Hosted Virtual ACD: Get More From Your Contact Center Without A Large Technology Investment

By West Corporation

• A special editorial series sponsored by West Corporation•

Now companies that have their own contact centers can have the latest call routing technology, more call capacity and dramatically improved customer contact capabilities, all without paying for upgrades or relinquishing operational control. West gives companies the ability to link into their advanced technology without having to make significant infrastructure investments of their own. Using West's hosted Virtual ACD enables companies to handle more calls, route calls to any location, add interactive voice response (IVR) to their infrastructure and improve the overall efficiency of their customer contact operations.

West's Virtual ACD makes it possible to route calls to any contact center location, even to agents working from their homes. Here are a few ways in which companies can quickly benefit from using West's Virtual ACD to host existing contact center operations:

' Transport flexibility. Whether the solution requires traditional TDM, next-generation VoIP or a combination of both, West can support it. Using West's VoIP-enabled Virtual ACD to run a contact center allows companies to begin reaping the benefits of VoIP today, without significant up-front investments of their own. While a traditional call may be routed through several contact and data centers before reaching an offshore contact center, a call entering an IP port can be sent directly to the end point at a much lower cost.

' Remote agent support. West can provide companies with the technology infrastructure to run and manage their own home agent program. The Virtual ACD makes it possible to drive customer calls to agents working from home, significantly reducing their clients' office space and equipment costs.

' Fully integrated speech applications. With more than 130,000 ports, West's Virtual ACD can help improve call capacity and provide flexibility to manage spiky call volume. Running speech or DTMF applications through the Virtual ACD also ensures fewer missed calls and shorter wait times for customers.

' Systems integration. West currently supports hundreds of real-time remote host interfaces to unique back-end client and third-party systems. Whether integrating with a legacy or leading-edge technology platform, West can quickly and effectively integrate with a client's existing systems, such as CRM/knowledge base, workforce management, quality assurance monitoring, or other back-database-driven applications.

' Operational expertise. West's Network Operations Center (NOC) unites numerous functional and operational business units to provide the most responsive and efficient call handling service in the industry. Collocation of key functions enhances communication, facilitates broader awareness of call handling issues and expedites response times. The NOC is focused completely on ensuring overall customer satisfaction. West's quality measures and industry-leading support infrastructure form the strong foundation to provide greater value to clients and their customers.

' Enterprise intelligent routing and reporting. The West Hosted Virtual ACD allows intelligent call routing to the absolute best available agent within a contact center enterprise, whether residing in a client/third-party contact center or working remotely from home or a satellite facility. West manages this by leveraging its geographically redundant, high-availability platform and database infrastructure to determine routing requirements in a highly efficient manner. Based on client business rules, West makes routing decisions based on any number of business criteria including: AHT, average ticket value, upsell conversion rates and customer satisfaction survey scores, among many others. By utilizing West's Hosted Virtual ACD technology to conduct enterprise intelligent routing, companies can save millions of dollars per year by avoiding costly ICM technologies and infrastructure.

' Quality monitoring. West offers several leading-edge reporting and quality monitoring tools to ensure that clients have everything they need to provide ongoing agent/staff training and coaching. West records 100 percent of phone calls and makes these voice files available to Hosted Virtual ACD clients through several Web-based channels in near-real-time. In addition, West provides the ability for clients to monitor both the voice and data (agent screen) elements of a phone call in real time. By providing these capabilities, West helps clients provide the most positive customer experience possible.

' Scalability and reliability. Known for its highly scalable and reliable platform infrastructure, West is committed to R&D and reinvestment into its platform and human resources to remain at the leading edge of technology.

Companies looking for the most efficient and effective way to improve their customer contact operations without a huge technology investment need look no further than a hosted solution from West. For more information, please contact West Corporation at 1-800-841-9000, or visit www.west.com.

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