New Avaya one-X Agent Helps Businesses Boost Productivity and Efficiency of Virtual Customer Service Operations

BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - July 14, 2009) - Avaya Inc. today announced the new version of its powerful desktop application suite designed for customer service associates. The new application, Avaya one-X® Agent, features significant enhancements -- including a streamlined user interface, embedded video and improved deployment options -- that can improve the productivity and cost-efficiencies of today's increasingly virtual customer service operations.

Avaya one-X Agent gives customer service associates working from any location -- at home, headquarters or a remote location -- a simple-to-use interface providing fast access to all of the sophisticated capabilities required to deliver top-quality customer service. Accessible via a customer service associate's personal computer, it enables businesses to easily extend headquarters-quality customer service capabilities to associates and subject matter experts, regardless of their physical location.

New enhancements driving greater productivity include a re-designed user interface that lets customer service associates better manage multiple interactions simultaneously. This helps simplify work item management for the user, while driving more first-call resolutions across customer service operations. The user interface also features new capabilities such as integrated contact lists with 'click-to-dial' and 'drag and drop' features for conferencing and transfers, giving customer service associates more effective means to reach the right expert and include them in customer interactions.

"Avaya one-X Agent offers businesses a way to significantly upgrade the agent's experience on several dimensions," said Sheila McGee Smith, industry analyst and president of McGee-Smith Analytics. "The look and feel is slick and modern, in keeping with its membership in the Avaya one-X family. Virtualization enables multiple thin client options, including Citrix, Sun Ray and VMWare. And support for video in the contact center, the enterprise, and with customers offers companies a way to differentiate their service in this very challenging market."

The virtual nature of Avaya one-X Agent gives businesses a helpful tool for engaging customer service associates and subject matter experts based on their skills, not just their location. For example, with just a personal laptop and a VPN connection, a teleworker using the solution can work flexibly from any location, and quickly become a seamless part of a business' customer service operation. Avaya one-X Agent uses the Avaya Aura™ Communication Manager platform for access to enterprise collaboration tools.

Customer Service Administration and Collaboration Made Simple

In terms of desktop administration, Avaya one-X Agent enables the deployment and management of customer service operations in a simplified, cost-efficient manner.

Using a standard Microsoft® Installer®, the installation of Avaya one-X Agent can now be easily customized and run silently in the background, with no interaction required from the customer service associate. This eliminates the extra costs and time associated with individual desktop installations, since IT installation visits to home and remote offices using one-X Agent are no longer necessary. Administrators can also determine which features are accessible by customer service agents, providing administrators with greater control over the agent desktop experience.

Another key enhancement introduced in Avaya one-X Agent is support for embedded video, an emerging customer service tool that makes video-based interactions as simple as a phone call. This lets home-based or remote customer service associates collaborate with colleagues using visual communications, just as if they were in the same office. Video also makes for more dynamic customer interactions through face-to-face discussions via computer or in-store kiosks. Video collaboration is part of Avaya one-X Agent's growing set of multi-modal, multi-media capabilities, which will also include instant messaging and TTY (teletype) in the next release, later this year.

Sutherland Global Services Develops Ambitious Work-at-Home Customer Service Strategy; Deploys 'Avaya one-X Agent'

Rochester, N.Y.-based Sutherland Global Services, a multinational Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company with more than 24,000 employees worldwide has deployed Avaya one-X Agent applications, with plans to expand the solution to more than 1,000 home-based employees in the U.S. This will enable the company to have a fully equipped force of home-based employees to support their clients.

Commenting on the deployment of Avaya one-X Agent, Kam Shenai, Chief Client Officer, Sutherland Global Services, said, "With Avaya one-X Agent, we can support a productive work-at-home initiative that will help tap into talent from across the country. We are no longer restricted to a geocentric model. The Avaya solution will help us attract the best talent from a national pool, and give our associates a user-friendly virtual desktop at their home base."

Adds Shenai: "With this technology, people who work from home can use their personal computers to securely connect to a virtual environment customized to suit the business needs of our clients. This allows us to develop and deploy business process services, which we can easily scale to meet a growing market need."

As a global leader in the BPO space, Sutherland Global Services is paving the way towards the next-generation virtual resource model that breaks down physical boundaries and incorporates talent from anywhere in the world. Avaya one-X Agent will play a strong role in helping businesses continue to differentiate their customer service and get more value from their global delivery operations.

About Avaya

Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service, and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

Contact Information: Media Inquiries: Jonathan Varman 908-953-6432 jvarman@avaya.com