Etisalat Directory Enquiries service switches to Avaya IP telephony

The Avaya IP telephony solution will provide Etisalat with more flexibility in managing DQ operations, as well as improving reliability and quality of service to its five million customers.

Etisalat DQ receives over 150,000 inquiries each day, which are handled by 350 operators at its two contacts centers in Ajman and Abu Dhabi. The Avaya IP solution provides a complete communications infrastructure that will handle calls across all locations for Etisalat.

"At Etisalat, we are committed to providing the best possible service to our customers, and are using new technology to help us achieve that goal. This Avaya IP telephony system replaces our traditional voice infrastructure, giving us more reliability for our communications, and also the flexibility to expand our contact centers by easily adding new services and creating remote sites as required," said Mohamed Bamakhrama, General Manager, the Contact Center, Etisalat.

The Avaya IP telephony solution, which has been deployed at both Etisalat DQ contact centers, includes an Avaya S8700 Media Server and Avaya Communications Manager software and replaces the traditional TDM infrastructure. This allows both locations to be integrated into a single virtual center, providing a seamless service for customers. Operators can even be connected from home, allowing DQ to offer employees more flexible working arrangements, as required.

The Avaya solution also allows new operators to be added very rapidly, and future service center sites can be connected to the network in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional voice telephony. Because Avaya IP technology is open and standards-based offering a high level of interoperability, Etisalat DQ was able to keep many elements of its existing telephony system, and to preserve more than 85% of its original technology investment.

"Avaya IP telephony provides organisations with a new degree of flexibility and integration that allows them to manage their communications easily and to create innovative solutions tailored to their business requirements. For Etisalat Directory Enquiries, Avaya technology allows them to expand their centers and to add new locations quickly and cost effectively, to manage staff better by offering them more flexible working arrangements. We are pleased that Etisalat has chosen Avaya technology, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them," said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, Managing Director of Avaya Middle East & North Africa.