BELLEVUE, Wash. and
INDIANAPOLIS /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Onyx(R) Software Corp. (Nasdaq: ONXS), a worldwide
leader in successful customer relationship
management (CRM), and Interactive Intelligence Inc.,
(Nasdaq: ININ), a global developer of
Microsoft-based business communications
solutions, have signed an alliance agreement
designed to reduce the cost and complexity of
contact center automation and CRM integration.
Under this agreement, the two companies are delivering
a connector between the latest version of Onyx
Employee Portal, a Web-based CRM solution that
consolidates customer information, and Interactive
Intelligence's Customer Interaction Center(R) (CIC),
a contact center automation software product that
includes applications such as automatic call
distribution, interactive voice response and Web
chat.
This agreement formalizes a long-standing relationship
between Onyx and Interactive Intelligence that has
resulted in successful joint implementations at more
than a dozen customer sites, including Amway Korea,
Netegrity, and Sony Music Entertainment.
Netegrity installed an integrated Onyx and Interactive
Intelligence solution to enhance its customer
support offerings around the world. The solution has
helped the company to realize tremendous return on
investment, including:
* 45 percent increase in its case volume -- without
increasing staff
* 18 percent increase in overall customer
satisfaction
* 35 percent decrease in time to resolve cases
* 40 percent decrease in backlogged cases
"Netegrity continues to grow its customer base and we
are now handling 45 percent more cases today than a
year ago without significantly increasing our
staff," said Brad Nelson, chief information officer,
Netegrity. "For every dollar we currently spend in
the contact center, we save three. I firmly believe
that this could not have been achieved without the
Onyx/Interactive
Intelligence combination."
"With more than a dozen customers already realizing the
benefits of an Onyx/Interactive Intelligence
solution, businesses can be confident that they're
getting, not just the most advanced technology, but
a solution that's delivered by proven market
leaders," said Dr. Donald E. Brown, president and
chief executive officer for Interactive
Intelligence.
The Onyx/Interactive Intelligence connector was
designed to enable customers to quickly and easily
integrate the two solutions, thus minimizing
installation time and simplifying maintenance.
According to the two companies, the integrated
solution provides a single interface embedding the
call interaction and skills-based routing
information into the customer data screens in Onyx,
resulting in increased productivity and enhanced
customer
service.
"Our relationship with Interactive Intelligence is
fundamentally about saving our customers' time, and
increasing productivity in the contact center," said
Ben Kiker, senior vice president and chief marketing
officer for Onyx. "Both computer telephony and CRM
are powerful on their own, but the sum is greater
than the parts. Together, Onyx and Interactive
Intelligence make it possible to create relevant,
personalized customer experiences throughout
the contact center, while reducing operational
costs."
About Onyx Contact Center Solution
With over 1,000 customers, Onyx solutions are used by
service, sales and marketing organizations ranging
from medium-sized businesses to the world's most
recognized brands, including American Express,
Amway, and ntl. While these companies range in size
and vary in their geographic location, they share
one common need -- the need to cost effectively
model processes to
provide a more intimate level of customer service
where every interaction counts. The Onyx Contact
Center supports this objective by offering a rich
portfolio of capabilities including business process
automation, cross-sell / up-sell, email management,
intelligent call scripting, knowledgebase access,
web self-service and work ticket management.
About Onyx Software
Onyx Software Corp. (Nasdaq: ONXS), a worldwide leader
in delivering successful CRM, offers a fast,
cost-effective, usable solution that shares critical
information among employees, customers and partners
through three role-specific, Web services-based
portals. The Onyx approach delivers real-world
success by aligning CRM technology with business
objectives, strategies
and processes. Companies rely on Onyx across
multiple departments to create a superior customer
experience and a profitable bottom line. Onyx serves
customers worldwide in a variety of industries,
including financial services, healthcare, high
technology and the public sector. Customers include
Amway,
United Kingdom lottery operator Camelot, Delta
Dental, Microsoft Corporation, Mellon Financial
Corporation, The Regence Group, State Street
Corporation and Suncorp. More information can be
found at (888) ASK-ONYX, info@onyx.com or
http://www.onyx.com.
About Interactive Intelligence Inc.
Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) is a
global developer of Microsoft-based business
communications software for IP telephony, contact
center automation, unified communications, and
customer self-service. The company was founded in
1994 and has more than 1,000 customers worldwide.
Recent awards include Software Magazine's 2003 Top
500 Global Software and Services Companies, Network
Computing Magazine's 2003 Editor's Choice, Internet
Telephony Magazine's 2003 Editor's Choice and
Product of the Year, Customer Inter@ction Solutions
Magazine's 2003 Product of the Year, and
ContactCenterWorld.com's 2004 Members' Choice.
Interactive Intelligence employs approximately 350
people and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind.
The company has 12 offices throughout North America,
Europe and Asia. Its telephone number is +1
317.872.3000; on the Web: http://www.ININ.com.
This release contains certain forward-looking
statements that involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially are described in the
company's SEC filings.
Interactive Intelligence Inc. is the owner of the marks
INTERACTIVE INTELLIGENCE, its associated LOGO and
numerous other marks. All other trademarks mentioned
in this document are the property of their
respective
owners.
Contacts:
Carrie Holmes
Onyx Software
+1 425.519.4096 or carrieh@onyx.com
Christine Holley, Director of Market Communications
Interactive Intelligence Inc.
+1 317.715.8220 or christine.holley@ININ.com
05.11.04 
