-Easy-to-use, ultra-compact MiniCore networking modules to be released based on new chip-

MINNETONKA, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rabbit, a Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII – News) brand, today introduced the Rabbit 6000, the industry’s first embedded wireless communications and control System on Chip (SoC) ideal for industrial automation applications. The Rabbit 6000 combines wireless communications and an industrial control feature set on a single chip to reduce the time to market of network-enabled industrial devices. Rabbit will release versions of its popular MiniCore series of easy-to-use, ultra-compact, low-profile, low-cost networking modules based on this new processor.

“This chip allows us to further expand our MiniCore series and offer modules designed specifically for flexible networking and control of industrial devices,” said Larry Kraft, senior vice president of global sales and marketing, Digi International. “The networking speed performance of the new MiniCore modules will be six times faster than previous MiniCore modules, and the already low power requirements will be reduced.”

The Rabbit 6000 features integrated 10/100 Base-T Ethernet and secure 802.11a/b/g with WPA2 support for the highest levels of security. It also offers an industrial control feature set that includes Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), Pulse Position Modulation (PPM) and Quadrature decoder outputs for efficient industrial motor control, and an on board analog-to-digital (A/D) converter with 12-bit resolution to enable measurement of sensor data such as water, temperature and humidity. It also features USB 2.0 full-speed host and two on-board Flexible Interface Modules (FIMs) that enable further protocol support such as CANbus, Secure Digital (SD) and Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO).

Digi will introduce pin-compatible and interchangeable wired and wireless MiniCore modules based on the Rabbit 6000. The MiniCore family provides a rich embedded feature set on an ultra-compact mini PCI Express form factor. Its small size makes it easy for customers to place wired or wireless network connectivity anywhere on a mother board. Systems developers can easily interchange MiniCore family products to tailor connectivity for any given application.

Early adopter MiniCore development kits will be available in April. For more information, visit http://www.rabbit.com/products/rab6000/.

About Rabbit

Rabbit, a Digi International® brand, is a leading global provider of easy-to-use eight and 16-bit microprocessors, core modules and single board computers; and development tools for embedded control, communications, and Ethernet and wireless connectivity. Rabbit offers customers a complete embedded design system, including low-cost development kits and comprehensive technical support for both hardware and software issues. For more information, visit www.rabbit.com.

LAWRENCE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Newfound Communications, Inc., a leading provider of call recording, interactive voice response (IVR) and dialing solutions for the telecommunications industry, today announced the availability of its VXML Dialer 3.0. This enhanced version offers a broad range of new features and functionality for call center operators and service providers to create and manage high-volume, outbound Interactive Voice Response (IVR) campaigns.

VXML Dialer 3.0 is designed to provide greater control, automation, and flexibility for outbound dialing campaigns, such as alerts, notifications, emergency response and customer service applications. New features include an enhanced Web dashboard, an outbound messaging wizard, improved VoiceXML integration, easier campaign setup and the ability to upload call records.

As with previous releases, the VXML Dialer can prioritize and complete millions of outbound calls per day. The outbound dialing solution’s multi-tenant architecture is ideal for service providers, hosting companies as well as large enterprises. With the VXML Dialer, individual tenants, customers and departments can securely create, manage and monitor their own outbound IVR call campaigns. The newly designed dashboard provides campaign monitoring and call reporting for every account. It also allows tenant administrators to easily create and edit outbound messaging, initiate calls and pause dialing.

“The new version of VXML Dialer is taking outbound VoiceXML-based dialing to the next level. It offers an array of easy-to-use features now coupled with our continued performance and scalability,” explained Kris Hopkins, President and CEO of Newfound Communications. “Perfect for cloud-based or Communications as a Service (CaaS) offerings and businesses alike, the industry now has a simple, flexible, standards-based tool to manage outbound customer service campaigns.”

In addition to playing professional recordings or synthesized text-to-speech with or without VoiceXML, the VXML Dialer delivers reliable “live answer” and answering machine detection. Unlike most outbound APIs for IVR platforms, VXML Dialer will re-try calls for specific results (busy, no answer, line error, etc.) and prioritize calls for specific accounts, campaigns, time zones and individual calls. The VXML Dialer can also transfer calls to an agent during or at the end of a call.

Available today, the VXML Dialer 3.0 supports Nuance Powered Software or Voxeo Prophecy as well as many other VoiceXML and CCXML platforms. For more information, visit: http://www.newfoundcomm.net/vxmldialer.htm.

About Newfound Communications, Inc.

Established in 2000, Newfound Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of dialing, call recording and interactive voice response (IVR) solutions. Headquartered in Lawrence, MA, Newfound offers the technology, tools and expertise to streamline automated customer service. Newfound is the leading source of innovative speech solutions utilizing VoiceXML and VoIP with its VXML Dialer and IP Call Recorder products. For more information, please visit: www.newfoundcomm.net or call 1-86-NEWFOUND (866-393-6863).

Equipment manufacturers across market segments get access to powerful yet flexible and cost-efficient digital engines

GENEVA, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM – News), a world leader in system-on-chip technology, today unveiled four new members in the SPEAr microprocessor family, targeting embedded-control applications across market segments from computer peripherals and communication to industrial automation. Based on the latest ARM® core technology, ST’s SPEAr microprocessors enable equipment manufacturers to develop complex yet flexible digital engines at a fraction of the time and cost of competing solutions.

Manufactured in state-of-the-art low-power 90nm and 65nm HCMOS (high-speed CMOS) process technologies, ST’s SPEAr (Structured Processor Enhanced Architecture) embedded microprocessors provide high levels of computing power and connectivity. The devices combine one or two advanced ARM9 processor cores (ARM926EJ-S up to 400MHz in typical conditions, or 333MHz in worst-case conditions of temperature and voltage) with memory interfaces, and a large set of IP blocks delivering connectivity, communication, and audio/video functions for different applications.

The SPEAr microprocessors target networked devices used for communication, display and control in applications including VoIP phones, wireless access devices, printers, thin-client computers, PC docking stations, bar-code scanners/readers, home appliances, residential control and security systems, and medical lab/diagnostics equipment.

The SPEAr family members are:

The SPEAr300 is an excellent choice for human-machine interface and security applications. It contains:

• Camera Interface
• LCD and Keyboard Controller
• Crypto Accelerator
• TDM Bus
• USB 2.0
• Fast Ethernet

The SPEAr310 is tailored for telecom network applications. Integrated IP blocks include:

• 5 fast Ethernet ports
• TDM Bus
• 2 HDLC ports
• Crypto Accelerator
• USB 2.0

The SPEAr320 is suitable for factory automation and consumer applications. Its function blocks include:

• 2 CAN interfaces
• 4 Serial ports
• Standard parallel port
• LCD Controller
• Crypto Accelerator
• USB 2.0

The dual-core SPEAr600, with benchmarked performance of 733 DMIPS (Dhrystone million instructions per second), targets highly compute-intensive embedded applications across market segments. In addition to the two cores, it contains:

• Giga Ethernet
• USB 2.0
• External local bus access for glueless FPGA connection
• LCD Controller

Facilitating a full-system project approach, ST provides SPEAr development kits that contain a complete set of elements to develop and test the customer system with minimum time and resource requirements.

ST’s new SPEAr embedded microprocessors are in full production. The single-core models (SPEAr300/310/320) are priced below US$7 for mass production quantities, the dual-core SPEAr600 sells below US$9 for mass production quantities.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications with innovative semiconductor solutions. ST aims to be the undisputed leader in multimedia convergence and power applications leveraging its vast array of technologies, design expertise and combination of intellectual property portfolio, strategic partnerships and manufacturing strength. In 2009, the Company’s net revenues were $8.51 billion. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.

Today, from the AG CONNECT Expo in Orlando, Florida, Hemisphere GPS proudly launched two new Outback Guidance(R) products, the Outback eDriveX hydraulic auto-steering system and the Outback A220 smart GPS antenna.

“We are very excited about taking our new auto-steering technology to market as it takes our product portfolio to a completely new level of precision steering and control performance,” said Steven Koles, President and CEO of Hemisphere GPS. “Our eDriveTC(TM) technology has been successful in steering sprayers and other farm equipment to better than eight inches. Now, with eDriveX utilizing our world-class Celestia(R) sensor fusion technology, we are able to steer more demanding farming practices including high precision planting, strip tilling and bedding, requiring centimeter-level accuracy at a wide range of speeds. This opens up a whole set of new opportunities with our aftermarket and OEM customers as we offer them the means to maximize their return on their investments by adopting the next level of precision.”

Outback eDriveX is the latest addition to Hemisphere GPS’ portfolio of best selling aftermarket guidance and steering systems. It automatically steers agricultural machines using GPS technology providing the exceptional accuracy and performance required for precision applications. As a result, it provides more uniform treatments, reduces waste, conserves fuel, and reduces driver fatigue; all of which reduce cost and extend time in the field. Outback eDriveX operates from 1 mph to 25 mph, features six-axis inertial compensation and integrated wheel angle sensing, and has proportional hydraulics for precise control and line acquisition. The company offers several vehicle-specific installation kits complete with all the necessary hoses, fittings, brackets and detailed installation instructions, which make Outback eDriveX immediately compatible with over 145 agricultural vehicle models. Additional installation kits will also be made available over the coming months. When teamed with Outback S3(TM), and Outback A220, Outback eDriveX offers centimeter level automated steering in Straight, Free Form Contour, and Circle Pivot Guidance modes.

The Outback A220 smart antenna is an easy to install GPS receiver and antenna in an all-in-one, rugged enclosure making it the perfect choice for both aftermarket and OEM applications. Powered by Hemisphere GPS’ dual-frequency Eclipse(TM) GPS receiver technology, it provides fast, portable, sub-meter and decimeter differential GPS (DGPS) as well as centimeter real time kinematic (RTK) positioning accuracy. With the optional internal radio, Outback A220 works in RTK mode as either a base or rover. It also supports Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) signals and OmniSTAR(R) HP/XP corrections, and offers Hemisphere GPS’ exclusive COAST(TM) technology, allowing it to maintain an accurate solution for up to 40 minutes, even when a differential signal is lost. Outback A220 operates within RTK networks and with base stations from other manufacturers as it supports the most common open architecture formats RTCM 3.1, CMR and CMR+. It also has the ability to communicate with a variety of external data loggers, navigation, and CAN systems using NMEA 2000, NMEA 0183, binary and USB communication protocols.

“Hemisphere GPS is proud to introduce Outback eDriveX and the Outback A220 smart antenna,” said Kip Pendleton, Vice President and General Manager of Agriculture of Hemisphere GPS. “The superior functionality of both products allow farmers to perform precision applications with accurate and repeatable results. Growers can capture a quick return on investment with this level of precision control to increase production and reduce waste. All indications are that centimeter level steering systems are the fastest growing segment of precision agriculture. Outback eDriveX and Outback A220 are positioned ideally for this marketplace.” Outback eDriveX and the Outback A220 smart antenna can be ordered at www.outbackguidance.com with availability in Spring 2010. These products will also be available through Outback Guidance Centers and other authorized Hemisphere GPS distributors in North America and worldwide.

About Hemisphere GPS

Hemisphere GPS designs and manufactures innovative, cost-effective GPS products for positioning, guidance, and machine control applications in agriculture, marine and other markets. The Company holds numerous patents and other intellectual property and owns leading brand names including Outback Guidance(R) in precision agriculture. The Company is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with major product development, sales and marketing facilities in Arizona, Kansas, and Australia. Hemisphere GPS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) trading under the symbol “HEM” and is one of the TSX Cleantech designated companies. This year marks the Company’s 20th anniversary of providing innovative GPS technology and product solutions to customers worldwide. For more information about Hemisphere GPS, please go to www.hemispheregps.com.

Proprietary Application Enables Scheduled or On Demand Remote Diagnostics of Video Rooms for VNOC Managed Service Customers

Glowpoint, Inc. (OTCBB: GLOW), a leading provider of advanced video communications solutions, today announced the unveiling of an automated diagnostic application called Video Room Sweep (“VRS”) that automatically performs comprehensive “sweeps” and emulations of video sessions for all components of telepresence and video conferencing rooms. Designed to offer a more automated and scalable proactive level of managed service, VRS can ensure higher in-use rates of video technology, resulting in predictable performance and a higher return on investment.

As a component of Glowpoint’s cloud-based managed video services, VRS is exclusively available for Glowpoint’s Video Network Operations Center (“VNOC”) clients and partner clients. Version 1.0 of VRS supports Polycom and Cisco technologies and, beginning in the first quarter of 2010, Glowpoint plans to release additional versions that will support other technologies, such as Tandberg and LifeSize systems.

Glowpoint’s Vice President of Marketing, Jonathan Brust, said, “Our new VRS application has been well received by customers, partners and end-users, and we have a growing list of customers excited to have this service activated in their environment. This added level of automation enables our customers to utilize their video technology with the highest degree of reliability and consistency.”

VRS can be programmed for automatic daily sweeps and can also be used as an on-demand troubleshooting tool. VRS tests and diagnoses the health of all components in a telepresence or video conferencing room, along with functionality of the network to ensure proper performance and readiness. Following a room sweep, automated exception reporting and notifications prompt the VNOC of any service, hardware, connectivity or compatibility issues, where highly responsive remediation measures are then immediately implemented.

VRS provides users with the following features and benefits:

• Accessibility Verification – verifies the accessibility and status of every network device in a room, such as video codecs, IP phones, control panels, PCs, projectors, and switches
• QoS Measurement – tests local video to ensure proper functionality by measuring video packet loss, audio packet loss, and packet loss percentages through electronic means as well as via an actual video call that is automatically launched to visually gauge determine video and audio quality
• Room Readiness – checks the local video and audio hardware components, such as speakers, monitors and projectors, to ensure full functionality
• Version Inventory – analyzes and compares all room components and system/software/firmware versions to ensure that they are consistent with the VNOC’s database

The daily results of the diagnostics will be available to VNOC customers through Glowpoint’s Web-based user portal. Upcoming versions will also offer VNOC customers the ability to activate on-demand sweeps independent of the managed service technicians.

Glowpoint’s VNOC and managed services support thousands of rooms and systems globally, offering a single point of contact for the comprehensive management of telepresence and video environments. Glowpoint’s VNOC service includes on-line and MS Exchange TM integrated conference scheduling, call launching, conference production, 24/7 remote monitoring, trouble remediation, along with a broad spectrum of room performance reporting features.

About Glowpoint

Glowpoint, Inc. (OTCBB: GLOW) is a leading provider of advanced video communications solutions. Glowpoint’s suite of robust telepresence and video communications solutions enables organizations to communicate with each other over disparate networks and technology platforms. Glowpoint supports thousands of video communications systems in more than 35 countries with its 24/7 video management services. Glowpoint also powers major broadcasters, Fortune 500 companies, as well as global carriers and video equipment manufacturers – and their customers – worldwide. To learn more, visit www.glowpoint.com.

EU3 Provides Investment Protection for Tomorrow’s M2M Wireless Connectivity

Cinterion Wireless Modules, the global leader in cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) communication modules, today announced its new UMTS900 module EU3 at the Metering, Billing/CRM Europe 2009 tradeshow. The Cinterion EU3 UMTS wireless module offers the perfect solution for the challenging long-term requirements of industrial applications such as automatic meter reading (AMR).

The new EU3 has dual band frequencies for both 2G and 3G including newly added UMTS900, which means EU3 can support applications designed for use on evolving GSM networks for many years to come. By enabling UMTS functionality on the 900 MHz band, EU3 offers increased coverage area for high-speed communications even in very remote locations. EU3 offers GPRS/EDGE functionality to support portable, mobile and fixed applications where 3G coverage is not available today. Specifically designed for M2M applications, the EU3 offers extremely fast data speeds on serial (up to 460 kbps) and USB interfaces (up to 480 Mbps) for quick and easy data transfer. The 10 GPIO (general purpose input/output) pins guarantee the highest possible flexibility to connect customer application sensors.

“Cinterion’s EU3 provides a smart investment protection today for the wireless connectivity of the future,” said Norbert Muhrer, CEO, Cinterion Wireless Modules. “By enabling a full range of M2M functions and features, EU3 protects the current technology investment of our customers while allowing room for growth to the 3G cellular networks of the future. Our latest product design is another example of Cinterion’s commitment to providing forward-thinking, sustainable solutions for our customers.”

For more information about Cinterion Wireless Modules’ new M2M UMTS module EU3, please visit us at Metering, Billing/CRM Europe 2009 tradeshow, Booth 641, October 6-8, Barcelona, Spain.

About Cinterion Wireless Modules

Cinterion Wireless Modules is the worldwide leading supplier of cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) communication modules, and combines unparalleled M2M engineering expertise and localized worldwide customer support with a strong portfolio of high-quality GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSPA products. Cinterion is a reliable partner and valued by many vertical market customers for its award-winning modules, which enable machines, equipment and vehicles to communicate over wireless networks helping enterprises dramatically cut costs and increase productivity and efficiency. Cinterion products are carrier and FTA approved and used for industries including remote maintenance and control; metering; payment systems; industrial PDAs; routers and gateways; security systems; health care; automotive and eToll; tracking and tracing; environmental monitoring and more. The firm’s global headquarters are in Munich, Germany with sales and support offices in local markets around the world. For more information, please visit: www.cinterion.com.

Accel-RF announces a significant addition to its family of proven RF Reliability Test System Products. The new High Power RF (HiPR-AARTS) Automated Accelerated Reliability Test System will help manufacturers prove reliability for application specific devices.

Manufacturers are using Accel-RF’s equipment to prove intrinsic reliability and performance degradation characteristics of GaN technology on discrete devices and lower power MMICs. The next stage in the development of the technology is to build and test high power devices for use in radar and military and communication electronics.

“As reliability is proven on lower powered devices, the technology evolution is moving toward high power GaN, MMICs, HEMT and HFET devices that require significant advancements in reliability testing equipment,” says Roland Shaw, president and founder of Accel-RF. The new system is either liquid or air cooled, has RF and DC pulsing capability, and can handle device power dissipation of up to 200 watts each. “This new system can manage over seven times more power than our current generation product,” continues Shaw. “This capability allows our customers to lifetest their products at channel temperatures in excess of 300° C, with performance characterization at normal operating temperature levels.” All in-situ in the HiPR- AARTS.

“In addition to our customers, compound semiconductor manufacturers, specifically Wide Band-Gap initiative partners and Tri-Services component teams are currently pushing the capabilities of our existing products,” says Shaw. “Our new High Power RF Reliability Test System will give our customers plenty of capability to prove reliability of new technology in real-life conditions now and into the future, and Accel-RF is ready to supply this leading-edge equipment worldwide.”

About Accel-RF

Accel-RF Corporation is a closely-held private corporation located in San Diego, California. The company specializes in the development, design, and production of accelerated life-test/burn-in test systems for RF semiconductor devices. These systems are turn-key integrated instruments that provide a cost-effective and high-value proposition for manufacturers, fabless designers, testing-service providers, original equipment manufacturers, system integrators, and research and development laboratories requiring intrinsic reliability identification, process-control validation, specification standard-deviation characterization, and product qualification testing.

First Hosted Dialer with Integrated ACD delivers advanced call routing and call pacing to cut abandons

LiveVox Inc., the leading provider of hosted-dialer solutions, today announced the release of Agent@Ready, a feature that drastically reduces abandoned calls associated with hosted-broadcast blasters and robo callers.

LiveVox developed its patented automated call distributor (ACD) in 2005 to transfer calls and consumer information instantly, cutting abandons while pacing aggressively enough to maximize agent productivity. However, prior to the release of Agent@Ready, some agencies were unable to benefit from the LiveVox ACD due to their telephony infrastructure.

Until recently, abandoned calls were the trade-off between using a hosted robo call vendor or running hardware dialers with too little line capacity to manage account volumes. Robo callers generate a high percentage of abandons, sometimes as great as 40%, because they transfer calls via a “whisper,” an automated voice that reads account numbers to agents. This delay allows precious Right-Party Contacts to hang up before reaching collectors.

“Agent@Ready is yet another feature LiveVox has developed to enhance and evolve our offering for credit and collections,” said Louis Summe, Chief Executive Officer, LiveVox. “With a focus on feature development and business analytics, we combine engineering, industry expertise and strong client relationships to provide the tools most impactful for this industry. LiveVox continues to deliver ways to maximize Right-Party Contacts, achieve 60% talk time or better, and reduce abandon calls so our clients can focus their energy on collections.”

Hosted robo callers also lack an ACD meaning they cannot tell how many agents are available to receive calls during campaigns. These systems can be dialed too aggressively, meaning consumers are placed on hold with no agents available to speak to them, or too passively causing agents to sit idle.

“Right-party contacts are too precious to squander on abandoned calls,” said John McNamara, Chief Marketing Officer, LiveVox. “The current collection environment requires agencies to squeeze the most possible value from their portfolios. The agencies most likely to thrive are tracking agent ‘talk time’ against wait time, wrap-up time and abandons. LiveVox customers used to uncontrolled abandons from robo-caller products are delighted by the ability not only to minimize dropped calls, but to exploit the ACD functionality to run true skills-based routing.”

With Agent@Ready, LiveVox procures local Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers for clients at no additional charge. This allows organizations to tap their agents into to the LiveVox ACD, which drives the Hosted Dialer’s powerful call pacing and routing features and dramatically reduces abandoned calls.

About LiveVox

LiveVox is the first provider of hosted dialer solutions for the credit and collections industry. Breakthrough, patented technology and deep industry knowledge allow LiveVox to assist clients with optimizing their operations and collection strategies. Private, carrier-grade VoIP networks enable LiveVox to maximize the productivity of leading credit, collections, debt purchase and call center organizations at the lowest cost of ownership in the marketplace. LiveVox is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.livevox.com.

DPS Telecom, a leading developer of network alarm monitoring solutions, announced today that it has released a new white paper, “The Complete Guide to Remote Auto-Dialers.” This white paper discusses auto-dialer RTUs, which provide a way to monitor your remote sites directly from your phone.

If you’re responsible for any number of remote sites, whatever your industry, you absolutely have to know when you have a problem. Auto-Dialers are great for this task, because they offer reliable and accurate notification. But there isn’t just one auto-dialer out there — they’re all different. In this new white paper, you’ll learn how to choose the right one.

After reading, you’ll understand the dangers you face every day if you don’t monitor your sites. If you simply do nothing, outages and increased operational expenses will cost you way more than any auto-dialer.

“DPS is all about helping our clients reduce their operating, maintenance, and repair expenses,” said Eric Storm, President of DPS Telecom. “Even basic, easy-to-install auto-dialers can make an impact on your bottom line ….”

This new auto-dialer white paper teaches readers in any industry how auto-dialers work and how they collect alarms. It covers the different types of inputs and outputs you should look for, as well as the pros and cons of using an auto-dialer RTU. The guide also provides a list of 4 basic principles that will help you understand what to monitor with your auto-dialers.

But you can’t just pick any Auto-Dialer. There are many pitfalls you must avoid — the safety and security of your remote sites are at stake. This white paper exposes the secrets of researching and deploying high-quality auto-dialers.

You’ll learn how to tell the difference between reliable industrial-grade gear and cheap “bare minimum” dialers. You’ll also receive a checklist for identifying a reliable auto-dialer when you see one.

“The best auto-dialers are based on industrial-grade monitoring gear …” said Mark Carberry, DPS Director of Engineering. “You want to make sure that the company you’re buying from has a long history of real-world deployments. Your network is too important to gamble with. Buy field-proven technology.”

In this white paper, you’ll discover handy bonus features to look for, like a built-in web interface that will accelerate your setup. Accessibility via web browser reduces the amount of time you have to spend in front of your master terminal.

As you read this entire white paper, just imagine how much better you’ll feel when you know that your sites are protected, every minute of every day, by a reliable monitoring system. To download this white paper and other guides like it, visit http://www.dpstele.com/auto-dialers.

About DPS Telecom:

DPS Telecom is an industry-leading manufacturer of network alarm monitoring solutions. DPS clients include major OEMs, Fortune 500 companies, RBOCs, ILECs, CLECs, gas and electric utilities, heavy and light rail transit, government agencies, and manufacturers.

Employee and Customer Communications on a Unified Platform Deliver Superior Results

Varolii Corporation, the market and technology leader in proactive outbound communications, today introduced an enhanced suite of four automated communications applications for the Utilities industry. Using proactive two-way messages via voice calls, text messaging and email, utilities can work with customers to curtail demand during peak usage times, notify them of outages, collect overdue bills and manage contact center staffing in real time. Each application leverages Varolii’s unique automated mass personalization capability, Varolii ID™, which allows utilities to avoid communication fatigue and achieve better results by completely customizing cross-channel communications to each individual customer or employee.

Four New Applications Specifically Designed to Solve Unique Challenges in the Utilities Industry

Developed with best practices gleaned from Varolii’s work with 25 of the nation’s top utilities over several years, the new communication suite comprises four utility-specific applications on a unified, cross-channel platform for both customers and employees:

• Demand Response – Many utilities offer reduced rates to commercial and industrial customers who agree to curtail their energy usage when peak periods occur. With Varolii Demand Response, utilities can send an automated curtailment notification in minutes, rather than the hours required for a manual process, thereby speeding the curtailment process.
• Outage Notification – During outages, inbound calls drastically spike from customers wanting to know when power will be restored. Utilities can use Varolii Outage Notification to proactively contact their customers before they call, dramatically reducing inbound calls, verifying outage areas, providing safety information and confirming power restoration.
• Revenue Assurance – Even under the best circumstances, utilities tend to suffer from revenue leakage, and in today’s turbulent economy, delinquencies are rising fast. Using Varolii Revenue Assurance, utilities can improve revenue collection by sending automated payment reminders; processing payments over the phone; and increasing early, mid- and late-stage collections results.
• Contact Center Agent – Managing the call center in unison with outbound communications can mean the difference between success and low customer satisfaction. Using Varolii Contact Center Agent, utilities can automatically schedule and notify agents to ensure staffing requirements are met no matter what, thereby maximizing revenue collected or ensuring a high degree of customer service is delivered by those agents.

“With Varolii, we can proactively reach our customers before turning to more expensive efforts such as notices and letters,” said Jim Hackett, manager of Credit and Collections at PECO, the largest utility in Pennsylvania. “By reaching customers early with automated calls, we have been able to improve our revenue management process by better utilizing our agent resources, reducing operational costs and collecting more from our customers.”

Harnessing the Power of Varolii ID: Customized Communications to a “Segment of One”

The most significant enhancement in Varolii’s new unified communication suite for Utilities is Varolii ID™, the first automated mass personalization capability that enables organization to avoid communication fatigue by customizing communications to each individual recipient. With Varolii ID, utilities can actually send fewer messages, reach more individuals and achieve better results from each communication.

Varolii ID remembers account information, history, business outcomes and response patterns for individual consumers or employees. By ‘remembering’ these individual behaviors, Varolii ID delivers:

• Reduced costs by sending communications only when each person is most likely to respond
• Improved business results by tailoring the message and channel for each individual according to what has worked best for that person before, and
• Enhanced customer and employee satisfaction by accommodating each individual’s preferences—both implied and explicit.

Leveraging the Award-Winning Varolii Interact™ Platform

The Varolii Interact™ Platform is the only outbound communications platform for both customer and employee communications. Its cross-channel capabilities enable utilities to dynamically change message content based on the results of previous communications, intelligently route messages across the optimum blend of voice, text and email to meet business and customer needs, and then quickly allow consumers to respond—often with no agent involvement whatsoever.

Augmenting each application are multiple features designed to generate the best return on every customer or employee interaction, including automated payment processing, land/cell phone determination and Locate, which identifies hard-to-find customers (such as those who’ve moved without paying their last bill) and obtains updated contact information.

“Utilities are on the front lines of dealing with today’s economic uncertainties and need a practical solution for day-to-day communications challenges,” said Jeffrey Read, executive vice president of Field Operations at Varolii. “With the power of Varolii ID driving these new utilities applications, our clients can make the most of every message and avoid the communication fatigue plaguing so many other utilities’ communication efforts.”

Varolii Unified Communications for Utilities is now generally available. For more information, visit http://www.varolii.com/Industries/Utilities.aspx.

About Varolii Corporation

Varolii is the market and technology leader in proactive outbound communications. Its on-demand automated communication applications help organizations more effectively reach and interact with large numbers of customers and employees, reducing cost of operations and improving service. The company’s flagship capability—Varolii ID™—enables companies to avoid communication fatigue among recipients and execute true 1-to-1 communication on a large scale, achieving better results from fewer notifications. More than 380 companies trust Varolii to send roughly four million communications every business day. For more information, visit www.varolii.com.