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The IP Contact Center - The Call Center for Today
A STATE-OF-THE-ART CONTACT CENTER
DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION
A State-of-the-Art Contact Center is a facility that handles all
the traditional call center functions where a group of agents (i.e.
MICROSOFT Information Facilitator representatives) either answers
calls/contacts from or initiates calls to "customers" or potential
"customers" (i.e. MICROSOFT disaster relief community) and automates
the direction (i.e., routing and management) of the calls/contacts.
Although it has these basic traditional objectives, a state-of-the-art
Contact Center also applies the optimum technical resource to any
type of customer interaction, including consideration for the communications
method the customer is using (i.e. voice telephone, e-mail, etc.),
while providing a consistent level of response across all communication
channels used.
Contacts are placed in a queue and then routed to an appropriate
agent based on availability, skill set, or other business rules.
Information on each interaction is collected via caller ID or an
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit that gathers additional information
from the caller through automated prompts. The information is either
used for routing or passed on to the agent to assist in call resolution.
The main focus is enhancing the ability of the Information Facilitator
to respond to requests, which ultimately will help MICROSOFT achieve
its goal of providing a highly effective disaster response and early
warning service.
The RFG (Robert Frances Group, Inc.) believes the new-generation
contact center, based on Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, is
a solution poised for rapid success in the global call center marketplace.
It offers greater reliability, interoperability, and functionality
than earlier IP, Ethernet, or LAN private branch exchange (PBX)
solutions, and delivers immediate user benefits at a lower price
point than traditional centers. IT executives looking to install
a new center or upgrade an existing call center complex should give
IP-based contact centers serious consideration. |
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Business Imperatives:
* There are several inherent advantages to implementing an
IP-based contact center (IPCC) over a traditional circuit-switched
call center when upgrading a legacy system, or implementing
a new customer service location. IT executives should strive
to determine if these advantages can offer benefits in their
call centers, and begin developing IPCC deployment plans if
appropriate.
* Implementing IPCCs can be difficult for an organization
with multiple legacy call centers. IT executives wishing to
make the transition should consider an "overlay"
approach, which allows a company to phase out growth on legacy
switches and transition that growth to IPCC platforms.
* The organizational merger of voice and data groups has lagged
the convergence of voice and data technologies that has begun
penetrating the corporate marketplace. IT executives should
consider IPCC implementation as an entrée vehicle to
drive both the implementation of IP-based products and greater
organizational convergence between call center and IT personnel.
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