Companies Expand 40-Year Relationship to Help Customers Realize
Unified Communications Business Collaboration and Cost Savings Benefits
Santa Cruz, Calif. – January 4, 2010 – 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.
About Plantronics
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. The Bluetooth trademark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of the mark by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the property of the respective owners.
