Aspect Software’s Unified IP 6.6 Begins the Journey to Unified Communications for the Contact Center

| Oct 28, 2008 | Contact Center Solutions | Competitive Intelligence Report

| Analyst: Michael Barbagallo

Current Perspective: Positive
Vendor Importance: Moderate
Market Impact: Moderate

Event Summary

October 22, 2008 -- Aspect Software announced that Unified IP 6.6 will be released on December 12, 2008. It includes an ask-an-expert capability using the instant messaging and presence technology available in Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 to provide streamlined agent assistance. The release also includes enhancements to blended agents, tools decreasing customer TCO, and simplified migration from legacy Signature systems.

Analytical Summary

• Current Perspective: Positive on Aspect Software’s general release of Unified IP 6.6, because it provides functionality that will help contact centers increase first-contact resolution by simplifying process agents’ ability to gain expert assistance, provides tighter integration and improved agent blending with some widely deployed PBXs, and adds tools that provide customers with greater control and lower TCO.

• Vendor Importance: Moderate to Aspect Software, because Unified IP 6.6, already a competitive contact center solution, gains new differentiators through advancements such as the ask-an-expert collaboration and presence application that few in the contact center market can match. Aspect is also better able to protect a significant segment of its customer base by offering a direct upgrade from EnsemblePro 5.2 to Unified IP 6.6. Finally, Aspect potentially opens new markets with increased localization.

• Market Impact: Moderate on the contact center market, because Unified IP 6.6 integrates unified communications capabilities into the contact center. It offers functionality that is a step beyond what most contact center solution providers can offer with regards to collaboration between contact center agents and knowledge workers. With this release, Aspect also increases the invest protection for its legacy customers, making it more difficult for competitors to displace Aspect as a vendor.

Recommended Competitor Actions

• Cisco should characterize Aspect’s ask-an-expert feature as lacking the protection for the knowledge worker (through blind distribution) and the IM-neutrality found in Expert Advisor. Cisco should also note that the ask-an-expert feature does not support click-to-call from the IM message (as does Expert Advisor) and that Aspect’s Unified IP dialer does not support reactive blending on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

• Genesys, Nortel, Avaya, and Interactive Intelligence should note that, although their solutions do not search for and return a list of knowledge workers, similar functionality can be obtained through grouping of contacts in the corporate IM system. Furthermore, each competitor should note their presence and collaboration systems support OCS. Finally, Avaya, Genesys, and Nortel (when using a MCS 5100) should contrast their contact center solutions’ interoperability with IBM Sametime with this missing functionality in Unified IP.

• Siemens should note that OpenScape Contact Center provides support for IM and presence, in addition to interoperability with OCS and Sametime, through its OpenScape UC Server. Also through the OpenScape UC Server, contacts (including the entire corporate phonebook) can be organized into support groups, providing functionality similar to what Aspect’s ask-an-expert feature provides. Furthermore, Siemens should highlight the close integration between OpenScape Contact Center and HiPath 4000, HiPath 3000, and OpenScape Voice Application.

• Alcatel-Lucent should note that its CCTeamer (based on the MyTeamWork application) provides knowledge worker grouping as well as multimedia collaboration, including support for IBM Sametime.

• Genesys, Siemens Enterprise Communication, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Avaya, and Nortel should note their systems’ extended localizations, which are all more extensive what Aspect offers.

• Genesys should emphasize its outbound/inbound capability and support for automatic agent adjustments. Furthermore, Genesys should note its close integration with not only Avaya, Nortel, Siemens, and Cisco PBXs, but also Aspect’s ACD.

Recommended End User / Customer Actions

• Current Aspect Software customers that use Unified IP should upgrade to Unified IP 6.6. The additional tools contained within this version provide customers with more control and decrease the need for professional services engagements for integration with advanced third-party products. Furthermore, Aspect customers that have implemented OCS should investigate the cost and level of work needed to upgrade to Unified IP 6.6. While Unified IP (and specifically ask-an-expert) does not provide an ACD-like escalation distribution, it does provide a streamlined ability to find knowledge workers and it should help increase first-contact resolution.

• Current Aspect customers that currently use its EnsemblePro 5.2 should take advantage of the streamlined upgrade process and implement Unified IP 6.6. The new software provides all the advantages of an IP-based solution (support for open standards, cost controls, SIP, etc.) as well more control and decreased professional services.

• Enterprises in the market for a contact center solution should seriously investigate Aspect Unified IP. It provides all the functionality needed (i.e., IVR, ACD, outbound dialing, multimedia contacts, and quality management). It also integrates closely with Aspect’s PerformanceEdge workforce optimization suite.

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Current Perspective

Competitive Positives and Concerns

Recommended Competitor Actions

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