TMCnews Featured Article

August 18, 2011

Capacity Issues are Solved with the Introduction of a Hosted Predictive Dialer

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

There are many constraints in a call center environment. Capacity seems to cover all the bases as it is the most in demand feature of any call center. Traditional hardware systems are unable to deal with the amount of volume fluctuations, making the hosted predictive dialer the more efficient choice for a call center.

Call center volume experiences significant changes. In the retail sector, for instance, there are seasonal shifts where call centers can experience increased call volumes during the holiday season and lulls during summer months.

Depending on the business of a call center, and whether it’s inbound or outbound, fluctuations also occur with time. The busier times for call centers would obviously be early morning and evening, not to mention over the lunch hour. A hosted predictive dialer would minimize the daily or even hourly adjustments.

This is where call centers get themselves into a challenging situation with standard on-premise technology. There is little room to expand and to do so would require an unknown cost. Opting into a cloud solution with hosted predictive dialer could present the best option.

Even if money weren’t the biggest obstacle, site-premised systems tend to take a long time to set up and even longer to efficiently implement in to day-to-day operations. Cloud Capacity Provisioning gets around these difficult dilemmas with end-to-end real-time bursting.

Through a flexible solution, hosted predictive dialers can move throughout applications, platforms and network levels. Cloud-based systems, like hosted predictive dialer, are the only way to completely run capacity at its best with burstable capabilities at any layer.

Of course vendors are willing to add hardware to an existing system. While it is more work to make this move, it is also a great deal more money. The challenge is this move will not solve capacity issues. Unless a hosted predictive dialer is used, there will not be an increase to productivity or an end to capacity issues.

On average, a call center requires at least seven lines per agent for outbound operations, according to a recent LiveVox (News - Alert) white paper. The agents will be able to have 60 percent talk time with an additional 20 percent for wrap up and 20 percent in ready mode. The numbers, however, do little to illustrate the precise needs of most call centers. The reason is simple, not all outbound operations are the same as some may require smaller ratios of lines per agent or more lines depending on the project.

Being flexible is crucial in a call center environment. A solid performance solution like hosted predictive dialer would eliminate issues with hours and specific projects. With Cloud Capacity Provisioning, LiveVox has been able to move applications, platforms and networks through the cloud. The result is an entire solution based on a burstable real-time product.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Juliana Kenny

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Capacity Issues are Solved with the Introduction of a Hosted Predictive Dialer

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