Avaya Intelligent Communications Transforms Business Processes for Improved Operational Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., March 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avaya Inc. , a global leader in business communications applications, software and services, today introduced a new solution that addresses the challenges businesses face in responding faster, smarter and more effectively in today's "always-on" world. It embeds Avaya Intelligent Communications capabilities into all types of business processes, resulting in new Communications Enabled Business Processes (CEBP) that help automate and manage the human collaboration required to conduct business. Comprised of new software and services, the CEBP solution enables enterprises to enhance operational efficiency, worker productivity and customer satisfaction.

The solution uses new Avaya Communications Process Manager software and new consulting, integration and remote monitoring support from Avaya Global Services to deliver CEBP solutions. The software enables communications activity to be triggered within a business process and helps manage the process to its successful resolution. This is achieved by predicting or sensing critical events, automatically engaging the right people, and coordinating multi-channel communications among the parties. This can accelerate response times, streamline mission-critical processes, and free workers from managing communications details so they can focus on making decisions.

An Avaya customer beginning to use Avaya Communications Process Manager to improve their business processes is Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. The company already uses Avaya IP telephony and contact center technology, and now is using Avaya solutions for Communications Enabled Business Processes to help ensure smooth operation of network systems, improve supply chain management and raise the bar on its already stellar customer service.

"At Whirlpool, we want the ability to respond fast, which means predicting issues before they arise, and escalating them with the right people quickly," said Brian Murphy, director of e-services, global development, Whirlpool Corporation. "To do this, it is critical to continually improve our business processes, and Avaya is supporting these efforts."

Whirlpool plans to expand its use of Avaya Communications Enabled Business Processes with applications that monitor and send executives and managers alerts for a variety of purposes, including infrastructure events and manufacturing performance metrics.

Gaining a Competitive Advantage with Avaya CEBP

Avaya CEBP solutions allow for the improvement of all kinds of business processes, such as supply chain management, transaction processing and quality control. For instance, a manufacturing company can use this solution to identify product quality issues early -- before it impacts customers. Once the solution detects an issue, it automatically notifies the right people (i.e. quality assurance specialist, engineer and supervisor) via any communications mode, be it mobile or desk phone, e-mail or instant message. The notified people are brought into a conference call, or asked to "close the loop" by responding to a set of options. Each participant's progress can be followed up on to verify the quality issue has been resolved.

"The impact of Communications Enabled Business Processes on organizations that employ it will be profound," said Robin Bloor, partner, Hurwitz & Associates. "CEBP is the 'missing link' in the automation of business processes. The intelligent use of CEBP will lead to improved business process efficiency and execution. But beyond this, it will enable organizations to design and evolve whole business processes-for the first time."

"Businesses are seeking new ways to streamline operations and be more effective, even as they deal with more information, more calls and more customer demands," said Stuart Wells, senior vice president and president, Avaya Global Communications Solutions. "By bringing our innovation in advanced and open technologies to business processes, Avaya gives organizations the unique competitive advantage that can only arise through Intelligent Communications."

Avaya's Open Communication Web Services Simplify CEBP Deployments

Avaya Communications Process Manager is a platform that manages a rich set of composite communication capabilities leveraging Avaya's broad application portfolio. It exposes these capabilities as high-level Web services that are simple to implement and use, and are compliant with a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). These new Web Services provide capabilities such as "Advisory," which contacts users, "Notify & Respond," which drives responses, and "Notify & Conference," which contacts users and adds them to a conference call.

With this approach, Avaya eliminates the complexity of using low-level computer telephony integration (CTI) and proprietary APIs, and enables the re-use of Web Services, helping companies communications-enable their business processes in the most practical and cost-effective manner.

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) technology also plays a key role in this solution, allowing CEBP to seamlessly control a wide range of Avaya and multivendor communications devices and resources. This will include applications built on Ubiquity's SIP Application Server, which Avaya obtained in its acquisition of Ubiquity. With this acquisition, Avaya plans to accelerate its Intelligent Communications strategy for enterprises with a scalable SIP based foundation for integrating real-time communications into business processes, as well as support for carrier-grade application development.

Avaya's Ecosystem of CEBP Partners to Drive Next-Generation Applications

An array of Avaya services and ecosystem partners will play a central role in delivering Communications Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global Services provides end-to-end CEBP support services, which includes consulting on discovery process, creating an architecture design per customer requirements, and ongoing software support with proactive remote monitoring.

Ongoing development of Avaya CEBP applications will be fostered by an ecosystem of developers, consultants and business application partners. This includes integration with leading business application solutions, including IBM WebSphere(R) and SAP NetWeaver(R), in order to provide CEBP capabilities to business process users throughout enterprises.

Avaya will be showcasing its new Communications Enabled Business Process solutions, along with partner-developed solutions, at the VoiceCon Spring 2007 event in Orlando, Florida, March 5 - March 8. (Booth #601).

For more information on obtaining Avaya Communications Enabled Business Process solutions, visit http://www.avaya.com/cebp.

Solution Details:

Avaya Communications Process Manager: This software is the central driver of Avaya Communications Enabled Business Processes. It delivers multiple Web Services to integrate communications capabilities across Avaya's application portfolio, including Avaya Communication Manager, Meeting Exchange and Voice Portal. The software orchestrates all of the communications activities required when an event in a business process warrants contact with other individuals -- finding the right people and contacting them, and bringing them together for decisive collaboration.

Avaya Event Processor: This optional capability of the Communications Process Manager continuously monitors real-time information streams so the solution can detect significant events and quickly respond by initiating alerts or triggering an intelligent communications workflow through Communications Process Manager.

Avaya Global Services: To ensure businesses receive the customized Communications Enabled Business Processes they require, Avaya provides communications consulting services, customized software development, and a full range of ongoing support and proactive remote monitoring services.

About Avaya

Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than 1 million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500 (R), use Avaya solutions for IP Telephony, Unified Communications, Contact Centers and Communications Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global Services provides comprehensive service and support for companies, small to large. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.com/.