2013-02-13 13:57:15 - Service provider-branded solution improves customer loyalty and ability to compete against over-the-top players

Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of customer experience systemsand services, today announced the release of the cloud-based Amdocs Unified Communications solution, which brings together messaging services, video and voice over IP (VoIP) calling, inside a service provider-branded app. With the Amdocs Unified Communications solution, service providers can quickly launch services to compete with over-the-top (OTT) offerings, strengthening their relationship with customers and allowing them to better monetize the opportunity.
The solution, accessed via iOS and Android device apps or through a web portal:
• is compatible with the GSMA’s Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard, providing future-proofing, as well as existing social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• allows for syndicated interoperability between operators and can be offered to non-subscribers, extending brand

beyond the operator
• is modular, allowing for the addition of advertising and premium features such as video conferencing and whiteboarding to monetize the service
• brings all the end user’s social network and mobile communities into one unified address book and keeps the subscriber inside the service provider’s brand for messaging, VoIP conversations or video chats with their contacts
“Until now, the over-the-top players have led the mobile video, messaging and VoIP communications market, eroding service providers’ revenues and undermining the relationship with their customers on basic communication services,” said Maribel Lopez, principal analyst at Lopez Research LLC. “Service providers have the opportunity to strengthen their ownership of voice calls to cover VoIP and video conferencing with their own branded solution. By providing a unified launch pad for all their customers’ communications, across multiple platforms and media, service providers can increase their customer loyalty.”
“Today’s smartphone users are turning to a variety of services to communicate, often at the expense of the service provider,” said Rebecca Prudhomme, vice president of product and solutions marketing at Amdocs. “Amdocs Unified Communications is the first brandable, cloud-based solution, offering fast time to market, which allows service providers to leverage their customer relationships to build revenues through metered data packages, premium features and applications.”