January 1998

BY EARL STEMAN

During the 1980s, call centers realized significant gains in productivity through the development of components that automated different aspects of call center functionality, including ACDs, predictive dialers, VRUs, IVRs, and enhanced relational database capabilities. However, most of these components were developed to run on proprietary hardware and software, which resulted in “islands of technology” within the call center. Computer-telephony integration (CTI) emerged as a strategy for companies looking to integrate these disparate systems, protect their existing investment in technology, automate redundant, labor-intensive activities, and improve customer service.

CONVENTIONAL CTI SOLUTIONS
Conventional CTI is based on the idea that integrating various call center components will increase agent productivity, thereby resulting in improvements in customer service and satisfaction. This idea makes sense when viewed in the context of traditional arguments for automation — namely, increasing productivity by computerizing repetitive procedures and processes. This automated functionality forms the basis for many of the desktopbased CTI solutions currently emerging on the market. A typical desktop CTI solution for a retail application might be capable of recognizing a customer’s phone number when the customer’s call comes into the PBX or ACD; extracting a screen containing that customer’s purchasing history from a host computer; and then displaying that information to the agent answering the call. In a similar scenario, a bank customer who calls an IVR might request agent assistance, and be routed to an agent via the host. All of these activities are focused on reducing agent time and improving customer service levels.

WHO’S IN CHARGE?
Conventional CTI solutions are limited in that they automate only the specific tasks handled by the company’s host computer, network, dialer, IVR/VRU, and PBX/ACD. Each component within the configuration functions as a peer, and performs a specific, prescribed function.

In this sense, conventional CTI systems have a purely tactical orientation; they respond to information related to the automation of simple tasks, but are incapable of responding to the complex processes that drive a company’s overall business strategy. Because they are peer-based systems, with no sense of who’s in charge, they can only act upon information, instead of the underlying intelligence that is required for a truly successful call center strategy. This limitation occurs because conventional CTI systems operate under several basic assumptions:

• Calling volumes will follow a predictable pattern.
• Appropriate staffing levels will always be maintained at appropriate times.
• Callers will have access to the agent skills needed to address their requirements.
• The host computer will maintain acceptable response time.

The problem with these assumptions is that they rely on normal scenarios, and fail to take the unpredictable aspects of call center operations into account. Delivering substantive improvements in call center service requires a set of flexible rules that can be adjusted, so that service levels can be maintained as operational factors fluctuate.

Conventional CTI solutions lack a higher intelligence that enables companies to implement and modify call center strategies that automate not only repetitive tasks, but also the processes connected to their overall corporate strategy.

INTELLIGENT CTI
Intelligent computer-telephony integration (ICTI) is based on the incorporation of a rules-based capability that sits above the entire call center operation, and manages underlying CTI applications. This capability enables companies to proactively and dynamically program their entire operation so that it reflects management’s objectives for the call center.

At the micro level, ICTI has been shown to create significant reductions in agent time, telephone line time, hold time, identification time, and transaction time. At the macro level, ICTI provides supervisors and managers with tools that provide a real-time link between overall strategic objectives and daily calling operations. ICTI  is based on the following capabilities:

• Support for a set of operational rules established by management.
• Real-time decision-making based on those rules.
• Flexibility to add rules incrementally.
• Communication over different CTI links to integrate and control disparate system functions.
• Call routing to appropriate agents based on internal guidelines and external conditions.

A CASE IN POINT
The advantages of ICTI over conventional CTI are illustrated in the following example. An incoming call is answered by an IVR, which receives input from the caller. When the customer requests a live agent, the IVR sends a transfer request, along with the call data, to the host. The host directs the PBX, through a CTI link, to switch the call off the IVR port to the appropriate agent. The PBX sends the host a message identifying an agent extension number. The host then matches the IVR transaction data with the agent ID and pops the proper screen to the agent’s station.

The conventional CTI configuration within this straightforward procedure may be sufficient for some operations. The IVR begins the process; the PBX and host identify a destination for the call and remain synchronized until the call is delivered. Yet if the host computer becomes overloaded, the agent may have a lag time of five seconds or more between the time the customer comes on line and the information appears. Because the system lacks a central point of control, there is nothing that can be done to assign responsibility for the delay, or provide an alternative method for processing the call.

With an ICTI configuration, these awkward pauses can be avoided, because the system has a built-in set of rules for handling host delays. Instead of waiting for the account screen, the ICTI system inserts the caller’s data into an interim screen, which is delivered to the agent with the call. Therefore, if the host is slow, this capability helps reduce service delays and improve customer satisfaction.

ENHANCING THE VALUE OF INTERNAL RESOURCES
Despite the rapid advances in call center technology, the breakdown of call center operating costs remains relatively constant. Equipment and facilities take up the smallest piece of the pie, followed by telecommunications expenses such as line costs. Personnel expenses remain the largest cost center element, accounting for up to half of operating costs. For that reason, the most viable solutions are those that make the best use of human resources.

The islands of technology metaphor used to describe call center components also applies to the islands of people within the center. Common sense dictates that individuals who are limited to a single function are less productive than those capable of multitasking. One of the major trends in the call center industry involves crosstraining larger groups of people within an operation, as a way of moving toward implementation of a universal agent model.

Activities associated with universal agents — for example, having the same agent who receives an inbound call make the outbound callback — helps improve relationships with customers by creating a sense of continuity.

ICTI provides the underlying technology needed to leverage human resources to maximum effect. Platformindependent, open-architecture networking capabilities give managers the flexibility to shift human and technical resources over the system in real time, so that they can handle a range of functions from the same workstation.

This ability to implement calling strategies quickly helps increase both agent productivity and customer satisfaction. ICTI also enhances the value of a company’s existing resources by adding key functions such as reporting and information retrieval to those legacy systems.

THE DATABASE DIFFERENCE
A relational database, such as Sybase, provides the engine which drives the implementation of a rulesbased calling strategy. An ICTI solution looks at the data within the multiple applications running on a platform such as UNIX, makes decisions based on that data, and sends instructions to other devices, without human intervention. Instead of working with data downloaded at the end of the day, an ICTI solution performs real-time evaluation of the information generated by various devices within the configuration, which are transmitted via industry-standard CTI links.

These instructions are viewed as call records by the system, which is capable of interrogating any database element at any time. This capability provides unlimited access to the information driving the call center operation.

Because other systems view database information as flat files, new applications must be developed to reflect changes in inbound or outbound calling strategy. With ICTI, users can easily implement customized SQL code that allows them to perform sophisticated queries on existing call record information.

An ICTI system’s database capabilities also enable call centers to forge a realtime connection between voice and data components — for example, the relationship between the number of calls placed at a given time and the number of sales that result. Supervisors can then use that information to pursue real-time improvements in factors such as agent productivity, talk times, and overall quality control.

At the operational level, an ICIbased system provides an understanding of the personality of resources within the call center. For example, a skills database lets you match the strengths of individual agents (proficiency in Spanish, experience in processing auto loans, etc.) with individual callers in real time.

This capability creates a high level of flexibility for managing the broad range of personnel factors that impact call center operations — anything from scheduling lunch breaks to incorporating the provisions of union contracts. In addition, the integration of inbound and outbound resources helps companies stay on top of callbacks, scheduled recalls, and other activities that can easily fall through the cracks in the course of a busy shift.

Efficient and reliable scheduling and handling of these calls results in both increased agent productivity and increased customer confidence that the customer will be called back as promised.

A MULTI-TIERED APPROACH
The successful implementation of an ICTI strategy requires a solution that supports the various technological layers within a call center configuration. In addition to the top-level management capabilities, a successful ICTI solution provides links to virtually every form of technology installed within a typical call center configuration.

At the application layer, there are flavors for specific applications areas, such as collections and telemarketing. Providers of integration services often link these applications with existing capabilities. The Gartner Group refers to these services as “Call Center Glue.” The vision of Call Center Glue is fast becoming a potent market force. Leading-edge companies are starting to totally integrate (from a functional perspective) all resources within the call center. This can entail injecting intelligence into braindead, older pieces of equipment, or intelligently processing the transactions in a truly seamless manner, keeping and adding value every step of the way.

THE HUMAN FACTOR
One of the most compelling arguments for choosing ICTI lies in its ability to incorporate both technical and human factors into call center operations. ICTI capabilities give companies the ability to instruct their system to follow specific marching orders, track the system’s progress in meeting those objectives, and change strategy on the fly to reflect evolving strategic and operational factors. Rules-based reporting enables managers and supervisors to gather data from multiple sources within the call center, review a complete record of everything happening within the center at a given moment, and respond to that input transparently. With ICTI, supervisors can even control when they’re presented with data, for example, through alerts that are automatically triggered when system operations reach a userdefined threshold.

Supervisors can also drill down to view a detailed analysis of agent performance and customer behavior. Individual agents or teams can be monitored at any time in light of such factors as talk times, sales performance, and success in providing customer satisfaction.

Providing access to a real-time snapshot of agent, system, and call center performance helps managers accelerate their response to changing operational factors, thus increasing the likelihood that customers will be served promptly and efficiently.

THE BOTTOM LINE
The ultimate test of any call center solution lies in its ability to deliver bot-tomline improvements. Many of these improvements are linked to the most precious commodity in a call center: Time. ICTI capabilities give companies the tools to set benchmarks for the various, time factors related to their transactions processing volumes, and then track their progress in meeting those objectives. An effective ICTI-based system provides an easy-to-use framework for analyzing the return on investment in ICTI, based on the following parameters.

Agent And Telephone Line Time: Makes it easy to determine both manpower and line costs for handling calls within a given time period, as well as the overall savings in agent work time and line charges that can be realized with ICTI.

Transaction Time: Improves transaction time through real-time monitoring and alerts, which notify supervisors of deviations in performance levels; reporting capabilities for tracking agent productivity and results; supervisor monitoring and coaching; and flexible scripting capabilities that guide the agent through the call.

Hold And Identification Time: Helps reduce customer hold and identification time by routing customers to agents with specific skill sets; providing access to supplemental outbound agents during overflow periods; and automated IVR and ANI features for accessing customer accounts.

Call centers that have implemented ICTI capabilities routinely report decreases in both agent and line time of as much as 20 to 30 percent per individual call, with some reporting savings as high as 50 percent. These savings, when multiplied across the number of agents on a particular shift, and the line charges incurred on that shift, represent significant reductions in overall operating costs. Shorter calls also translate into better customer service, since customers are able to reach agents more quickly and conduct their business more efficiently. These improvements, which are so closely linked to the business priorities currently faced by call center managers, present a compelling and persuasive argument for ICTI capabilities.

Earl Steman is director of market research for Davox Corporation. Davox develops, sells, and supports unified call center solutions for telemarketing, customer service, collections, fund raising, and related missioncritical customer contact activities. Its Unison family of call center management solutions utilize open system, client/server, and relational database technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of customer contact operations. Unison systems incorporate predictive dialer systems, inbound CTI capabilities, and advanced integrated inbound/outbound call blending solutions compatible with major ACDs and PBXs. For more information, call Davox at 800-480-2299 or visit the company’s Web site at www.davox.com