comsys.net - September 2007

Comsys brings innovation in customer contact with Video IVR

Drastically simplifies the delivery of mobile video content for the promotion of products and services

Soesterberg/Rotterdam, September 10, 2007 – Comsys, a specialist in interactive telephony services, today announced the introduction of Video IVR. This technology enables organisations to display video files on the mobile (UMTS) phones of their customers. Since video messages are more appealing to the imagination of customers than a textual description or photos, Video IVR now offers companies (in particular media organisations and telecom providers) an innovative means of promoting their products and services and increasing their interaction with customers.

Video IVR allows companies to send video content to the mobile phones of their customers for various purposes. With the advent of interactive television, media organisations can use Video IVR to let viewers participate in a live television show, or to offer them the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes. Viewers will also be able to send content to the television studio, thus simplifying the uploading of user-generated content. Telecom operators will be able to better service customers who call up their customer service using a video connection, since they now have the supporting environment at their disposal. Video IVR also adds a new dimension for communities – their members are now able to record and exchange personal video messages. Moreover, it provides an ideal platform for mobile marketing, given that consumers with 3G phones will be able to view product information on their phones. Finally, Video IVR can also play an important role in viral marketing, since the recipient will be able to forward the phone number to another mobile caller in a very simple way.

All users have to do to gain access to the video files, is dial a number. This connects them to Comsys’ SpeechFrame IVR platform, which forms the basis of the Video IVR solution. The caller can select the content, which has been compiled by an organisation that has drawn up an agreement with Comsys for this purpose. The quick visibility of the information makes the menu navigation exceptionally easy. Through the use of telephone dials (DTMF tones) or speech recognition features, users will be able to communicate with the video service. As with a 0800/0900 service platform, it will be possible to link various rates to the interactive video services – from a free rate to a premium rate.

“The hosted Video IVR platform developed by Comsys is unique — this is the first time that hosted Video IVR is offered on a large scale in the Netherlands,” comments Gerrit-Jan Konijnenberg, Comsys’ CEO. “It has now become very easy to deploy Video IVR for mass calling applications. After all, over a million Dutch consumers are using 3G phones as we speak. This number will strongly increase in the next few years, creating a new mass communication channel. With Video IVR, companies have new and innovative methods for the promotion of their products and services at their fingertips. And as a result of the growing number of users of mobile UTMS phones, it is now particularly important for organisations to consider the ways in which they can optimally benefit from this new communication channel.”

Comsys offers Video IVR in the shape of a product as well as service. For instance, Comsys can assist video content providers during the generation of video material by verifying that the content is suitable for playing and viewing on the small displays of UMTS phones. Comsys also provides consultancy with regard to setting up services based on Video IVR.

Since Video IVR is based on open standards such as Java and VoiceXML, it is very easy to programme. Added to which, the use of interface standards and protocols allows Voice IVR to communicate with existing applications and content databases.

Video IVR is available as of today. The Comsys Video IVR will be introduced during the MobileTV convention in Hong Kong this week. In the Netherlands, Comsys will showcase its new product during the Emerce e.day 2007 on September 13. For more information on the Emerce e.day, please visit www.emerceeday.nl.