Contact centers can’t control natural disasters, but they can aid in disaster recovery as a first point of contact for inbound queries and outbound distribution of information.

 

As contact centers evolve from being a passive post-sale customer service function to an increasingly critical part of the enterprise, BCP/DR is becoming more important. Learn how, during Nortel’s (News - Alert) free Webinar, “Role of Communications Technology in Business Continuity Planning & Disaster Recovery for Contact Centers,” held Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. ET.

 

Speaker Natalie Keightley, the global product marketing leader of customer contact solutions for Nortel, will examine the role of advanced communications technology in mitigating the impact of a disruption on the operations of a contact center – and ultimately protecting the bottom line. In the first of a two-part Q&A with Keightley, TMCnet got an exclusive peek at what the webinar will cover.

 

The exchange follows.

 

NK: Contact centers have been at the core of disaster recover plans for years given their role as a first point of contact for both inbound queries and outbound distribution of information. It is fair to say, however, that two major factors have brought the focus on disaster recover to the forefront of IT planning. The first is the prevalence of recent incidence that have focused attention on improving outreach in time of crisis. Examples include Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the H1N1 epidemic. The second factor is the recent development of advanced solutions that make contact centers much more flexible, adaptable and resilient in times of crisis.

 

NK: In addition to the incidents mentioned above, global terrorist attacks, flooding in Europe and Asia, forest fires in the United States and Australia, the 1998 Ice Storm in Canada/New England and pandemics like SARS and Avian Flu have all focused attention on the need for heightened responsiveness in times of crisis.

 

NK: Contact centers can be affected in two ways. First, they play a critical role for essential services organizations in managing and communicating essential information in times of crisis. Second, flexible contact center solutions can help mitigate the impact of these crises on normal business operations by providing solutions that keep business up and running despite a crisis. For example, work-at-home agent solutions can provide a business with on-going call coverage if agents are prevented from working at their office due to a flu outbreak.