SYDNEY, Australia -- 9 April 2001 -- Cisco Systems, together with systems integrator Sundata, has been selected to provide Internet technology for a regional network of Contact Centres ("NetCentres") under development from Business services company, b2m.
Under the plan, b2m will create 13 IP (Internet Protocol) based, New World 'Contact Centres' throughout Regional and Rural Australia, in an investment worth almost $70 million.
Mr Sean Kelly, Managing Director of Mackay-based b2m said; "The days of the traditional Call Centre, with its inherently expensive and outdated infrastructure, are limited. We are already committed to setting up these new Cisco IP Contact Centres (IPCC) in Rockhampton Queensland and we intend to expand the network into other States and another Queensland location."
Each facility will have conventional call centre capabilities built using AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data) technology. The centres will also be fully enabled for Voice Over IP, e-business applications, ranging from Web hosting to data centre and e-commerce solutions. Cisco's networking technology will make it possible for these centres to deliver services to clients across Australia.
The Cisco IP Contact Centre (IPCC) delivers an integrated suite of proven products which enable agents using Cisco IP phones to answer client inquiries using a variety of IP based media, including Cisco IP Phones, Web collaboration and email.
"Because the IPCC was intended for integration with legacy call-centre platforms and networks, it provides a migration path to IP-based customer contact while taking advantage of previous technology investments," Mr Kelly said.
An integral part of Cisco AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data), the IPCC can be implemented in a single-site environment or integrated into a multisite contact-centre enterprise. Specific capabilities include intelligent call routing, automatic call distribution (ACD) functionality, network-to-desktop computer telephony integration (CTI), interactive voice response (IVR) integration, call queuing, and consolidated reporting. The open, standards-based architecture of the IPCC can also potentially support Web-based customer contact, including collaborative browsing, text chat, and e-mail response management.
"We will be marketing the services of these centres to SMEs and government departments," Mr Kelly said. "It will give these companies and departments an opportunity to make sure rural Australia is part of the e-business economy."
B2m General Manager for Technology, Steve Johnston, said Cisco's Contact Centre solutions were setting the standard for the integration of IP into the traditional Call Centre space, providing not only cost savings but scalability and flexibility.
"Cisco is obviously very strong in the networking space and its Voice Over IP solutions, based on AVVID are very flexible," said Mr Johnston.
"We already had a data network powered by Cisco so it made sense to use the same company for the voice network. The other aspect about Cisco is that the company has very strong Web tools that are not just gimmicks - they really do the job."
Mr Johnston also said Cisco had demonstrated a commitment to establishing a presence in rural Australia through its Cisco Networking Academy scheme, which helps schools, colleges and other institutions deliver computer networking education to students.
"Cisco has set up many of its Networking Academies outside the capital cities. It has shown that it's committed to working all over Australia and not just in the capital city markets," said Mr Johnston.
Cisco Systems Queensland State Manager, Mr John Winters said the agreement with the company highlighted Cisco's ability to offer and end-to-end solution for Contact Centres wishing to take advantage of IP.
Sundata will act as facilitator and integration specialist for the centres.
"We are very excited at the prospect of opening e-business opportunities in rural centres throughout Australia," said Mr Kon Kakanis, marketing director of Sundata. "The workload associated with this project will almost certainly see us opening offices in NSW and Victoria in the near future."
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