Microsoft and Aspect Software Form Global
Strategic Alliance
Microsoft makes equity investment in Aspect to bring Microsoft's unified
communications and voice platform to contact centers worldwide
18 Mar 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. – March 18, 2008 – Today at the VoiceCon Orlando 2008
conference, Microsoft Corp. and Aspect Software Inc., a leading contact center
company, announced a multiyear strategic alliance to help deliver unified
communications (UC) to contact centers around the world. Aspect will design
its Aspect® Unified IP™ contact center solution to interoperate with
Microsoft's platform for software-powered voice and unified communications and
will offer it as the leading option to new and existing customers. Microsoft
is making an equity investment in Aspect to accelerate the development and
adoption of the new solutions and services.
"Our alliance and the resulting joint solutions are designed to enhance
sales, service and support capabilities for organizations of all types and sizes,
across many industries. We strongly believe that the combination of Microsoft Office
Communications Server 2007 and Aspect Unified IP will redefine the way companies
interact with their customers," said Jim Foy, president and CEO of Aspect. "With
this alliance and its equity investment, Microsoft recognizes Aspect Unified IP as
an ideal fit with its software-powered voice platform."
"A key pillar of Microsoft's unified communications vision is improving access to the
people and information you need to do your job better and more quickly, and, with Aspect,
we aim to make this vision a reality for contact centers," said Gurdeep Singh Pall,
corporate vice president, Unified Communications Group at Microsoft. "Contact centers
demand reliable and flexible communications solutions. The fact that Aspect, a noted
leader, is choosing to optimize its next-generation solution for Microsoft UC is
tremendous validation of the strengths of our unified communications and voice over
Internet protocol platform, and for the momentum behind software-powered voice."
Aspect will begin development of the optimized solutions immediately. This year, Aspect
plans to release a new version of its .NET-based Aspect Unified IP product, which
delivers interoperability with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, and which
will include a powerful ask-an-expert capability using instant messaging and presence
technology in Office Communications Server 2007. Aspect is designing this feature to
enable contact center agents to find and consult with experts anywhere in a company
to resolve inquiries in a single interaction.
Aspect plans to extend the interoperability of its Unified IP with Office Communications
Server to include software-powered voice in subsequent releases. This solution is being
designed to enable contact centers to seamlessly escalate customer interactions to
different channels – phone, instant messaging, e-mail or conferencing – while
addressing reliability, scalability and reporting needs.
"The connection between contact center technology and unified communications has not, to
date, been at the center of the conversation," said Sheila McGee-Smith, president and
principal analyst, McGee-Smith Analytics. "The decision of Microsoft and Aspect to create
this strategic alliance clearly demonstrates that the contact center plays an integral
role in the evolution of software in the enterprise. Companies may now choose to make a
choice to easily bring Microsoft UC into both their contact center and their enterprise,
realizing the benefits of first call resolution and other metrics that a uniform UC
strategy can deliver."
As part of the agreement, Aspect will also build a professional services and systems
integration practice for Microsoft's unified communications software. Aspect will help
customers deploy, customize and manage Office Communications Server in its contact centers
and throughout its organizations for software-powered voice, instant messaging, presence
and conferencing.
Aspect Software is majority owned by Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco-based private
equity firm with $9 billion of capital under management.
About Aspect Software
Aspect Software Inc. founded the contact center industry and is now the world's largest
company solely focused on unified communications for the contact center. Our all-in-one,
IT-ready solutions communications-enable customer service, collections and sales &
telemarketing business processes for small and medium enterprises as well as for two-thirds
of the FORTUNE Global 100. For more information, visit www.Aspect.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and
solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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Aspect, Aspect Unified IP and Aspect Software are either trademarks or registered trademarks
of Aspect Software, Inc., in the United States and other countries. The names of other
companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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