
April 1999
|
Outbound Technologies Roundup Editor's
Note: This month we've rounded up products that enable your call center to automate
outbound calls. Since customer relationship management issues are hot nowadays as well,
we've also included a few outbound e-mail products that can help you stay in touch with
customers in the medium of their choice.
As an added bonus, be sure to read the "buying tips"
introduction authored by Ovum's David Bradshaw. Ovum is an independent telecommunications,
new media and information technology analyst group that provides information and advice on
key market, technical and regulatory developments. Ovum funds its own research and accepts
no sponsorship from vendors or other interest groups.
|
LEGEND
A = Auto Dialers B
= Predictive Dialers C = Preview Dialers
D = Outbound E-Mail Products |
COMPANY |
CONTACT |
PHONE |
WEB/E-MAIL ADDRESS |
PRODUCT TYPE |
ACCESS! |
Scott
McCollum |
310-574-4526 |
www.access-corp.com |
B |
Advertech,
Ltd. |
John
Robinson |
770-416-9502 |
www.advertech-ltd.com |
B |
ALB
Assocs., Inc. |
Lee
Bullman |
215-750-9530 |
|
A,
B, C |
American
Computer and Telephone, Inc. |
Ron
W. Pate |
405-842-7744 |
www.amcat.com |
B |
Buffalo
International, Inc. |
David
Friedman |
914-747-8500 |
www.opencti.com |
B |
Call
Center Technologies |
Dean
Vlahos |
203-740-3530 |
www.callcentertech.com |
B |
CallPro
Canada, Inc. |
Bob
Morgan |
416-718-3449 |
www.callpro.com |
B |
Castel |
Robert
McDermott |
781-324-0140 |
www.castelhq.com |
B |
CellIT,
Inc. |
Joe
Velasco |
305-639-2259 |
www.cellit.com |
B |
CenterForce Technologies, Inc. |
Marlene Rosati |
301-272-2246 |
www.cforcetech.com |
B |
Composit
Communications International |
David
Borts |
760-918-2601 |
www.composit.net |
C |
CyberVoice,
Inc. |
Roger
Moody |
817-293-0344,
X 2255 |
www.flash.net/~cyberv |
A,
C |
Data-Tel
Info Solutions |
April
Young |
602-844-5154 |
www.datatel-info.com |
B |
Davis
Software Engineering |
Dawn
M. Smith |
214-758-3642 |
www.davis-
software.com |
B |
Davox
Corp. |
Barbara
Kennedy |
888-864-7664 |
www.davox.com |
B,
C |
Decisif
Software Solutions |
Danielle
Larose |
514-362-7117 |
www.decisif.com |
B |
Decisive
Technology Corp. |
Julia
Rodriguez |
650-237-4489 |
www.decisive.com |
D |
Diagenix
Corp. |
|
781-871-6624 |
www.diagenix.com |
B |
Dialtech
Solutions |
Fred
Cote |
954-929-2426 |
www.dial-tech.com |
A,
B |
Digisoft
Computers, Inc. |
Andrew
Davidson |
212-687-1810 |
www.digisoft.com |
B,
C |
Double
Talk Software |
Denise
Nadeau |
713-881-7900 |
www.doubletalk.net |
C |
eGain |
Sales |
888-603-4246 |
www.egain.com |
D |
EIS
International, Inc. |
Sales |
800-274-5676 |
www.sersolutions.com |
A,
B, C |
ETS |
Paul
Sloan |
800-761-8099 |
www.ets-pds.com |
A,
B, C |
EXECUTONE
Information |
Tricia
Dell Aquila |
203-876-7600 |
www.executone.com |
B |
Genesys
Telecommunications |
Linda
Hein |
888-GENESYS |
www.genesyslab.com |
B |
Info
Zero Un |
Sol
Tanguay |
514-861-9255 |
www.izusoft.com |
A,
B |
InterVoice,
Inc. |
John
Cannon |
972-454-8862 |
www.intervoice.com |
B |
Kana
Communications |
Trevor
Dean |
650-325-9850 |
www.kana.com |
D |
Know
IT, Inc. |
Robert
Belger |
800-592-9349 |
www.knowit.com |
B |
Kolker
Systems, Inc. |
Ray
or Larry Kolker |
760-431-9633 |
www.kolkersystems.com |
A,
B, C |
Line
4 (formerly Aristacom International) |
Susan
Howard |
510-748-1500 |
www.line-4.com |
B |
Melita
International |
Angela
McMahon |
770-239-4000 |
www.melita.com |
B |
Mosaix,
Inc. |
Joe
White |
425-881-7544 |
www.mosaix.com |
B |
Noble
Systems Corp. |
|
888-8-NOBLE-8 |
www.noblesys.com |
B |
Nova
CTI, Inc. |
Dick
Callahan |
800-NOVACTI |
www.novacti.com |
B |
Omega
Systems |
Mitch
Radpour |
800-556-6342 |
www.omega2010.com |
B |
On
Target Marketing, Inc. |
Jim
Brennan |
314-842-4150 |
www.ontarg.com |
B |
Ontario
Systems Corp. |
Stacey
C. Chambers |
765-751-7000 |
www.ontario.com |
B |
Oracle
Corp. |
Kathy
O'Leary |
650-506-2209 |
www.oracle.com |
C |
Parwan
Electronics Corp. |
Suraj
Tschand |
732-290-1900 |
www.voicesaver.com |
A |
Predictive
Software, Inc. |
Ron
Tomasch |
703-750-9755 |
|
B |
ProCom,
Inc. |
Leanna
Martin |
800-433-9893 |
www.procom-inc.com |
B |
Pulse
Software & Consulting, Inc. |
Mohan
Markandaier |
905-415-0010 |
www.pulsesc.com |
A |
smallwonder!
softworks, inc. |
Bill
Maynard |
800-258-5828 |
www.smallwonder-
softworks.com |
B |
SoundLogic
CTI Inc. |
Elham
Ahmadzadeh |
604-291-9989 |
www.soundlogic.net |
B |
Spectral
Predictive Systems, Inc. |
Dr.
Kenneth N. Davis |
215-793-4300 |
|
A,
B, C |
Stonehouse
Communications |
Sales
Manager |
201-505-9647 |
www.stone-
housecom.com |
A,
B, C |
StrataSoft,
Inc. |
Mark
Meyer |
713-795-2670 |
www.stratasoft.com |
A,
B, C |
SunDial
Technologies |
Ana
Dumengo Lopez |
954-463-6499 |
www.sundialer.com |
B |
Syntellect
Inc. |
Susan
Harmon |
800-347-9907 |
www.syntellect.com |
B |
Sytel
Limited |
Michael
McKinlay |
+44-1494-793200 |
www.sytel.com |
B,
C |
T.D.M.
Telefon-Direkt-Marketing |
Carola
Klug |
+49-5066-6060-0 |
www.tdm-gmbh.de/
dasunt.htm |
A |
TelAthena
Systems LLC |
Deirdre
Boyle |
888-777-7565 |
www.telathena.com |
B |
Telemarket
Resources International |
George
Idelman |
800-793-1213 |
www.tmkt-resources.com |
B |
Telemarketing
Services |
Greg
Knochel |
517-496-3200 |
www.telemarketing-
services.com |
B |
Telephone
Communicators Canada Ltd. |
Nadine
Lucki |
416-367-5255 |
|
B |
TeleQuery,
Inc. |
Steven
Chervets |
888-618-8344 |
www.telequery.com |
A,
B, C |
Telox |
Michael
Neri |
954-351-2215 |
www.telox.com |
B |
TMA/Tele
Serv, Inc. |
John
Mazalewski |
603-647-7800 |
www.tma-tel.com |
B |
TMSI
Inc. |
Scott
Winn |
561-347-8324 |
www.tmsi.net |
B,
C |
Total
Call Center Solutions, Inc. |
Mark
G. Thorne |
800-777-7741 |
www.total-
callcenter.com |
A,
B, C |
TRIPLE
P USA, Inc. |
Shawn
Parandeh |
800-333-8353 |
www.tsminc.com |
B |
US
Infotel Corp. |
Steve
Davidson |
405-634-3200 |
www.usinfotel.com |
A,
B, C |
Viking
Electronics |
Joanne
Minke |
715-386-8861 |
www.viking-
electronics.com |
A |
Buying Tips For Outbound
Technologies
BY DAVID BRADSHAW, OVUM, INC.
If you do more than a trivial amount of outbound calling, you are making your life
difficult if you have not automated it. Predictive dialing provides you with the ultimate
in efficiency savings (up to three times more agent minutes on calls per hour), but it is
effective only if outbound calls are not agent-specific. Preview and progressive dialing
increase effectiveness less dramatically (up to 50 percent more call minutes per hour),
but these technologies are still very worthwhile.
You no longer need hardware to do predictive dialing, though you do need a heavy-duty
switch. Dedicated predictive hardware locks up your options. For example, it makes
switching agents between outbound and inbound more difficult. As predictive dialing
becomes more software-based, it is also becoming more sophisticated.
Here are a series of tips to consider when purchasing outbound technologies.
- Consider call blending. It means you can increase the use of your inbound agents by
"swinging" them across to outbound calls during quiet periods you cannot
schedule around.
- Keep focused on what it is your agents are supposed to be doing as their core tasks. You
need to give them (and your team managers on the call center floor) clear priorities.
- When switching normally inbound agents to outbound calling, choose work that is closely
associated with the normal inbound calls. Having skilled customer service reps do cold
calling can send morale plummeting.
- Make automated Web callback a priority. It is completely unacceptable to take days, let
alone minutes, to call back Web site visitors who give you their number and request an
instant callback. Calling back customers promptly increases revenue, particularly if you
catch them while they are still on your Web site.
- Consider that, as with any Web phenomenon, there is often a lot of hype and little
content from vendors -- so for Web callback vendors, request customer references and check
on them.
- Automate your IVR callback. You can use anything from touch-tone digit capture to
natural language speech recognition to induce callers to leave their numbers in a way that
does not require human intervention to place the call.
- Make sure your call center software systems can keep up with your "swing"
agents' status.
- Don't hang up when you detect answering machines -- have the agent leave a personal
message, or use some of the new devices that will automatically leave a message.
- Always ask if dialing products on your short-list offer ready-made integration with your
existing technology.
- Check with your existing vendors to see what they can offer -- alone or through
partnerships.
- Bargain hunt! Many companies would like to sell you outbound technology, and the choices
are widening.
Trends
Is outbound dying? Reports from two quarters might make you think that it shortly will be.
First, if you believe the Web hype, outbound calling will be irrelevant -- customers will
flock to you if you have a smart enough Web site. Second, if you believe the privacy
lobby, by the year 2000, no one will answer the phone at all!
So is it time to throw away your predictive dialer? Certainly not! Outbound calling
allows you to be proactive with your existing customers, calling them when you have
something you want to tell them and not waiting for them to contact you. It also allows
you to actively recruit new customers.
However, you must still address the implicit criticisms of the privacy lobby. Respect
your customers, existing and potential, by minimizing hangups. On paper, it may look as
though you are missing some call minutes, but in practice, upping the number of spurious
calls is bad practice and will rebound on you.
You should also avoid missing invitations from customers to call them. In particular,
many companies are throwing good business away by not getting back to customers who visit
their Web sites.
On the technology level, there will be a great deal of convergence in the future
between predictive dialers, preview and progressive dialing technology, ACDs and Web
callback. Why have three or four separate items when one would do a better job? Watch for
ACD vendors buying predictive dialer vendors, or vice-versa, using the Web hype (while it
lasts) to secure the necessary funds.
David Bradshaw is a senior analyst with independent analyst group Ovum Inc. (www.ovum.com) and lead author on Ovum Evaluates: Call
Center Software. |
|