Oracle Communications Extension Group: Enterprise Application Guide ORACLE WHITE PAPER AUGUST 2015
Disclaimer The following is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for Oracle s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle. [O.FOOTER] ENTER TITLE OF DOCUMENT HERE
Table of Contents Disclaimer 1 Introduction 2 Overview 2 Courtesy Callback 4 Call Reconnect 5 Broadcast Notifications 6 Communications-Enabled Workflows 7 Application-Driven Session Recording 8 Context-Aware Click-to-Call 9 Customized Notifications 10 Outbound Video Sharing 11 CEG Product Family 12 Key Features and Benefits 12 Conclusion 13 1 ENTER TITLE OF DOCUMENT HERE
Forward-looking financial services firms are continuously seeking innovative ways to bolster productivity & enhance customer satisfaction. With CEG, Atlas was able to cost-effectively weave interactive, context-aware communications into our client s CRM solution to remove process inefficiencies & improve the flow of critical information. Indrajit Ghosh,CTO, Atlas Communications Technology Introduction This guide describes potential applications for Oracle Communications Extension Group. It includes a brief functional overview of Oracle Communications Extension Group and offers examples of how the solution can be used to communications-enable various applications and workflows. The applications described are illustrative and not comprehensive. The guide is intended for enterprise IT professionals, systems integrators, and independent software vendors (ISVs) thinking about developing communications-enabled applications that enhance business practices and improve internal communications and customer interactions. Overview Oracle Communications Extension Group (CEG) is advanced middleware that enables enterprises and third-party software developers to integrate interactive IP communications services with business applications. By adding interactive voice, video, and messaging to websites and software applications and intelligently orchestrating sessions according to presence information and business rules, organizations can eliminate process inefficiencies and improve decision-making, employee productivity, and customer service. Oracle CEG enables web developers to use familiar service-oriented architecture (SOA) development tools and frameworks to easily establish and control interactive IP communications sessions. It provides a communications abstraction layer that shields developers from the complexities of the underlying IP communications infrastructure so they can focus on creative business innovation. The solution helps development teams save time and money by reusing service components and making moreefficient use of development resources. It is a member of the Hyper-Connected Enterprise family of solutions designed to help enterprises deliver trusted, first-class UC and collaboration services. The following sections describe potential enterprise applications for Oracle CEG, including:» Courtesy callback» Call reconnect» Broadcast notifications» Communications-enabled workflows» Application-driven session recording» Context-aware click-to-call» Customized notifications» Outbound video sharing 2 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Figure 1: Oracle Communications Extension Group (CEG) enables enterprises and third-party software developers to integrate interactive IP communications services with business applications. 3 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Courtesy Callback Despite diligent planning, sometimes contact center call volumes exceed capacity, resulting in negative customer experiences. The Oracle Courtesy Callback Application informs a customer when there is a delay in reaching an agent and offers them the opportunity to be called back on a designated number when an agent is available. The Oracle Courtesy Callback solution complements any existing contact center core network. Key advantages and benefits include the following:» Improves customer satisfaction» Helps to normalize agent workloads across schedules» Integrates with existing IVR, automatic call distribution (ACD), and UC systems Figure 2: An example deployment of the Oracle Courtesy Callback Application 4 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Call Reconnect Contact center operators are often faced with scenarios where voice communications sessions between customer and agent are abnormally disconnected due to equipment failures or media path impairments. Regardless of the cause of the interruption, customers can become frustrated and agent productivity is reduced. The Oracle Call Reconnect solution monitors active sessions, detects failures and automatically reconnects the original agent and customer. CEG works with third party contact center systems to rapidly restore calls with full context. Key advantages and benefits include the following:» Improves customer satisfaction» Helps to improve agent productivity» Integrates with existing IVR, automatic call distribution (ACD), and UC systems Figure 3: An example deployment of the Oracle Call Reconnect Application 5 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Broadcast Notifications Businesses, government agencies, schools, and universities can leverage Oracle Communications Extension Group to automate broadcast announcements. Voice, short message service (SMS), or e-mail messages can be delivered to a community of users en masse for emergency announcements and informational notifications or to promote products, events, and services. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) communications protocols enable the message to reach virtually any type of mobile or fixed communications device: cell phones, laptops, tablets, and desktop systems. Broadcasts can be scheduled in advance or initiated on an ad hoc basis to administratively defined user communities. Key advantages and benefits of Oracle Communications Extension Group include the following:» Enables a variety of applications (reverse 911, emergency notifications, voice blasts)» Supports multiple communications channels (voice, SMS, e-mail)» Integrates with existing directory systems and communications infrastructure» Supports ad hoc and scheduled notifications Figure 4: An example broadcast notifications application 6 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Communications-Enabled Workflows Enterprises can use Oracle Communications Extension Group to add interactive communications to automated business processes. Presence-based voice, video, or chat sessions can be integrated into workflows to expedite decision-making and remove human latency from business processes. Sessions can be established automatically as part of supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), or other back office system events and processes. Key advantages and benefits include the following:» Removes human latency from business practices» Expedites and improves decision-making» Enhances a wide range of applications (ERP, CRM, SCM, and so on)» Supports multiple communications channels (voice, video, instant messaging [IM]) Figure 5: A simple example of a communications-enabled workflow. 7 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Application-Driven Session Recording Enterprises often need to record real time communications sessions when certain types of business are being transacted. For example, stock brokers may need to record a customer s buy/sell order and merchants may need to record a customer s payment authorization. Oracle Communications Extension Group enables recordings to be driven by the business systems used to facilitate these transactions. Application developers can add recording commands to the order entry and CRM systems used by brokers and agents to process customer transactions. Key advantages and benefits include the following:» Recordings can be correlated and stored with associated business transactions» Recordings can dynamically start/stop to capture only the interactions of interest» Ensures compliance with industry and government regulations Figure 6: Example of application-driven recording 8 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Context-Aware Click-to-Call Contact centers can improve sales and service by providing agents with pertinent customer context as part of call setup. Context can be captured from SIP sessions or web pages with click-to-call capabilities, including social networking and social media sites or customer-facing websites. When a user initiates a chat or a voice session, the user s web page, social media user profile, or session signaling can be used to route calls to the sales or service representative who is best qualified to assist in terms of skills, spoken language, or other administratively defined attributes or business rules. Contextual data can be shared with a CRM application, which delivers it to the agent in the form of a screen pop. By automatically providing sales and service representatives with meaningful customer information, businesses can streamline transactions and reduce or eliminate interactive voice response (IVR) dealings. Key advantages and benefits include the following:» Enhances customer experience; improves customer satisfaction and retention» Reduces IVR input; eliminates repetitive information exchanges» Increases agent productivity; reduces call lengths» Enables personalized or priority services for high-value clients Figure 7: Example of context-aware click-to-call application 9 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Customized Notifications Enterprises can leverage Oracle Communications Extension Group to deliver customized notifications in an automated fashion. Tailored voice or SMS messages can be delivered to individuals for appointment reminders, for transportation and delivery logistics, or as part of outbound campaigns. The recipients can be redirected to an IVR system to confirm, cancel, or reschedule services. Key advantages and benefits include the following:» Supports multiple communications channels (recorded voice, SMS, e-mail)» Enables a wide range of applications (appointment reminders, business promotions, delivery confirmations, flight reminders, transportation logistics)» Integrates with existing IVR, automatic call distribution (ACD), and UC systems» Provides comprehensive CDRs for all sessions Figure 8: Example of customized notification application 10 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Outbound Video Sharing Enterprises can leverage Oracle Communications Extension Group to deliver customized notifications in an automated fashion. Tailored voice or SMS messages can be delivered to individuals for appointment reminders, for transportation and delivery logistics, or as part of outbound campaigns. The recipients can be redirected to an IVR system to confirm, cancel, or reschedule services. Key advantages and benefits include the following:» Supports multiple communications channels (recorded voice, SMS, e-mail)» Enables a wide range of applications (appointment reminders, business promotions, delivery confirmations, flight reminders, transportation logistics)» Integrates with existing IVR, automatic call distribution (ACD), and UC systems» Provides comprehensive CDRs for all sessions Figure 9: Example of outbound video sharing application 11 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
CEG Product Family Oracle Communications WebRTC Session Controller enables reliable, interoperable, and secure WebRTC deployments that transform contact center, unified communications, and communications services applications. Oracle Communications Converged Application Server is the industry s most widely used and most powerful converged Java EE, SIP, and application server, delivering a carrier-grade, open, standards-based development and deployment platform for next-generation communications applications. Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper is an open, standards-based API exposure platform with expansive API management capabilities to manage the entire API lifecycle, enabling enterprises to accelerate development, engage with partners and monetize assets. Combined with industry leading service level agreement management, analytics and an extensive array of built-in communications services, the platform has enabled enterprises to implement a variety of business models with partners and developers. Oracle Communications Application Session Controller is an integrated communications controller and web application server that enables enterprises to orchestrate and control real-time voice and video communications using web services. It enables real-time communications between business applications and communications systems based on SIP. It complements the rest of the CEG product family with a range of advanced media handling capabilities. Key Features and Benefits Oracle Communication Extension Group products deliver a rich feature set that enables many business benefits through the applications described in this guide. Details Features Benefits» Rich communications abstraction layer» Integrated session control for signaling and media» Advanced service orchestration» Fully standards-based solution» Flexible session control and routing policies» Extensive compliance logging» Carrier-class, high-availability operation» Comprehensive management» Enables rapid communications to selected audiences» Removes latency from business processes» Leverages social media audiences» Ensures compliance» Improves customer responsiveness» Increases contact center agent productivity 12 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Conclusion Enterprise and third-party software developers can integrate interactive IP communications services with business applications, using Oracle Communications Extension Group. With Oracle Communications Extension Group and its communications abstraction layer, development teams can gain time efficiencies and save money while focusing on business innovation and developing interactive communications. Enterprises that add interactive voice, video, and messaging to websites and software applications can eliminate process inefficiencies and improve decision-making, employee productivity, and customer service. They can also rapidly communicate to selected audiences, remove latency from processes, leverage social media audiences, ensure compliance, increase customer responsiveness, and increase contact center productivity. 13 ORACLE COMMUNICATIONS EXTENSION GROUP: ENTERPRISE APPLICATION GUIDE
Oracle Corporation, World Headquarters Worldwide Inquiries 500 Oracle Parkway Phone: +1.650.506.7000 Redwood Shores, CA 94065, USA Fax: +1.650.506.7200 CONNECT WITH US blogs.oracle.com/oracle facebook.com/oracle twitter.com/oracle oracle.com Copyright 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is provided for information purposes only, and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this document, and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document. This document may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Intel and Intel Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. AMD, Opteron, the AMD logo, and the AMD Opteron logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. 0615 White Paper Title August 2015 Author: [OPTIONAL] Contributing Authors: [OPTIONAL]