COSMOCOM COMPLETES INTEROPERABILITY TESTING WITH BROADSOFT

 Interoperability Enables Complete Hosted PBX/Contact Center Service Offering

On June 27, CosmoCom announced that it had successfully completed interoperability testing between its CosmoCall Universe all-IP contact center software platform and BroadSoft's BroadWorks VoIP application server. The interoperable solution empowers service providers to offer a complete hosted communication service to their enterprise customers with a unified PBX and Contact Center.

CosmoCall Universe (CCU) enables service providers to offer a unified hosted contact center suite that includes ACD, IVR, IVVR, CTI, multimedia recording, and administrative tools, all within a single, high-capacity, high-availability, multi-tenant platform. BroadWorks enables service providers to offer hosted IP PBX services that have all the features of traditional PBX systems. Both services allow customers to benefit without incurring the capital investment and operational overhead of premise-based systems.

Service providers hosting the two platforms can now deliver all of the telecommunications needs of an organization as a unified whole. A single end user device, typically a SIP-enabled IP telephone, serves as the terminal for both PBX extensions and call center agents. Calls flow seamlessly between call center agents and other staff members. The systems share status and presence information, facilitating customer service when call center agents need to seek out subject matter experts in the larger organization. And CosmoCom's advanced IVR capabilities are available to provide automated attendant services and other applications not related to the contact center.

"It makes sense that BroadSoft and CosmoCom are strengthening their partnership by investing in interoperability," commented Robin Goad, Lead Analyst at Datamonitor for Call Center and CRM. "Their products are very complementary, and service providers working with either company are now more likely to be interested in both."

Read the release at http://www.cosmocom.com/pressreleases/PressReleases2006/pr06272006.htm  

ARI SONESH NAMED A FINALIST FOR
2006 ERNST & YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

CosmoCom CEO Ari Sonesh was named a finalist in the Technology category of the Ernst & Young 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Metro New York and New Jersey region. Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, recognized Sonesh for his role in building CosmoCom into a leader in providing software for Unified Customer Communications.

The award ceremony, a gala black tie affair, celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of the finalists. When Ari Sonesh started CosmoCom in 1996, he had a vision of unified communications in the call center, an office in his garage, and his personal savings. Ten years later, under Sonesh's leadership, CosmoCom has become a global leader in providing an all-IP platform for contact centers used by the world's largest telecoms and enterprises.

"This recognition by Ernst & Young is a tribute to the entire CosmoCom team," said Sonesh, "and another validation of our vision for Unified Customer Communications."

Read the release at http://www.cosmocom.com/pressreleases/PressReleases2006/pr07062006.htm

MORE ON UNIFIED CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS

By Ari Sonesh, CEO -  Last month in this space I wrote on the topic of "Unified Communications" (UC) as it relates to customers. Since then, I had the pleasure of attending the Microsoft Unified Communications Event in San Francisco on June 26th. This event was very well-attended by major Microsoft customers and partners, and by the most prominent industry analysts and journalists. Microsoft made it clear that UC is highly strategic for them.  Their goal is the integration of all communication channels (voice, email, voicemail, IM, collaboration, video conference, etc.) into a single environment using a single identity, which means no more separate telephone numbers, email addresses, IM identities, etc.  Unified Communication will reduce distracting complexities by putting people at the center of the communication experience. UC will not only make the workforce more effective, but also lower the cost of implementing and managing communication in the Enterprise by combining different communication modes into one unified platform. Microsoft understands that VoIP is key enabling technology at the core of UC.  Their message was very well received by the event participants.

Attending conferences is always an enriching experience, but this event was particularly rewarding, because it was a loud and clear confirmation of CosmoCom's vision.  While Microsoft was clearly focused on Unified Communication within the Enterprise (I call it "UEC -- Unified Enterprise Communications"), CosmoCom is clearly leading the market in Unified Communication for Customer interaction, which we call "UCC - Unified Customer Communications."  CosmoCom has always emphasized the importance of unified communication within the call center . Furthermore, our vision has been to break through the traditional boundaries of the formal call center by involving the entire workforce in the customer service process.  This total involvement is made possible by VoIP and by unifying the communication channels.  In equation format, we would say: UC= UEC + UCC.  In other words, true Unified Communication means the unification of both Enterprise Communication and Customer Communication. This vision is supported by an appropriate business model and flexible licensing structure (Flex100 License) that allows the enterprise to install a CosmoCom Unified Communication client on every desktop at no charge, making our technology and business model really disruptive.

I strongly believe that UC is not complete unless it includes customer communications.  I think that UCC has an even higher priority than UEC.  UEC enhances productivity and reduces cost.  UCC does the same, but improving customer communication also strengthens the top line. Companies that implement UCC and make their entire workforce part of the customer service process will reap a huge competitive advantage.  Companies mired in the restrictive boundaries of the traditional call center will suffer the consequences of their stagnation.  As their competition evolves to higher levels of operation, they, like many great lumbering dinosaurs before them, will eventually become extinct.
 
 

VSNL EXHIBITS AT NASSCOM

Promotes InstaCC CCOD Offering

In early June, CosmoCom service provider partner VSNL attended NASSCOM's India ITES-BPO Strategy Summit in Bangalore, India. Besides exhibiting and speaking on a couple of panel sessions, VSNL was also a sponsor of the event.

The Tata Indicom Enterprise Business Unit used their booth to interact with a number of BPO's and promote the VSNL range of contact center offerings including InstaCC, their Contact Center On-Demand service. VSNL presented the service at their booth as well as at the media center and were met with much appreciation and enthusiasm for the hosted contact center offering.

On the speaking front, Milind M. Kamat, Global Director - BPO Services, Tata Consultancy Services, participated in a well-attended panel on the subject of "Managing Cost competitiveness and setting benchmarks in Global outsourcing."

As always, CosmoCom is happy to see and report on the success of our service provider partners.

REPORT FROM ANNUAL CALL CENTER WEEK 2006

CosmoCom was an exhibitor and sponsor at the 7th Annual Call Center Week that took place from June 12-16, 2006. The event was held at the beautiful at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, but the attendees didn't have to gamble on what CosmoCom had to offer.

CosmoCom was among a select group of sponsors who exhibited at the event which was primarily educationally focused and attended by call center professionals from al over North America.  While most of attendees time was spent in the various educational sessions, many found the time to visit us at our booth and learn more about CosmoCom's technology.

In addition to answering attendee questions at the booth, Leron Polani, CosmoCom's VP of Business and Corporate Development, moderated a panel called "Change Management in the Call Center" with representatives from FedEx, Bath and Body Works and HSN. The panel discussed how changes in the call center are handled to ensure smooth transition and operation. One of the major and most difficult changes to manage in the call center is the introduction of new technology. It is here that CosmoCom's CosmoCall Universe really shines, as its flexibility, user friendliness and integratable architecture allows for quick acceptance by call center agents and managers.

VISIT US AT FALL VON IN SEPTEMBER

Summer is here, but it's not too early to early to plan ahead. If you're considering attending the FALL VON show in Boston in September, let us give you another reason to attend...CosmoCom will be exhibiting in booth 1637.

Once again, CosmoCom executives will be on hand to talk to you about CosmoCom solutions and answer your questions about Contact Center On-Demand and Unified Customer Communications. 

If you have not yet decided to visit the show, please feel free to be our VIP guest and get either a $400 discount off the full conference or a Free Exhibit Hall pass when you pre-register online at www.von.com/registeror call +1 631 961 1100 using the priority code "COSMOCOM" by September 10. Print out this handy CosmoCom VIP Guest pass to help you register.

We hope to see you there.
 

 BITS & PIECES: SOME VOIP FACTOIDS

Gas Prices Drive Call Center Agents Home
According to a June 6th article in E-Commerce Times, the escalating price of gas is reviving interest in telecommuting as a way for employees to curb the growing cost of commuting to the office. About 36 percent of telecommuting customer service agents say gas prices have driven their decision to work at home, according to a new survey of nearly 2,000 at-home call center agents by LiveOps, which contracts with call center agents.

"All new systems sales will be IP..."
According to the folks at FierceVoIP, Gartner has made the boldest statement we've seen yet about VoIP adoption: "By 2009," a Gartner analyst says, "there will be no new sales of traditional phone systems... All new system sales will be pure IP or hybrid systems..."  You can read an article about this at SearchCRM.com.

Ready or not, here comes wVoIP
An In-Stat study has estimated that 132 million cellular handsets with WiFi will ship in 2010. About 20 handset models already incorporate WiFi, which of course can be used for VoIP. An analyst predicts that most U.S. cell carriers will embrace WiFi or some variant. CosmoCom has always believed in the IP cosmos.

WHO'S TALKING? RECENT INK

Sign of the Times
The June issue of VON Magazine has a great article about IP in the call center called " IP Rings in the Changes at Call Centers" The article by Rich Grigonas begins, "Companies once feared moving to IP because of their call centers. Now they're clamoring to adopt IP because of their call centers," which sets the stage for this thought provoking essay on the accelerated growth in the IP call center space.

Mr. Grigonas looks takes a look at number of compelling reasons that companies are shifting to the newer technologies as features a number of players in the space. In a section called "Pay as you Go," he talks about the rise of hosted contact center solutions and says, "Perhaps the best known of these, the Contact Center On-Demand Specialist, CosmoCom provides hosted contact center platforms to major telcos globally."

Read more in the article which can be found online on the VON Magazine site or on page 41 of the June print issue.

Growth Spurt
On July 3 Intertec Systems was the subject of a feature article in ITP Technology that profiles the growth path for the CosmoCom business partner from the UAE.  In the article, Naresh Kothari, one of Intertec's founders, talks about the road to success for his company and mentions how Intertec has "gone big" with their CosmoCom call center business.

TRADESHOW NEWS: COMING ATTRACTIONS

	APAC Contact Centre Excellence Congress 2006 22-23 August 2006 Edsa Shangri-La Manila, Philippines http://www.apac-contactcentre.com/ Visit CosmoCom partner ePLDT (a gold sponsor of the event) as they demonstrate their CosmoCom-based solution. CosmoCom's Rayman Wong will also be a presenting a session on the benefits of Contact Center On-Demand.
	ACCE (Annual Call Center Exhibition) September 11 - 13, 2006  Washington State Convention and Trade Center Seattle, WA, USA http://www.accecmp.com See CosmoCom in Booth 516
	VON Fall September 11 - 14, 2006  Boston Convention Center Boston, MA, USA http://www.von.com/ See CosmoCom in Booth 1637
	BroadSoft Connections 2006 Executive Users Conference - Invitation Only October 2005 USA CosmoCom is pleased to be Gold Sponsor of this event.
	VON Europe November 6-9, 2006  ICC Berlin Berlin, Germany http://www.voneurope.com/   See CosmoCom in Booth 214
	RECORDED WEBINARS
	View recordings of our Webinar events including "Hosted Contact Center for Outsourcers", "Contact Center On-Demand" and "Telecom Customer Care"

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