Flying Brands selects Sabio to manage migration to next generation communications platform

• Sabio to replace existing INDeX ACD with Avaya Communication Manager platform, and deliver additional value through implementation of Verint Workforce Management solution

• Innovative communications infrastructure to support Flying Brands as it evolves to deliver multi-channel support across its 7 key brands

LONDON – 30 June 2008 – Sabio, the contact centre consultancy services company, has won an order from Flying Brands to manage its migration to a next generation communications platform. Flying Brands (LSE: FBDU) is one of the UK’s leading multi-brand home shopping operations, and decided to upgrade its end-of-life INDeX telephony switch as part of a major office relocation and network refresh across its three sites in Chelmsford, Folkestone and Jersey.

Sabio is one of Avaya’s most experienced contact centre Business Partners and was ideally placed to help Flying Brands operations migrate from its INDeX hardware to a next generation solution based on Avaya’s Communication Manager enterprise communications platform. The new Avaya infrastructure will allow Flying Brands to virtualise its customer contact operations across its three main locations, while Verint’s workforce optimisation solution will support the company as it restructures its contact centre around its multiple brand lines.

“We selected Sabio to support our contact centre infrastructure transition as the company clearly had an in-depth understanding of the different technologies involved, and were able to work with us to find the most cost-effective migration approach,” commented James Henry, IT Director for Flying Brands.

“We found that Sabio could effectively support both our detailed technology and business requirements and we’re confident that the performance improvement and related business benefits from the new solution will help us to achieve a rapid payback for this major project,” he continued.

“With its complex, multi-brand, multi-channel operation, Flying Brands is exactly the kind of organisation that can benefit from a correctly optimised contact centre systems and applications,” added Sabio Director, Adam Faulkner. “Our Workforce Optimisation practice is now working to implement Verint’s Impact 360 Workforce Management tool to optimise the performance of Flying Brands’ 100-strong team of agents, and take advantage of the acknowledged skills-based routing and reporting capabilities of the company’s new Avaya Communication Manager solution.”

Sabio recently announced a new ‘buy-back’ offer to help firms - such as Flying Brands - currently using the ‘end-of-life’ INDeX switch to migrate to the Avaya Communication Manager platform. Sabio is ideally placed to help INDeX users to leverage Avaya’s attractive ‘buy-back’ incentives, and provide customers with a seamless, cost-efficient transfer to a next generation solution.

Avaya Communication Manager provides centralised call control for a wide range of communication devices, and offers comprehensive support for contact centre operations including advanced skills-based routing and reporting. Communication Manager provides the foundation for building and optimising complete enterprise communication networks by supporting a range of standard communications protocols including SIP and H.323.

About Flying Brands
Flying Brands is a multi brand retailer that floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1993 (ticker FBDU). The company started life as Flying Flowers which was established in 1980’s, growing carnations on a farm on Jersey initially for tourists but it quickly developed and now Flying Brands despatch nearly 1 million bouquets a year, ranging from carnations and roses to lilies and chrysanthemums.
Following flotation, the company expanded and in 1995 acquired Gardening Direct. Both Flying Flowers and Gardening Direct are market leaders with a combined customer database of over 3 million customers.
In the late 90s Benham, a collectables business, was acquired. It sells bespoke stamp first day covers and coin covers.
In 2005, Flying Brands made further acquisitions Garden Bird Supplies, a leading supplier of high quality wild bird and animal feed as well as garden accessories.
In 2006, Flying Brands acquired Greetings Direct for £11.8m (which trades as Cards for all Occasions), the UK’s only continuity greeting cards business, which sends monthly bundles of cards of all styles and designs for all occasions.
Visit www.flyingbrands.com for more information.