Interactive Intelligence, a global provider of unified IP business communications solutions, has enhanced its communications-as-a-service (CaaS) offering with outbound interactive voice response (IVR) capabilities, along with a new Web portal and hosted workforce management applications.

The hosted outbound IVR application provides automated outbound messaging (appointment reminders, service updates, etc.), text-to-speech that allows database information to be read to the listener, prompted IVR menu choices that allow listeners to take action, and an option for called parties to be routed to a live person via smart calling rules. 

Also included in the Interactive Intelligence core CaaS offering is functionality for automatic call distribution, supervisory monitoring, call recording, auto-attendant, desktop call control, presence management, conferencing, Web chat, post-call surveys, predictive dialing, IVR, knowledge management, screen-pop, and reporting. A Web-based portal will give customers access top billing summaries, billing details, administrative changes, call monitoring, and recordings. 

Though the solution does not currently offer an integrated speech analytics component, Joe Staples, Interactive Intelligence’s chief marketing officer, says the offering “plugs nicely into Nexidia’s [speech analytics] engine.”

Interactive Intelligence CaaS customers can also migrate to a premises-based solution at any time as their business needs change. 

The Interactive Intelligence CaaS offering is targeted at contact centers and enterprises of all sizes, including those with remote and work-at-home employees.  

According to Staples, Interactive Intelligence has seen a significant shift toward CaaS, representing about 25 percent of the company’s dollar volume for the past few years. The trend, he says, is being driven by the fact that there is little or no upfront capital expense, faster deployment (sometimes in as little as two or three weeks), reduced IT staff needs, an add-as-you-grow purchasing model, and quicker access to new features and functionality.