Siemens HiPath ProCenter Enterprise Solution Helps Improve First-Contact Resolution for Contact Centers and Integrates with Microsoft, SAP and Siebel CRM Applications

Business Wire, April 24, 2006

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Siemens Communications Inc. today announced HiPath(R) ProCenter(TM) Enterprise Version 7.0, a new Internet protocol-ready contact center solution designed to help enterprises improve first-contact resolution, drive up productivity and increase customer satisfaction. The solution includes pre-built integrations with front-office customer relationship management (CRM) applications from Microsoft Corp., SAP AG and Siebel Systems.

The Siemens(R) HiPath ProCenter Enterprise solution helps enterprises improve the efficiencies of multiple customer interaction channels - including voice, e-mail and live Web interactions - with Siemens' award-winning presence and collaboration tools. With presence-driven applications, front-line agents can get real-time information about the availability of subject matter experts and connect to them across various media types throughout the enterprise.

"Contact center industry research continues to demonstrate that first-contact

resolution is a key driver of customer loyalty, revenue growth and operating cost effectiveness," said Al Baker, vice president, Enterprise Division, Siemens Communications Inc. "This presence-driven solution makes first-contact resolution possible even for highly complex or sensitive customer interactions."

Newly enhanced HiPath ProCenter Enterprise capabilities include:

--Extension of the award-winning HiPath ProCenter Design Center, a visual workflow-style desktop productivity tool. The Design Center feature helps map preferred routings of voice and e-mail and includes the expanded ability to map sophisticated live Web interactions and multi-site networking strategies.

--Modular options to help meet the needs of specific contact centers and the ability to add features and scalability as needs change.

--Siemens HiPath 8000 IP-telephony platform integration for high-end, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) contact center functionality. The combined solutions can support scalability for multiple business units, including more than 2,000 contact center agents.

--Automated upgrade path for enterprises growing from the HiPath ProCenter Agile solution for small and medium-sized contact centers.

--Multimedia presence and collaboration tools.

The solution's unique presence and collaboration tools help drive first-contact resolution via Team List and Team Bar features that enable agents to view real-time presence and availability states of peers, managers and experts outside the contact center. Available users can be included in call transfers, conferences or consultations with just a mouse click.

According to the Service Quality Measurement Group Inc. (www.sqmgroup.com), first-contact resolution reduces operating costs and improves customer satisfaction, opportunities to sell and even employee morale. In addition, SQM's research shows that when customer inquiries are resolved on the first call, only 3 percent of those customers are at risk to go to a competitor. Conversely, 38 percent of customers who go without first-call resolution are likely to go to a competitor.

"We continue to see the adoption of presence and collaboration tools in enterprise applications and, for the contact center, purpose-based presence capabilities are well aligned with the operational goals of first-contact resolution, productivity and customer satisfaction," said Drew Kraus, research director for Contact Center infrastructure, Gartner Inc.

Customized and extended via the HiPath ProCenter Software Developer Toolkit (SDK), enterprises can deploy the HiPath ProCenter Enterprise solution by working directly with Siemens or via reseller channels. The new release of the solution - available now - includes central, distributed or networked multi-site contact center support and gives enterprises the flexibility to work with traditional, converged or pure IP infrastructures.

The Siemens LifeWorks Vision

The Siemens HiPath ProCenter Enterprise portfolio is one of the critical components of the Siemens LifeWorks(TM) vision to help people interact, work and be entertained - without technology boundaries - in an always-on world. The company's award-winning LifeWorks vision provides the building blocks for the ongoing development of secure, reliable and high-quality converged communication solutions that drive greater efficiencies and improve user satisfaction.

About Siemens

Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $96 billion in fiscal 2005. Founded nearly 160 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $18.8 billion and employs approximately 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 460,000 people in 190 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States: www.usa.siemens.com