BT Syntegra has developed in conjunction with Cisco Systems a device called ITS Hotlink. The company says it increases productivity and improves customer service to trading floors by facilitating and enriching communication between ITS Turrets and Cisco IP phones.
It offers users of Cisco IP telephony, located off the trading floor, the ability to access calls to and from the trading room floor. Authorised users can make and receive calls on a private wire or conference into calls at the touch of a button. Simultaneous ringing on both ITS Turrets and Cisco IP phones will allow support staff to answer a manager’s private wire calls from clients. It will also allow managers based off the trading floor to monitor the status of their team’s private wires and conference in as necessary, thus improving team working within and between departments.
Syntegra says ITS Hotlink also supports flexible working and business continuity. Cisco IP phones are wireless-compatible, providing mobility for traders. Sales people and back office staff can also view private wire calls and choose whether to handle them whilst away from their desk. All calls, whether on the ITS Turret or the Cisco IP phone, are recorded as normal via ITS to a voice recorder. Syntegra says this flexibility for remote or home-based staff can form an intrinsic part of a business continuity plan.
“BT Syntegra recognises that in today’s pressured trading environment communication between traders, sales people, managers and support staff is more critical than ever before,” says Ben Fursman, head of sales, EMEA, for trading systems at BT Syntegra. “This new collaborative application developed by BT Syntegra for use with Cisco IP phones means we can now provide our customers with the ability to rapidly and seamlessly handle queries and delegate time-consuming administrative tasks, optimising the use of front line people.”
Beat Umbricht, Head of Financial Services Marketing, Cisco Systems EMEA, added: “Our relationship with BT Syntegra in developing this proposition is a natural one, with ITS Hotlink ensuring the Cisco IP phones work as virtual off-trading-floor extensions to trading turrets. ITS Hotlink provides powerful visibility of private wire calls on the trading floor to Cisco IP phone users who have historically never had the access to this information – enabling them to become more directly involved in client support.”
BT Syntegra is also selling ITS.Netrix, a multi-media desktop device which provides traders with the ability to manage all communications channels, including voice, video, instant messaging, email and web through a single device.