Inference Solutions Enables Conversational AI for Cisco’s On-Premise Platforms

Enterprises using Cisco's UC and CC offerings can upgrade their IVRs to Intelligent Virtual Agents without "ripping and replacing" existing software and equipment

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – (September 17, 2019) – Inference Solutions, a global provider of Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) for sales and service organizations, today launched new solutions that  extend the self-service capabilities of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM), Unified Contact Center Enterprise and Unified Contact Center Express (UCCE/X). Enterprises using these on-premise solutions can now easily upgrade their existing IVRs with cloud-based virtual agents powered by conversational AI.

With Inference, IT organizations do not need to "rip and replace" their existing Cisco platforms to move their IVRs to the cloud.  They can continue using UCM and UCCE/X while deploying cloud-based virtual agents managed by Inference, enjoying the benefits of an advanced self-service solution without installing the software, hardware or equipment required to run it. When organizations are ready to move their on-premise Cisco users to a cloud-based solution, their virtual agents will easily make that transition.

“Millions of UC and CC seats are deployed on-premise, and organizations not ready to completely transition to the cloud can use Inference's cloud-based virtual agents for automated, AI-enabled self-service," said Callan Schebella, CEO, Inference. "Whether an organization uses an on-premise, hosted or cloud-based solution, our platform enables them to serve and support their customers with advanced, conversational self-service experiences."    

Inference Virtual Agents automate the routine and repetitive conversations handled by live agents, using speech recognition, text-to-speech and natural language processing from multiple vendors including Google and IBM. These technologies make it easier for customers to get support through an automated system because the complexity of the interaction can be dramatically simplified. Increased automation and conversational self-service results in reduced costs, improved compliance and better customer experiences.

Inference's latest release, Studio 6.3, offers a suite of new features, including an advanced queue callback solution and improved natural language understanding. The Studio 6.3 enhancements will be available to Inference’s current partners, as well as to new on-premise enterprises, in late October.

To support the sales of Inference IVAs to enterprises using Cisco’s on-premise solutions, Inference has also introduced new reseller and referral programs for Cisco Systems Integrators and Authorized Technology Partners.  Inference collaborates with a growing list of Cisco partners, such as ShoreGroup and SpeechSoft Solutions. Additionally, a global network of Cisco BroadWorks service providers, such as AT&T, Telstra, Vonage and Nextiva, resell Inference to extend their hosted UC and Contact Center solutions with a wide variety of self-service capabilities.

To learn more about how Inference Solutions is helping Cisco and other telecommunications carriers and contact center software providers build and deploy IVA solutions for their customers, visit www.inferencesolutions.com.

About Inference Solutions

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in San Francisco, Inference Solutions is a global provider of Intelligent Virtual Agents for sales and service organizations. Inference’s AI-powered Intelligent Virtual Agents automate the routine and repetitive conversations handled by live agents today over voice, chat and text. Inference is trusted by organizations around the world – from small business to the Fortune 5000. Businesses and government organizations trust Inference to streamline inbound and outbound customer communications and service. Inference is resold by T1, T2 & T3 carriers, as well as by UC and Contact Center software providers to extend their automated self-service capabilities. For more information, visit http://www.inferencesolutions.com/.

Allison Wilson