The Call Center Model:
Module 5 of 8
Call Center
- Technology
Call Center Model Tutorial Series |
The first step toward
delivering world-class customer service in todays
environment is to separate the different components that
contribute to a successful call center.
Module 1
introduced the Contact Center Model, which breaks the
call center into its five key components
Strategy,
Processes, Technology, Human Resources and Facilities.
Modules 2-8 will examine each of these components
separately. The final module, Module 8, will address the
project planning and change management needed to make
the most of your contact centers. Each component comes
from Centerserve's
Planning and Design eToolkit. The Call Center Model
acts as a basis for ensuring cost effective,
strategically aligned, world-class customer service.
Click here to reexamine
Module 1,
Module 2,
Module 3,
and Module
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Technology overview
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Contact center
technology is probably the most complex component of the model. There are numerous
technologies and alternatives that make your decision a long and intensive process.
This
tutorial will examine some of the key technology components including:
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Technology architecture planning
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Voice switching infrastructure
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Contact routing tools
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Computer
Telephony Integration
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Interactive Voice Response
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Email management
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CRM and Data Mining
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RFP and vendor selection
The
Planning and Design eToolkit investigates other technology hardware and applications that are more
complex than we will cover in this introductory tutorial.
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Technology
architecture planning
In
Module 2, you developed your contact center's strategy
and wrote business requirements.
Module 3 guided you through developing processes to support your contact center. Now it is time to plan the
technology architecture for your center. A technology architecture plan:
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Creates a unified technology approach understood by all business and technology staff.
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Uncovers any technology roadblocks before implementation takes place.
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Provides a clear roadmap for technology implementation by defining prioritization and
key milestones.
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Identifies each technology element and media that will be supported by the contact
center.
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Key planning assumption
Before technology plans are developed, one key question needs to be answered: is this
the first center, or an addition to an existing network of centers? Depending on the
answer, there are differences in the overall approach.
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The first call center in the organization.
This project requires more planning and
decision-making on the front end and will likely take more time. It allows greater
flexibility in technology application deployment since you are starting with few
technology constraints.
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Adding to an existing network of centers within the organization.
This project has an architecture in
place and you can leverage existing technology and vendors. Experienced resources are
available within the organization to draw upon.
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Planning approach
- two steps
Step 1: Preparation
This process entails gathering resources and
building knowledge.
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Technology Plan -
Define the objectives and overall timeline. Define parameters of
project (e.g., scope, budget, timeline). The contact center strategy is a key input to the
plan.
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Assumptions -
Define key assumptions with all team members (e.g., what existing
technology platforms or vendors will be leveraged; will you use leading edge technologies
or tried and true approaches; will you operate as a standalone center, or integrated with
other centers). Define what carries the most weight in the project (e.g., costs, customer
service improvements, efficiency gains, reliability, manageability).
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Education -
Understand what is available and possible through researching technologies,
attending conferences and visiting best in class contact centers.
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Step 2: Develop a High Level Design
The team will design the technology
architecture. |
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*Note that some of these steps may not fully apply to
organizations that have existing call centers. For instance, part of the architectural
strategy may consist of duplicating what works in other centers and applying new
components.
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Identify Design Principles -
These are the principles that guide you in evaluating and
choosing technology (e.g., buy versus build applications). Your business and technology
assumptions will help to define design principles.
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Develop the Technology Architecture-
Develop a technology framework within the context
of your requirements, assumptions, and design principles. This will define key technology
elements, their basic architecture and interfaces, and the core functions they will
provide.
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Develop an Implementation Plan -
This is a high level plan that includes: 1) what you
intend to do, 2) how you are going to do it and 3) how long it will take. It includes
major milestones, prioritization and plans for phasing in technology elements. It
identifies critical success factors (e.g., additional support resources, training) for the
project.
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Technology Elements to Support Architectural
Needs
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Voice switching infrastructure
The foundation of a call center is the
telephone system. The key functions of this
switching technology are:
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providing the
connection point for the local and long
distance telephone lines to the company
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routing of calls,
whether incoming or outgoing
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providing telephone
stations at each desktop
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Contact routing tools
Contact routing tools
route calls or other media types to specific
customer service representatives (CSRs),
based on certain criteria (e.g., time of
day, skill set of the CSRs, caller account
information). There are several levels of
sophistication in contact routing tools.
These are usually based on your customer
contact strategy (e.g., customer
segmentation), routing strategy (i.e., how
contacts and various media are to be
handled), and technology available.
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Computer Telephony Integration
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) describes the functional integration of various
computer and telephone system elements that enable voice and data networks to work
together and share information. Using CTI in a call center:
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lowers operating costs (calls and time per call)
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improves effectiveness and productivity of CSRs
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provides a more customer centric experience
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enables more detailed and accurate reporting capabilities
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enhances functionality of existing systems
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provides advanced contact routing, queuing and handling capabilities
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Interactive Voice Response
Interactive Voice Response or IVR (also called Voice Response Unit or VRU) is used by
contact centers to route callers to the correct CSRs and to provide self-service. Using an
IVR, a caller can reach an extension, obtain information and perform transactions without
assistance from a CSR. The easy access, choice, control and privacy provided by IVRs make
them a useful tool for many callers.
When callers use the IVR,
your organization saves money. Even if a
caller just enters an account number or
reviews some information and "bails out" to
speak with a person for more details, they
have shaved seconds or minutes off of your
talk time. Offering useful and user friendly
applications that allow callers to complete
transactions will save you even more money.
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Email management
Next to voice calls, emails are likely to constitute the highest volume of customer
contacts into your organization. The last five years have seen exponential growth in email
volume and consequently, technologies to handle it more efficiently. This section explains
the basic functionality of Email Response Management Systems (ERMS). These systems are
generally available in two configurations.
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purchase it as an add-on module from a switching vendor (e.g., PBX, ACD) or from a CTI
middleware vendor.
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purchase a standalone third party product that integrates with selective contact center
systems.
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CRM
& Data Mining
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is more than just software. It is the philosophy
and process of managing a customer's relationship with an organization across all
departments (e.g., marketing, sales, customer service). It takes into account customer
history, the depth and breadth of their relationship with the organization, as well as
other factors.
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RFP and vendor selection
Now it is time
to get serious about selecting a vendor for
the technology elements that your contact
center requires. It is crucial that you
establish a core team of people from across
the organization to participate in the
vendor selection process. The first step is
to expand your business requirements into
functional requirements that will be the
core of your Request for Proposal (RFP).
Functional requirements add depth to the
business requirements, providing
applications and capabilities required from
the technical solutions being considered.
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Coming next week
- Module 6: Contact Center Human Resources
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Related Resources
Call Center Measurement eToolkit
- Centerserve's Call Center Measurement eToolkit is an indispensable tool that will teach
you how to assess and improve the performance of your call center. By providing common
definitions of terms and a complete overview of performance measures for contact centers,
the eToolkit will promote your understanding of the functions and procedures that will
enhance your call center performance and boost its efficiency.
2007 Call Center Best
Practices Report -
Find out what's working and what is not working
from contact center managers world-wide.
Managers and consultants share best practices
and solutions for operations and management of
call centers.
Call Center Planning and Design eToolkit - A comprehensive guide to call
center strategy, planning and design; an
excellent resource for new contact center
start-ups, existing call center improvement and
future planning with detailed templates and
planning roadmaps.
Other Call Center Management Resources
Bookstore
Tutorials
Benchmarking
Measurement
Strategy and planning
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