Contact Center Technology

Contact Center Technology

Call center technology is constantly evolving, so it can be difficult to keep track of the latest innovations in the
market. We've compiled this list of the top 10 call center technologies to consider for today's call centers.

Call delivery technologies:

• ACD
• CTI
• IVR
• Desktop Tools
• Automated Dialer
Performance management tools:
• Workforce Management
• Quality Monitoring
• Contact Management
• Email Management

Identify the technology components of a CRM strategy.

Automatic Call Distributor (ACD)
The Core Call Center Technology: ACD Vendors
• Connectivity between network and agent Traditional Vendors Non-Traditional Suppliers
 Nortel  Ericsson  Interactive Intelligence
• Specialized routing with basic functions of a PBX   Alcatel
Avaya  Cisco
•  Siemens  NEC  Genesys
Complex or simple routing among agent groups
 Rockwell  Mitel  eON
• Recorded announcements and menus  Aspect  Many others emerging
• Management reports
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
Integrating the Telephone and the Computer
Connects phone system to another computer
• Allows transfer of network and IVR data to host
• Controls call routing with added intelligence
• Provides appropriate screens to agent with call
• Routes customer data with the telephone call
• Uses:
• ANI - the number from which they're calling
• DNIS - the number the customer dialed
CTI requires components from multiple vendors:
• ACD supplies a connection and software to support
communication to and from it.
• CTI Server provides the connectivity application (API) that
translates telephony and computer commands.
• Host computer supplies connectivity and data look- up
functions to support screen pop and/or other commands.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
The Voice Processing Family
Capabilities: IVR Vendors
• Provides interaction between caller and computer using  Gplex
touch-tone telephone signals  Avaya
• Reads caller input as directions and/or account specific
 Apex Communications
information
• Requires DTMF signaling or voice activation  Apropos
• Replaces need to live agent for routine transactions  Periphonics
Scripting  Octel
• Common sense order
 Speechworks
• Specific instructions
• Escape route  Various PBX/ACD vendors
• Consistency
Desktop Tools
• Provide a consistent way to assimilate information from Types of Applications:
multiple applications • Knowledge base
• Combine everything the agent needs on one computer screen • Customer contacts
• Point and click Graphical User Interface (GUI) • Directory services
• “May haves”
• Intuitive telephone controller • Automated fax
• Caller ID display • Real-time voice and video
• On-line phone book
• Ability to populate billing and customer information
automatically into e-mails and faxes

What happens at the

agent desktop?
Automated Dialer
Capabilities: Dialer Vendors
• Looks up number in database or list  Amcat  Noble Systems

• Dials call  Castel  Predictive Software

• Detects live answer versus busy/no answer  Cilix

 SER Solutions
• Matches call to available agent  Stratasoft
 Concerto
• Doubles or triples productivity over manual dial  Telephony@Work
 Data-Tel  Touchstar
 DigiSoft  US Infotel

 MarTel Int’l
Workforce Management
Basic Capabilities:
• Forecast calls and workload
• Determine staff requirements
• Create optimal staff schedules
• Track performance within the day
Forecasting and Scheduling
Advanced WFM Capabilities
 Performance reporting
 Real-time adherence monitoring
 Vacation administration
 Non-phone work forecasting and scheduling
 Multi-site scheduling and tracking
 Multi-skill scheduling (skill-based routing)
 Simulation of complex routing environments
Quality Monitoring
• Random look at customer transactions
• Control over quality
• Observation and/or recording:
• Silent monitoring: recorded or observed
• Voice logging: recorded
• Screen/voice logging: recorded
Contact Management
Sales and/or Contact Tracking
• Tracks and measures customer interactions
• Provides cradle-to-grave reporting systems
• Reduces problem with insistent customers
• Correlates all interactions
• Helps determine worth of each customer, cost of
each call, and service cost
How Contact Management Works
• Tracks calls, problem management, and problem resolution
• Displays information related to system status, trouble
tickets, known product defects
• Captures information about a company’s IT and
telecommunications infrastructure
• Customer access can enable user to:
• Review service level agreements
• Research equipment and site configurations
• Resolve simple problems
• Submit service requests
Performance Management Tools

 Workforce Management
 Quality Monitoring
 Contact Management
 Email Management
Customer Relationship Management
Tools for enhancing customer interactions:
 Databases of information about customers
 Knowledge bases of data and problem solving tools
 Contact management
 Analysis tools for sorting and studying data
 Centralized repositories available to all customer interaction channels

Any of these can be considered a CRM technology!

Some Thoughts on CRM
 Tools are only the beginning.
 Attitudes, processes & procedures must support change of focus.
 Existing data must be converted for storage in the central databases – departmental systems must be
transitioned to corporate-wide one.
 Access to the data must be available for all customer-facing personnel.
 Personnel must be trained on what changes to make in their behavior based on data they see.
CRM Critical Issues
 Proven capability to do what you want to do
 Compatibility with existing components
 Capacity to grow dramatically
 A clear understanding of how data will be fed into the system from existing databases
 Financial stability of the vendor
 Ability to put together the whole package, not just point solutions
 Processes, procedures, and corporate support needed to make it a success