Offload Calls Using Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

IVR is a mature technology that's been around since the 1980s. The good news is that it's easier than ever to deploy. IVR voice menus can replay frequently requested information, such as store directions, office hours, and product prices, letting agents handle more complex requests. IVR is a proven way to boost call throughput and improve service.

I recommend: Newer phone systems typically have basic IVR capabilities embedded in the auto-attendant. For more functionality, phone vendors sell optional IVR software modules for designing advanced call interactions. Don’t want to record your own voice prompts?  Try Marketing Messages for professionally produced audio. If you need temporary IVR capabilities to handle a once-a-year campaign or your requirements extend beyond basic IVR, consider a hosted service from five9’s or Contactual. Because there’s no expensive upfront charges, these on-demand services are a good match for contact centers with slim budgets.

Implement a Cost-Saving Home Agent Program

With greater Voice-over-IP coverage, agents can work from their homes and plug into a "virtual call center." They use special VoIP-based client software to control calls and receive screen pops on their PCs. Agents prefer the at-home arrangement (thus reducing turnover) and call center's save on office costs.

I recommend:  If you have a traditional TDM-based phone system, talk to your vendor about equipment upgrades or migration paths to VoIP.  Get the facts on turning your remote home agents into a true call center: read about virtual contact centers .  For small call centers, Citel’s PBXgateway delivers VoIP to home agents while preserving investment in phones and equipment—it’s a great cost-saver.  Environmental benefits are another benefit of home agents. Learn how to go green with a work-at-home program .

Provide a Rich Customer Experience with Speech Recognition

IVR is not the only way to perform the self-service function. Speech recognition technology delivers a more natural and richer experience to customers. In the old days-pre-2000-speech recognition required significant expertise and investment to implement. With the advent of less expensive media processing hardware and a new open standards scripting language called VoiceXML, speech recognition is within reach of even small call centers

I recommend: To get a taste of what can be done with VoiceXML, check out Voxeo’s free hosting service. It’s a good way to understand what’s involved—from developing grammars to getting a handle on integrating data from back-end IT systems. But a higher level GUI development environment, such as Avaya’s Dialog Designer, lets you visualize workflows and call paths without getting bogged down in VoiceXML details.

Optimize your Staffing

Overstaffing is an ongoing challenge in many contact centers. But when business is down, it's even more critical to match staffing with demand. A new generation of contact center reporting software can help find operational problems (too many long phone call, excessive transfers, idle agents) in real-time and guide managers in changing agent behaviors. Analytic software tools are available to help managers forecast call loads and determine optimal staffing based on agent schedules.

I recommend: Workforce management vendors Pipkens  and ISC.  Their advanced software analyzes complex call center scenarios involving multiple-skills and difficult scheduling requirements.