Avaya

Speech recognition applications are not such revolutionizing IVR, defined for this article as enabling dual-tone multiplex frequency (DTMF) or TouchTone(TM) interactions, but instead appears to be supplanting it as the key means of automated voice interaction. That victory, which may be in sight, sets the stage for integrating voice with web, e-mail, and SMS to provide a unified user-friendly automated solution that will reduce agent engagement time and, for an increasing number but far from all interactions, eliminate agent involvement.

Organizations throughout the world have discovered significant communication challenges when integrating disparate systems and supporting other locations and employees not housed in the corporate headquarters.

As a result of these challenges, many have looked to unified communications to streamline processes and deliver cost savings while also driving efficiency and productivity. This has led to significant increases in UC market growth and the opportunities that exist for vendors operating in this industry.

Jacada is a provider of unified desktop and process optimization solutions for customer service operations. The company's solutions, Jacada WorkSpace and Jacada Fusion, are designed to simplify, automate and optimize a call center's work processes across disparate business systems, eliminating inefficiencies and boosting productivity. I recently got a chance to catch up with the company by chatting with Jacada's CEO Paul O'Callaghan.

RT: So how was business in 2007?