Overview

Why we write and why you should read... We aren't professional bloggers. What we are is a group with a lot of experience in the software, contact center, IP telephony, and messaging industries. Probably a couple hundred years of experience if you added it up.

We aren't trying to sell you anything. My guess is you won't always agree with what we write (we won't even agree amongst ourselves). Our goal is simple – to provide useful information and insight that you’ll find valuable, so you'll come back and read some more. Nothing more complicated than that. You'll find us spouting off about industry issues and trends. We'll work to share what we've found as best practices for contact center and enterprise IP telephony implementations. And our tech-speak tagged items will do... well, what you'd think they’d do... get into some of the technical points that we think you'll find interesting.

As the name of the blog would indicate, this isn't a single person's blog. This is a group blog. We all have different perspectives. We all have different knowledge. We all have different communication styles. Frankly, we think that will make things more interesting.

Oh yeah, and we're looking for your participation. Comment on what we write. Disagree with us, if you'd like. Steer clear of anything offensive or self-promoting and your comments will be posted – even if we don't see eye-to-eye. Bottom line is we hope you'll read our blog, comment on what you read, return often, and tell your friends.

Blog Crew

Ritu Maheshwari Product Manager and Release Coordinator ritu.maheshwari@inin.com I’ve been an Interactive Intelligence employee since 2006 and am currently responsible for identifying emerging technologies that are vital to the company’s mission of continuous innovation. I’m focused on our SIP-based IP telephony products, and participate in design, strategic development and marketing. I hold a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Purdue University. Tim Passios Director of Solutions Marketing tim.passios@inin.com I began working for Interactive Intelligence in 1998 and have a total of 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and software industries. I also worked in contact centers as an agent, supervisor, field trainer and manager for eight of those 20 years. In my current role at Interactive Intelligence I have constant interactions with customers, prospects, the media and industry analysts, which all help me to understand many different perspectives related to the contact center, enterprise IP telephony and messaging markets. When I’m not working I like to spend time with my beautiful wife, and nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son who I adore more than chocolate-chip cookies! Joe Staples Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing joe.staples@inin.com I was fortunate enough to join Interactive Intelligence in January of 2005 as senior vice president of worldwide marketing (an overly long title that barely fits on one line of my business card) and since that time have managed our corporate and product marketing/management groups, as well as our public relations efforts. I spend the majority of my time in the world of branding, advertising, lead generation, product strategy, and media/analyst relations. I’ve been at this for more than 25 years with experience in technology and marketing, including assignments in the areas of contact centers, computer telephony, unified messaging, mobile wireless, computer networking, and computer-based education. Tom Fisher Systems Engineering Director tom.fisher@inin.com Almost 8 years ago I joined Interactive Intelligence as a Presales-Systems Engineer after seeing the architecture on a napkin and being amazed by the capabilities and simplicity. Since that time I have held multiple positions including Systems Engineer and IP-Telephony Product Specialist. Currently I serve as the Systems Engineering Director for Interactive Intelligence focused on our large scale client rollouts. In this role my team and I provide architecture, routing and other guidance to Interactive Customers and partners to architect solutions which meet their business requirements. Prior to Interactive I was an Applications Consultant at Cisco Systems and Andersen Consulting (Accenture) specializing in large scale contact center design and implementations. Brad Herrington Senior Manager, Solutions Marketing Brad.Herrington@inin.com As a Manager in the Solutions Marketing Group, Brad is responsible for the product direction and marketing strategy of the suite of products offered by Interactive Intelligence. Solutions Marketing is also the outward facing delivery team for webinar, seminar, analyst and media presentations as well as prospect and end customer demonstrations. His experience includes more than 20 years in the contact center and telephony industry, including the past 11 years with Interactive Intelligence focused on both the traditional and IP telephony markets. Lesley Vereen Product Manager Lesley.Vereen@inin.com My career in contact center management and consulting led me to Interactive Intelligence in December 2010 and the position of Product Manager for Interaction Recorder™. Initiation to the world of contact centers, and the technology to support them, began at UnitedHealthcare in Hartford, Connecticut. It was there that my focus on developing quality monitoring programs was launched, and led to 12 years of contact center consulting , working with centers of all sizes, across many industries, and in locations throughout the United States, in Mexico, Canada and the Philippines. One of my primary objectives is to continue to improve our recorder product with a focus on adding and improving features to support our customer’s quality monitoring/improvement processes. For the past three years now I’ve been calling Omaha, Nebraska home. After living in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, then New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina again, and now Omaha, Nebraska, you’ll probably notice a pause if you happen to ask me "where are you from?" Brandon Rowe Solutions Marketing Manager Brandon.Rowe@inin.com As a Solutions Marketing Manager, Brandon is responsible for cultivating the company’s Workforce Optimization marketing strategy, messaging and content. Brandon has over five years of IT/Telecom experience having worked at Avaya/Nortel and IBM. Prior to joining Interactive, he served as a product marketing manager with Avaya. While at Avaya, Brandon was responsible for the marketing of several contact center products generating over $10 million in annual revenue. He also has a background consulting for start-up companies. Bobbi Chester Solutions Marketing Bobbi.Chester@inin.com I joined the Solutions Marketing team at Interactive Intelligence April 2011, leading our vertical marketing efforts, and focusing specifically on the accounts receivable management and collections industry. I have over 14 years experience with contact center technologies, beginning in 1997 at MCI (which eventually became Verizon Business) where I was part of a specialized services team selling complex call routing and treatment solutions to Fortune 1000 and global clients. Just prior to joining Interactive Intelligence I was Director of Marketing for a contact center outsourcing company headquartered near Chicago. I am a proud wife of an Air Force officer, and admittedly a bit melancholy now that the Harry Potter series has come to an end.

Matt Taylor Group Manager, Product Management matt.taylor@inin.com I began working at Interactive Intelligence in 1997 and have enjoyed collaborating with great people in my multiple roles, including technical sales, information systems, business development and, currently, product management. My focus for the past six years has been on our outbound and blended dialing, multi-site call routing and general telephony products. Through many interactions with customers, partners, prospects, trade associations and other vendors, I continue to learn about the constantly changing landscape of outbound dialing, teleservices, collections and customer service. Prior to joining Interactive Intelligence I spent 10 years in software development, architecture, and large-scale database consulting. I love history, theory, and travelling, and enjoy seeing how my teenage kids make use of the latest social networking and communications technologies. Rachel Wentink Senior Director of Product Management Rachel.wentink@inin.com I joined Interactive Intelligence in July 1999 as Manager of Technical Support for the America’s, then had the good fortune to move to the South of France to manage our Technical Support and Education division for Europe, Africa, and Middle East (and yes, the South of France truly is wonderful!) I’ve also acted as a project manager in our Professional Services division helping customers deploy our software, and I’m currently focused on providing overall product specifications and enhancements based on frequent on-site customer visits and other forms of customer interactions. Prior to Interactive Intelligence I served as a technical support agent, knowledge manager, manager of an IT team administering a CRM system for a Fortune 500 corporation, and provided best practices consulting services for contact centers. I’ve been involved in contact centers in one role or another for the past 19 years. A little known fact about me: My career actually started in public radio, where I announced classical music and produced radio dramas. And yes, I love The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! Troy Plott Product Manager troy.plott@inin.com I joined Interactive Intelligence in April 2009 as Product Manager for Interaction Optimizer™, the company’s workforce management application. I have 15 years of contact center and workforce management experience, both on the business and technical side. The majority of my career has been with Fortune 100 and 500 companies, including six years at American Express, two years at Prudential and three years at Wachovia where I was responsible for implementing contact center processes and technologies for workforce and performance management to improve service levels and customer satisfaction. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bridgewater College in Virginia where I grew up. I enjoy travelling and try to get to a beach at least once a year for some down-time. Abi Chandra Pre-Sales Engineer abi.chandra@inin.com My career in telephony has unintentionally mimicked the life cycle of contact center solutions. In the 1990's, I was working on Rockwell's legacy ACD systems after which I then used server board-based systems at Aspect Solutions. Now, for the past five years, I have been working on IP systems for Interactive Intelligence. My primary background is in Cisco Systems data and voice networking and integrations. At Interactive Intelligence I am responsible for designing and architecting large-scale contact center solutions for strategic customers. I also regularly train our channel partners in systems engineering design methodologies. In my spare time, I enjoy making movies and the creative arts. People are surprised to hear that I am an avid Jazzerciser. Jason Alley Solutions Marketing Jason.Alley@inin.com Jason has both a broad and deep background in the area of customer interaction. He served as a product manager and strategist for the first six years of his career with companies such as Nortel, Aspect and Hipbone (a web collaboration company acquired by Kana). Jason spent the next ten years of his career consulting with enterprise customers and suppliers for Vanguard Communications and a company he later founded, SmartContact Consulting. Jason now serves on the solutions marketing team at Interactive Intelligence. His unique blend of end-user and supplier experience equips him with a fresh, comprehensive perspective – something he strives to infuse in every project. Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics from UCLA. Janet Thalacker Sales Janet.Thalacker@inin.com I am currently a strategic business consultant for Interactive Intelligence. My role is to review an organization’s business practices and tools, to promote the awareness of new technologies, and demonstrate how new functionality, processes, and applications could increase customer satisfaction and employee productivity. My career path includes over 20 years of experience working for a Fortune 500 insurance company. My experience includes work with automatic call distribution (ACD), self-service applications, quality monitoring, workforce management, multi-channel communications platforms, knowledge management, and contact management. I am a very passionate person, enjoy what I do, and am motivated to help others and make a difference in my work and in my personal life. I enjoy music, reading, good friends and laughter. I value my family and friends, and cherish time with them. Patrick Patton Sales Patrick.Patton@inin.com I started with Interactive Intelligence in October 2011 as a Pre-Sales Consultant for the Strategic Initiatives Group. In this role I work with companies who are looking for opportunities to utilize process automation tools, and review their current business processes to find those opportunities. Previously, I spent ten years with a Fortune 25 health insurance company and that is where I first encountered Interactive Intelligence in 2008. As the technology Director for an internal sales contact center, I led a team that implemented the Interactive telephony solution. Over the next three years I became very familiar with Interactive Intelligence as a company, their products and many of the employees. I was so impressed with what I had seen that I set a personal goal to find a position within the company. I have over 15 years’ experience in continuous/process improvement, project management, and operations. I am always interested in learning about new technologies and the creative ways companies and people are using them. On a personal note I am a car enthusiast (gearhead), enjoy travelling, and recently have taken up photography as a hobby.