UNIVERGE® Sphericall’s high reliability and robust features enable flexibility and business continuity
IRVING, TX, April 21, 2009 — NEC Unified Solutions, Inc. (NEC), a leading communications solutions integrator, today announced that BAI, a financial services industry research firm, has experienced significant operational cost savings and efficiency improvements using NEC’s UNIVERGE® Sphericall pure software-based IP communications solution.
“UNIVERGE Sphericall works on standard servers utilizing a simple licensing model, and, in addition, we no longer have to rely on a service provider to make simple changes to our call routing requirements. As a result, we are currently saving about $1,500 per month on support costs alone,” said Jim DiNapoli, senior manager of networking for BAI. “We have found that Sphericall provides applications that fit the needs of our executives, call center agents and support staff. NEC designed technology around the role of the individual which, in our experience, has led to a reliable, highly effective and easy-to-use unified communications solution.”
UNIVERGE Sphericall is a 100-percent software-based alternative to traditional telephony that leverages open standards for flexible, IP-based unified communications (UC). BAI leverages three elements of the Sphericall enterprise softswitch at its Chicago and St. Louis sites, including:
Sphericall Desktop for instant messaging, click-to-call and presence-based call routing
Sphericall MeetingHub™ for centralized, simultaneous multi-party conferencing for up to 60 participants
Sphericall Manager for complete call control, seamless connectivity and call load-balancing for full redundancy
Prior to deploying Sphericall, BAI used a traditional voice solution that was complicated, expensive and difficult to manage without additional third party service charges.
UNIVERGE Sphericall allows BAI to enhance many different employee roles. The St. Louis site supports BAI’s online training offerings and Sphericall’s customized routing includes presence-based forwarding and voicemail rules. The administration of call routing is easy and can be changed remotely, allowing the BAI support team to stay operational even in instances of inclement weather when support calls may need to be handled via cell phones. Sphericall soft phones are very convenient for BAI’s remote trainers, who use this feature to conduct training anywhere, anytime. Additionally, supported Polycom® phones have made it easy and cost effective for BAI to set up remote offices.
By placing people at the center of business communications and identifying the employee’s role, NEC helps organizations such as BAI build a unified infrastructure, which is enabled by unified communications, integrated with business processes and supported by partnerships and services.
For more information on NEC’s communications solutions, visit www.UNIVERGE360.com.
About BAI
BAI is the financial services industry’s partner for breakthrough information and intelligence needed to innovate and stay relevant in an evolving marketplace. For more than 80 years, we have focused on advancing the industry by offering unbiased education and research. Our offerings are as diverse as the industry, and include premier events such as BAI Retail Delivery Conference & Expo, ground-breaking research and performance metrics, professional learning and development programs, and in-depth editorial coverage through BAI Banking Strategies. Visit www.BAI.org for more information.
BAI is Bank Administration Institute and BAI Center.
About NEC Unified Solutions
NEC Unified Solutions helps companies unify their business communications through innovative software, applications, development tools and services. NEC offers a complete portfolio for unified communications, wireless, voice, data and managed services, as well as systems integration and application development. NEC Unified Solutions serves as the North American communications integration arm of global giant NEC Corporation for Fortune 1000, as well as small to mid-sized businesses in vertical markets such as hospitality, education, government, and healthcare. For more information, visitwww.necunified.com.
NEC and UNIVERGE are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.