Dimension Data Builds Scalable Contact Center for Towerstream Using Unified Communications Technology

NEW YORK, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Dimension Data, a $3.8 billion leading IT solutions and services provider, today announced the successful creation of a new contact center for R.I.-based Towerstream Corporation (Nasdaq: TWER). Towerstream is a leading fixed WiMAX service provider in the U.S., delivering high-speed, wireless broadband to businesses of all sizes. To meet the company's rapid market expansion goals, Dimension Data designed and built an IP-based contact center harnessing unified communications (UC) technologies, such as voice over IP and computer-telephony integration (CTI) with screen pop. These technologies have improved the quality and efficiency of Towerstream's customer interactions, cutting telecom bills by 60% and significantly increasing the number of inquiries handled on a daily basis.

To solve scalability issues with its contact center's time-division multiplexing-based phone system, Towerstream turned to Dimension Data to implement a Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise solution and integrate it with existing business applications and back-office systems. The solution includes 200 contact center agent seats located in two buildings and divided into four specialized segments: a primary center focused on customer care, a second center for sales support, a third supporting Towerstream's internal IT operations, and the fourth contact center supporting the company's field engineering team.

Dimension Data designed, staged and implemented the contact center and, in conjunction with Towerstream's IT staff, integrated the system with the company's customer relationship management and billing applications, which includes CTI capabilities with NetSuite for increased accounting and customer service support via streamlined on-screen pop-ups for contact center agents. By harnessing new VoIP and progressive dialing capabilities, Towerstream reduced its contact center's telecom bills from $15,000 a month down to $6,000 a month. The Dimension Data solution also helped Towerstream improve the number of calls handled by individual agents by 33%, from 75 a day to more than 100 calls concluded per day. Additionally, Dimension Data is providing full-scale network monitoring for the contact center equipment via Cisco SMARTnet service.

"We know from experience that deploying these types of tightly integrated contact centers can take anywhere from six to eight months, but Dimension Data came in and installed the system in only eight weeks," said Arthur Giftakis, vice president of Engineering and Operations at Towerstream. "The flexibility of the UC-based contact center provides Towerstream with several options for the future as the company's needs evolve. Dimension Data enables us to provide an optimal service experience for our customers, where their interactions are routed to agents with the appropriate expertise -- all linked to trouble tickets from our back-end databases -- and calls are resolved faster the first time around."

"Contact centers, like the one we built for Towerstream, exemplify Dimension Data's targeted project management approach for increasing business efficiency, accommodating growth and reducing operational expenses," said Grant Sainsbury, national practice director for Customer Interactive Solutions at Dimension Data North America. "Cutting-edge organizations like Towerstream know that technologies like CTI and progressive dialing make a dramatic impact on agent productivity and contact center efficiency, and these tools will help them build stronger customer relationships as they expand throughout the U.S."

About Dimension Data

Dimension Data (LSE: DDT.L), a specialist IT services and solutions provider, helps clients plan, build, support and manage their network and IT infrastructures. Dimension Data applies its expertise in networking, security, operating environments, storage and contact center technologies and its unique skills in consulting, integration and managed services to create customized client services. For more information: Call 866-DIDATA-US or visit www.dimensiondata.com/na.

About Towerstream Corporation

Towerstream is a leading fixed WiMAX service provider in the U.S., delivering high-speed Internet access to businesses. Founded in 2000, the Company has established networks in nine markets includingNew York City,Boston,Los Angeles,Chicago, theSan Francisco Bay Area,Miami,Seattle,Dallas-Fort Worth, and the greaterProvidence area where the Company is based. The Company was the first carrier selected to join the WiMAX Forum to assist leading vendors in establishing industry compliance with international broadband wireless access standards and cross-vendor interoperability. Towerstream was awarded two 2008 Telephony Innovation Awards for Most Innovative Broadband Wireless Service and Most Innovative Small Business Service and the Best of WiMAX World 2008 Service Provider Deployment Award for itsNew York City network. For more information, visit http://www.towerstream.com/.

    Media Contacts:
    Lisa Grimes                                  Mike Broberg
    Dimension Data                               Davies Murphy Group
    (703) 217-2692                               (781) 418-2442
    lisa.grimes@us.didata.com                    ddna@daviesmurphy.com

SOURCE Dimension Data

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