The newest software release (Version 8) of the Siemens Enterprise Communications OpenScape Contact Center (OSCC) can be run in a customer's VMWare vSphere 4 data center rather than using proprietary servers. This follows the earlier virtualization announcement for Siemens' OpenScape Unified Communications Server 2010.A centralized contact center infrastucture eliminates the need for dedicated servers at individual locations; using existing virtual servers further reduces overall capital investment and operating costs for hardware and maintenance. The software-centric contact center solution is also available in a new hosted edition for third party service providers.
A major OpenScape Contact Center V8 enhancement is Web-based agent, supervisor and management desktops, providing virtual accessibility to the system that can be customized to meet individual customer requirements. New modular subscription licensing options make it more affordable for customers to configure home or remote agents virtually at multiple locations. The Web-based agent desktop supports: a full set of telephony/ACD features; agent state control functions; display of call data for the current call; real time views of contact center activity, including presence status of team members; directory with search function; call log (last 100 calls) and configurable screen pops.
An major OSSC enhancement is Web Reporting, capable of supporting highly granular and actionable agent state detail. The enhanced reporting function provides for centralized data storage of multiple OSCC networked locations, allowing anytime, anywhere access to contact center data. With Web Reporting customers are able to use their existing database structure (Informix, Oracle, DB2, MS SQL, Interbase, etc.) for easy integration of data warehouse systems. Customized report creation and automated data backup are also provided. Web Reporting capabilities include: integration of individual report templates; report evaluations using Crystal Reports' scheduled report planning; drag-and-drop data selection; display exported reports; export reports to Excel, Word, HTML, etc.; an administration interface for user permissions and customized real-time reports.
Also included with the new release is Call Director SIP Service (CDSS), a scalable (up to 200 sessions), software-only, SIP-based integrated IVR package that supports self-service capabilties with reduced complexity at a lower cost than a standalone hardware-based solution. The OpenSUSE Linux-based software application runs on standard, customer provided off-the-shelf server equipment.
