Close calls - increased sophistication in computer-telephony integration - Technology Information

CTI systems are getting more sophisticated and can provide a closer customer/agent match.

When your agent staff telecomputes on the beach or during lunch breaks, they are more relaxed workers who can still break sales records. When you can save your customers the hassle of reciting their names, addresses and other demographics each time they call, they are happier customers. When you, the call center manager, can schedule and forecast next week's activities without lifting a finger, you are a more efficient manager.

The advantages of computer telephony integration (CTI) are great, if you can make all the pieces fit with your existing call center. But the reality is, even though CTI merges the capacities of computers and telephones, it doesn't necessarily function smoothly with your existing call center.

New software tools and their hardware counterparts are readily available, but many must be customized to interface with an existing call center. This makes it hard to incorporate software tools that would accelerate call center productivity, increase customer service levels, and improve agent job satisfaction. Eventually the market will demand interface standards to solve this.

Despite the lack of compatibility between CTIs, ACDs, and the new management software, call centers are implementing sophisticated CTI systems which match the calling customer to the agent with the most appropriate skills to handle the customer's requirements.

This can include skills such as language, product knowledge, gender, and age. A more sophisticated system can even match the customer with the agent who previously handled his call.

BENEFITS OUTWEIGH COSTS

Although tracking agent skills and establishing caller discriminators is time-consuming even with user-friendly software, the benefit of improved customer service far outweighs the cost of implementation.

Call center managers may now use software packages to develop shift schedules based on agent preferences. These software packages help companies best use staff while eliminating or at least minimizing the juggling of schedules and manual notification of agents. Work shifts can be created to meet caller demand, yet adhere to management scheduling requirements to produce cost-effective shifts with minimum overtime.

The software packages not only give managers a report showing week-at-a-glance schedules, but they also ease the stress of trying to reconcile agent and management scheduling priorities.

Real-time display of call center activity has moved from the manager's PC screen and wallboards to individual agent monitors, thanks to software enhancements. "Calls in queue" and "abandons" are now easily noted on an agent's screen.

More importantly, new software interprets call center activity by combining information from SQL databases with the raw call center numbers, presenting the result as meaningful data on agents' screens (today's commissions, total sales, average sales per hour, etc).

The software packages also can send preprogrammed personalized messages to agents based upon preset thresholds--for instance, "Joe, sales are off 50% this hour, what's wrong?" The manager also can send messages on-the-fly to one or more agents simultaneously.

The near-universal use of Microsoft Windows has motivated call center software producers to mirror its popular desktop display format, and to assure call center managers of their software's network compatibility with Windows.

In fact, many call centers are switching to these platforms because of the demand to integrate communication into a real-time, work-conducive environment.

As CTI becomes more sophisticated and telecommunication interlinks become more flexible, qualified agents can be given more latitude in where they are physically located when handling calls.

This flexibility expands the pool of available agent candidates. It allows parents at home and people with other jobs to integrate call center activity into their existing work environments.

There is an increasing demand for qualified managers to enter the call center market with outstanding skills in people management, strong backgrounds in communications technology, and a commitment to develop team spirit and enthusiasm in their fellow workers.

These attributes, inevitably, lead to a successful call center where motivated agents are able to deliver a superior level of customer service with a minimum of confusion or agent burnout.

COPYRIGHT 1997 Nelson Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group