System iNetwork

October 25, 2007

VAI Ramps Up System i Telephony Solutions

ERP and CRM solution provider VAI, which focuses on the distribution, manufacturing, retail, and service industries, is ramping up its System i telephony solutions to meet customer interest. VAI has partnered with iMessaging Systems, a System i-focused call center solution provider. VAI will offer iMessaging's iNspire Call Center Suite as an optional component to VAI's S2K Enterprise software line.

Why is this significant? Easy answer. These two companies are working together to deliver advanced telephony solutions to System i-based organizations, and whenever a company invests in System i-focused solutions -- as opposed to, say, a Windows-based solution -- the company becomes more likely to remain a System i customer for a long time to come. Any increase in a diverse set of workloads on the System i is a win for the System i community.

Specifically, VAI has joined iMessaging's Telephony Integration Program (TIP) for System i ISVs. iMessaging's TIP provides ISVs with a set of application tools for telephony integration, including training and consulting services. So VAI can now help its customers integrate their S2K solutions with any private branch exchange (PBX). In addition, iMessaging interoperates with IBM System i IP Telephony -- a.k.a. VoIP -- which is replacing traditional PBX telephone systems.

Key iNspire Call Center Suite features include inbound and outbound interactive voice response (IVR) for self-service, intelligent call routing, click-to-call functions, and custom screen pops delivered to agents simultaneously with calls.

Of course, VAI's customers who are most interested tend to have call centers or lots of inbound calls, but some are implementing IP telephony solutions integrated with S2K applications for only a portion of their user base rather than all at once.

In the mid-to-late 90s, VAI did some custom interfaces, but around the year 2000, "the interest around bigger call centers for telephony waned," says VAI CIO Kevin Beasley, noting that in the last year, customers have been reinvesting in their voice systems, partially due to phone system upgrade cycles, cost savings around VoIP, and a greater knowledge of how application integration can lead to better service and efficiency.

In addition, Beasley says, VAI is seeing customers with sales people out in the field who want to use voice as the user interface in addition to voice interaction in the warehouse. "Really, voice is just another interface, another UI the System i can handle," he says.

Posted by cmaxcer at October 25, 2007 9:52 AM