Africa Data Holdings launches soft call centre product at Customer Contact World

Africa Data Holdings, South Africa`s leading supplier of ISDN technologies and solutions, is to launch hello world!, a new and innovate call centre solutions product, at the Customer Contact World exhibition which runs from 10 - 12 July 2001 at the MTN Sundome.

"hello world! is the first soft call centre and PBX to be launched into the local market. Developed in Germany, hello world! replaces the traditional PABX system, and is suitable for both the SME and corporate markets," says Nevil Hill, general manager, Africa Data Holdings. "hello world! is able to integrate telephones and standard PC`s in an office environment. This system not only eliminates clutter in an office, but it also reduces the cost of installing new telephone systems. The product, which requires no proprietary hardware at any part of the communications chain to achieve true Voice Over IP (VOIP) connectivity, comes as a standard VOIP PBX and can be operated through Windows NT, 2000, 98, 95 and Linux."

Hello world!, a true software PBX, provides a single server that accommodates between 4 and 200 extensions. Whilst a single 10mb/s Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN) can accommodate up to 20 extensions, Africa Data Holdings recommends that 100mb/s be used to accommodate extensions that exceed 20.

The hello world! call centre includes ACD functionalities as well as an integrated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) skills-based routing of calls and Predictive and Power dialling. In addition, video conferencing via H.320, voice mail and supervisor `listening-in` of calls in progress are also available.

"hello world! not only provides traditional telephone features, but it also offers a full range of ISDN functions, including call forwarding, three-way conferences and video conferencing. The product further allows remote users to log on to the company`s hello world! server, via the Internet, using a PC or notebook. This allows them to become active users of the PBX and to make and receive telephone calls as if they were in the office connected to the LAN."

The only hardware that hello world! requires is a standard workstation per agent, LAN infrastructure, a full duplex sound card and a PC-compatible headset.

"hello world! has been implemented in 160 European companies and installed in a further 80 call centres. These call centres range in size up to and including 240 agents who work off a single Linux server taking between 6 and 8 thousand calls per day."

"We have been extremely impressed with the capabilities and success of hello world! in Germany, and are confident that it will be positively received by local companies who are looking to enhance their call centre by traditional means as well as by fax, data transfer, e-mail and voicemail," concludes Hill.

Teaming up with Africa Data Holdings at Customer Contact World will be ADVANTAGE, the local company who markets the Advantage product. This widely used Customer Relationship Management (CRM) product is currently one of the most affordable CRM solutions available to companies on the market.

ADVANTAGE is feature-rich and provides users with access to opportunity tracking, customer relationship management, call planning, problem management, contact management, sales management, mail, fax and email merging, integration to financial systems, quotation automation and synchronisation. ADVANTAGE, which can be integrated into MS Office and Outlook, is also customisable to the specific requirements of a client.

Africa Data Holdings and ADVANTAGE have teamed up to provide customers with a high value, low-cost call centre and CRM offering. These offerings will be demonstrated to the public at the Customer Contact World exhibition.