspect.com or call 877/621-3692.