Internet ad agency OgilvyInteractive and I-Link, a technology and services firm, are offering a system that allows services normally available through a public phone company to be implemented into Internet sites without changing their existing Web infrastructure.
Services in the program include two-party calls and conference calls as well as the ability to play announcements, record voice and detect and generate touch-tones. The system, which is powered and supported by IBM WebSphere software, also provides text-to-speech and speech recognition for telephones and PCs.
One wireless application allows consumers with Internet-enabled cell phones to respond to online ads with a toll-free “please call me” alert.
“The market has embraced interactive communications,” said Jeannette McClennan, president of OgilvyInteractive, New York, part of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. “This venture is about thinking beyond Web sites and creating new opportunities for dialogues with our customers.”
