The Hague January 9 2006, Eicon Networks Corporation ("Eicon"), a global leader in providing high quality communication products for networked business applications has enabled the first implementation of Microsoft Speech Server R2 in Europe in an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solution for MorgonTidningsDistribution (MTD). MTD is Sweden's biggest distributor of morning papers with the distribution of over 3.1 million papers all over Sweden every single day.
The system comprises an Internet solution and an IVR solution that have been operational since early November 2005. DORA handles approximately 35,000 transactions per day, 7 days a week and the system serves around 9000 resellers (kiosks, shops, petrol stations, etc.) throughout Sweden who sell the morning newspapers and deliver customer services for MTD.
The new system allows resellers to report their daily sales reports with the number of newspaper returns via the Internet or via the IVR system, simply by using phone. This not only makes the reporting easier and more efficient, but it also results in considerable cost savings for the resellers and the distribution company MTD.
The IVR solution is based on Microsoft Speech Server R2, Eicon's Diva Server PRI telephony boards and Intervoice's Telephony Interface Manager (TIM). This solution is the first customer facing Microsoft Speech Server deployment in Europe.
The main reason that Avinova chose Eicon for this solution was the fact that Eicon offers a range of platforms that can scale with their application, covering small scale analog, to PRI, multi PRI, SS7 or even IP feeds. Also very important was Eicon's ability to provide local support. Not only is that in Swedish but Eicon was also able to provide onsite support the very next day after the request came in. Avinova prefer to keep their number of vendors limited and the fact that Eicon has a relationship with Intervoice facilitated matters.
Tomas Lindgren says "We are very satisfied with the support and competence from Eicon Networks. The local Eicon team has done a fantastic job".
Microsoft Speech Server is an integrated IVR platform for building, deploying and maintaining touchtone and speech-enabled applications for customer self-service and outbound notification.
"We're thrilled to see the first European deployment of Microsoft Speech Server," said Clint Patterson, director of Marketing for Microsoft Speech Server at Microsoft. "This joint Eicon/Microsoft solution demonstrates the cost effectiveness of Speech Server's ability to function not only as a speech but also as a touchtone platform. By taking advantage of this flexibility, MorgonTidningsDistribution will see a quick return on investment, maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction."
Eicon Networks Eicon Networks is sinds 1984 wereldwijd leverancier van betrouwbare communicatieproducten voor bedrijfsapplicaties binnen netwerken. Tot het portfolio van het bedrijf behoort de Diva-reeks van mediaverwerkende producten voor spraak, telefonische conferenties, fax en documentverwerking, en de Eiconcard-reeks voor het verwerken van transacties en de Shiva-reeks van beveiligingsproducten. Eicon distribueert, verkoopt en ondersteunt haar producten in meer dan tachtig landen, via een netwerk van verkooppartners, telecommunicatiebedrijven, Internet Service Providers (ISP's) en Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's), waaraan Eicon ook op lokaal niveau ondersteuning biedt. Meer informatie over Eicon Networks is te vinden op
www.eicon.nl.
Voor meer informatie:
Eicon, Gerthild van Kampen, Marketing Manager Benelux & Nordic, tel: 070 3538212, email
gerthild.vankampen@eicon.com, of Monogram Communication Strategies (MCS) BV, Renée Reijers, tel: 023 5628208, email
reneer@monogram.nl