Avaya’s New Mobile/Retail App
Today Avaya announced a new product that’s a pretty good illustration of how Unified Communications can actually work as vertical industry-focused, communications-enabled software. It’s a joint announcement with Motorola of a new application that lets retail workers scan a bar code on a product and “find the expert.” The application is called "Avaya Specialist Connect for Retailers," announced at the National Retail Federation's annual show in New York this week.
Marissa Russotto, director of Avaya's Industry Solutions Group explained to me how the system works: The application uses a server, called the "UCA Server," which runs the back end of a thin client application that lives on a Motorola Wi-Fi phone which is also enabled with Motorola (via Symbol) bar-code scanning capabilities.
The Avaya piece of the solution is application software that can either reside on the UCA Server or on its own server. This app software sits between the UCA Server and the Avaya Communications Manager IP-PBX. The system communicates with the retail store/chain's data warehouse, where the product information resides.
The scenario is that a retail floor worker scans the bar code, and the Avaya integration piece allows the thin client on the end device to bring up a screen of people/locations within the company that can answer questions about the product. The Avaya middleware and IP-PBX can connect the floor worker with an in-house expert, the retailer's contact center, or out to the PSTN to the product manufacturer/supplier.
The software will list for $75-$100 per user, Avaya says. Pricing wasn't available for the new bar code/phone device, called the Motorola CA50.
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