KNM SELECTS AVAYA IP OFFICE FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.

KNM Transport, a full-service transportation company located in San Diego, Calif., has shifted its outdated customer response system into high gear with the help of an advanced IP telephony solution from Avaya Inc. (NYSE:AV), a global provider of business communications applications, systems and services.

Faced with a high volume of calls, which often require a good deal of time to complete, KNM Transport found its existing system of answering calls live, and asking callers to wait if the requested agent was busy, was falling woefully short of the mark. KNM Transport received repeated complaints from customers who were placed on hold, then transferred several more times before finally reaching the right agent. What's more, the company needed a communications system that could provide cost-effective support for a growing number of remotely located employees.

Avaya IP Office, installed at KNM headquarters, has taken the company's customer service in a new direction, with intelligent communications, connecting communications and business applications to give workers, customers and processes the ability to be linked to the right person, at the right time. Now, KNM customers are routed automatically to the appropriate agent, with IP Office offering both callers and agents an array of options to help ensure each call is handled promptly, efficiently and professionally. In addition, remote workers are now seamlessly connected to the office as if they were located just down the hall.

"Thanks to the flexibility of our IP Office system, we've seen a vast improvement in customer service, and a dramatic reduction in long distance charges by our remote workers," said Mark Goodacre, president of KNM Transport. "Our agents now have the information they need to prioritize the most important calls, and ensure that all calls get answered as quickly as possible."

Sold and installed by M-Comm Solutions, an Avaya BusinessPartner, Avaya IP Office is an "all-in-one" office communication solution that brings together voice, data and communications applications for small and mid-size businesses. This converged communications system enables businesses to deploy an infrastructure, that gives full-featured traditional voice functionality today and the choice to deploy or migrate to IP when needed. In addition to the voice and IP applications integrated into IP office, this solution provides customer contact center capability for up to 75 agents. Avaya has sold more than 46,000 IP Office systems worldwide.

Using the auto attendant feature of IP Office, callers are prompted to identify themselves as a customer, driver, dispatcher or other business. Based on this information, they are routed to the appropriate KNM Transport agent. With the PhoneManager Pro interface, agents can clearly see which prompt the caller has selected, as well as useful caller ID information from the local service provider. If the agent elects to transfer the call to another agent, PhoneManager Pro lets the call be tagged with a short message so that the new handling agent has even more information on the caller. Another capability allows agents to grab an incoming call with higher priority than the one they are on by putting the current call on hold.

Customers in queue also have multiple options: they can continue holding, speak to an operator, or leave a message.

In order to effectively serve the growing pool of remote KNM Transport workers, M-Comm Solutions added Avaya hardware (Avaya model 2420 IP phones) and software-based (Avaya IP Office softphones) IP telephones.

Beginning with installation and continuing through to day-to-day operation, KNM says it has been impressed with its new Avaya IP Office Solutions system. "We're extremely pleased by the fact we had a seamless cutover," reported Goodacre, "and that the entire system has been running smoothly ever since."

About M-Comm Solutions

M-Comm Solutions is an Avaya BusinessPartner, headquartered in San Clemente, Calif. and servicing small to mid-size companies' voice, data and network service needs, primarily in Southern California. M-Comm Solutions specializes in IP Office and converged network applications in the small to mid-size space, as well as traditional telephony, including the Avaya MERLIN MAGIX(r) and PARTNER(r) Advanced Communications Systems solutions.

For more information, visit http://www.mcommsolutions.com.

About KNM Transport

KNM Transport is a full service transportation company based in San Diego, Calif. KNM is affiliated with American Freightways and American Trans-Freight and offers trucking, logistic services and dedicated fleet operations.

About Avaya

Avaya Inc. designs, builds and manages communications networks for more than 1 million businesses worldwide, including over 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500(r). Focused on businesses large to small, Avaya is a world leader in secure and reliable Internet Protocol (IP) telephony systems and communications software applications and services. Driving the convergence of voice and data communications with business applications - and distinguished by comprehensive worldwide services -Avaya helps customers leverage existing and new networks to achieve superior business results.

For more information visit http://www.avaya.com or call 908/953-3348.