Companies Expand 40-Year Relationship to Help Customers Realize Unified Communications Business Collaboration and Cost Savings Benefits
Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced an expansion of its
40-year business and technology relationship with Avaya to deliver
Unified Communications (UC) and Contact Center (CC) solutions that help
companies improve business collaboration and reduce operating costs.
Plantronics has been named the Avaya preferred headset provider to bring
unparalleled audio quality, reliability and ease-of-use to enterprise
business users.
“Together, Avaya and Plantronics offer customers end-to-end Unified
Communications solutions that are seamless, minimize risk and spur
adoption for IT decision makers, and deliver great audio and simplicity
for end users,” said Linda Dotts, vice president of Product Marketing,
Unified Communications, Avaya. “Expanding our relationship will help
customers realize the collaboration and cost savings associated with
Unified Communications.”
Plantronics’ broad portfolio of headsets are Avaya-certified and provide
immediate connectivity and advanced call control functionality with
Avaya’s solutions. Additionally, Plantronics and Avaya will jointly
introduce future voice solutions that take advantage of Avaya’s suite of
collaboration applications and tools to provide a new level of
communication intelligence to customers.
The relationship will focus on the following areas:
-- Technology - Tight integration of Avaya product APIs into Plantronics
audio solutions. Several new products from Plantronics for Avaya Unified
Communications and Avaya Contact Centers will be announced in 2010.
-- Marketing - Avaya and Plantronics will collaborate on integrated UC
and CC marketing campaigns in 2010 to channel partners and end users.
Avaya will transition from delivering Avaya-branded headsets
manufactured by Plantronics in February 2010. Customers will then
purchase Plantronics-branded headsets designed for Avaya telephony
solutions directly from Plantronics’ extensive channel of distributors
and business partners. This is a global action; however, Avaya Germany
will continue to purchase headsets directly from Plantronics. The
transition will simplify purchase processes for customers while
maintaining world-class service and support.
“Above all else, Plantronics seeks to deliver exceptional audio
experiences that enable end users and their organizations to realize the
true, real-time collaboration benefits of Unified Communications,” said
Michael Gjerstad, vice president of Strategic Partnerships at
Plantronics. “This relationship delivers on that promise in ways that
are consistent with the foundation of our four-decade relationship with
Avaya: technology innovation, cost-efficient solutions for business, and
intuitive experiences for end users.”
Only Headset Manufacturer to Attain Platinum DevConnect Membership
Plantronics is now a Platinum member of the Avaya DevConnect program, an
initiative to develop, market and sell third-party products that
interoperate with Avaya technology. Plantronics is the only
Platinum-level headset manufacturer in the Avaya DevConnect program.
The Avaya DevConnect program promotes the development,
compliance-testing and co-marketing of innovative third-party products
that are compatible with standards-based Avaya solutions. Member
organizations have expertise in a broad range of technologies -
including IP telephony, contact centers and mobility applications -
helping companies extend the value of multivendor networks and transform
voice into an intelligent business application that delivers true value
to the bottom line.
About Avaya
Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The
company provides unified communications, contact centers, and related
services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses
and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on
Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency,
collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more
information please visit www.avaya.com.
Plantronics is a world leader in personal audio communications for
professionals and consumers. From unified communication solutions to
Bluetooth(R) headsets, Plantronics delivers unparalleled audio
experiences and quality that reflect our nearly 50 years of innovation
and customer commitment. Plantronics is used by every company in the
Fortune 100 and is the headset of choice for air traffic control, 911
dispatch and the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please
visit www.plantronics.com
or call (800) 544-4660.
Plantronics is a registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of the respective owners.
