April 1999
Spring Brings A Gallimaufry Of Call Center
Products
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Insight 3.0 and Email Agent From Onyx Software |
| As more and more business is being conducted online, companies are
scrambling to make their Web sites more accessible for self-service by users. Going
hand-in-hand with more self-service by users is an influx of e-mail. Addressing these new
business concerns, Onyx Software Corporation has released Onyx Insight 3.0 and Onyx Email
Agent, two core products in the Web-based Onyx eService product family. Onyx eService,
which includes Onyx Insight, Onyx Web Wizards and Onyx Email Agent, is designed to provide
customers with the cost-savings, flexibility and convenience of Web-based customer
service. Onyx eService products work in conjunction with the company's integrated
relationship management database. Onyx Insight provides users with the option of
customer self-service. An organization's customers, employees and partners can use this
knowledge management tool to access information across the organization via the Internet
at any time. Customers can perform multiple searches simultaneously, tapping into
information to solve service problems on their own.
Onyx Email Agent automatically responds to customer emails 24 hours a day. When a
customer makes an e-mail inquiry, Onyx Email Agent assigns it an incident number, replies
to the customer and routes the customer inquiry to the appropriate internal representative
while logging a record in the relationship management database.
Onyx Web Wizards enables an organization's customers to create, view or update product
service incidents via the Web. Onyx Web Wizards collects and records critical incident
information from customers anytime, anywhere to help organizations offer global 24-hour
service.
No. 400, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
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TCS & Ascend To Build Network Optimized For
Telecommuters |
| While telecommuting has held promise of reducing overhead costs,
increasing employment options and increasing worker productivity, implementing
telecommuting systems, especially large-scale systems, has often proven difficult and
expensive. TeleCommute Solutions, Inc. (TCS), a provider of turnkey corporate
telecommuting services, and Ascend Communications, Inc., a provider of wide area
networking (WAN) and Intelligent Networking (IN) solutions for providers and users of the
next-generation public network, have joined forces to standardize TCS's new telecommuting
network service, NetWorX, on Ascend's MultiVPN (virtual private network) architecture. TeleCommute
Solutions will deploy Ascend's next-generation networking products to deliver a robust,
secure, high-speed connectivity solution engineered to support the demanding access needs
of large-scale corporate telecommuting programs.
TCS' NetWorX solution is designed to deliver the secure performance necessary for
telecommuting connectivity and reduce the costs usually associated with building a
large-scale remote access platform that supports telecommuting. Ascend's MultiVPN
architecture will be used to provide flexibility in this carrier-class solution. Ascend's
backbone and access products will be used to build a robust network capable of high-speed
connectivity on a framework that will support TCS' DSL and computer-telephony integration
plans. TCS' NetWorX will be deployed nationally over fully-meshed frame relay and ATM
backbones separate from the Internet. NetWorX provides connectivity between telecommuters
and their corporate enterprise network using multiple access technologies and supporting a
wide range of security mechanisms. The entire network uses Ascend's quality of service
(QOS) capability to ensure the mission-critical performance necessary when extending the
reach of the corporate network.
TCS's NetWorX service rounds out its turnkey telecommuting offering TeleWorX. TeleWorX
provides a complete solution from program development to home office audits, installations
and in-home support bundled with complete network connectivity. This offering is supported
through SmartWorX, TCS' proprietary operational support system which ensures smooth
operation of the remote workforce environment. All TeleWorX services are offered for a
monthly per telecommuter fee as a part of the overall telecommuting program.
No. 401, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
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Enterprisewide Training System From Docent |
| Few can dispute the importance of training to the success of an
enterprise. But maintaining a training program across an enterprise that delivers a
consistent format and message, and yet can be flexible, can be maddening. Addressing this
need, Docent has released the open-standards-based Docent Enterprise, which can be
customized to meet unique requirements and processes, while maintaining security and
confidentiality. Docent Enterprise is designed to allow users to: assess existing employee
competency; collect user profiles; create new, customized courses easily and effectively;
deliver and manage enterprisewide learning online; measure training effectiveness,
competency and impact on business objectives; and integrate data from enterprise
applications (such as ERP, HRMS and SFA). Docent Enterprise is comprised of three
components: Docent Desktop for Developers, which is used for content development, assembly
and publishing; Docent Server, which provides the core server-side functionality for
online registration, assessment, content delivery, course administration, learner
administration, result tracking and reporting; and Docent Mobile, which is used for remote
course delivery and CD-ROM course distribution.
Docent Desktop for Developers allows a development team (including learning
consultants, content developers and course administrators) to create and publish effective
online coursework. It includes two components that enable the development of new
coursework while still using existing knowledge and courses. Learning consultants and
content developers can use Docent Outliner to create a course outline, importing content
from existing HTML pages or launch any third-party editor to create content. Course
administrators can use Docent Publisher to deploy courses created using Docent Outliner on
the Internet or corporate intranet. Docent Publisher allows users to set quiz settings and
publish to multiple servers from one location.
The Docent Enterprise Server provides: administration capabilities including batch
trainee registration and administration, customized course curriculum development, e-mail
links between administrators and trainees, and standard reports-all delivered through a
browser interface; use of Internet-based standards (i.e., TCP/IP, NSAPI, ISAPI);
enterprise data collection of learning information, including all user interactions,
assessment results, navigation and records; hybrid CD-ROM delivery of media-intensive
content; the ability to deploy multiple Docent Servers on different (physical) machines
for intranet and Internet course access, as well as the ability to publish inside or
outside of corporate firewalls; integration of third-party tools and applications; and use
of standard enterprise-level relational databases to provide enterprises for the
flexibility and security required for large-scale software deployments.
No. 402, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
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BroadQuest Introduces Customer Information Portal
Application |
| Certainly corporations collect mountains of information about their
customers, but the main business problem has always been getting the right information to
the right people at the right time. Addressing the dilemma, BroadQuest, Inc. has released
BroadQuest 2.0, a browser-based enterprise application designed to give employees,
partners and customers self-service access to live customer information through a single
point of access called a Customer Information Portal. The BroadQuest Customer Information
Portal is designed to let users rapidly search and summarize customer information from all
available front-office and back-office systems (such as systems from Aurum, Baan, Clarify,
IBM, Lotus, Microsoft, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Remedy, Sibel Systems and Vantive) in real-time
without having to log in to each application. The Customer Information Portal also gives
the user one simple view to learn. BroadQuest hides the complexity of the underlying
systems while presenting information in familiar business terms, allowing users to point
and click for real-time access to customer information whenever the require it, or when
live business events trigger a BroadQuest alert. BroadQuest's self-service access
features are designed to allow everyone in an enterprise to rapidly find, analyze and
interact with customer information. BroadQuest 2.0 provides users with a single log in and
a single view, which gives immediate access to enterprisewide systems presented as a
single, coherent view of the customer; user-defined navigation for rapid searching and
summary of all customer information; real-time notification for personalized alerts for
monitoring and notification of important events; and user-driven analysis and live data
reports.
The application is comprised of the following three components: BroadQuest Portal, a
scalable and secure CORBA service which provides users with browser access to a customized
interface that features navigation, summaries, alerts and reports; BroadQuest Broker,
which is a non-invasive connection to host systems that generates an up-to-date cache of
customer information to deliver real-time response to users; and BroadQuest Administrator,
which allows for rapid implementation and efficient administrations. Through use of the
Administrator, systems can be monitored for performance, non-technical employees with
administrator privileges can manage users and groups, and system security and access
control is enforced through permissions and constraints.
No. 403, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo
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New Cordless Headset From Hello Direct |
| By now (hopefully), every reader of this publication is aware of the
productivity gains and ergonomic benefits a good headset can provide. One drawback
(sometimes literally), especially for call center mangers who often have to go from desk
to desk supervising TSRs, has been the limited mobility enforced by a cord. Designed to
help free call center managers and others who must or prefer to roam about untethered,
Hello Direct has introduced its new compact cordless headset, the Cordless XLT. The
Cordless XLT features the Hello Direct-developed LearnIt smart chip technology, which
makes it simple to set up. It does not require manual configuration and is guaranteed to
work with any analog or digital phone on the market. The headset weighs only six ounces,
including either the standard four-hour or an optional nine-hour battery. Hello Direct's
exclusive ReadiLine remote answering accessory is fully compatible, allowing users to
answer calls without returning to their desks to lift their handsets. The Cordless XLT
operates at the 900MHz frequency for good sound quality and range.
The newest Hello Direct-developed cordless headset has been streamlined and enhanced to
meet the specific requests of Hello Direct headset users. The Cordless XLT's new slimmer
design provides more comfort and stability. The noise-cancelling microphone filters out
background noise, and the bendable microphone boom is fully adjustable. The Cordless XLT's
tone control switch lets users adjust bass and treble tones for full, rich sound quality.
Forty user-selectable channels avoid interference with co-workers' calls. The charging
base holds the Cordless XLT when not in use, and simultaneously charges both the headset
and a spare battery.
Using Hello Direct's LearnIt smart chip (patent pending), the Cordless XLT provides
fast and easy setup. The user simply connects the unit to his or her phone's handset port
and presses the LEARN button. The Cordless XLT automatically adapts itself to each phone's
unique acoustic characteristics.
No. 404, www.ccsmag.com/freeinfo |
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