Agile snares call centres

By PETER GRIFFIN

Several years of investment in software development and a tight-knit relationship with global telecoms vendor Avaya is starting to pay off for North Shore-based Agile, which is selling into large call centres across Asia and the Pacific.

Agile's CTI (computer telephony integration) middleware, Active Enterprise, has been incorporated into Avaya's software suite, giving the New Zealand company global reach without having to negotiate its own deals or open overseas offices.

Active Enterprise sits between Avaya's Definity switches installed in call centres and the applications agents use - providing call management functions and statistics about call traffic.

Agile general manager Tony Jayne described the path to building a software alliance and OEM agreement with Avaya as one of "perspiration rather than inspiration" - a relationship that required Agile's software to undergo stringent testing so the company could secure certification from Bell Labs.

"We underestimated how long it would take, there was a hell of a lot of leg work involved. But we had some champions within Avaya that worked hard on our behalf."

Agile, which was formed in 1999 when computer peripherals distributor Commworth Systems acquired Fisher and Paykel's telecoms division, had annual turnover of around $20 million, most of which came from supplying telecoms hardware and services to the local market.

Commworth maintained a 55 per cent stake in Agile, while Jayne and other members of management held the balance of shares.

Jayne said most of the company's software development had been financed from revenue, but Avaya had contributed some development finance.

Software was a fast-growing business for Agile "contributing more to profit than revenue" according to Jayne. But there was no intention of Agile divesting its distribution interests and becoming a software developer only. Keeping its hand in hardware and distribution allowed Agile to "spot the gaps" in the market for PBXs, said Jayne.

Agile had well-resourced competitors to its middleware in the likes of Genesis and IBM, but was able to compete effectively on price.

One implementation in Asia saw Agile license its software at US$250 ($570) a seat, as opposed to a price of US$1200 from larger rival Genesis.

The Korea-based LG Home Shopping call centre of 1000 seats was running Active Enterprise as was Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in Japan with a 1200-seat call centre.

Qantas was using the software in Australia to run a 670-seat call centre.

Sizable contracts have been sealed locally - Land Transport Safety Authority and the Automobile Association being two large ones. But the average size of a call centre in New Zealand was just 30 agents and the international market accounted for 90 per cent of software sales.

Active Enterprise has been translated into 10 languages, meaning it can be adopted quickly across Europe. Agile hoped an entry into the US was around six months away, while a presence in the South American market was likely within two months.

Jayne says the "big cherry" for Agile is cracking the North America market where Avaya is already number one in voice systems.

If Agile had 1 per cent of Avaya's global applications revenue "we would be wealthy men" added Jayne. But success there would not see Americans become familiar with the Agile name.

"We're more successful if we're Avaya than Agile," he said.

With a team of 16 Auckland-based developers, Agile expected to double software exports in the next 12 months, aiming to secure 10,000 call centre seats.

Agile software

Avaya Active Enterprise