VisionMAX

NEWS & EVENTS

	July 2010: Pizza Pizza credits new website with spectacular growth in online ordering Foodservice and Hospitality Magazine reports that Pizza Pizza, Canada’s largest pizza chain, has experienced spectacular growth in online ordering at their site implemented by VisionMAX in 2009. Online ordering has jumped from 4% of all orders to 21% Management credits the increase to easier navigation tools, more attractive look and feel, and new features such as pre-ordering that allows a user to place an order in advance, plus the ability to save recurring orders for easy reordering (e.g., Friday Night Poker Gang, Kids Hockey Team) as well as recalling previous orders. Click here to read the entire article or here to read our Case Study.

	June 2010: VisionMAX joins Retail Council of Canada VisionMAX has a long history of serving retail clients, including Pizza Pizza, T-Mobile, Sears, The Bay, Henry’s Camera, the Katz Group (Pharma Plus / Rexall), and Digicel (1,700 stores in 34 countries). To further cement our relationship with this key sector, VisionMAX recently became a member of the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), and we attended the RCC "Store 2010" conference May 31-June 1. RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association representing more than 40,000 store fronts of all retail formats across Canada, including department, specialty, discount, and independent stores, and online merchants.

	May 2010: VisionMAX powers Bell Canada’s launch of HBO on Bell TV Online Bell TV has added a full slate of HBO programming to the Bell TV Online portal powered by VisionMAX. Available at no additional cost for Bell TV customers who subscribe to The Movie Network, the service enables customers to watch movies, series and other premium commercial-free content on their computers on-demand anywhere in Canada, wherever a high-speed Internet connection is available. The Bell TV Online portal offerings now include: On-demand content from The Movie Network (TMN), Family Channel, Playhouse Disney, and HBO Pay-Per-View trailers and purchase capability (for special events) A TV programming guide (EPG) Fully integrated lightning-fast search Integrated e-chat Bell's Remote PVR that enables customers to remotely set and manage their HD PVR recordings. This unique portal delivers an unparalleled subscriber experience by extending the entertainment experience from the traditional TV screen to the Internet and mobile devices, a key component of Bell Canada’s three-screen strategy that works to deliver entertainment content on TV, computer and mobile-phone screens. For further information, see http://www.bce.ca/en/news/releases/bev/2010/05/12/75478.html

	Mar 23-25 2010: VisionMAX exhibits at CTIA Wireless Conference Once again, VisionMAX is exhibiting at the CTIA Wireless Conference in Las Vegas. The show brings together the wireless and converged communications, wireless broadband, mobile web computing and data industries. VisionMAX will be demonstrating its expertise in the following areas: POS & Service Activation – Our web Browser-based product combines CRM, ERP/Supply Chain, Mobile Phone activations and Commission management into a single POS application. CRM-Client Care – VisionMAX specializes in self-service applications for Telcos. Our multi-platform (Mobile, IVR, Web, iTV) self-service solutions help customers help themselves faster and simpler than waiting in the call center queue. We process 100's of millions of transactions annually, saving our clients similar numbers of dollars. M-Commerce – VisionMAX has an innovative approach to mobile applications (e.g., purchase home TV Pay-per-View) using our VisionEngine technology. Rapid prototyping and deployment have allowed our customers to provide mobile applications to the masses at a minimal cost on devices including BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile and iPhone. IPTV – VisionMAX is a pioneer in IPTV application development, remote-PVR, advertising commerce, and an entire suite of iTV solutions for major providers including telecom, cable/satellite, and hoteliers. M2M - As system integrators, VisionMAX has vast experience linking devices and data, including peripherals (PC web, mobile device, kiosk, satellite TV set-top box, telephone IVR, etc.) and back-end repositories (mainframe, mid-range, UNIX/Windows servers).

	Feb/Mar 2010: VisionMAX joins Canadian Trade Missions to Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Mexico At the invitation of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), VisionMAX joined Trade Missions to the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Designed to showcase Canada’s up-and-coming IT companies, DFAIT arranged for VisionMAX to meet with several of the countries’ leading companies in the telecom, media, and banking sectors. VisionMAX described its expertise in the areas of Retail applications (including Point of Sale, inventory management, and billing), IPTV for hotels, online media portals, T-commerce (buying online through the TV), modernization of legacy applications, Billing systems, and multi-channel “self-serve” solutions to reduce calls to Call Centres.

	Feb 2010: VisionMAX enables Bell TV Remote PVR application Just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Bell TV has released a Remote PVR (Personal Video Recorder) system to allow subscribers to program and manage shows online using a computer web-browser or a compatible mobile device such as iPhone, BlackBerry, Samsung or Palm smartphone. Subscribers can use Remote PVR from anywhere in the world. For example, if you are in Tokyo, you can still remotely set recordings, manage PVR content, and control your PVR in Toronto. Remote PVR is available at no extra charge to Bell TV subscribers with a compatible PVR set-top box. VisionMAX did the system integration between Bell TV Online, Bell Canada, and Sling Media Remote PVR software to enable this innovative feature-set. The Remote PVR feature is accessed via the Bell TV Online system (http://tvonline.bell.ca), which was also developed by VisionMAX.

	Dec 2009 and Mar 2010: VisionMAX launches BlackBerry and Palm Pre PPV app for Bell TV In Dec/09, VisionMAX married its expertise with mobile applications and TV transactional systems to enable a new application for Bell Mobility. VisionMAX developed solutions for a mobile Pay-Per-View (PPV) application for the Palm Pre smart-phone, providing a rich-media experience for customers that extends their TV experience to their mobile phone. VisionMAX provides all data feeds, and handles authentication and the Pay-Per-View (PPV) transaction, allowing customers to visually browse, select, and purchase PPV content on the Palm Pre. This application was made available on the BlackBerry in March 2010.

	Oct 2009: VisionMAX creates another first with Internet Video Service for Bell TV: VisionMAX has added TMN Online to the Bell TV Online portal originally developed and rolled out by VisionMAX one year ago. TMN Online is a new broadband entertainment service that enables Bell TV subscribers with The Movie Network to watch movies and series via the web, from any computer with access to high-speed Internet service, anywhere in Canada. This service is an addition to Bell's TV Anywhere three-screen strategy, and is the first in North America where authentication and access are linked to the subscriber, rather than to the home Internet connection. This project is yet another showcase of VisionMAX’s Media Convergence Practice and expertise, enabling unique, compelling, and ubiquitous customer media access experiences.

	May 2009: Dave McDougall, President of VisionMAX, spoke about Call Centre of the Future at the International Customer Service Association conference. He focused on the following areas: Seamlessly integrated databases (that probably allow the Customer Service Representative to know more about the caller than the caller’s own mother!) Advanced self-serve applications that allow customers and other authorized users to inquire and update their records themselves (in these seamlessly integrated databases) Multi-channel delivery (web browser, telephone IVR, mobile, satellite TV) that allow users to interact with the data through whatever channel they prefer Interactive video training clips that show users how to do something (if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a thousand pictures!) Expert systems (with seamless human backup) that enable users to have a “conversation”, without knowing whether communication is with a computer or a human Software as a Service to allow companies to treat computing (both hardware and software) as a utility, and pay a monthly fee only for what they need Click here to read an article based on his presentation. At the same time, Mike Kinrys, Director of Business Development at VisionMAX, was interviewed by ChannelLine magazine about IBM’s Dynamic Infastructure initiative and how this ties into VisionMAX’s work with hosted SaaS applications. Click here to read the article.

	Mar 2009: VisionMAX has signed a 3-yr deal with Digicel, the largest mobile telecommunications operator in the Caribbean, to implement a new Point of Sale (POS) and Inventory Integration Solution for 400 stores in British Virgin Islands, Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador. This will be followed with a second phase rollout for 1,300 more stores in the remaining 27 countries they currently do business. This deal was facilitated by the Export Development Bank of Canada; click here to see EDC ExportWise on-line magazine article on this story or here to get a pdf copy. The new system will be built on a successful retail system VisionMAX created for Pizza Pizza in Canada and a similar POS system VisionMAX is implementing for T-Mobile’s 10,000 stores in the US.

	Feb 2009: Up to 1,000 passengers per day use the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA)'s pre-arranged service for taxis/limos. Before flying, the passenger calls the taxi/limo operator of their choice and provides the date/time of their arrival flight. After arriving in Toronto, the passenger reports at a curbside booth in front of their terminal. The attendant then calls the Dispatch Centre to notify the waiting driver that the passenger is ready, and the driver proceeds to the curb. Behind the scenes, this process was entirely manual and paper-intensive. VisionMAX automated the process to provide an automated and more efficient system to manage the payment collection, registration, and dispatch of pre-arranged limousine services. The new system incorporates the following elements: Drivers pay their admin fee using cash or credit card at a kiosk Drivers are notified of passenger arrival by a message sent to their cell phone (if no answer, message goes to loudspeaker) Limo stand attendant uses a hand-held mobile computer to scan a bar-coded permit to confirm that correct limo has arrived The new system provides the following benefits: GTAA Administration Eliminate error-prone manual paper process Eliminate need for limo attendant to handle cash Improve traffic flow (very important in a congested area) Provide management tools through improved metrics, auditing, and accountability, allowing management to determine exact driver and passenger locations and curbside vehicle counts and giving them invaluable input for long-term planning Drivers Eliminate missed calls if loudspeaker sound is muffled, as system sends message to driver cell phone Enforce legitimate pickups by eliminating passenger swiping Improve customer service by streamlining the process and providing more service lanes through automation. The system still provides real-life attendants that can assist when needed. Passengers and neighbours Reduce noise from loudspeakers (used on exception basis only) Improve customer service for passengers

	Jan 2009: As part of a new marketing thrust by Pizza Pizza, VisionMAX has developed a new online ordering system that offers convenience and options unmatched in the Canadian pizza segment. Users are able to create profiles based on eating occasions, such as "My Poker Night Order" or "My Hockey Team Order", retrieve past orders, browse the Pizza Pizza menu, or customize their own pizzas choosing from a variety of crust options, sauces and over 30 toppings. The new website also allows for orders to be placed up to seven days in advance. Pat Finelli, chief marketing officer at Pizza Pizza, remarked "We are constantly looking at ways to enhance our customers' dining experience. The new online ordering system is a great example of this as it gives customers greater control and flexibility over personalizing their orders." The overall website, developed in partnership with Pizza Pizza, offers a fresh new look, engaging interface, softer colour palate and offers a more intuitive navigation. The online ordering system is the first of a 3-part initiative, in which VisionMAX will also replace the in-store Point of Sale (POS) system and the application used by the Call Centre staff. Although the front-end interfaces will differ, all three parts of the application will share common Business Rules, as embedded in the VisionEngine.

	Oct 2008: Just in time for the start of the 2008/09 NHL season, VisionMAX rolled out NHL Centre Ice for Bell TV. This phase of Bell TV Online provides Bell TV customers with the NHL® Centre Ice™ package access to live NHL games streamed to their browser via the Internet, with real-time game statistics updates for all games. Phase II of the system is already well under way, and will provide even more video content to customers. This project is yet another showcase of VisionMAX’s Media Practice and media convergence expertise, enabling unique, compelling, and ubiquitous customer media access experiences.

	Sept 2008: At the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2008 Expo in San Francisco, VisionMAX showcased its self-serve Point of Sale (POS) solution for retail wireless stores, as well as applications that enable users to interact with back-office systems using a mobile device. This included a Field Service Automation application for field technicians to record part and labour information against work orders, as well as self-serve applications to allow customers to inquire into and update their account information on a company’s back-office systems. First Look magazine, which covered CTIA, featured an article about VisionMAX on their front page entitled “VisionMAX: Changing The Way Software Buyers Think About Quality Products”. Click here to download it.

	July 2008: CMA Management, the magazine of the Certified Management Accountants of Canada, featured an article by VisionMAX’s Director of Business Development, Mike Kinrys, entitled “*Avoid costly system replacements by modernizing old applications*”. Many organizations have legacy applications that are missing required functions, but are expensive to replace. This article describes work we have done for several clients in which we modernized them (including adding a Web browser interface while consolidating multiple green screens to a few Web browser screens). The benefits companies have achieved include: Avoid the high cost of replacing a working application --- or --- defer the cost for several years Add new functionality without modifying underlying application Increase staff productivity Cut training costs Improve customer satisfaction You can view the article by clicking here.

	July 2008: At the Wireless & Mobility Expo, VisionMAX showcased a self-serve Point of Sale (POS) solution for retail wireless stores that allows customers to select their phone, accessories, and services in a self-serve manner. Using a computer projector and infra-red motion detection product from partner Imagin8, the store is able to turn any window into a touch-sensitive self-serve screen. The POS demonstration application was built using the VisionEngine Software-as-a-Service / Platform-as-a-Service (SaaS / PaaS) application development platform.

	June 2008: VisionMAX speaks at Toronto Talks about converged applications. Dave McDougall, President and CEO of VisionMAX, described how companies are able to increase sales and improve customer satisfaction while reducing costs by leveraging the data that already exists and making it available to users in whatever medium they prefer. Dave described applications that VisionMAX created for clients including Bell Canada, Sprint USA, and Pharma Plus using the following delivery channels: PC web browser Telephone interactive voice response or voice recognition Cell phone text message PDA e-mail Interactive TV via cable/satellite set-top box Kiosk

	Jun 2008: VisionMAX attends 3-day Canadian Telecom Summit. VisionMAX has developed applications for clients including Bell Canada and Sprint USA, that involve telephone interactive voice response, VoIP, speech-to-text and text-to-speech. In order to keep up on the latest developments in the telecom field, VisionMAX attended the 3-day Telecom Summit.

	Apr 2008: VisionMAX speaks to CMAs about mobile applications. At a seminar sponsored by the Certified Management Accountants of Ontario, VisionMAX spoke about current and future applications for wireless technology. President Dave McDougall showed examples of how companies can make use of existing mobile devices already in use by staff (cell phones, BlackBerry, Palm) to extend their functionality by accessing data in back-office systems. Dave also gave a peak at new developments involving Wi-MAX, Google Android, and GSM location-based services.

	March 2008: VisionMAX adds on-line forms functionality to web-based application. VisionMAX had previously developed an application to allow private career colleges to enter and update information about their courses on-line to the provincial government. In this significant enhancement, VisionMAX used the latest version of VisionEngine to add Forms capability. Users are now able to generate all of the forms needed with the data pre-populated rather than having to supplement their existing on-line process with a manual forms based process. As well, VisionMAX performed a complete overhaul of the application to address significant legislation changes and increase usability.

	Nov/Dec, 2007: VisionMAX speaks to BCX about Self-Serve applications. VisionMAX is speaking to several Toronto-area chapters of the Business Connection Exchange (BCX) association about how implementing Self-Serve applications can Improve Customer Service while Cutting Costs. After discussing potential implementation roadblocks and ways to overcome them, VisionMAX describes successful systems they implemented for Bell Canada and the Government of Ontario.

	August 17, 2007: VisionMAX wins back-to-back Awards! A system developed by VisionMAX for the provincial government has won an Award of Excellence, the highest award of the Public Sector Quality Fair. This system is one more in a series developed by VisionMAX to enhance the public-facing systems used by government. In January/07, VisionMAX released the Self-Serve application designed to speed up the delivery of electronic business licenses and track the length of time applications spend in queue. This helped the provincial government meet its publicized Service Guarantees and kept refund penalties to a minimum. Click here for details on the system. A VisionMAX-developed system to allow private career colleges to register their courses on-line has won an Achievement Award from CIPA (Canadian Information Productivity Award) and is a finalist for the Grand Award. Click here for details on the system.

	April 30, 2007: VisionMAX brings government web sites to the next level – VisionMAX has just completed re-engineering a significant government financial services application to make it compliant with laws that require web sites to be accessible by everyone, including those with disabilities. VisionMAX used the business rules function of the VisionEngine to improve the application's run-time efficiency and maintainability. This is the latest in a string of successful implementations that VisionMAX has performed for the government to make information accessible to all citizens.

	VisionMAX is publicizing the work we've done helping customers improve their Customer Service applications. We are teaming with the Toronto Chapter of the International Customer Service Association (ICSA) on various initiatives: We wrote an article for their April/07 Newsletter (page 5) entitled “Cut Costs and Improve Customer Service via ‘Self-Serve' applications”. Click here to see it. On Apr 27/07, we conducted a webinar under the ICSA auspices “Cut Costs and Improve Customer Service via ‘Self-Serve' applications”. Click here for a copy of the presentation. On May 10/11, VisionMAX exhibited at the ICSA Annual Conference. Click here for details.

	In February/07, VisionMAX opened up its first full-time office in the United States to improve service to our American customers. Headed up by Jeff Darter, VP US Sales, the office is located in Dallas, Texas, but Jeff expects to work with customers across the US.