Aspect's Next Gen Contact Center Is Big, Easy

Aspect Communications used this year's customer conference in New Orleans to announce the availability of Aspect Uniphi Suite, a solution that according to Karen Hardy, director of product marketing, is positioned as an "advanced contact center-operating environment" and "the next-generation contact center product, because of the extent to which it simplifies contact center development and management." Based on open standards, the solution combines communication routing, data integration, advanced speech, reporting, and analytics applications into one integrated product, providing organizations with a single point of control and one view of contact center operations. Components of the suite include the Aspect Uniphi Engine, Uniphi Contact Center, Uniphi Voice Portal, and integration with Aspect's workforce management software. Aspect Uniphi Suite can also operate in PSTN, IP-PBX, or hybrid environments. Hardy says, however, that the Uniphi engine is really the brains behind the suite's architecture. "It's an advanced way in which businesses are able to capture, organize, map, drive, and route information and user requests to agents, and this is focused on delivering the best most effective customer experience." By bringing "call routing, automation, and getting data through CTI together you now have a centralized way in which you manage those business rules, administer those agents centrally, and then report centrally across the common suite of applications," Hardy tells CRM magazine. "We are enabling a single point of control so business rules can be controlled at central points of administration for all contact center operation, and this ultimately greatly simplifies the contact center development and management." Aspect customers like CPM U.K. Ltd., a pan-European outsourcer, have already adopted Uniphi Suite to handle mounting customer expectations. According to Stephanie Rouse, CPM's commercial director, CPM can use a single interface and development environment to manage all customer interactions. This allows CPM to be "agile and fast when responding to changing customer expectations," she says. Rouse also says that the flexibility of the Uniphi Suite helps "us keep costs in check, reduce time-to-deployment, and simplify administration." In other Aspect news, the company has disclosed its third-quarter financial results. Revenues tallied $91.2 million, compared to $92.6 million for the third quarter last year, and $91 million for second quarter 2004. The company earned $30.8 million in product revenue, compared to $30.3 million for the third quarter last year, and $29.8 million for second quarter 2004, and $60.4 million in services revenue compared to $62.3 million for the third quarter last year, and $61.1 million for second quarter 2004. According to Aspect's business outlook, the company is planning for fourth quarter total revenue in the range of $91 million to $93 million, while fourth quarter earnings per share are expected to fall between 13 cents and 15 cents. Related articles: Contact Center Market Absorbs IP Telephony Contact Centers Begin the Switch to IP How to Overcome the Call Center Conundrum