Case Study

 

Consumer Finance Organization

 

Cleo’s Transaction Processing Software provides an important link for a large international consumer finance organization

A large international consumer finance organization was planning to launch an integrated voice and Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) application to all of its call centers, worldwide. By doing so, they hoped to enhance service to their customers and provide a cost-efficient solution for implementation across every country. Standardizing on a worldwide set of tools and best practices, while being able to leverage local enhancements on systems when appropriate, would optimize ROI.

The Challenge

Within the organization, each regional call center has a great deal of independence. With that came a variety of data access requirements, hardware connectivity issues, and application needs. Some call centers were already using CTI, while some had nothing in place. Some call centers integrated detailed client information into their applications and some were only using the global corporate information. And, of course, language differences were also an issue.

Global headquarters required that the solution be designed, built, and rolled out quickly. They wanted a system that was flexible and could be changed by country, but also one that had a solid foundation that was the same worldwide.

The Solution

The consumer finance organization chose Avaya and Scansoft as the worldwide platform. With solid international support and access, this choice gave the initial structure to the project. They then chose Viecore, a leading systems integration provider specializing in enterprise-level self-service solutions. Viecore designed the system, chose the software tools, and built the application.

Using JSP, XML, and Java, Viecore created a solution that offered a strong software application on a solid platform that addressed localized requirements and resource constraints. They chose Cleo's Transaction Processing Suite to integrate the critical backend systems worldwide.

With a large variety of backend data, Viecore and the financial organization felt Cleo's software provided a strong solution to meet not only the immediate needs of the system, but also to address the anticipated growth.

The Solution at Work

Interfacing with 3270 screens, Transaction Designer allowed Viecore to address the many screens, error handling, and recovery operations required for a stable system. As the need for 3270 screens is replaced with newer technology, such as IBM® WebSphere® MQ or XML, the transactions will simply be redefined. The application that Viecore built will remain unchanged, allowing Viecore to deliver long-term value to the client.

The Transaction Processor provided a Java layer that hooked directly into Viecore's framework using the same protocol. By exposing a Java layer instead of requiring a proprietary software solution, Viecore noted that their application development time was reduced significantly.

Peter Branignan, Viecore's Project Leader, was "impressed with the forward thinking approach of Transaction-based Processing." Plus, he adds, "It was a lot easier to sell the solution because it is based on open standards and allows the client to leverage their development investment."

Branignan goes on to say, "The Cleo software worked. We did not need hand-holding, nor did we encounter any significant problems. Cleo's support was extremely responsive and always ready to help."

Cleo Communications helps companies of all sizes connect with and utilize mainframe data and applications. To discuss the benefits of Transaction-based Processing for your mission-critical applications, contact Cleo today.