It seems old now to be discussing call centers in the current era. But
considering the way Automatic Call Distribution Systems (ACDS) have
been replaced by fully loaded call centers successfully, we should know
how to setup it up as the procedure is complex and hectic.
[ACDS systems transfer calls to a free telephone operator and queue calls if all operators are busy]
[Fully
loaded call centers is a fancy name for ACDS. On ACDS it is deemed
impossible to handle calls for multiple organizations whereas in call
centers, thousands of agents can receive calls for multiple products.
For example, technical support for IBM and Microsoft products can be
provided by the same agents. The user dials a different number but
connects to the same place]
I would start with a proper
definition of the term call center. A call center is a facility which
allows both inbound and outbound calls. If it is a support call center
it will normally have inbound calls only, but in the case of a sales
call center, it may allow outbound calls as well. The way it works is
simple -- when you dial a UAN [Universal Access Numbers -- these are
numbers which can be dialed in order to connect to a destination from
almost anywhere around the world] number or any other support number,
your call is redirected to one of many call agents present at the call
center. If all agents are busy then your call might be queued i.e., as
soon as an agent becomes free you are connected to him/her.
Seems simple. What is the fuss about setting it up then? Get an ISDN
PR(I/A) connection, hire call agents and thats it, your call center is
up and running.
[ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital
Network, it provides end-to-end digital connectivity. The connection is
available in two types Basic Rate Access/Interface and Primary Rate
Access/interface. BRA is normally for home use -- it provides only two
channels i.e., one for telephone calls and one for data, whereas PRI
provides up to 30 channels and is normally for corporate use. As an
example, a PRI connection will help you receive 30 calls simultaneously
over the same line]
This looks good only on feasibility
studies but reality is a bit different. Normally companies like to
outsource their call centers to reduce costs. In that case any country
which has cheap labor and lots of tax leverage would be selected and
what do you know, you suddenly jump into a third world country like
India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka.
Now starts the real game -- if
you are providing support to customers in the UK, you cannot ask them
to call a support number in Pakistan. Why not? Because that would cost
them an international call.
If you take the responsibility to
pay for the international call charges on behalf of your customers you
will soon be declaring your organization bankrupt, so is there a
solution to this problem? Yes there is, this is where VoIP [Voice over
IP] comes to help. I.e., transferring telephone calls over the Internet
from one place to another.
This is what makes setting up a call
center pretty complex. To simplify matters I am listing the points
which are necessary for
setting up call centers:
1. Getting the required toll-free number and a multi channel [Broadband/ISDN] interface
This
is not a difficult task -- just go to any telecommunications provider
and ask for a toll-free number and a telephone connection which allows
you to receive multiple calls simultaneously over the same line. This
would normally be an ISDN PR(I/A) line. The number of simultaneous
calls which can be received over one such connection varies according
to American and European standards.
2. Get a broadband internet connection
You
need to purchase either an SDSL connection or a leased line providing
you connectivity from one end to another. Normally a 512K [512Kilobytes
of Bandwidth] connection is considered enough to cater 6-8 calls
simultaneously with acceptable audio quality.
[Synchronous
Digital Subscriber Link is a DSL connection which provides the same
upload and download speed. A normal DSL connection provides of the
download speed as the upload speed]
[A leased line is a
dedicated ISDN connection which is only used by you and shared by no
one else. SDSL connections are normally shared]
3. Get hold of an IPPABX (Internet Protocol Private Automatic Branch Exchange)
These
devices provide routing and distribution facilities at each end. You
will need to put on at least one at each end and connect it through the
line you have decided to use at step 2. You need to ask your vendor to
configure the PABX for you. You might also need to hire a permanent
person to take care of these devices and their configuration.
4. Purchase IP phones and lots of Cat 5+ cable
The
IP phones work as a normal telephone just that they plug in to the
IPPABX directly the same way your computer might connect to a hub [a
device where multiple computer connections end to share a same line]
using the same network cable which is normally Cat 5 or higher.
[Category
5 cable -- networking cable used to provide physical connectivity just
like the cable that connects your telephone to the local jack]
5. Route the support number to IP Gateway
Normally
the IPPABX provides you the facility to connect directly to a telephone
(ISDN PR(I/A)) line to start receiving calls, but if not, then you
might have to get hold of an VoIP gateway which actually converts the
telephone calls coming in through the telecommunication provider to the
IP format.
6. Install all the necessary CRM software to agents computer
CRM
[Customer Relationship Management] Software provides you real time
information on the current status of a customer and business policies
which apply over that customer.
You cannot provide support to
your customer unless all customer data is known to the call agents. To
serve the purpose you need to develop CRM software which provides all
the necessary information to deal with a customer properly. A better
CRM even allows you to take necessary corrective actions immediately.
For example, in the case of ISPs, you might restore the users password
immediately using the CRM when the customer calls. Good CRM software
will also allow the employer to keep a record of the performance of
agents. An excellent CRM software product will also allow the recording
of calls.
If you see police or government agents coming to shut
your call center down you better realize that you also need to get a
license for running a call center from the local telecommunications
authority.
This is all you need to be up and running with a
call center. Remember, the higher the bandwidth of your Internet
connection, the better the quality of voice you will have and there is
no replacement for a leased line any other type of connection would
certainly be shared among other users, thus you won't get the same
quality every time.
Tags:
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