FlexiQ is designed so service providers can operate their DA solutions more efficiently and at the same time affordably introduce new and enhanced services that benefit users. FlexiQ’s many innovative features enable DA service providers to manage the increasing complexity in DA that is resulting from growth in types of content, as well as from the proliferation of devices used to access DA services.

FlexiQ is made up of the following major elements:

• ISx FlexiStation™, ISx’s new operator workstation platform
• ISx FlexiSearch™, the company’s new database solution
• ISx FlexiCall™, providing additional capabilities that integrate speech recognition functions into the company’s call center platform.

ISx FlexiStation is designed to be highly configurable, allowing customers to optimize the way they manage and deliver directory content. At the same time, FlexiStation enables ISx customers to add concierge-style and other enhanced services to their DA solutions.

ISx FlexiSearch enables customers to consolidate and simplify data management, to accept data in many formats, allowing new services to come on line sooner; and to expand fields and link them to complex data, such as that used in location-based services.

ISx FlexiCall is designed to bring new levels of speech recognition and call automation to the ISx platform. These features help customers free operators to handle complex calls, while increasing call-handling capacity at lower cost. FlexiCall also enables easy introduction of new automated services to provide enhanced information.

In addition to these three major elements, FlexiQ includes an array of new DA solutions that support and extend the capabilities of the platform. These include ISx FlexiConnect™ for call handling and ISx FlexiMessage™ for wireless messaging. Building on extensive interconnection capabilities and the DA industry's first SMS (short message service) platform, together these solutions enable a multi-modal dialog with consumers to better serve the growing types of user devices and communication patterns.

The FlexiQ platform is uniquely well suited for today’s DA marketplace, which is just now emerging from two years of slow growth,according to Ed Downs, ISx chief executive officer. “Many of our customers are still experiencing pressures that require strict cost controls,” Downs said, “even as their own customers are demanding new and enhanced DA services. These providers must be able to economically and reliably deliver increasingly vast and varied content over an expanding array of devices.”

Commenting on the industry trends that have shaped ISx development, Kathleen Pierz, managing partner, The Pierz Group, said, "The focus of the directory assistance/enquiry industry is shifting from a relatively simple 'name, location, phone number' service to a more complex paradigm in which DA providers must facilitate communications across a range of devices and contact points. The ability to address the requirements for efficiency and growth in this new, more complex industry is vital for providers in almost all geographies."

An integral part of the ISx development process for FlexiQ involved customer feedback. “In developing FlexiQ, we collaborated with several customers to make sure we addressed the industry’s requirements today and into the future,” Downs said. “The feedback we’ve received has been very positive and we are in discussions with multiple service providers about deployments in 2004.”