CosmoCom Inc. and Onyx Software Corp. said they will co-develop a customer relationship management application designed for communications transactions conducted across multiple types of channels.

The alliance pairs Melville, N.Y.-based CosmoCom’s patented IP-based contact center platform with Onyx 2000, a customer-centric e-business application that provides "seamless relationship management functionality" for employees, customers and partners, the companies said. The joint platform allows live and message-based business transactions that are conducted across any channel - telephone, Internet-enabled PC, interactive TV, PDA or wireless device - to be gathered, processed and shared across one enterprise-wide IP network.

“The customer relationship has become a 24-hour conversation in a multimedia environment, and many companies are struggling to keep up,” said Brent Frei, president and CEO of Onyx Software, Bellevue, Wash. “Companies are . . . integrating multiple communication and information channels to make every single point of interaction an opportunity to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and boost revenue."

CosmoCom and Onyx said their Web- and telephone-based multimedia contact center and relationship management system relies solely on software and IP-ACD (automatic call distributor) technology, freeing companies from the cost of circuit-switched telephone equipment or computer telephony integration middleware typical of most call center technology.