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| Avaya Announces New Customer Service Capabilities Avaya introduces two new customer service applications that enable customers to get the information they need, when they need it, to drive dramatic improvement in customer service and revenues for enterprises. Avaya is providing Internet protocol telephony software to power a unique "find the expert" feature from the new Motorola CA50 VoIP-enabled wireless scanner, which quickly helps find the best suited sales associate on the store floor when the customer is making a buying decision. It is the first such solution available in the retail industry. Avaya is also announcing a video customer service solution that offers live, high-definition, two-way video communication for in-store customers. The announcements were made at the National Retail Federation Annual Conference and Expo taking place this week. Avaya Specialist Connect for Retailers uses intelligence built into Avaya Communication Manager IP telephony software to quickly locate specialists who are ready and willing to help customers. Equipped with Motorola's CA50, a VoIP-enabled wireless scanner that is small and light enough to wear on a lanyard, any store associate can now use the Avaya Specialist Connect capability to summon help through a simple directory look-up, or automatically by pressing a button after scanning a bar code. The solution is suitable for the retail environment, where store associates need bar code scanning combined with voice communications. The CA50 is compatible with Avaya's market-leading IP telephony software platform, Avaya Communication Manager, to deliver an "all in one", industry-specific communications application for the retail, health care and hospitality industries in a single, low cost device. For example, a sales associate that needs to find a housewares specialist to answer a customer question can simply use the CA50 device to scan the product bar code. Automatically, the Avaya software identifies the exact product, pulls reach information for the housewares department sales and support team, and confirms which expert is currently available. With a touch of a button, the sales associate can speak with the specialist to gather information and answer the customer's question; even if that specialist is in another store or customer care center. In addition, staff members can use the new device to access the retailer's database, using information on the screen to connect to a houseware's team member. Avaya is also introducing Avaya Video Assistance for Retailers, which features the ability to do standard or high-definition, two-way video communication for in-store customers. Available worldwide, the solution combines Avaya IP telephony and contact center software with award-winning video collaboration capabilities from Polycom. Avaya call routing capabilities ensure that customer calls are sent to the right agent, while the two-way video provides sharp, clear images in full motion video enables clear, natural conversations. Video Assistance provides a cost-effective way for retailers to extend their sales and technical resources to customers without the need to fully staff every location. No longer will customers leave the store without the item or the service they came in to purchase because staff was not available or did not have the right expertise to help the customer. Using Avaya's video kiosk solution, customers get a satisfying, personalized experience, whether or not sales or technical support staff is available. For example, from the sales floor, customers can easily link to an expert for a firsthand description of product features or a demonstration of how a product works. A bank branch could use a kiosk to provide a personalized response to questions concerning particular investment offers or loans. As a result, customers can complete their transactions in the store, reducing the possibility of losing the sale – or losing the customer to a competitor. Avaya will demonstrate its new solutions at Booth 1555 and will also display other new offers for the retail market that include: • New Communications Capability for Retail Mobile Computing Devices: Avaya IP Softphone for Windows Mobile 5 cost-effectively provides retail associates with wireless IP telephony. With the IP Softphone for Windows Mobile 5 client on Motorola's MC70 and MC9090 popular retail mobile computing devices, associates can get full Avaya Communication Manager IP telephony functions to optimize their productivity and service to customers. • New Customer Service Call Box Solution: With the Customer Service Call Box Solution, at the push of a button, customer requests for assistance are routed to Motorola's CA50, MC70 or MC9090 devices, wireless phone, IP telephone or overhead paging system so they can receive immediate assistance from the most appropriate retail associate. Designed and sold by Indyme, an Avaya DevConnect member, the solution leverages both Avaya's Communication Manager and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standards to cost-effectively deploy this retail store customer service solution. • New Avaya 3631 IP Wireless Telephones: These WiFi-based phones are designed to make store sales associates more accessible as they move through the store to assist customers. Avaya's one-X phone interface makes the phones easy to use and seamlessly links each handset to the company's wireless network. Set-up is simple and cost-effective, without requiring a separate server. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Computing News :: home page |