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CONTACT INFORMATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IMPRESS Software and Aspect Communications
Enable Oklahoma Gas & Electric to Improve Service with Automatic
Customer Information
BURLINGTON, MA, November 21, 2000 — IMPRESS SOFTWARE, a
leading provider of e-business connectivity, and Aspect Communications
Corporation (Nasdaq: ASPT), the leading provider of customer relationship
portals, have joined forces to provide customers of Oklahoma Gas
& Electric (OG&E) with better automated information. OG&E
chose the two companies to provide an integrated online voice and
data management system to improve customer service and speed responses
during peak calling times.
The project comes as a growing number of companies are looking
for connectivity solutions that will tap automatically into account
information stored in their back-end systems, streamlining their
customer service procedures and reducing errors in an increasingly
competitive market sector. OG&E's 700,000 customers now have
telephone access toreal-time account help such as last payment amounts
and requests for duplicate bills.
OG&E chose the Aspect Customer Self-Service (CSS) application,
which incorporates interactive voice response, totake calls and
guide customers through service menus. IMPRESS provided the connectivity
toOG&E's SAP R/3 system to provide real-time customer data to
callers quickly and seamlessly. Through its collaboration engine,
IMPRESS/OIS (Online Information System), IMPRESS designed a fast,
secure link that made all required data readily available to the
Aspect CSS system. Because of the OIS connector's high scalability,
Aspect's CSS system can respond easily to a significant growth in
call volume.
"This project is a prime example of how companies like OG&E
can directly benefit from the combined expertise of best-of-breed
providers like IMPRESS and Aspect Communications," said Marc
Elmhorst, co-CEO of IMPRESS SOFTWARE.
"Integrating your CRM resources is vital in providing world-class
service in today's market," said Beatriz Infante, Aspect's
president and CEO. "IMPRESS has done an excellent job in integrating
the Aspect CSS system with the existing SAP R/3 system to provide
OG&E with a comprehensive telephone package that assures the
company of exceptional customer response capability."
"We are very pleased with the service and expertise IMPRESS
and Aspect provided us as well as the quick turnaround time for
a workable solution," said Deborah Gavula, supervisor of special
services for Oklahoma Gas & Electric. "This call-handling
solution will enable us to provide our customers with the best possible
service technology can provide."
About Oklahoma Gas & Electric
OG&E Electric Services is the trade name for Oklahoma Gas and
Electric Company. OG&E Electric Services is an electric utility
company and has about 696,000 retail customers in Oklahoma and western
Arkansas. It has additional wholesale customers throughout the region.
OG&E's electricity comes from eight company-owned power plants
plus purchased power and is delivered across an interconnected transmission
and distribution system that spans 30,000 square miles. OG&E
began operating in 1902. The company serves approximately 274 cities
and towns.
About Aspect Communications
Aspect Communications Corporation is the leading provider of customer
relationship portals, a software platform for building and deploying
eCRM applications that enable businesses to ensure consistent interactions
with their customers from one centrally managed eBusiness system.
Aspect's leadership position in customer relationship management
solutions is based on its 15-year history and more than 7,600 customer
contact center implementations. Aspect is headquartered in San Jose,
Calif., with offices in major cities worldwide. For more information
about Aspect, visit the company's Web site at www.aspect.com
or call 1-877-621-3692.
About IMPRESS:
IMPRESS SOFTWARE provides global companies with the robust connections
they need tocollaborate with an infinite number of partners across
multiple systems, companies and countries. IMPRESS creates industry-specific
software solutions that leverage existing systems and integrate
entire business processes for maximum efficiency. Over 60 blue-chip
customers such as adidas, BASF, DaimlerChrysler and Siemens have
chosen IMPRESS's cutting-edge solutions. With its uniquely modular
design, the IMPRESS/OIS (Online Information System) collaboration
engine connects multiple front- and back-end systems for a real-time
interchange of logic and data.
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