Avaya, a leading global provider of voice and data networks to businesses, today announced that Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center is investing Euro 1.3 million in Avaya solutions in order to provide network management tools, contact centre and connectivity solutions to Mercedes-Benz for its pan-European Customer Assistance Center (CAC), based in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Mercedes-Benz will replace its existing local area network (LAN) infrastructure with Avaya technology. This win further highlights Avaya`s leadership position in the Western European call centre market.
Avaya`s contact centre solution will enable Mercedes-Benz to expand its CAC - its contact centre for European customers - from 300 agent seats to 500 to better serve its expanding client base. "For us, this expansion is a strategic move to create a fully reliable and high-quality Customer Assistance Center that maintains the high standards Mercedes-Benz has for delivering customer service," said Thor Tielemans, CIO at the Mercedes-Benz CAC. "Offering a quality car along with quality service sets Mercedes-Benz apart from its competitors. We chose Avaya`s technology in order to maintain this competitive edge."
Guarding against downtime and loss of data is a key part of Mercedes-Benz` strategy and Avaya solutions will help ensure customers have access to Mercedes-Benz support staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even in extreme circumstances such as a fire or should another disaster take a location off-line. "Data protection and business continuity are high on the agenda as critical business issues," said Patrick Lelorieux, Avaya`s president for Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "With Avaya, Mercedes-Benz can remain confident that it will be able to serve and support its customers in the best and most consistent way."
Avaya will implement a range of call processing products and industry-leading software, including the DEFINITY ATM Solution, the DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server, and Avaya Call Centre Solutions. The networking products include Avaya CajunViewTM Enterprise Network Management System. Avaya is also providing the cabling infrastructure to support the multiple applications of the CAC, comprising the SYSTIMAX PowerSum copper cabling solution and the OptiSPEED fibre-optic solution. Imtech Telematics and GTI Vitel B.V. are Avaya`s authorized System Integrators for the implementation and maintenance of the networking products and the SYSTIMAX cabling solutions.
A recent analyst report from Gartner Dataquest entitled "Call Centres: Western Europe, 2000 Actuals" listed Avaya as the leading provider of contact centres in Western Europe in 2000, with 28.9 percent of the overall Western European enterprise call centre market measured in terms of new and replacement agent seat shipments. This is in addition to Avaya`s call centre market leadership in the United States and Canada, according to Gartner Dataquest.
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Avaya Inc., headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., is a leading global provider of voice and data networks as well as communications solutions and services that help businesses, government agencies and other institutions - including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500 -- excel in the customer economy. Avaya offers Customer Relationship Management Solutions, Unified Communication Solutions, Service Provider Solutions, MultiService Networking Infrastructure, and Converged Voice and Data Networks - including the company`s no-compromise Avaya Enterprise-Class IP Solutions (ECLIPS) - all supported by Avaya Services and Avaya Labs. Avaya is the worldwide leader in unified messaging, messaging systems, call centers and structured cabling systems. It is the U.S. leader in voice communications systems and services. Avaya is an official sponsor for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Women`s World Cup 2003 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments. For more information about Avaya, visit its Web site at http://www.avaya.com.
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center
On October 15th 1998, DaimlerChysler AG officially opened the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center (CAC) in Maastricht, The Netherlands.
The CAC serves as a central customer contact point for the Western European Market, taking care of all the needs of current and prospective customers, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Whatever individual wishes and problems customers may have Service 24h (roadside assistance) and Customer Service (inquiries or complaints) will ensure they always receive the individual attention they need.
As a further benefit, the CAC will be a service center, ensuring uniformly high standards in customer service. By establishing one single CAC, Mercedes-Benz also promotes synergy advantages in the fields of telecommunication and data processing infrastructure.
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