RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate Deploys Active Voice Seven Speech Enabled Auto Attendant Solution

Active Voice, LLC, a global provider of unified messaging, computer telephony, and voice messaging solutions, today announced that RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate has deployed Active Voice's Seven speech-enabled auto attendant solution in its office in Alberta, Canada. Active Voice's Seven product is an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system that provides a personalized front-end speech-based interface to greet and route callers, as well as manage internal calls from employee to employee or department. Seven asks callers to say the name of the person they wish to reach, retrieves the name from a database, and then connects them to the appropriate extension.

In the hectic real estate environment, handling an influx of calls from clients can be especially challenging for agents that work during evenings, on weekends and from remote locations. In order to stay on top of its clients' needs, RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate wanted to replace its after-hours telephone answering service with a system that could handle over 600 calls per month while providing a positive experience for its customers.

"We were spending around $500 to $600 per month in answering service costs alone," explained Bill Grady, Office Manager for RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate. "With over 30 agents in our office and a very busy support staff, we needed a cost-effective system that would help connect our clients to their agents without the unnecessary wait times and frustration of dropped calls," noted Grady. "We also needed to maximize our receptionists' time since most of their calls were from agents on the road needing to speak with a colleague in the office."

After discussing various options with ProComm Solutions, an Active Voice reseller in Medicine Hat, RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate selected Active Voice's Seven speech-enabled auto attendant solution. "Seven has been an excellent choice for us because it has been cost-effective, easy to use and required very little maintenance," explained Grady.

ProComm Solutions installed the Seven system as an upgrade for RE/MAX and provided useful training and technical support services so that the system was up and running smoothly. "We deployed the system so that our agents in the field could call a unique number and be quickly transferred to other agents in the office," explained Grady. "This has allowed our receptionists to be more available for external callers, plus our agents save time by not having to go through the front desk. Overall the Active Voice Seven system has been very reliable and our staff and customers find it very intuitive and easy to use," noted Grady.

With Seven available around-the-clock, RE/MAX has seen the number of customer complaints significantly decline. "The Seven system has definitely helped get our callers to where they need to go, and it sure beats having to rely on an answering service for messages," said Grady. In addition, RE/MAX has also seen a significant cost-savings and has begun to realize a return on its investment. "Since deploying the Seven system, we are saving $200 per month in answering service costs," said Grady, "and we anticipate saving around $500 in a couple of months once the system is paid for."

"The RE/MAX experience shows how our Seven solution can help organizations address communications challenges, potentially save money and improve customer service," said Mike Ridgeway, Active Voice's Director of Marketing. "By using the Active Voice Seven system, RE/MAX has maintained its client focus by integrating speech technology into its every day business."

Active Voice's Seven speech-enabled auto attendant system is designed for organizations in almost every industry. Using Seven, employees (on-site or off-site) simply call in, say the name of the person or department they wish to reach, and get transferred directly. Seven can help reduce call-waiting times by allowing callers to reach their destination without the assistance of an operator. Seven can also help road warriors stay in touch by providing them with speech access to the company directory and their own Microsoft® Outlook® contacts, so they can reach their customers and colleagues by just saying their name. In addition, Seven can manage internal calls from employee to employee or department, thereby freeing the operator or receptionist to attend to more important tasks.

The Seven product is available through Active Voice's Authorized Reseller channel. For more information, please contact Active Voice Sales Support at sales@activevoice.com or call 1-800-284-3575.

About RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate

RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate is the leading real estate agency in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. RE/MAX is committed to providing the highest standard of professional business ethics and service to its clients. RE/MAX Medalta Real Estate is part of the RE/MAX International Group. For more information, please visit http://www.remax-medalta-ab.com/ .

About Active Voice

Active Voice, LLC, a subsidiary of NEC Unified Solutions, Inc., is a global provider of unified messaging, computer telephony and voice messaging solutions, powering the communications infrastructure of businesses worldwide. The Seattle-based company has offices in the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands. Over 170,000 Active Voice systems have been installed in more than 60 countries. Active Voice's products are sold and supported through a network of independent telecommunications manufacturers, dealers, computer resellers, and strategic partners. For more information, visit our Web site at www.activevoice.com , or contact Active Voice's Sales Support at 1-877-864-8948 or by e-mail at sales@activevoice.com .