EIS International's Centenium XL Version 3.0 is an open, client-server application
designed to improve call management for inbound and outbound call centers. It boasts 60
percent new or modified code from the previous version of Centenium XL and several new
features and enhancements have been made to this product. The new Centenium XL provides
full inbound and outbound functionality, as well as call blending. In addition, it offers
inbound scripting functionality and vastly improved reporting capabilities. Calls are
handled from a software application that an agent can use to place on hold either an
inbound or outbound call, disconnect the call, conference it or transfer it. Using DNIS
(dialed number identification service) information from the ACD (automatic call
distributor), Centenium can match an inbound call to a stored script. In addition, any ANI
(automatic number identification) information or collected digit information can be used
to query Centenium's CallBase and populate the fields within the script automatically.
Installation
TMC Labs visited with EIS International in their Stamford, Connecticut offices in
the Fall of 1998 for a demonstration of their latest Centenium XL release, which was still
in beta. EIS International had a turnkey solution waiting for us when we arrived, which
eliminated our need to install the product.
Documentation
Although the Centenium XL documentation we received was a "draft" copy, it was
very well-organized and easy to read. The "Supervisor/System Administrator
Guide" was a hefty two inches thick. The Guide was assembled within a three-ring
binder with tabs separating the important sections of the manual. We really liked the tabs
because they made it very easy to quickly locate answers to performance questions.
"Create a WorkList," "Create An Inbound Session" and
"Statistics" are examples of the helpful tabs.
EIS also provides another large piece of documentation called "ScriptVision User
Guide," which is also contained in a three-ring binder with accompanying plastic tabs
to separate the important sections.
The structure of both pieces of documentation follows the standard conventions, such as
boldfacing keywords and bulleting key points. Screenshots are plentiful in the manuals and
they have excellent tables of contents as well as very complete indexes. One very nice
feature is online help, which presents video clips of screens to aid in learning the
system. Although the documentation is quite extensive, its excellent organization and
thoroughness helped it earn a perfect 5 rating.
Features
The Centenium XL system is optimally scalable from 24 to 502 clients, including
supervisor, administrator and agent workstations. Based on the availability of system
resources and the environment configuration, the system can run up to 40 simultaneous
campaigns through its support of up to 40 active CallBases (EIS's database for call
records). The system supports an almost unlimited number of records per CallBase and
fields per record, depending on server size and disk space available.
Several dialing methods are included with the Centenium XL system. EIS's patented
pacing algorithm blends predictive dialing with control over abandoned (nuisance) calls.
Intuitive mode (also known as "predictive") automatically dials telephone
numbers from the WorkList. These calls are dialed in anticipation of agents becoming
available to ensure that the agents are always active on the phones.
Preview dialing mode allows the agent to view (within a time limit) the record first
before dialing. The agent then decides whether or not to dial. If the time limit is
exceeded and no decision is made, the record is automatically dialed.
Paced mode is similar to preview mode except the agent cannot reject the record.
Instead, the call is automatically dialed while the agent reviews the record.
The final dialing mode is "manual," which is similar to preview mode, except
there is no time limit and the agent must manually select the telephone number from the
record to dial it.
With Centenium XL's ScriptVision tool, it is now possible to perform inbound and
outbound scripting on the Centenium XL system itself, instead of relying on the host for
inbound scripts. In addition, screen pops based on DNIS are supported. Using DNIS
information from the ACD, the Centenium XL system matches the inbound call to a stored
script. If the ANI or collected digit information is also received, the system can query
the CallBase and populate the fields within the script instead of having to hot key to the
host system to get these data.
The Centenium XL system offers dynamic blending from outbound to inbound campaigns as
well as blending between Centenium and a host application. In addition, EIS' SmartAgent
Manager enables call center management to run inbound and outbound campaigns
simultaneously.
Summary Reports now support inbound functions, provide enhanced outbound reporting and
provide a quick look at session activity over any specified time. A new supervisory
interface allows the user to access all major components of the system from the supervisor
station without having to go to the server. The system also allows a user to manage
inbound and outbound campaigns from one location on the system.
The latest release includes enhanced transactional history/statistics functions. The
Centenium XL captures the outcome of inbound and outbound call transactions and forwards
the data to the Statistics Data Generator (SDG) for aggregation into 213 possible
statistical categories.
Other features include: TCP/IP support, precision answering machine detection, ODBC
database support, reports, inbound call control (soft phone) and an app-gen that generates
VB 5.0 code for displaying forms, scripts, data, etc.
Operational Testing
Setting up security is easy through Centenium's predefined user types, which include
agents, monitors, script writers, supervisors, system administrators and team leaders.
Each user is assigned a type, which gives that user access to certain privileges. Defining
the user, including assigning a password, whether the agent is inbound and/or outbound,
skill level and other information, is done from a very straightforward interface.
Centenium XL comes with a powerful querying tool called DecisionQuest, which allows you
to filter who actually gets dialed. Since you can sort the resulting call records, you
can, if you're in collections, sort by outstanding balance to put customers with the
largest outstanding balances first on the call list.
The Centenium Supervisor application is very well-organized, allowing you to set up
"WorkLists" and "CallBases," manage call groups and perform other
supervisory duties. Essentially, a CallBase is a database of customer records to be used
for outbound calling sessions. Similarly, when a customer makes an inbound call, the
CallBase can be used to search for that customer's record. WorkLists are a
"subset" of records, derived from a CallBase, that have been
"filtered" by DecisionQuest, an SQL querying tool.
When setting up WorkLists, five steps are required, including setting up a CallBase,
specifying the WorkList path and SQL file to query the records, defining the data fields
and types, choosing which fields from the CallBase appear on the WorkList and finally
specifying user-defined time zones for calling sessions. This last step is usually
performed by mapping either area codes or state prefixes to certain time zones so that
outbound calls to specific records are made only at appropriate times. An optional sixth
step specifies the CallBase fields to be extracted from a CallBase record at the end of
the call and made available for statistical information.
An important part of the Centenium system is the ScriptVision application, which allows
you to design the "initial calls screen," CallScripts and the statistics screen.
Within ScriptVision, if you decide to design a new CallScript, a very user-friendly
app-gen called CallScripter is launched. CallScripter is used for designing scripts and
graphical screens (forms) and handling the call flow. Depending on the type of button
placed on the screen, you can determine what values to populate into the database. This is
the screen call center agents will use to perform queries, execute scripts, enter data and
take other actions within the Centenium XL system. Centenium's "initial call
screen," which displays user-defined data fields and is also a call-control
application (PC-phone app) for accepting calls from the ACD, recording calls and
transferring calls.
A script designed by CallScripter usually consists of a number of screens, referred to
as forms. Forms can contain a variety of items, or controls, such as text, pictures,
shapes, tables, data fields and more. Forms are connected to one another as in a chain.
This connection provides the primary flow of the script. However, ScriptVision provides a
variety of methods that allow you to move within a script. This movement is based on
"events." ScriptVision provides predefined events as well as user-defined
events. User-defined events are created within the Formula Builder. The Formula Builder is
a powerful tool that provides extensive functionality.
Several types of controls are supported within CallScript, such as text boxes, list
boxes, combo boxes, option buttons or check boxes. A CallScript can range in complexity
from a simple presentation on one form to a very sophisticated script that includes many
forms and elaborate branching. Centenium XL CallScript uses the Visual Basic software
package. Although knowledge of Visual Basic is not a prerequisite to use ScriptVision, a
rudimentary understanding of Visual Basic is helpful. Also, Centenium XL includes software
version control and user security to scripts.
Centenium XL connects inbound calls to available agents and passes the data provided by
the ACD (via the computer telephony integration - CTI - link) to the agent's screen. The
data provided with the call may include ANI, DNIS and ACD-collected digits. DNIS digits
tell you the 800 or 900 number your caller dialed and ANI refers to the telephone number
of the caller. Collected digits can be credit card or account numbers that were keyed in
by the client and collected by the VRU (voice response unit) prior to the agent getting
the call. This information is displayed on the agent's initial call screen and can be
extracted and sent to any DDE (dynamic data exchange) or OLE (object linking and
embedding) compliant application. The application can then use any of this information to
query a host or third-party database application to produce a screen that enables the
agent to efficiently process the call. Centenium XL can track inbound as well as outbound
call events. When ANI, DNIS and collected digits are sent to the workstation, the date and
time of the captured information is stored in the Centenium Event Log. When an inbound
call is completed, the result code, memo field and end time are also stored in the
Centenium Event Log. Stored data on both inbound and outbound call events can be used to
produce comprehensive reports that summarize the complete range of calling activity. If
the agent wishes to schedule a follow-up call with the customer, Centenium XL has a
powerful and user-friendly interface to perform this action.
Centenium's SmartAgent Manager is a combination of hardware and software that allows an
agent to transition between outbound and inbound calling modes to help maximize call
center productivity. It is an optional enhancement to Centenium XL. Agents log into both
an ACD inbound campaign and the Centenium system. While agents are processing outbound
calls, they are unavailable for any inbound calls. At the same time, SmartAgent Manager
keeps track of all of the inbound calls. When inbound call volume exceeds user-specified
thresholds, an agent is transitioned to the inbound mode. When this occurs, Centenium
stops launching outbound dials and the agent is made available for inbound calls on the
ACD system. One really nice feature during this transition is that an agent hears a
message in his or her ear whispering "moving to inbound" or "moving to
outbound" whenever he or she is switched to a different calling mode. This prepares
the agent for the call connection. Since inbound calls are routed to the agent by the ACD
agent-selection mechanism, the ACD can report on all inbound activity. When inbound call
volume falls below a user-specified threshold, the agent will be transitioned back to
outbound.
Room For Improvement
Centenium XL's app-gen, which is used to design your call flow, would benefit from bubble
help (text explanation of icons). Also, within the ScriptVision application, you can't
right-click on objects and then select "formula" to see formulas attached to the
object. This feature would be extremely helpful.
Conclusion
The application development environment in Centenium XL for creating forms, scripts and
branching logic proved to be very easy. We could see that creating complex applications
using Centenium XL could be done quite rapidly and easily through its powerful and
user-friendly interface. Centenium XL is extremely feature-rich, supplying functionality
that should suit any inbound or outbound call center. The smooth transition it provides
for agents to switch from inbound to outbound calls and back (call blending) is
commendable. TMC Labs highly recommends evaluating EIS International's Centenium XL
product to suit your call center needs. |