Application Management Solutions for Deploying and Managing Customer Contact Centers
In October 2002, Outlook Ventures, alongside New Enterprise Associates and Canaan Partners, completed an $8 million investment in Echopass Corporation (www.echopass.com). The round is expected to take the company to profitability. Carl Nichols will be representing Outlook Ventures on Echopass' Board of Directors.
Echopass is a leading provider of infrastructure software and services to allow expansion, augmentation and uniform management of contact center resources. Echopass software allows rapid deployment of contact center enhancements and capabilities by providing a unique management facility that allows client owned and Echopass owned resources to be managed and provisioned seamlessly and independently of the resource's physical location. The underlying technology, the Application Management Platform (AMP), allows easy integration of traditional call center infrastructure with CRM systems and web based interaction systems creating significant operating efficiencies and more effective customer support. The platform also provides simple and uniform management facility, independent of the specific underlying multi-vendor environment. Echopass services allow re-use of existing equipment and enhancements to the equipment with services utilizing Echopass's best of breed call center equipment and high availability service delivery infrastructure.
The Advanced Management Platform enables the complete integration of contact center systems from multiple third-party vendors such as Cisco, Avaya, Microsoft and Nortel. Echopass's customers include third-party call center providers, government agencies and communications carriers. Echopass has partnered with leading telecommunications providers such as Genesys Labs and Sprint to provide the state of the art in contact center technologies. Echopass customers include Intuit Corporation, Gateway Corporation, and the United States Naval Reserve.
Steve Panyko, CEO of Echopass, brings over 30 years of telecommunications and computing experience with firms such as Onix Microsystems, Harris, Rockwell, Motorola, ITT, and AT&T Bell Laboratories. Under his leadership at Rockwell, the Electronic Commerce Division grew from $95 million to $200 million in revenues and regained market strength. Keith Barr, COO, President and Founder of Echopass, has more than 25 years of global technology, development and operations experience. Keith leads the technology qualification, development, integration, and strategic planning functions. Keith was the CIO of Sento Corporation, where he oversaw the creation and deployment of an integrated communication solution that is a premier reference site for both Cisco Systems and Genesys Labs. Prior to Sento Corporation, Keith was Director of IT at Sykes Corporation and Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense.
