BACKGROUND
COMAG is the UK's most dynamic marketing and distribution company. As the largest, most influential third party distribution company, more than 50 percent of the UK's independent publishers have chosen COMAG to represent their magazines. These include high profile, market leading titles and global brands as well as niche magazines and specialist publications. COMAG’s company philosophy is to work closely with its clients, becoming an extension of their services by caring about their portfolios as if they were its own. Effective communications is the key to achieving this goal. Therefore, using the right voice and data communication solutions is paramount.

CHALLENGE
COMAG was using an old Octel VMX100 system for its corporate telecommunications. Reaching end-of-life, the system became problematic, lacked tech support and did not offer the full functionality required in the fast paced publishing industry. So COMAG began evaluating alternative solutions for a replacement.

“We were looking for a solution that was reliable and competitively priced and would also improve the functionality of our VMX100 system as well as integrate with our Ericsson MD110 running on BC12,” said Sharon Smith, COMAG’s Company Services Manager. “We were also experiencing an increase in calls to our subscription department and therefore needed a solution that would allow us to manage and react efficiently to all these communications.”

THE SOLUTION
COMAG evaluated a number of products with the help of Premises Networks, a UK-based channel partner of AVST. The company designs, implements, supports and maintains communication solutions for businesses. After a consultation with COMAG to assess its needs and a subsequent review of solutions, Premises Networks recommended AVST’s CallXpress® unified communications solution.

With over 35,000 systems sold worldwide, CallXpress is recognized as one of the most flexible and economical solutions for the enterprise market. CallXpress delivers world-class voice mail, call processing, fax, advanced unified messaging and speech enabled capabilities that help businesses of all sizes become more productive.

COMAG ultimately chose CallXpress because it provides an open standards-based solution and offers an excellent programmable auto attendant. An 8-port CallXpress Advanced Messaging System including PC and MD110 integration was installed in 2006 by Premises Networks, who now maintains both the telephone system and the CallXpress messaging system for COMAG.

“The installation and set up all went very well,” added Smith. “The Premises Networks team was extremely knowledgeable. Their understanding of the Ericsson MD110 was excellent, which made the whole process much more manageable. Not only was CallXpress easy to install, it proved to be so simple for our staff to learn and use that the system was up and running quickly, causing us very little downtime.”

CallXpress is currently used by about 130 COMAG users. With all messages arriving in a single inbox, CallXpress can improve message management time by 50 to 70 percent. Its extensive voicemail functionality ensures that all employees receive their messages efficiently and have the ability to answer queries promptly. The solution provides the administrator with detailed reports and statistical analysis of system usage. With its global system administration capabilities, CallXpress makes it much easier to manage multiple messaging systems, which lowers the cost of administration, training and support.

Fulfilling an important requirement, COMAG’s CallXpress solution also allows calls to be answered by an auto attendant in certain departments, such as the Subscriptions Department, which receives an extremely high volume of calls. The automated attendant uses Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to provide customers with access to subscription information 24 hours a day.

According to Smith, this service has helped increase customer satisfaction without increasing staff costs. “The subscriptions department uses the automated attendant to enable callers to place orders for magazines, either annual subscriptions or stand alone issues, without having to hold or call back if the lines are busy,” she explained. “This service has resulted in a substantial improvement of the department’s processes and efficiency. It ensures there are no lost calls, and customer requirements are met efficiently in a timely manner.”

Smith added, “We are very pleased with the business benefits CallXpress has afforded COMAG as well as the support and service provided by both Premises Networks and AVST. All of the personnel that I have come in contact with have proved to be friendly, knowledgeable and extremely helpful – all in all, a pleasure to work with. In addition, our employees find the CallXpress functionality beneficial; and the Auto Attendant service has improved reaction time to our customers, projecting a cohesive and resourceful COMAG image.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION
About AVST
Applied Voice & Speech Technologies, Inc. (AVST) is a leading developer of unified communications solutions for businesses of all sizes. Through its world-class unified communications platform, CallXpress®, and its innovative speech applications module, Seneca®, AVST offers the industry’s most powerful suite of switch-independent unified communications solutions. AVST’s solutions enable direct access to an enterprise’s communications infrastructure including voice mail, email and fax messaging from any voice or data device via a touch-tone, GUI or speech interface. Established in September 2003, AVST was formed from the combined businesses of Sound Advantage (established in 1997) and the AVT division (established in 1982) of Captaris, Inc.

Headquartered in Orange County, CA, AVST maintains facilities in Seattle, WA and the United Kingdom and has remote sales offices across the United States. With over 35,000 systems installed worldwide, AVST’s unified communications solutions are sold and supported internationally by an extensive network of resellers and OEM partners. For additional product and sales information, visit http://www.avst.com/contactus/howtobuy.asp or access the company's website at www.avst.com.

About Premises Networks
Established UK based company, Premises Networks, designs, implements, supports and maintains tailor-made communications solutions from single products or services to complex voice and data networks. The company ensures each customer is offered the right solution fit to guarantee excellent return on investment. For more information please contact us at: www.premisesnet.co.uk or call 0870 162 1621.