MEDIA RELEASE PR37690
Plantronics Named Preferred Headset Provider for Avaya Unified Communications and Contact Center
Solutions
SUZHOU, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire-Asia-AsiaNet/ --
Companies Expand 40-Year Relationship to Help Customers Realize Unified Communications Business
Collaboration and Cost Savings Benefits
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.
"Plantronics and Avaya have been working closely in contact center industry and the emerging Unified
Communication market across Asia Pacific," said Susan HANSEN, Vice President of Sales & Marketing Asia
Pacific 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. We look forward to working with AVAYA and their business
partners to serve the contact center customers and also drive the growth of Unified Communication in our
region"
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
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
All trademarks are the property of the respective owners.
SOURCE: Plantronics, Inc.
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