Avaya Helps Allstate Insurance Company Enhance Customer Service With IP Telephony

Avaya Inc.
(NYSE: AV), a leading global provider of business communications applications,
systems and services, announced today that Allstate Insurance Company has
deployed Avaya Internet protocol (IP) telephony solutions to new locations in
the U.S. and Canada.
Avaya's IP-based contact center applications, powered by the Avaya
Customer Interaction Suite, are used by Allstate to manage customer calls and
route them intelligently based on customer-entered criteria. Allstate links
their contact centers and manages them as a single, virtual organization --
routing customers to the employee best able to handle a claim or inquiry based
on language or area of expertise, regardless of where the call originates.
As part of their implementation, Allstate has deployed over 10,000 IP
endpoints across its organization.
The new network evolves Allstate's existing Avaya communications
infrastructure, continuing to support both traditional and IP telephony
concurrently, and allowing the insurer to evolve its operations at its own
pace. Both traditional and IP telephony endpoints are able to communicate
while the transition is underway and can be managed as part of a single
network.
"How satisfied our customers are depends on how responsive we are when
they have major life events such as Hurricane Katrina," said Catherine Brune,
senior vice president and chief information officer for Allstate. "We need to
be able to ramp up our customer care operations quickly and efficiently when a
hurricane, tornado or other disaster creates a spike in claims activity.
Avaya's IP telephony solutions are a natural fit and already help us pull in
additional resources and improve responsiveness to our policyholders when they
need us the most -- as well as to operate our business more efficiently on a
day-to-day basis."
Allstate is also using Avaya IP solutions to enhance the business
continuity of its own operations during catastrophic events. Using any
telephone, PC or laptop computer, employees are able to log into the network
from home or another work location and make and receive calls just as if they
were in the office. This includes equipping workers with the Avaya IP
Softphone -- a software-based phone on one's PC or laptop -- which enables
Allstate to tap the talents of mobile employees and telecommuters in locations
other than 'brick and mortar' contact center facilities.
"The solutions used by Allstate reinforce the significant value IP
telephony brings to businesses who must address real-time challenges quickly
and efficiently, while ensuring the highest levels of customer service and
satisfaction," said Lou D'Ambrosio, group vice president, Avaya. "Avaya's IP
telephony and contact center solutions help businesses of all kinds use
intelligent communications to connect people, processes and customers in a
24/7 world."
The Avaya communications solution for Allstate is based on Avaya
Communication Manager, the company's industry-leading IP telephony software
that delivers intelligent communications capabilities to businesses. Avaya
Media Servers and Gateways are used to host the software and distribute more
innovative communications features to employees, regardless of where they are
based. Backup servers provide seamless survivability capabilities if a
connection to the primary server is lost.

About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more
than 1 million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE
500(R). Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in
secure and reliable Internet protocol (IP) telephony systems and
communications software applications and services.
Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business
applications -- and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services -- Avaya
helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior
business results. For more information visit the Avaya website:
http://www.avaya.com.

For further information: Media: Jonathan Varman, +1-908-953-6432,
jvarman@avaya.com; or Investors: Matt Booher, +1-908-953-7500,
mbooher@avaya.com, both of Avaya Inc.
/Web site: http://www.avaya.com

Author:  

Email:    

Topic:    

Content:

Related Computer Hardware Articles

• Small Indian company makes breakthrough in Spy Technology
  5 October 2005



• Online Backup Software Company Extends Availability of Hurricane Rita Hot Site, Reminds of General Threats to Data Safety
  25 September 2005



• Bell Canada Launches Comprehensive Connectivity, Hardware and Software Customer Support Service
  30 April 2005



• PC Laptops Giving Away $10,000 Cash to Award Exceptional Customer Service in the Community
  13 April 2005



• Local Company gains Four Nominations in Computer Trade ‘Oscars’
  12 April 2005



• Datalink Corporation to Present at Needham and Company Growth Conference
  30 December 2004



• Mentor Graphics Leads EDA Industry with Excellence in Customer Support
  22 December 2004



• Paraxip Technologies Unveils New IP Telephony Products
  19 December 2004