Avaya Receives Spring 2009 SSPA STAR Award for Best Practices

BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - May 18, 2009) - Avaya announced it has been honored with a Spring 2009 STAR Award for Best Knowledge Management Practices from the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA), the largest and most influential association for technology service and support professionals.

Avaya was honored with this award for the company's knowledge management strategy, which includes repeatable, effective processes for capturing, publishing, and maintaining content in order to solve customer problems in a consistent and efficient manner. Avaya's key services tool in this area is the InSite Knowledge Management Application, which contains over 100,000 articles that are available to customers and partners with an Avaya Maintenance contract. Its advanced search capabilities deliver meaningful information, documents, downloads, and troubleshooting tips to help users.

The STAR Awards are among the highest distinctions given in the service and support industry, identifying and acknowledging companies of all sizes and their contribution to the continual improvement of service and support delivery industry-wide. There are two major categories of STAR Awards: "Service Excellence" and "Best Practices."

"Winning the SSPA STAR Award acknowledges our company's commitment to providing customers with the simplest, fastest way to find the pertinent information they require," said Chris Formant, president of Avaya Global Services. "Avaya is continuing its commitment to the development and implementation of the most innovative processes for service and support delivery."

Nominated companies underwent a rigorous evaluation process, with the winners selected by SSPA's Advisory Board members. Areas of evaluation included a detailed description of processes, performance metrics, returns and benefits, as well as additional information about what makes the contender's best practice unique.

"STAR Award honorees set the pace for the entire industry, representing service and support organizations that demonstrate an ongoing high-level commitment to delivering world-class results," said Stephen Smith, executive director of SSPA. "Avaya proved itself through very intense peer competition."

Avaya was presented with the STAR Award for Best Practices at the Technology Services World (TSW) conference May 4-6 in Silicon Valley. Produced by the SSPA, the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI), and the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA), Technology Services World 2009 Silicon Valley is the largest gathering of service executives and management in the industry. Attendees came together at the spring conference to focus on breakthrough service economics that impact efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

More information on the STAR Awards for Best Practices and the TSW conference can be found at www.technologyservicesworld.com.

About the SSPA

As the industry's foremost service professionals association, the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) is a key resource for the information and best practices needed to make better business decisions. It brings together the best minds from across the industry -- from established companies with successful track records to the pioneering newcomers with out-of-the-box ideas. The SSPA also partners with thought leaders such as J.D. Power and Associates to create programs that benefit the industry. The SSPA is a member of a global network of associations that includes the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA) and the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI). For more information, visit www.thesspa.com.

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 Avaya 908-953-6432 jvarman@avaya.com Suzanne Hite SSPA 410-774-5322 suzanneh@thesspa.com