Verizon Business Offers Toll-Free Service Benefits With a Local Touch

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Many consumers prefer to call a local business near them, even if their queries can sometimes be more effectively handled through a business' central contact center.

With a new voice-over-Internet-protocol offering from Verizon, however, businesses can maintain a consistent local face while directing overflow calls, as needed, to off-site customer service representatives or other retail locations.  The new offering, Verizon VoIP Inbound with Local Originations, provides a local phone number with powerful call manager functionality traditionally used for toll-free phone numbers.

This capability enables local representatives in, for example, a neighborhood retail store or bank branch, to better focus on the customers in front of them by removing the need to juggle multiple incoming calls.

"This innovative solution lets a business keep its local presence while more quickly serving call-in and walk-in customers alike," said Tony Recine, vice president of network and communications solutions for Verizon.  "What's more, this capability enables multiple agents to simultaneously address multiple customers, potentially driving additional revenue."

(Note:  To learn more about VoIP Inbound with Local Originations, listen to a podcast at http://www.verizonbusiness.com/resources/media/index.xml?urlid=130319.)

A cost-efficient alternative to remote call forwarding, the new service integrates with Verizon IP Interactive Voice Response (IVR) offerings and can deliver customer calls to either traditional or IP-based contact centers.

The On Demand division of Veolia Transportation the leading provider of passenger ground transportation services on the North American continent, operating bus, rail, taxi, shuttle and para-transit systems in more than 120 locations in the U.S. and Canada will use VoIP Inbound with Local Originations.  This new solution will replace the remote call forwarding service the company has been using for its reservation system for SuperShuttle, ExecuCar and other retail transportation services, thus eliminating substantial costs for toll-free calls and remote call forwarding.

Since VoIP Inbound with Local Originations is a network-based solution, it can reroute traffic in the event of unforeseen service interruptions caused by natural disasters or other events.  This service will also enable Veolia Transportation to immediately respond to spikes in customer service demand by balancing traffic across the network to more quickly and efficiently answer customer calls. And Veolia Transportation's use of VoIP Inbound with Local Originations helps the company meet its ultimate goal of providing its customers the best possible service.

For more information regarding Verizon Business contact center solutions, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/products/contactcenter/.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world's largest businesses and governments including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

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SOURCE Verizon Business