• Also improves business processes by automating and managing the human collaboration required to conduct business
  

Media Inquiries:
Aya Sakata
81-3-5575-8829
sakata@avaya.com

Tokyo, Japan February 8, 2008 – Avaya Japan Ltd. today announced the shipment of Avaya Voice Portal 4.1, the new version of Avaya Voice Portal. Avaya Voice Portal is a Web Services based software platform. With Avaya Voice Portal, businesses can utilize existing IT assets through web services to deliver efficient and satisfying voice self-service applications and achieve greater efficiency in business processes.

Avaya Voice Portal is a software that plays a central role within the Communications Enabled Business Process (CEBP) solution* that help to automate and manage the human collaboration required to conduct business by integrating real-time communication into the business process.

Traditional voice portals are commonly used as an automated voice solution in which voice commands instead of telephone touch tone buttons are used to input information or replies are given by voice. In addition to the above, Avaya Voice Portal enables to offer a contact point using voice (voice portal) with call control features* for business applications such as CRM, ERP, and SCM. For example, customers and employees can be notified of important information by voice in real time, which enables smooth implementation of other actions after the notification, such as forwarding and summoning meetings when necessary. As a result of this automation in internal communication, the company is able to provide new customer services as it reduces human intervention and streamlines business processes.

Avaya Voice Portal supports open standard and helps easy development by web and Java developers, allowing for information delivery service system to be developed in a short period hence reducing costs. In addition, the system can also be easily managed on the web.

Scenarios of self-service applications using Avaya Voice Portal

Scenario 1) Voice Reservation/Updating Service at Transportation Facilities that Enhance the Convenience

For a transportation facility that provides ticketing and reservation services at its website, when a seat opens up for the date and time requested by a customer, the customer is notified automatically by telephone via Avaya Voice Portal. The customer can then responds by voice or touch tone to reserve a ticket for the requested date and time. Even in environments where there is no Internet access available such as at the train station or airport, customers can wait for a cancellation by waiting for a call on their mobile phone. For the transportation facility, there is no need to make a call manually, and they can ensure the protection of personal information avoiding disclosing customer’s phone number to employees or contact center agent.

Scenario 2) Personalized Voice Guidance for Direct Marketing Company that Give the Competitive Advantage

Typically, contact centers provide the same voice guidance for all customers, but by using Avaya Voice Portal, it is possible to provide voice guidance that is tailored to the customer’s individual situation. For example, for a direct marketing company conducting online sales, the nature of a phone call can be predicted based on the time elapsed from order on the website to the phone call received. So if a phone call is received five minutes after placing an online order, a personalized voice guidance asking, “Would you like to change your order?” can be provided. Customers will be able to easily modify any product orders made online by mobile phone. In addition, it enables to the offer voice guidance at the most appropriate speed according to age such as; slow guidance to senior and speedy guidance to young generation, realizing companies to offer the best voice service to each customers.

Scenario 3) Providing Accurate Information to Medical Representative at Pharmaceutical Companies that Improves Business Process by Using Voice Communication

Communication to employees at a company is typically done via telephone or email, but in emergency situations in which the receipt of information by an employee must be confirmed, telephone calls must continue to be placed until the employee answers the phone. By using Avaya Voice Portal, contact can be achieved with certainty while reducing human intervention. For example, in a situation where an emergency message needs to be issued to medical information officers at a pharmaceutical company, alerting them of the need to stop using a certain drug, the pharmaceutical company can begin contacting the medical representative all at once, by using the Avaya Voice Portal, and is able to commence conference calls and even create a response status report. If an employee has not responded, multiple contact numbers or addresses can be automatically accessed continuously until a response is received.

Avaya Voice Portal features

• Open Development Environment
Avaya Dialog Designer, a development environment for VoiceXML and CCXML speech applications, is available for free as an add-on to Eclipse, an open source development environment for web developers.


• Easy Management
Avaya Voice Portal can be managed easily from anywhere with network access.


• High Scalability
New services can be easily added by using web services.


• Low cost
Avaya Voice Portal is inexpensive compare to existing IVR or traditional voice portals. Also, Information delivery service system can be developed in a short period hence reducing TCO.