ININ Interactive Intelligence Grp., Inc.

Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq:ININ), a global developer of business communications software, released customer survey findings this week showing hosted communications services, video, unified messaging, and voice over IP deployments on the rise. �Though our survey results showed several communications technologies on the rise, by far the most significant uptake in the near-term was hosted services, with 90 percent of our customer respondents not currently using them, but a full 72 percent stating that they plan to use them in the future,� said Joseph A. Staples, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Interactive Intelligence. The survey, which was sent to a sample of the company�s more than 2,500 global enterprise and contact center customers, also showed video, unified messaging, and VoIP on the rise. �When survey respondents were asked, 'What new technologies are you currently evaluating for your call center?' the greatest response was video,� Staples said. �I think this shows that contact centers continue to look for that competitive advantage � technologies that will separate them from the rank-and-file call centers � and video is clearly one of them.� According to survey results, more than 56 percent of respondents stated that unified messaging is a 'key priority' for their organization. �The unified messaging findings indicate that perhaps this application has finally hit its stride,� Staples said. �What�s particularly interesting is that, among those who had not yet deployed UM, the primary reason listed was �no perceived benefit.� Clearly, vendors must do a better job of showing customers measurable ROI, which we think is possible if UM applications are offered as part of a broader, �all-in-one� unified communications architecture.� Other noteworthy findings included the increasing adoption of VoIP, with nearly 70 percent of respondents indicating they had already deployed the technology in some portion of their organization, and of the remainder, 56 percent indicating that they planned to deploy it over the next 12 months. The VoIP-related findings are consistent with other third-party industry surveys, many of which show that 80 percent or more of businesses today have incorporated IP somewhere in their networks. The VoIP findings are particularly significant when combined with respondents� top evaluation criteria for new communications solutions, which is open standards. �These results seem to underline the need for vendors to deliver VoIP solutions using the open SIP standard, which contrasts sharply with the many IP PBXs offered today that come with a few proprietary SIP extensions leading to vendor lock-in,� Staples said. Perhaps the most important overarching message that resulted from the Interactive Intelligence survey is that companies are getting more creative in using technologies to retain their most valued customers. �Our survey results showed that the increasing need to improve customer loyalty was the main trend impacting businesses over the past year,� Staples said. �This is in line with other aspects of our survey showing the uptake of relatively new technologies, such as video, to both personalize and make more convenient the customer experience. This means companies are demanding more flexible, highly customizable applications � the kind that can be created and modified in-house. Business communications solutions that use open standards, are software-based, and can be easily managed and customized are the ones that will fit this bill moving forward.� The Interactive Intelligence customer survey targeted contact center and IT managers from among its 2,500 global customers. The survey asked for written responses to 44 questions focused on business communications technology trends. Of the customer survey responses, the largest portion represented the financial services industry (17.4 percent), followed by insurance (11.6 percent), then computer services/hardware/software (10.1 percent), with the rest diversified among other verticals. The majority of responses came from North American companies, with the remaining representing Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To download a free copy of the complete survey, visit: http://www.inin.com/products/profiles/surveyresults.pdf. About Interactive Intelligence Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) is a global provider of business communications software and services for contact center automation and enterprise IP telephony. The company was founded in 1994 and has more than 2,500 customers worldwide. Recent awards include the 2006 Network World 200, CRM Magazine�s 2006 Rising Star Excellence Award, Network Computing Magazine�s 2006 Well-Connected Award, and Software Magazine�s 2006 Top 500 Global Software and Services Companies. Interactive Intelligence employs approximately 525 people and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company has five global corporate offices, with additional sales offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +1 317.872.3000 or info@inin.com; on the Net: http://www.inin.com. This release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are described in the company's SEC filings. Interactive Intelligence Inc. is the owner of the marks INTERACTIVE INTELLIGENCE, its associated LOGO and numerous other marks. 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