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A Guide to Choosing the Right Call Center Software

TMCnews


TMCnews Featured Article


October 03, 2006

A Guide to Choosing the Right Call Center Software

By Stefania Viscusi, Assignment Desk Editor


Choosing the right call center software can help manage information, improve customer service and boost staff productivity.  With the large number of different solutions on the market, each claiming to be "the best", it can be difficult to zero-in on the right solution.
 
Understanding that all contact centers have varied needs, there are some things to look for as an indicator that the right choice has been made.
 
Recently, Christina Valdivia, Marketing Specialist for contact center software provider, Zeacom, discussed with TMCnet, the Top 10 indications that your call center software is the right choice. They are listed below along with an explanation.
 
 
  1. It's User Friendly – Nothing is worse than spending good money on a "super" contact center application, only to find out that in order to create new queues, change call flows or generate announcements, you must hire Professional Services to complete the task in three weeks.  GUI based administration that is intuitive and provides self-sufficiency is a must.
 
  1. It Provides Real Time Stats for the Agent – In today’s “open-door” management environment, nobody likes to be the “enforcer”-- hold rule over the empire. The days of secretly hiding the contact center stats are long gone. Instead, keeping this information  in front of agents at all times provides a tighter team environment, smarter agent decisions and most importantly, improved agent efficiency from day one. Real stats in front of your agents at all times, with team rewards, build a better peer environment and take much of the pressure off supervisors and management.
 
  1. It Easily Integrates into Office Systems – Converged environments are efficient environments, so being able to easily and economically integrate your contact center activity with  your office systems (CRM, order entry, custom routing, etc.) provides most businesses with 3 major wins: a saving of over 16 seconds per call, a competitive differentiator and an enhanced caller experience. The reality of actually popping your Siebel screen or prioritizing calls based on your database information comes down to cost, complexity and value. A contact center application that is built to open standards and that can provide the Software Development Kit, or talent to quickly and affordably customize call activity to your business rules, will provide  better value and faster ROI.
 
  1. It Offers Callback Functionality-These days who has time to wait on hold? Instead, callers can have agents call them back at their convenience, not at the company’s convenience. Offering the caller the option of receiving a call back, while still maintaining their position in queue, is key.
 
  1. It Includes an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System- An IVR can pull caller information from the company database, or CRM system, to present to the caller. The caller has his needs met and the company does not have to employ extra staff to provide readily available information. Sometimes customers want simple, day-to-day information that doesn’t require agent handling.
 
  1. It Offers Intelligent Call Routing-Callers are taken care of in a number of ways. Priority callers, the geographic location of a caller to match the agent, and their caller ID all assist in matching calls to the most suitable agents, making the call experience more satisfying. Intelligent call routing increases first call resolution and improves the caller experience.
 
  1. It Has the Ability to Grow With You- If you view your company as a site that will grow by leaps and bounds, even networking out into other branches, then you need a software to match your growing pains. Choose the software that will see you through from a small 'mom and pop' to a large enterprise, with scalable software.
 
  1. It Has Screen Pops- Step up your customer service level by offering screen pops so that the agent will be informed before he/she even picks up the phone. Screen pops can display not only customer names, but customer information, recent call inquiries, account information, and many other possibilities.  Greeting a customer by their name, and knowing their history is priceless.
 
  1. It is Able to Manage the Quality of Your Service-Good agents are hard to find, so the best way to ensure you have great agents is to constantly monitor the quality of their performance. Management should have access to agent conversations in order to ensure the customer is getting the best service and to train for proper phone techniques. This is the best way to notify your customer that quality is important to both you and the company.
 
  1. It Provides the Ability to Reinvest in Research and Development- It is important to ensure that contact center software is up-to-date with the latest contact center functionality. If you’ve discovered new ways to use your software, make sure you work with a vendor that consistently reinvests in technology and new functionality. In the end, you profit and so does your customer.
 
 
Zeacom develops contact center software that builds effective customer relationships and delivers a higher standard of customer service. For more information, please visit: www.zeacom.com
 
 
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Stefania Viscusi is an established writer and avid reader. To see more of her articles, please visit Stefania Viscusi’s columnist page.






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