Vendor Spotlight: Startel Corporation

Startel Corporation (www.startelcorp.com), established in 1980, is a leading provider of integrated text, voice, fax, and networking solutions for call center facilities that specialize in messaging, paging, and call transferring.  The company is located in Irvine, CA, about 35 miles south of Los Angeles.

Over 1,100 customers use Startel products in such key markets as healthcare, higher education, Utility and telemessaging.  Incorporated in 1980, Startel entered the integrated telecommunications products market by introducing a paperless message system and Automatic Call Distribution (ACD).  For the past eighteen years, Startel has pioneered other industry firsts, providing voice, data, database, and networking capabilities in a single platform for telemessaging and other applications. 

Company Milestones

1980 – First paperless system installed.

1982 – Developed Call Diverter and Call Forwarder (over 150,000 sold).

1983 – First internally designed switch and ACD installed.

1984 – Series 4000 Concentrators introduced.

1984 – System 2800 unveiled, the first true 32 agent paperless system.

1985 – Intelligent Console developed to replace the traditional PBX and Centrex consoles in the Healthcare industry.

1986 – System 2700 is announced.

1991 – Established a market relationship with Pacific Bell (now SBC).

1991 – Developed an all-digital switch.

1992 – First generation 5700 system designed.

1992 – Startel merged with Comverse Technology (NASDAQ: CMVT) and now operates as a separate, profitable division.

1996 – Windows 95 Workstation Module, ISDN PRI interface developed.

1998 – IVR and VoiceNet, a Windows NT, flexible, and easy-to-use IVR and voice messaging system released.

1998 – Internet Callback solution introduced.

1999 – SQL server, On Call Scheduling, Windows directories, Hyperlinks released.

2000 – Workstation Module 4.0 and Web-enabled features completed.

2001 – Startel Wizard, Text Chat, and Integrated Internet Gateway developed.

2004 – The rollout of Startel's signature platform – Call Management Center (CMC)

2006 – Rollout of Central Processing System(CPS)

2007 – CMC Version Release 6.0 and 7.0

2008 – CMC Version Release 8.0

Key Products: 

The Startel Digital Switch is the company's original Call Center platforms.   It is a modular, Windows-based system that supports up to 128 agents in local or multiple remote bureaus.  It uses an SQL server and a true digital switch which interfaces directly with T1, ISDN PRI, DID, two-way DID, loop start, ground start and E&M trunks.

The 5700 ACD is recognized as the most flexible and powerful Automatic Call Distributor in the industry.  It distributes calls in the most efficient manner possible while it provides the desired priority among your clients.  It also supports remote agents and multiple bureau consolidation.

The 5700 provides a very comprehensive set of software applications that integrate seamlessly with its powerful messaging application.  These applications were specifically designed to boost agent efficiency, decrease agent errors, and increase customer satisfaction. 

The Startel Call Management System (CMC) is the company's flagship Call Center platform, and by far, the most advanced solution on the market today!  Developed based upon the direct input of their customers, Startel's CMC enables Call Centers to offer more robust services and solutions to their clients while more efficiently enabling agents to process calls.  The Startel CMC can intelligently and automatically dispatch calls, easily walk agents and callers through calls, and quickly set-up the most complex client accounts.  Startel's CMC works off of the most powerful Call Center switching platform in the industry, Startel's 5700 Switch.

Startel's New Central Processing System (CPS) provides a full Windows based solution for smaller Call Centers that are looking for more advanced features.  The CPS is a platform that expands to a maximum of 4 positions and comes in the same black tower as its big brother (Startel's CMC).   It hosts a subset of functions similar to the fully robust CMC, such as multiple time and day sensitive forms, rotating Master Cards, Tip Text, and Intelligent Form Routing. It also features SMS Delivery, Hyperlink, Caller ID Directories and Reverse Save.  These features allow call centers to reduce error and speed up call processing throughput in order to reduce overhead and add revenue to their bottom line.

When a call center finds the need to expand beyond the 4 positions of the CPS, the CPS Platform has the capacity to be upgraded to the CMC platform and expand with them.  Startel's Central Processing System is fully upgradeable and can easily accept add-on applications and peripherals such as OnCall Scheduling, Time Activated Alerts, Voice Logging and Voice Processing.

This platform also offers smaller call centers the ability to easily handle more complex accounts while alleviating agent stress in meeting these customers' advanced requirements.   The New Central Processing System utilizes Startel's Digital Switch, the most advanced ACD switching platform on the market.  This New Central Processing Platform supports Alpha Paging, Digital Paging, SMS Paging, Faxing and Emailing dispatch methods.  The New Central Processing Platform is a fully contained system requiring no additional external hardware when connecting to your LAN.

Startel Corporation can be reached at 949-863-8700,info@startel.com, or visit www.startelcorp.com.  Their mailing address is 17661 Cowan Avenue, Irvine, CA  92614.

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