Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Verizon Business’ Contact Center Leadership, for Third Consecutive Year

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - For the third straight year, Frost & Sullivan has recognized Verizon Business with multiple awards for its leadership in delivering innovative customer contact solutions for business customers.

The company received its third consecutive Frost & Sullivan North American Market Leadership Award for Hosted Contact Center Services, ahead of more than 20 competitors. This recognition follows the Frost & Sullivan Market Leadership Award for Hosted Interactive Voice Response (IVR) services awarded to Verizon Business earlier this year.

In a research report accompanying the award for hosted contact center services, Frost & Sullivan highlighted how Verizon Web Center, a network-based multimedia automatic call distribution (ACD) offering, integrates disparate phone, e-mail and instant-message contact methods into a single point of control within the Verizon network. The report also cites the service's cost-efficiency, simplicity and ability to support a disparate workforce, as well as the differentiating custom development and consulting services provided by Verizon Business' professional services organization.

Frost & Sullivan Analyst Michael DeSalles, writes: "Given its strong product portfolio, vast number of call center users and ability to leverage its core strengths for continued growth, it's no surprise that Verizon Business has maintained its leadership in hosted contact center solutions."

Jim Tyrrell, vice president for global business communication applications at Verizon, said: "As one of the first companies to deliver hosted contact center solutions, we've long been a leader helping businesses design innovative solutions to serve their customers better. This latest recognition by Frost & Sullivan reinforces the ongoing work we're doing to make anytime, anywhere customer service capabilities more widely available."

Web Center Enables Virtually Anytime/Anywhere Customer Service
With Web Center, companies can quickly and simply enable remote agents to serve customers, using a PC, Internet connection and a phone. Remote agents do not require specific facilities and associated power, which can help companies reduce their overall carbon footprint, including the gas associated with travel to and from the office. And, by equipping agents with a Web-based user interface called a Web Center desktop, companies can quickly expand their customer contact capabilities to address demand.

Earlier this year, Verizon Business began offering its Web Center service in a voice-only package. Web Center Voice provides an affordable and value-based option by not including some of the IP-based instant message and e-mail customer contact features, which some businesses do not require. However, customers can easily add these features, without the need to redesign their existing solution. Both Web Center services work with other Verizon hosted solutions, such as Hosted IP Centrex for a hosted telephony infrastructure and Hosted IVR for even more advanced capabilities such as database routing or speech services.

In addition to Web Center, Verizon Business offers several hosted contact center offerings, including Hosted IVR and Hosted Intelligent Contact Routing (ICR). The Hosted IVR product line offers capabilities in both a TDM and IP format, including speech services and open hosted speech services.

"We are continually evaluating market needs and updating our portfolio of hosted contact center solutions to appeal to our diverse customer base," said Blair Crump, group president of worldwide sales at Verizon Business. "This award underscores our commitment to delivering the most robust and innovative customer contact solutions in the industry."

For more information regarding Verizon Business contact center solutions, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/products/contactcenter/.

About the Frost & Sullivan Award for Market Leadership
The Frost & Sullivan Award for Market Leadership is given to the company that has exhibited market share leadership through the successful implementation of superior market strategies. The recipient has displayed excellence in all areas of the market leadership process, including the identification of market challenges, drivers and restraints, as well as strategy development and methods of addressing these market dynamics. Furthermore, the Award recipient has continually demonstrated solutions for monitoring market changes and for implementing superior market strategies. By utilizing these strategies for success, the company has established itself as the market share leader in its respective industry.

About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's Growth Partnership Services and Growth Consulting services empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates, and implements effective growth strategies. For nearly 50 years Frost & Sullivan has partnered with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 35 offices on six continents.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees - enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world's largest businesses and governments - including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions - rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

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