Genesys Launches Initiative to Connect eServices, Contact Centers and Next-Generation Communications into Single Conversation

Genesys will enable enterprises to proactively manage customer experiences across a wide range of devices, including the phone, Web, branches and smartphones

ORLANDO, April 21, 2009 - Genesys, an Alcatel-Lucent company (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), today announced a key initiative, called Cross Channel Conversations, designed to eliminate the silos between traditional contact centers, the Web and nextgeneration communication channels. The new initiative, launched at its annual G-Force conference, will result in solutions that bring together critical elements of the contact center; enterprise resources in the branch and back office; and virtual technologies, including the Web, chat, SMS, video, avatars, virtual assistants and smartphones with mobile applications.

In outlining its Cross Channel Conversations initiative, Genesys said that major changes are needed if companies are to successfully adapt their businesses to serve a growing wave of consumers who interact across multiple channels. To support Cross Channel Conversations, Genesys will provide an integrated platform to serve as the hub of these interactions and enable enterprises to deliver a differentiated customer experience blending all of the possible communication channels – voice, Web, mobile, IM and others – into a single conversation. Cross Channel Conversations allows a customer to seamlessly hop from one channel to another according to his/her preferences without losing the context of the interaction, resulting in a differentiated experience and the proactive management of “moments of truth.”

This vision builds on Genesys’ intelligent Customer Front Door (iCFD) initiative, introduced in 2008, that integrated virtually all of the key technologies in speech recognition, self-service innovations, and business processes. This initiative marked a shift from frustrating IVR menus and "voice mail jail" to a single intelligent self-service and live-service user experience, enabling customers to easily move from a voice-activated, self-service system to a live agent without delay.

With Cross Channel Conversations, Genesys is moving to break down similar barriers between a variety of emerging communications channels. The initial emphasis is on blending Contact Centers and eServices in order to enable consumers to interact with an organization with whatever technology is most appropriate and efficient.

“One of the greatest difficulties in customer service is to federate the context and history of the request based on past interactions on the same topic that might have been over different channels. Genesys’ Cross Channel Conversations addresses one of the key challenges in customer service today by preserving continuity and consistency over multiple channels,” said Nicolas de Kouchkovsky, president of Genesys. “As the conversation moves, numerous systems must be orchestrated to help the consumer navigate and to proactively offer the most relevant resources in the enterprise to solve an issue.”

“Genesys is addressing one of the key issues companies face today as they see a generational shift in customer service. Consumers prefer having the choice of a variety of channels as they move from initial research, to purchasing, to service. As companies add more channels, they need to provide consistency in a complex environment. To deal with this complexity companies must move towards integrated, multichannel customer interaction platforms," said Ian Jacobs, senior analyst at Datamonitor.

“The Genesys Cross Channel Conversation initiative was developed because a growing number of our enterprise customers are asking for a comprehensive solution,” Nicolas de Kouchkovsky said. “We have drawn from the best practices of companies from around the globe who have provided valuable experience in how to unlock value through this type of integration.”

For example:

* In the Middle East, a 3G service provider has created advanced multimedia contact centers that combine video, voice and SMS, with voice recognition, avatars and other advanced self-service choices. The video call center and IVR technology has enabled seven million Egyptian customers to access self-help videos or to interact live with agents via video-enabled mobile phones.
* In Latin America, a leading telecommunications provider has integrated SMS text to complement their live customer service and automated voice self-service platforms. The company leveraged its traditional contact center business processes and customer relationship management software to create a single environment for all customer interactions. As a result, it has enabled both inbound and outbound SMS, giving customers a greater number of choices for interaction while avoiding silos and customer disconnects throughout the process.
* In Europe, one of the region’s fastest growing banks has extended customer service to virtually anywhere within its organization. By leveraging a unique combination of presence and availability to Unified Communications and customer service, the company can give customers access to virtually any of the 6,000 key employees in a branch or back office, improving its responsiveness.
* In South Africa, a leading premium television entertainment provider improved its customers’ experience by creating an intelligent customer front door that leverages sophisticated speech recognition to improve customer satisfaction with voice platforms and to break down the barriers between self service and live service when customers need to talk to a live agent. Using speech technology coupled with built-in business processes, they can quickly identify the customer’s needs and intent, and make a determination on using automated or live service.

Solutions based on the Genesys Cross Channel Conversations initiative will include the following key features:

* Support for the widest breadth of channels: Cross Channel Conversations supports any interaction type as part of a customer conversation – spanning phone, Web, chat, video, mobile, virtual assistants, SMS and voice self-service.
* Proactive management of conversations across channels: No matter what interaction channel a customer uses over time, Cross Channel Conversations manages one customer conversation – so that enterprise can optimize the outcome of customer interactions.
* Pooling or mobilizing resources across the enterprise to leverage all talents: Cross Channel Conversations aligns every conversation with the ideal resource based upon business value, skill set and availability – so an enterprise can provide its best resources to address customer needs.

About Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.
Genesys, an Alcatel-Lucent company, is the only company that focuses 100 percent on software to manage customer interactions over the phone, Web and in e-mail. The Genesys software suite dynamically connects customers with the right resources – self-service or assisted-service – to fulfill customer requests, optimize customer care goals and efficiently use resources. Genesys software directs more than 100 million customer interactions every day for 4,000 companies and government agencies in 80 countries. These companies and agencies can leverage their entire organization, from the contact center to the back office, to improve the overall customer experience. As a result, Genesys helps stop customer frustration, drive efficiency and accelerate business innovation. For more information, go to www.genesyslab.com.

About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

Media Contact:
David Radoff, Genesys, 650-466-1078, dradoff@genesyslab.com