Genesys Expands Its Hosted Contact Centre Technologies Solutions to Meet Market Demand

Wokingham, November 17, 2003 — Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcatel (NYSE: ALA, Paris: CGEP.PA), today introduced a Managed Services Suite that provides businesses with new standards of control, choice and intelligence in hosted call centre solutions. The Genesys Managed Services Suite, designed to be delivered by telecommunications companies, service providers and systems integrators, will enable enterprises to reap the benefits of a premise-based customer interaction solution in a cost-effective and maintenance-free service.

"Offering enhanced customer interaction solutions allows us to bring more value to the companies we serve," said Paul R. Brett, call centre product manager for BT Retail. "By delivering features once available only through premise-based investments, BT can save companies capital expenses and make them more successful in their customer service delivery."

Designed to meet the needs of enterprise customers, the Genesys Managed Services Suite provides: * Control * : Web-based, intuitive interface puts the control of applications, business logic and customer data in the hands of the enterprise. Choice * : Unrivaled telecom and CRM infrastructure choice allows companies to leverage existing investments. Enhanced services are available in IP, TDM, or combined telephony environments. Intelligence : Real-time information and business analytics enable a level of intelligence formerly available only in premise-based solutions. The Genesys Managed Services Suite enables deployment of the following capabilities, individually or in combination: * 0800 service users can now enhance their customer interactions with voice prompts from the network and routing menus that can be managed through an easy-to-use HTML Web interface. * Enterprises using Web servers can add Web-based transactions and exchange information via any phone. * Contact centres currently using computer telephony integration (CTI) can supplement their customer service with intelligent network routing and call parking services. NetByTel (www.netbytel.com), a leader in hosted voice services, is one of the growing numbers of companies delivering Genesys call centre software in a managed service offering. "Hosted solutions are an ideal way for businesses to invest in advanced customer interaction technologies such as speech-based self-service without capital investment or the risks associated with implementation," said Ken Jackowitz, senior vice president and chief customer officer at NetByTel. "In addition, because we offer open, standards-based customer interaction solutions, our customers can leverage their existing infrastructure and easily migrate to an on-site implementation if they desire." "Listening to the needs of our customers, Genesys continues to deliver call centre solutions that provide maximum functionality and value," said Nicolas de Kouchkovsky, Genesys senior vice president of marketing & business development. "Increasing the end-customer’s control in a hosted call centre model, Genesys is enabling companies to gain the benefits of advanced customer interaction management in the model that is most advantageous to their business." "The once-fabled application service provider market for contact centres is now becoming a reality," said Art Schoeller, senior analyst, CRM strategies at Yankee Group. "On-going capital expense restrictions and limited internal IT resources are creating an increased demand for hosted call centre technologies. Pay-per-use services are an ideal solution for small and mid-sized business, as well as for large enterprises seeking to inexpensively add new customer service features to their existing investments." About Genesys Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcatel, is 100 per cent focused on software for call centres. Genesys recognises that better interactions drive better business and build company reputations. Customer service solutions from Genesys deliver on this promise for Global 2000 enterprises, government organisations and telecommunications service providers across 80 countries, directing more than 100 million customer interactions every day. Sophisticated routing and reporting across voice, e-mail and Web channels ensure that customers are quickly connected to the best available resource – the first time. Genesys offers solutions for customer service, help desks, order desks, collections, outbound telesales and service, and workforce management. Visit www.genesyslab.com for more information. Media Contact: Paul Roberts, Genesys, 0118 9747000, proberts@genesyslab.co.uk