Avaya and Avaya International User Group Announce Winners of the Customer Innovation Award

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - May 25, 2011) - IAUG Global Conference 2011 -- Avaya Inc. and the International Avaya User Group (IAUG) have announced the winners of the 2011 Avaya Customer Innovation Awards highlighting companies that have transformed their business through innovative use of business communications and collaboration technologies.

Award winners were announced yesterday at the IAUG Global Conference 2011 in Las Vegas and include:

• Technology Innovation Best Practice: NTT West (Japan)-- Using Avaya Data Solutions, NTT West operates a multi-functional, voice, video and data network that helps ensure transportation timetables are met, passengers stay safe and assets are secure. In addition, the network has enabled the transportation company to improve customer relationships with new, more convenient methods to conduct mobile transactions such as ticket purchases.
• Business Innovation Best Practice: Progressive® Insurance (US)-- Progressive has fully embraced the value of an end-to-end SIP architecture delivered by Avaya Aura®. The company is already reaping the rewards of a centralized solution including lower operating costs, reduced complexity and higher productivity for thousands of mobile workers even as it continues to rapidly bring new locations on board.
• Enterprise Transformation (fewer 1,000 employees): Vancity-Inventure Solutions (Canada)-- Vancity-Inventure Solutions uncovered a simple equation for success: Use Avaya Contact Center solutions to provide better customer service and lower operating costs. The company increased call center efficiency to the extent that it could handle more calls with more effective service at the same time it was able to decrease employee turnover and hiring.
• Enterprise Transformation (more than 1,000 employees): 1-800-Flowers.com (US)-- A highly seasonal business, 1-800-Flowers.com found a SIP-based, IVR solution that allows the company to efficiently meet high volume customer needs during peak periods -- and thus drive more revenue -- without the need to maintain expensive telecommunications services year round by adding Avaya Aura and Avaya Voice Portal.
• Sustained Excellence: Hawaii Medical Center (US)-- In healthcare, mobile and collaborative technologies are critical to efficient, quality patient care. Hawaii Medical Center depends on the reliability of Avaya Virtual Enterprise Network Architecture (VENA) and Avaya Wireless LAN solutions to support a wide range of tasks and devices across the campus and departments. Among the solutions supported: Avaya Video Conferencing Solutions and Avaya Flare Experienceenable staff to save time and collaborate more effectively when patient's lives are on the line.

Supporting Quotes:
IAUG - Rod Sagarsee, President
"Increasingly, we see IAUG members playing a strategic role helping their companies and organizations move to the next level by adopting new communications and collaboration technologies, as demonstrated by this year's nominees. Companies represented by our IAUG members are extremely well-positioned to lead their industries and win in the marketplace by incorporating Avaya solutions across their business."

Avaya - Joel Hackney, Senior Vice President and President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing
"Seeing the impact that Avaya communications and collaboration technologies have on solving customers' business challenges is one of most gratifying aspects of my job. Through the insight and creativity of IAUG members, potential new business models become reality producing significant results for their companies. Congratulations to all of this year's new winners and to those I look forward to meeting here in years to come."

Tags: Avaya, IAUG, unified communications, business collaboration, data solutions, contact center, customer service

About IAUG
The International Avaya User Group (IAUG) is an international, user-driven association serving Avaya customers worldwide. We exist to educate and inform telecommunications and IT professionals while providing a professional network for those with common concerns to address and success stories to share. IAUG is one of the industry's largest and most progressive user groups, with a community of nearly 6,000 members in more than 75 chapters around the globe. For more information on IAUG, visit www.iaug.org.

About Avaya
Avaya is a global leader in business communications and collaboration, providing unified communications, contact centers, data solutions and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information, please visit www.avaya.com.

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