For Immediate Release: 30-Apr-2003
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and LAS VEGAS, USAvaya (NYSE: AV), a leading global provider of communications
networks and services for businesses, today announced that it is
helping Tower Travel Management, an Illinois-based travel agency
that specializes in the corporate market, and McConechy's Tire
Service Group, Scotland's largest independent tire group, improve
their business operations by connecting geographically dispersed
offices. As a result, the two firms are finding ways to grow
revenue, reduce costs and improve customer service. Tower Travel Management wanted a way to link the company's
geographically dispersed call center agents into a single,
easy-to-manage network. By doing so, Tower would be free to add
qualified agents to its team, regardless of where they were
located. McConechy Tire wanted to manage its inventory more closely
and improve customer service by connecting its more than 50 retail
stores into an integrated, corporate network allowing them to
share sales and delivery data easily throughout the day. Both firms found a cost-effective solution to their business
challenges with the Avaya IP Office, a communication solution
specifically designed for small to mid-sized firms. IP Office
supports from two to 256 users and allows businesses to link remote
locations into a single voice and data network. Avaya has deployed
10,000 IP Office systems to businesses around the globe since the
product was launched in 2002, including sales to the Boston Celtics
professional basketball team, to performer Rod Stewart and to Jenny
Craig Inc., one of the world's largest weight management firms. The Avaya IP Office is being shown this week at the
NetWorld+Interop Las Vegas 2003 information technology trade show.
Avaya IP Office is one of two comprehensive Avaya solutions for
branch offices. The company also recently announced Enterprise
Connect Solutions, a customizable set of systems, applications and
services for mid- to large-size businesses. New revenue potential, long distance savings
Tower Travel was one of the first U.S. businesses to use Avaya IP
Office. With a 30-agent call center at its corporate headquarters
in Oakbrook Terrace, a second call center in Chicago, and remote
agents in Tennessee, Texas and other states Tower wanted to be
able to hire an agent anywhere and to include that agent in a
single, consolidated call center that could be managed from a
number of locations. "I have three managers who can activate an agent and perform any
type of administrative management from any Internet-connected
device," said Michael Foster, IT project manager, Tower Travel.
"That's very important for capacity management, rounding out peak
call times in one location by leveraging against another." Avaya's Compact Contact Center, an enhancement to IP Office,
enables Tower to view all agents in a single, consolidated group.
"Because connection to the Internet is all you need, you could be
anywhere and get a broadband connection to the Internet with an IP
address that puts you on our phone system. Now, I can schedule an
agent in Tennessee as if she's part of my corporate call center and
part of the call queue. The technology opens up huge revenue
possibilities for us with one agent, we can open an office
anywhere to attract new business." Tower is also saving long distance charges. Its agent in
Tennessee had a long-haul, 56K line connecting to the Tower
network, which cost $1500 per month. The same connection costs $90
per month with a cable modem and an IP address, which is all that
the IP Office system requires. Reduced costs, improved customer service
McConechy's is using Avaya IP Office to link its headquarters
facility with its 53 tire depots across Scotland allowing the
firm to reduce costs, manage inventories more closely and improve
customer service. With the firm's previous dial-up system, inventories were
updated only once a day and failed to reflect interim sales made
throughout the business day. IP Office allows McConechy's
purchasing and accounting departments to work more closely with its
remote offices linking core processes, transferring data more
immediately and improving their ability to manage inventory. In
turn, local tire stores are able to access product availability
data and provide customers more precise information on when their
order will be fulfilled. As with Tower, McConechy's is also realizing costs savings by
routing phone calls over its own data network, paying for itself in
just three months. "We estimate that using Avaya equipment in this way will reduce
our phone bills by 25 percent," said Donald Carmichael, operations
director for McConechy's. "Improved communications between all
depots and the head office will also enable us to speed up
processes and ultimately allow us to provide better service to our
customers." The Avaya IP Office for McConechy's was sold and installed by
Exchange Communications. The system for Tower Travel was
sold and installed by Technology Solutions Group, a
Platinum-certified Avaya BusinessPartner. About Avaya
Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for
more than 1 million businesses worldwide, including 90 percent of
the FORTUNE 500®. Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a
world leader in secure and reliable Internet Protocol (IP)
telephony systems and communications software applications and
services. Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with
business applications and distinguished by comprehensive
worldwide services Avaya helps customers leverage existing and
new networks to achieve superior business results. For more
information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.com. About Tower Travel
Tower Travel is one of Chicago's largest independent, full service
travel agencies specializing in the corporate market. It was
founded in 1979 and has focused on building its reputation by
making business travel as easy and economical as possible. For more
information on Tower Travel, visit www.towertravel.com. About McConechy's
Founded in 1956, McConechy's is Scotland's largest independent
tire group and has served the motoring public for more than 40
years. The company has 53 locations nationwide, each of them
offering quality goods and services that have made the company a
Scotland favorite. For more information on McConechy's, visit http://www.mcconechys.co.uk/index.htm. About Technology Solutions Group
Technology Solutions Group, Inc. (TSG) was founded in 1999, and as
an Avaya Diamond Dealer, sells Avaya equipment to the exclusion of
competitive telecommunications products. Principals of the firm
have a tenure track with Lucent Technologies and AT&T. TSG
serves the telecommunications needs of companies of all sizes, from
the multi-location, national enterprise to the single-office
business. Areas of expertise include converged enterprise
solutions, with an emphasis on IP telephony, contact centers/CRM,
and voice technology. Avaya has bestowed Platinum Business Partner
designation upon TSG, based upon revenue, technical certifications
and customer satisfaction. TSG is headquartered in Wheaton, Ill.,
and operates branch offices in Rockford, Ill., Springfield, Ill.,
Omaha, Neb., Waterloo, Iowa, and Pittsburgh, Penn. For more
information contact Fran Cesarone, director of marketing, at (630)
929-7646, or visit www.4tsg.com. About Exchange Communications
Exchange Communications Ltd. was established in 1990 and over the
years has consistently grown to become one of the most successful
independent business telecommunications system suppliers, servicing
customers' needs in both the UK and throughout Europe. The company
offers a range of solutions, from single office telephone systems
to complex multisite and call center configurations and networked
communication solutions. For more information on Exchange
Communications, visit http://www.exchangecommunications.co.uk. | 
