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In Prosci's latest best practices study with 240 call
centers, respondents indicated that, by far, the largest change in
the call centers over the past two years was
enhanced usage of
technology and automated systems. Enhanced technology included
the addition of new technology as well as upgrading existing
systems. In addition, participants identified "improved
technology in both hardware and software applications" as having the
greatest positive impact on customer service and call center
efficiency. |
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Call center technology is arguably the most complex
component of the Contact Center Model, shown in Figure 1. (To learn more about the
Contact Center Model, see
Module 1 of
this tutorial series.)
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Figure 1 - Prosci's Contact Center Model |
Assessing your call center technology
Not all technologies are right for every call center; there are
no "right" or "wrong" choices that fit all call centers.
Still, with call center technology evolving so rapidly, it can be
difficult to determine when to update or upgrade and when to stay
with your current system. However,
failing to implement the right technologies can be costing your call
center money and impacting your ability to deliver great customer
service.
The "right" technologies for your call center should be based on the
following three criteria:
- Business objectives
The technology choices made in your call center must align with
achieving the "big picture" goals set by the company. For
instance, if your call center or company goals include increased
customer satisfaction, you should look at what technologies can help
you improve that important metric. This factor also includes
the budget.
- Competitive position and overall market
performance in your industry area
A good working knowledge of the types and levels of
technology that your competitors use will give you insight into what
your customers expect of you (see
Module 2
for more information on monitoring your competition). It is a good
idea to set your goals at the same or higher level of technology than your main competitors. To be considered
"best-in-class," call centers must be leaders in technology, with
multi-media options for customers and new technologies to improve
the call center's overall performance and efficiency.
- Customer needs and expectations
Customers expect to choose how they
interact with you. Your service must be by their standards and by
the media of their choice. Make sure that you have a clear
understanding of your customers' preferences and that your
technology can support those needs and expectations.
If you need to do detailed planning, we
recommend the
Call Center
Planning and Design Toolkit.
Key elements of call center technology
The number of different call center technologies in use and available
for use are many. In order to deliver a high-level description of
these technologies, the table below presents four distinct technology
elements:
|
Call Center
Technology Element |
Description |
Voice
|
Includes:
- Telephone switch
Should be sized to meet your operational
requirements; examples include Key system, PBX
system, standalone ACD system, communication server
and VoIP.
- Contact routing tools
Allows callers to be routed to appropriate agents
based on business rules or conditions; examples
include basic ACD, call scripting modules or CTI
applications.
- Interactive Voice
Response (IVR)
Used by contact centers to provide self-service
options to reduce agent-handled call volume and as
an advanced routing tool; also known as VRU).
- Speech recognition
Used to replace touch-tone applications or to add
new applications that were not possible with
touch-tone entry.
|
Data
|
Includes:
- Workstations
The computer and operating system used to support
an individual agent in customer contacts; often
includes network and Web connections to access
information and applications.
- Computer applications
and databases
Software that performs the processes required by the
user/organization; used to store and access customer
data; provides interoperability and integration with
other call center applications.
- Customer relationship
management (CRM) tools
Used to mine customer data and optimize
customer relationships to enable agents to utilize
cross-sell and upsell opportunities; also allows
agent to be knowledgeable about the customer's
history during customer contact.
- Knowledge management
(KM) tools
Enable rapid access to product
information, problem-solving and trouble-shooting
databases; can be integrated with contact management
system to eliminate repeated data entry for searches
and documentation.
- Computer telephony
integration (CTI)
Enables screen pops of customers records
during and throughout contact; allows reporting to
track contacts through call center.
|
Web
|
Includes:
- Web site
Can offer the same or many of the services (24 x 7)
offered by the call center in order to reduce
contact volume to live agents.
- Email
Has become the most popular method of
call center contact; can use automated email
handling applications and intelligent routing
techniques to get the email to the right agent.
- Web integration (text
chat, Web calls, collaboration)
Integration of multiple forms of customer
contact, including email, text chat, Web callbacks
and click-to-talk applications to create
fully-integrated contact channels; agents can also
have the ability to co-browse the Web pages with
customers and "push" Web pages to customers.
|
Management
|
Includes:
- Reporting tools
Provides access to performance data on all aspects
of call center operations; can be integrated with
switching equipment and communication servers.
- Workforce management
systems
Automate the creation of work schedules and create
staffing forecasts to match the projected workload.
- Quality monitoring and
logging systems
Used to monitor agent calls for the purpose of
quality assurance and quality improvement; advanced
systems can record both voice and screen navigation.
|
Carefully consider if an update or upgrade to any
of these technologies could help your call center achieve your business
goals, remain competitive in the marketplace or meet your customers'
needs and expectations. If you need to do detailed planning, we
recommend the
Call Center
Planning and Design Toolkit for in-depth information on technology
architecture planning and vendor selection guidelines.
Summary
This tutorial focused on the criteria to guide your call center
technology choices and the technology options available to call centers.
The
Call Center Planning and Design Toolkit provides step-by-step
instructions, templates and checklists for developing your own specific
Contact Center Model - including your strategy, processes, technology,
human resources and facilities. The toolkit was developed by industry leaders in the Call Center field,
Vanguard Communications and Prosci. The toolkit provides:
- a comprehensive planning checklist and design
guidelines for successfully setting up a new call center or
redesigning your existing call center
- the approach and tools to help you create
and/or maintain a best-in-class contact center strategy
The
Call
Center Best Practices Report - Technology Edition includes
lessons learned from other call center managers about the most effective
technology changes and an overview of the latest technologies available
to call centers and their current extent of usage.
Find out more about the Planning and Design Toolkit and Best
Practices Report by visiting the webpage, emailing callcenters@prosci.com or by calling 970-203-9332
to speak with an analyst.
Recommended Resources:
Call Center Planning and Design Toolkit
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.
Controlling the Cost of Call Center
Operations Toolkit
Provides a systematic approach to reducing your call center costs. With this toolkit, you
will critically examine multiple channels for reducing expense. The outcome is a set of
identified and prioritized cost saving initiatives that are most suited for your contact
center.
Call Center Measurement Toolkit
How to measure and improve call center performance; an excellent guide to developing a
performance measurement system with concrete recommendations for improving call center
performance. With an entire section dedicated to measuring, benchmarking and
improving cost per contact, this toolkit is your step-by-step guide for cost metrics.
Call
Center Best Practices Report - Technology Edition
Benchmarking report - this report shares lessons learned by call center
technology managers regarding the most effective applications, systems
and technologies that are having the greatest impact on call center
efficiency, employee effectiveness and customer satisfaction.
Motivating Call Center Agents Toolkit
A comprehensive guide specifically designed to increase productivity and motivate
agents. Discover what truly motivates your agents to do their best work with
easy-to-follow steps that guide you through the principles of motivation and how to
overcome the agent-manager disconnect. Interactive assessments are included that allow you
to find the root cause of low agent productivity and reduce your turnover rate.
Quality Monitoring Toolkit
A complete and in-depth guide to implement or improve a quality monitoring (call
monitoring) program.
Complete
Call Center Series
Save 30% off the list price when you purchase the complete
call center business performance series!
Call Center Business
Performance Packages
Find a call center package to meet your needs and save 20-25% off the list price!
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