Released on: June 2, 2008, 1:34 pm

Press Release Author: Altitude Software

Industry: Software

Press Release Summary: Pioneering in-store payment card changes the way consumers
pay in the GCC with help of Altitude Software




Press Release Body: Altitude Software, a leading global independent contact center
solutions vendor, today announced that Flair has powered its sales and marketing
operations with the Altitude uCI suite to handle the fast-paced growth of Flair's
in-store payment card programme in Kuwait, soon to be launched in other GCC
countries such as the UAE.

\"Customer service excellence is a key distinguishing factor for Flair, and our
desire to cultivate the highest level of customer satisfaction for our cardholders
is paramount,\" said Colin Harrison, Flair Chief Marketing Officer. Flair is a
registered brand fully owned and backed by The International Investor, a leading
Kuwaiti Islamic financial services house, established in 1992, and quoted on the
Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Changing the way consumers pay in the GCC

Flair is the first and only Sharia compliant multi-merchant store card in the Middle
East. Recently launched, the card is already available through a fast-growing number
of retail stores in Kuwait such as LG, Fono, ZED Motorz and At Home. Flair is unique
in that it allows its customers to pay for individual purchases in a way that suits
their budget - keeping them in control. For instance, lower value items like mobile
phones can be paid for in a single payment or over 3 months, and higher value items
like TVs can be paid back over 12-24 months or more.

As Flair is based on Islamic financing principles, it purchases the goods and
acquires the services from the dealer or retailer where the Flair card is accepted.
Flair then sells these to the customer on easy and affordable monthly payment terms
through a sale on instalment contract. The transaction amount and term is completely
transparent and known to customers at the time of purchase. \"Another advantage of
the card is that the store itself recognises each Flair cardholder as a valued and
loyal customer, someone who will be offered benefits, promotions and developments
such as special offers, new line previews and discounts through SMS alerts,\"
remarked Colin Harrison.

Introducing such a unique in-store card programme would mean receiving hundreds of
interactions per day from customers eager to apply and to learn more about the card
advantages and conditions. This is why a specialized multilingual team of
experienced contact centre agents was selected to ensure that Flair Sales calls are
dealt with quickly and efficiently. Contact centre operations for Flair are
specifically managed by Procco Financial Services, a TII fully owned and dedicated
processing business of Shari\'a transactions based in Bahrain and regulated by the
Central Bank of Bahrain.

The contact centre system enables Flair agents to advise new customers of approval
within 15 minutes

The Flair contact centre has been designed for rapid account opening, shortening the
time taken to approve a new customer and improving the professionalism of customer
service agents. Real-time integration with Altitude's contact centre application
coupled with Flair's existing systems means all information kept on customers is
within one system - store name, prices, credit terms and payment history are all
within easy reach. Above all, the contact centre system enables Flair agents to
advise new customers of approval within 15 minutes, letting them make their first
store purchase immediately. 'It\'s a simple application process that you can normally
complete in store, browse around, perhaps go for a coffee and soon leave with the
purchases you want', added Colin Harrison.

Core modules within the IP-enabled Altitude uCI solution have been deployed to
support Flair's customer service operations, including Altitude Voice, a voice
management application that provides intelligent handling of inbound and outbound
calls and seamlessly synchronizes relevant data with each call through CTI (Computer
Telephony Integration). Altitude's CTI functionality automatically transfers any
information about the customer's use of the IVR directly into Flair agent desktops,
removing the need for them to re-identify the caller. The system also enables Flair
to route, queue, and track inbound interactions intelligently and more efficiently.
For instance, inbound calls, faxes or emails are directed to an appropriate Flair
agent with the right language, necessary skills and knowledge to assist and resolve
customer queries.

The Altitude uCI (Unified Customer InteractionT) suite has a ten year plus track
record of outstanding results in contact centres worldwide, having won over 25
Industry Awards for Innovation and Performance in the last few years. The solution
provides businesses with a wealth of advanced contact centre features, including
unified desktops, routing, reporting, dialing, voice portal, management and open
integration via Web services. The Altitude uCI suite architecture is unique to the
industry with a single language and editor to all media interactions simultaneously
and in real-time on IP-PBXs and/or traditional PBXs.


\"Organizations worldwide have come to trust Altitude Software to help enhance
service levels, boost contact centre performance, and better manage customer
interactions,\" pointed out Riadh Boukhris, Altitude Software Middle East and North
Africa President. \"By running the Altitude IP contact centre software suite, Flair
is able to more effectively align itself with customer needs, enhance its Sharia
compliant multi-merchant store card activity and, ultimately, maximize bottom line
performance.\"



Web Site: http://www.altitude.com

Contact Details: Altitude Software MENA
Dubai, UAE
T 971 4 391 8880
info.mena@altitude.com