technology 19
Content Guru actions Thames Valley’s 'biggest-ever merger'
A decade ago, Bracknell-based cloud communications provider Content Guru took the first step in the most important business merger the Thames Valley has seen this century, with a pioneering unification of communications and data
Today this technology, known as Communications Integration and delivered through Content Guru’s storm platform, continues to transform how hundreds of businesses across the globe connect and operate.
storm is Europe’s largest cloud communications platform. It delivers a breadth of core services on demand, including Cloud Contact Centre solutions for scores of well-known brands (including Northgate Public Services, Travis Perkins and UK Power Networks), as well as secure payments and unified communications.
One of the key innovations behind the international success of the storm platform – built and developed in Bracknell at the heart of the Thames Valley, but with infrastructure deployed in Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA and clients in over thirty- five countries – is Communications Integration. This concept and architecture allows a wide variety of client systems, databases and communication channels to interoperate directly and seamlessly with storm services. The platform's cloud model enables the unison communications and information systems, irrespective of whether they are cloud or premise based.
Martin Taylor, co-founder and director of Content Guru, observes: “Organisations today are faced with greater challenges – and greater opportunities – than ever before when it comes to communications and information. The rate of technological advancement continues to accelerate, and consumers and colleagues have extremely high expectations of how they can interact with organisations and with each other.
“While devices like smart phones can unify all these strands of communications and information in a single, manageable location at a personal level, businesses operate on a much greater scale. They often have very complicated infrastructures, comprising multiple
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – OCTOBER 2015
communication systems and data resources. Making these interoperate is far from straightforward. Business infrastructure typically evolves reactively and so systems are often from multiple providers with limited scope for future enhancements, and little ability to work collaboratively.
an SMS back to the customer within five seconds. The end-user is given the impression of interacting with a human, but the response actually consists of multiple stages across disparate communication and data sources, brought together by Communications Integration.
Similarly, as the communications platform of choice for the UK and Ireland’s electricity distributors, storm integrates with a variety of custom systems unique to the electricity generation industry, including some that must remain on-premise for security and legacy purposes. This includes integration to the ENMAC electricity monitoring system, which automatically feeds through real-time information about power outages into storm multi-channel customer-facing services, processing enormous volumes of enquiries.
“Through Communications Integration, we are breaking down these long-standing barriers. Our storm platform is built on a uniquely flexible semi-open architecture at both hardware and software levels. We have hundreds of successful integrations already live, with many more in development. All of our services are delivered from a powerful, distributed cloud platform, operating under a single multi-channel architecture. This enables us to deliver feature-rich, complex communication services which can make any number of disparate elements work in unison.”
As an example, National Rail Enquiries, the UK’s primary source of train information, uses storm to power its TrainTracker SMS service, utilising complex integration with two distinct sources of information, the Live Departure Board (LDB) and Online Journey Planner (OJP). Customers end in an SMS to enquire about a train journey, and this message is interpreted through intelligent text recognition.
storm then pulls in data in real-time from both sources as appropriate, identifying the best available route and any delays or cancellations. It translates and condenses this information into the 160-character limit of a text message and then sends
Communications Integration also facilitates communications between third-party systems, devices and channels, with storm acting as an intelligent conduit. These include Machine-to-Machine (M2M) working between different systems, integration between Internet of Things (IoT) devices and consumer communications, and even convergence of systems such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Workforce Management (WFM) into a common data model.
Taylor concludes: “The transformational effect of Communications Integration for businesses is enormous. We’ve enabled some customers to increase efficiency by 97%, others to automate 93% of enquiries even during spikes in contacts, and to create many millions of pounds of savings around infrastructure and other operational costs.
“As part of our continual R&D drive, we’re now applying Communications Integration principles to our Propensity behavioural prediction solutions, which collate enormous quantities of data and communications to enable mass- personalisation and elevate customer engagement to the next plane.”
Details: Alex Smith Marketing consultant 01344-852350
www.businessmag.co.uk
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