tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88073315409522727692024-03-12T21:48:36.289-07:00Call Centers TechnologyAnother blog from www.callcentersindia.com<br>
Explore Technology's news, articles and posts under this blog.<br> <br>
Blog maintain by Call Centers India’s highly professionals team who search and read hundreds resources in a single day to provide best knowledge database to industry players and their visitors at one place.<br>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-80487504242879427222008-05-15T03:36:00.000-07:002008-05-16T02:46:41.832-07:00Get Success of Call Centers with Latest Technology<div>The latest technology are very important in the call centers industry, Call center have two major sections first the inbound where calls are received for help services and the second is outbound where calls are made by agents mainly to sell products. Call centers are extremely popular now a days.<br /><br />The benefits of Call centers are unlimited. To make the consistency in the success and the growth of the call centers we can use these latest technology for Call centers. These latest technology are as follows:<br /><br /><strong>1. Automatic call distributors:</strong> All Inbound call centers need a system to process calls and other interaction types like email and chat, as necessary. Automatic call distributors or dialers are core call center systems to improve performance of these two underlying systems. Outbound call centers require a dialer to place and complete calls.<br /><strong></strong></div><br /><div><strong>2. CRM:</strong> Call center servicing application is the second most important technology in call centers. Agents use the servicing application to respond to customers with an understanding of their relationship and value to the enterprise. Call center agents also use the servicing application to document customer issues or requests and steps that were taken to address those issues. This creates a record of interactions that can be accessed the next time the customer reaches out for help.<br /></div><br /><div><strong>3. Campaign management system:</strong> Outbound call center organizations require a campaign management system (CMS) to let the dialer know whom to contact, or to produce a list of phone numbers or email contacts. A more sophisticated CMS will allow agents to record how each customer has responded to a given campaign.<br /><br /><strong>4. Call recording systems:</strong> All sales contact centers and many customer service environments – inbound or outbound – require recording systems to capture all interactions so that they can be replayed if there is a question about an interaction. Some organizations just capture calls; others capture both the call and related screens used to service the customer. The most sophisticated recording systems capture all interaction types, not just calls.<br /><br /><strong>5. Interactive voice response systems:</strong> Speech recognition systems are self-service tools that automate the handling of incoming customer calls. Advanced interactive voice response (IVR) systems use speech recognition technology to allow customers to interact with the IVR by speaking instead of pushing buttons on their phones. IVR/speech recognition systems can help companies keep their costs down and often automate the handling of 40 to 85 percent of all incoming customer inquiries in industries, such as retail banking, credit card, brokerage, insurance, health care and utilities. Some enterprises also claim that IVR/speech recognition improves service quality, since an automated system can be available when live agents are not on duty. An increasing number of outbound call centers – particularly those doing collections and sales -- are using IVR systems to increase their effectiveness and productivity.<br /><br /><strong>6. Workforce management software:</strong> It is used to forecast the volume of calls (or other interaction types, like emails and chat sessions). Workforce management (WFM) software can help call center managers schedule the optimal number of agents to meet projected needs, taking into account agent breaks, training classes, planned vacations and unplanned sickness. WFM software can automate the process of determining the number of agents that must be hired to ensure that customer transactions are handled at a specified service level. WFM is considered essential for inbound call centers with 100 or more agents or smaller centers that are complex, operating multiple sites and/or handling a variety of interaction types. Recently, outbound call centers have also started to use WFM.<br /><br /><strong>7. Quality management applications:</strong> These are used to measure how well call center agents adhere to internal policies and procedures. These applications are increasingly considered mission-critical for inbound call centers, as they give management insight into call center performance. Quality management (QM) applications are starting to be used in outbound call centers and will eventually become as valuable in those environments as they are in inbound centers.<br /><br /><strong>8. Computer telephony integration: </strong>Connects the ACD to the servicing or CMS application. At the most basic level, it delivers a "screen pop," bringing up the customer's account on the agent desktop when it delivers a call. This saves the agent from wasting time looking up customer information and it saves the customer the aggravation of having to provide redundant identification or account numbers. CTI is a major productivity tool for many call centers.<br /> </div><br /><div> Call centers are complex operating environments that depend on a wide variety of sophisticated technology to process transactions. While call center technology is essential, it's really the agents who leave a lasting impression on customers and they are the key to retaining clients and enhancing relationships</div>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-10811814676437141492008-05-06T20:26:00.000-07:002008-05-06T20:37:14.502-07:00Do You Know Recording of Telephone Calls Gives Positivity to Business?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrb5180DENPTsw7FwxiQpeCIM8oNmj6p7kfPd9pnBbpeBDQlWsZepb1-O1HKyfr_yOWjvUlLzJ7xwxyPvqe_IVUOMHcJP7K99m0Mb9nA-8fWgn7-wsuLjdvOEH8YA1x8tGtqnwKsfr39s/s1600-h/Call+Center.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrb5180DENPTsw7FwxiQpeCIM8oNmj6p7kfPd9pnBbpeBDQlWsZepb1-O1HKyfr_yOWjvUlLzJ7xwxyPvqe_IVUOMHcJP7K99m0Mb9nA-8fWgn7-wsuLjdvOEH8YA1x8tGtqnwKsfr39s/s200/Call+Center.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197474861948667714" /></a><br />Your telephone calls can be record anytime from anywhere with the help of latest technologies. It's very risky in term of recording telephonic conversations of any personal matters if we talking about our general day to day life. But for call centers staff training recording is advisable to verify information given by customer after the call and to keep the track. Every calls are important and to make the reliability percentage high the call centers are providing a secure, impartial and utterly reliable services. <br /><br />Mostly call centers are using the call recording technology and other business are also do the same and why they need to do that because of some following listed reasons.<br /><br />1. To easily resolve the disputes - This is the number one reason why most businesses purchase a call recording solution. It allows them to easily resolve disputes and protect themselves with recorded evidence that can provide an impartial record.<br /><br />2. To get better quality - Recording calls can be helpful to detected errors and often corrected before they become costly mistakes. The routinely verifying call recordings make the shipping process more smooth, this information could be confirmed or corrected saving considerable money. Not only this, but customer satisfaction is improved.<br /><br />3. More Secure - The simple presence of a call recording solution on company lines often acts as a deterrent to all types of security breaches employee calls. Such security inappropriate calls can be detected with the call recording software and then used to either address the problem with the employee or if necessary to act as evidence.<br /><br />4. To give clearer understanding - Training and performance reviews are made easier when call recordings are easily available to trainers and managers. Trainers can use the call recording software to search and find calls that exemplify excellent customer service or salesmanship. These can be easily emailed to colleagues as an example or played in a training meeting to give the clear understanding.<br /><br />5. Easy to track records- A sales manager can use the call recording software to review calls that resulted in successful sales and give ways to improve the sales staff by taking the track from the voice recording software. A marketing manager can listen to the same calls and discover what offers are working best, or the reasons customers give for not taking those offers. This helps the marketing department choose the most successful offers and create better offers in the future.<br /><br />6. Take feedback your self only - Having the opportunity to record calls gives you the capability of being able to monitor your customer service levels along with staff performance. This allows your company to have a head start on your competition with the opportunity to continuously improve your service level.<br /><br />7. Set Target- Training is easy when you are able to monitor both sides of a telephone conversation on your business telephone systems. Recording calls allows you the benefit of hindsight, giving you the opportunity to assist your team in achieving their goals and improving sales.<br /><br />8. To be present with voice even physically not available - Do you work away from your office and rely on administrative staff to send letters, emails and faxes on your behalf? Save everyone’s time by allowing your PA to record your urgent correspondence that can be typed immediately without the hassle of scribbled messages.<br /><br />Customer interaction needs to be analyzed in order to understand and improve organizational performance. A call recording solution from Liquid Voice enables conversations to be stored as a permanent record and accessed on demand.<br /><br />These above are the factors of using the call recording in the call centers to improve the customer care services in for better result.Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-9835379440661099922008-04-18T04:47:00.001-07:002008-04-18T04:47:40.878-07:00Audio Visual TechnologyThe latest audio video technology are very helpful to make internal meeting or presenting a business proposal in a good presenting way. Projectors and other audio visual equipments are used in every step. In call centers the audio video technology are very useful for example the audio technology of the call center need to be very good. As latest technology in the IP phone systems are in use by the call centers. <br /><br />Today in call center business it is essential to have the basic idea of audio-visual equipments to interact with the clients. Mostly the audio. Most advanced audio visual equipment today works systematically and are controlled by various programs and it requires some amount of skill and technical know-how to handle such equipment. IT is playing an important role in various aspects of our work life.<br /><br />To give the best performance to the call center customer to satisfy them call centers are giving the full training and the understanding to the user these audio visual equipment come with their training manual and other documentation to run the equipment. There are few call centers are giving the customer care support for this also. Audio video are giving the multitasking environment to the call center company's. <br /><br />Call Centers are doing the call conferencing and video conferencing to provide the remote services to the clients and to interact the agents too. Now a days very fast and clear audio video equipment are available in the market which are giving the fruitful result to the call centers. There are some basic points that you should learn before you get on to handle any equipment. It is important to learn these points because they can make or break your show and without knowing these it would be almost impossible for you to run the show. You should know all the details in respect to power sources, connection wires and cables and proper placement of the equipment. You need to take care, as even the slightest fault in switching the equipment on can cause total system failure.<br /><br />Maintenance of the Audio video equipments are being taken care by a special team. If all equipment will get the good care then the performance will be remain as new always. Play around with your audio visual equipment for some time and you will slowly get to learn more about it. User manuals and tech support guys can definitely help you have a better understanding of the equipment however, the more you use them the better control you will have on them. And this will make your business deals more successful.Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-40849215825231855692008-03-11T23:05:00.000-07:002008-04-18T04:13:32.459-07:00Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency<strong>DTMF</strong> (dual tone multi frequency) is the signal to the phone company that you generate when you press an ordinary telephone's touch keys. In the United States and perhaps elsewhere, it's known as "Touch-Tone®" phone (formerly a registered trademark of AT&T). With DTMF, each key you press on your phone generates two tones of specific frequencies. So that a voice can't imitate the tones, one tone is generated from a high-frequency group of tones and the other from a low frequency group. Here are the signals you send when you press your <em>Touchtone</em> phone keys:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqLTba6gDDdqcaZ5q-wkGMrUT3RUTlCWv4STBUGZHNBFPqhVsN1ILPT1msE7uLw-YHANNeTfsQpoSg2hCE0uIshsqdsUNyw7If0f5VsnnwP52iu94TMZzZrCNWPAbG3GSwK2vubhrYaM/s1600-h/DTMF.jpg" target="blank"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176732933384077186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJqLTba6gDDdqcaZ5q-wkGMrUT3RUTlCWv4STBUGZHNBFPqhVsN1ILPT1msE7uLw-YHANNeTfsQpoSg2hCE0uIshsqdsUNyw7If0f5VsnnwP52iu94TMZzZrCNWPAbG3GSwK2vubhrYaM/s200/DTMF.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br> <br><br /><br> <br><br> <br><br> <br> <br><br />In technical words: Dual Tone Multi-Frequency, or DTMF is a method for instructing a telephone switching system of the telephone number to be dialed, or to issue commands to switching systems or related telephony equipment.<br /><br />The DTMF keypad is laid out in a 4×4 matrix, with each row representing a low frequency, and each column representing a high frequency. Pressing a single key (such as '1' ) will send a sinusoidal tone of the two frequencies (697 and 1209 hertz (Hz)). The original keypads had levers inside, so each button activated two contacts. The multiple tones are the reason for calling the system multifrequency. These tones are then decoded by the switching center to determine which key was pressed.<br /><br /><strong>DTMF keypad frequencies table</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kuB4a1k0Vl2xRAI-PGclvnqbLaFKv9ytNF6HnaEfHKGyUKVH0T4BkYRd_ykEmzzVWf9fTo4YrxnmPArtAIp0ZvHyj7m-5u2OnUmVlnn9F3sBQ2il7vP2uWvrY0vODJaG7aK4-pIJdAg/s1600-h/DTMF-Frequency+Table.bmp" target="blank"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176734269118906258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kuB4a1k0Vl2xRAI-PGclvnqbLaFKv9ytNF6HnaEfHKGyUKVH0T4BkYRd_ykEmzzVWf9fTo4YrxnmPArtAIp0ZvHyj7m-5u2OnUmVlnn9F3sBQ2il7vP2uWvrY0vODJaG7aK4-pIJdAg/s200/DTMF-Frequency+Table.bmp" border="0"/></a><br><br><br /><br /><strong>DTMF event frequencies</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtqSEO7yoGA-PrLaXQJFLKPCeSBeSIjcxI0o21-wDGEMxU9ySNAFPo2SkzzHbP3xGVEth0jnXJ5C5isqSDRFUeZP5bUcPFC37JEnQVP5l99GLcgnptrXKLHYcKfT9QJOhQKbGQSi4A58/s1600-h/DTMF-Frequency+Table-2.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176735222601645986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtqSEO7yoGA-PrLaXQJFLKPCeSBeSIjcxI0o21-wDGEMxU9ySNAFPo2SkzzHbP3xGVEth0jnXJ5C5isqSDRFUeZP5bUcPFC37JEnQVP5l99GLcgnptrXKLHYcKfT9QJOhQKbGQSi4A58/s200/DTMF-Frequency+Table-2.bmp" border="0" /> </a> <br><br><br><br /><br />The engineers had envisioned phones being used to access computers, and surveyed a number of companies to see what they would need for this role. This led to the addition of the number sign (#) and star (*) keys (also known as <em><strong>humphries</strong></em>), as well as a group of keys for menu selection: A, B, C and D. In the end, the lettered keys were dropped from most phones, and it was many years before the humphries became widely used for vertical service codes such as *67 in the United States and Canada to suppress caller ID.<br /><br />Present-day uses of the A, B, C and D keys on telephone networks are few, and exclusive to network control. The levels of priority available were Flash Override (A), Flash (B), Immediate (C), and Priority (D), with Flash Override being the highest priority. For example, the A key is used on some networks to cycle through different carriers at will (thereby listening in on calls). Their use is probably prohibited by most carriers. The A, B, C and D tones are used in amateur radio phone patch and repeater operations to allow, among other uses, control of the repeater while connected to an<br />active phone line.<br /><br /><em><strong>DTMF</strong> tones are also used by some cable television networks and radio networks to signal the local cable company/network station to insert a local advertisement or station identification.</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mathworks.com/products/demos/signaltlbx/phone/phone1.html" target="blank" rel='nofollow'><strong>Spectral Analysis of Dual-Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF)</strong></a><br /><br /><strong>References:</strong> <br /><a href="http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci213922,00.html" target="blank" rel='nofollow'>searchnetworking.com/</a><a href="http://nemesis.lonestar.org/reference/telecom/signaling/dtmf.html" target="blank" rel='nofollow'><br />nemesis.lonestar.org/</a><br /><br /><div class='bookmarkshare'>Bookmark: <a href="http://del.icio.us/post"><img align='middle' height='16' width='16' border='0' title='Bookmark it in Del.icio.us' alt='Bookmark it in Del.icio.us' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/delicious.gif'/></a> | <a href='http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://blogsjam.citipals.com/top-indian-finance'><img align='middle' title='Submit it to digg' alt='Submit it to digg' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/digman.gif'/></a> | <a href='http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet'><img align='middle' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/yahoo.png' /></a> | <a href='http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark'><img align='middle' title='Add to Google Bookmarks' alt='Add to Google Bookmarks' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/google.png' /></a> | <a href='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php'><img align='middle' title='Share it on Facebook' alt='Share it on Facebook' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/facebook.gif' /></a> | <a href='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit'><img align='middle' title='Submit it to StumbleUpon' alt='Submit it to StumbleUpon' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/stumbleupon.gif'/></a></div><div class="newLine"></div>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-362305927785773752008-04-10T03:04:00.001-07:002008-04-18T04:12:24.915-07:00Who need speech analytics technology?Speech Analytics is a term used to describe automatic methods of analyzing speech to extract useful information about the speech content or the speakers.<br /><br />One use of speech analytics applications is to spot spoken keywords or phrases, either as real-time alerts on live audio or as a post-processing step on recorded speech. This technique is also known as audio mining. Other uses include categorization of speech, for example in the contact center environment, to identify calls from unsatisfied customers. Speech analytics technology may combine results from different techniques to achieve its<br />aims. For example knowledge about where certain keywords were spoken in a customer telephone conversation could be combined with knowledge about which speaker (customer or contact center agent) spoke the words and perhaps knowledge of how often the two speakers were talking at the same time as each other.<br /><br />Speech Analytics in contact centers can be used to extract critical business intelligence that would otherwise be lost. By analyzing and categorizing recorded phone conversations between companies and their customers, useful information can be discovered relating to strategy, product, process, and operational issues. This information gives decision-makers insight into what customers really think about their company so that they<br />can quickly react.<br /><em><strong>Source: wiki</strong></em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN17n_sYu3h177BU1fQ2U0nWayW7cKgUWxAIzFjEZxmqMKpF_sXLncNzegMPRs1Un8aTvQPA32S-LjVqN2RL620xjHdNw4IzECIw2tebkN_8w7dG2uzd2JVY8Sya4cRIw2QNvKZVgzHMo/s1600-h/Wave.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5187555517778382290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN17n_sYu3h177BU1fQ2U0nWayW7cKgUWxAIzFjEZxmqMKpF_sXLncNzegMPRs1Un8aTvQPA32S-LjVqN2RL620xjHdNw4IzECIw2tebkN_8w7dG2uzd2JVY8Sya4cRIw2QNvKZVgzHMo/s200/Wave.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Speech analytics technology providing organizations with insight into sales, service and products pulled not just from call center reports but truly from the voice of the customer. Yet it has also brought a dilemma for organizations deploying it. Who should really own speech analytics? Does it belong under the management of the contact center? Marketing? Analytics/business intelligence (BI)? It's a question organizations need to<br />consider when they're purchasing speech analytics tools.<br /><br />Essentially, there are four ways for an organization to purchase speech analytics. Vendors that have developed speech analytics typically promote just the core speech analytics functions, parsing recordings for meanings, establishing patterns and alerting users to unseen connections. In the contact center, agent performance optimization vendors are pushing the technology from the workforce optimization side. Speech analytics<br />are a way to measure agent skills and train them.<br /><br />outsourced call centers are bringing speech analytics to the attention of their clients as an add-on service. There is a disconnect between what speech analytics could do in theory and what it is actually being used for, speech analytics is not very different from other forms of analytics in that it provides insight into unseen patterns or hidden data connections.<br /><br />People who run contact centers have traditionally worked in operations silos and are often tasked with cost control. They need to learn the language of profits and revenue. They're going to have to collaborate with business people who don't care about the activities in the call center -- they care about the outcomes.<br /><br />Today's questions about speech analytics are indicative of a larger trend, he added. Increasingly, technology purchasing for the contact center needs to extend beyond IT. In fact, that began 10 years ago with the emergence of Internet protocol in the call center. As speech analytics and other channels emerge in the contact center, purchasing processes need to reflect that changing environment.<br /><br />What has to happen over time -- and what will happen in forward-thinking centers that will become the leading edge -- is they have to knit their contact center management with the realm of traditional analytics as well as CRM, networking and telephony. Then you'll stop seeing the distinction between speech analytics and a broader overall analytics category that combines information from the contact center with other relevant streams.<br />That's going to change the nature of management structures that oversee the contact center over time.<br /><br /><div class='bookmarkshare'>Bookmark: <a href="http://del.icio.us/post"><img align='middle' height='16' width='16' border='0' title='Bookmark it in Del.icio.us' alt='Bookmark it in Del.icio.us' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/delicious.gif'/></a> | <a href='http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://blogsjam.citipals.com/top-indian-finance'><img align='middle' title='Submit it to digg' alt='Submit it to digg' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/digman.gif'/></a> | <a href='http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet'><img align='middle' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/yahoo.png' /></a> | <a href='http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark'><img align='middle' title='Add to Google Bookmarks' alt='Add to Google Bookmarks' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/google.png' /></a> | <a href='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php'><img align='middle' title='Share it on Facebook' alt='Share it on Facebook' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/facebook.gif' /></a> | <a href='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit'><img align='middle' title='Submit it to StumbleUpon' alt='Submit it to StumbleUpon' height='16' width='16' border='0' src='http://blogsjam.citipals.com/images/stumbleupon.gif'/></a></div><div class="newLine"></div>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-37900244775108707952008-03-11T04:05:00.001-07:002008-03-11T04:05:41.854-07:00Call Centers have been affected by the damage of Undersea CablesAn earthquake off Taiwan, measuring 6.7-7.1 on the Richter scale, knocked out Internet links to India for 20-25 minutes and affected Reliance Communications’ FLAG and VSNL’s SEA-ME-WE-3 under-sea cable systems, even as telecommunications around Asia was severely disrupted, with Internet services slowing and financial transactions being hindered, particularly in the currency market. However, BPO and IT services across India remained largely unaffected. <br /><br />Internet services have been disrupted in large parts of the Middle East and India following damage to two undersea cables in the Mediterranean. There was disruption to 70% of the nationwide network in Egypt, and India suffered up to 60% disruption. <br /><br />UK firms such as British Airways have told the BBC that call centers have been affected by the outage. <br /><br />Industry experts said it could take up to one week to repair the damaged cables and resume full service. <br /><br />International telephone calls, which have also been affected, are being rerouted to work around the problem. <br /><br />Neither of the cable operators have confirmed the cause or location of the outage but some reports suggest it was caused by a ship's anchor near the port of Alexandria in Egypt. <br /><br />"Information technology companies, software companies and call centres that provide online services to the UK or the US east coast are the worst affected," Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers' Association of India, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). <br /><br />India is the world leader in offshore outsourcing, with the remote servicing of IT or other business processes worth an estimated £24bn.Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-2981618564929302802007-09-27T06:52:00.000-07:002008-02-14T00:06:10.175-08:00Tuning In on Wireless Headsets in the ContactCall Centers are turning to wireless headsets to help to improve customer satisfaction and CSRs productivity. In a contact center, new wireless headsets help improve call speed resolution of customer problems and enable floor supervisors to remain "on call" and engaged even when they're away from their desks.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Ensuring Customer Satisfaction</span><br />Customer satisfaction level is the criteria of success of most contact centers. While there are many elements that impact customer interactions, the speedy resolution of problems is one of the most important.<br /><br />Wireless technology helps supervisors resolve the customer grievances in real time without the need to put customers on hold or call them back once they've retrieved the necessary information. Floor supervisors can be more efficient, thus decreasing call time, by moving about the office to perform supportive tasks and actively engage with agents. The latest headsets let users roam hundreds of feet away from their desks, with excellent call clarity, while staying connected.<br /><br />In the event that a call needs to be escalated to a supervisor, hold time is minimized, since the supervisor is available to answer the call even if away from their desk with the remote call answer/end capabilities of the newest wireless headsets on the market. The supervisor can also visit the agent's desk to lend support and provide quicker resolution.<br /><br />Whether new hire orientation or a refresher session with a senior agent, keeping the agents properly trained is a round-the-clock task. Wireless headsets increase training effectiveness by allowing the coach to observe agents' key strokes and body language from afar without the agent knowing -- eliminating the need for desk side monitoring. This creates a more natural training environment, where supervisors can gain a true assessment of agent performance.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Guaranteeing Employee Comfort and Convenience </span><br />In addition to the well-known ergonomic benefits of headsets, the latest wireless systems provide other features that are useful for contact centers. For example, most headsets now offer extended battery life so that contact center associates can work an entire shift without having to stop and plug in to recharge the battery.<br /><br />Some systems also offer a base that easily pairs with several different headsets so that as shifts change, agents can immediately start working. Using a shared base also helps lower expenses as contact centers only purchase an additional headset top, versus an entire system.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Maintaining Sound Quality </span><br />One of the main elements affecting a customer's impression of a contact center is the sound quality that the customer encounters. Background noise and crackling audio can make a contact center seem unprofessional, no matter how skilled the agent. The latest wireless headsets have noise-canceling microphones that filter background noise and enable crisp audio quality. Digital signal processing (DSP) is a new technology that some of the latest headsets use to mitigate echo and uneven amplitude.<br /><br />Headsets that are 1.9GHz DECT 6.0-compliant are gaining popularity in contact center environments because they promote clear calls without interference from typical office equipment, like WiFi networks, security systems and microwave ovens. These headsets are particularly attractive because they operate in a protected, voice-dedicated frequency.<br /><br />Today's wireless headsets are compatible with a variety of telephony infrastructures, including IP, and legacy PBX equipment. This is beneficial, as audio deterioration, like latency issues, pops and ticks, often occurs as a result of incompatible signals or equipment.<br /><br />It's clear that wireless headsets offer contact centers many benefits that can help improve service and impact the bottom line. As innovations in the space continue to develop, so will the positive affects on contact centers.<br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-67548874087654726532007-12-26T00:18:00.000-08:002008-02-13T23:56:02.554-08:00ERP gets easier for SMBGood news for the small medium business (SMB) for which you must be waiting from long time. Now the ERP gets easier for the SMB. A few years back the Enterprise resource planning (ERP) was a self-important expression with expensive software to match. ERP is helpful for the managers to do their responsibilities more efficiently, boost sales and reduce costs. ERP is business management system that gives a support to the mangers of the companies to command of data and workflows to get the clear report of each factors of the business.<br /><br />The essential part of the business like planning, manufacturing, sales and marketing are also cover with ERP. It also covers activities like inventory control, order tracking, customer service, finance and human resources. For example, ERP software can automatically indicate to the managers when it notices that stocks have gone down in a sales depot. Dealing with the suppliers is sometimes very difficult for the managers but with ERP it will be easier for a company manager to deal with suppliers.<br /><br />ERP software is now available in much cheaper rate for small business also because now a day’s number of computer users is increasing day by day. A large group of people are using various kind of software to manage all the official details. ERP software, once a privilege for the global multinational, is available on much cheaper rates.<br /><br />SaaS (Software as a Service) – It is refer to renting of software over the Internet, much like Web based e-mail. SaaS is also contributing to software becoming cheaper and easier to use. Industry officials say the emergence of SaaS and cheaper ERP software has dramatically lowered the barrier for users. Top ERP solution providers are now targeting just about every company, size no bar Consider the case of SAP, the global leader in ERP software, which once was associated largely with multinational giants.<br /><br />On November 21, 2007 SAP India announced record-breaking quarterly growth for the third quarter of 2007 with the addition of more than 714 new customers till September 2007, translating to more than two new customers per work day in 2007. "A growing SMB (small and medium business) market, opportunistic investors, and middleware technologies converge to make the SMB market for ERP applications one of the most competitive environments for market growth and product innovation within enterprise applications," ---- Says Gopakumar Sivanandan of SAP India.<br /><br />A spokeswoman for rival Oracle India spokesperson agrees. "Mid-sized companies are driving India's GDP growth today," she says. Microsoft recently launched Microsoft Dynamics NAV designed specifically for medium sized companies.<br /><br />“Dynamics NAV delivers integrated functionality to support solutions for financial management, supply chain management, CRM and E-Business." According to Sushant Dwivedy from Microsoft India,<br /><br />For small and medium enterprises sometimes it was very hard to pay the cost at one time.<br />Earlier it was required Rs 10 to 15 lakhs can be done at a fraction of the price for ERP software. Though it must be that renting out software involves a recurring cost every month. The onetime cost of an ERP package needs returning costs in training and support and to that extent, renting the ERP software over the Web could be a lot better Consider.<br /><br />The cost of the ERP for SMB is available for three users at Rs 25,000 a month, for five users at Rs 35,000 a month and 10 users at Rs 60,000 a month. No hardware, no personnel, no software cost is required in addition to this. Oracle and SAP have attractive pricing that make affordability a huge attraction. Oracle starts at as low as Rs 2,800 per user license, though it calls for implementation and support cost Much cheaper versions are also available from the Open Source movement, which uses operating systems based on free, modifiable platforms like Linux. Source – HT Times<br /><br />According to market researcher Gartner, revenues from business platforms in India grow from $12.1 million in 2005 to $16.4 million in 2006, with all leading vendors posting double-digit growth. The Indian ERP market is expected to see a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 25.2 per cent over the next five years. The market was $83 million in 2004, and is projected to be over $250 million in 2009.<br /><br /><br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-19147932008718217082007-02-23T07:15:00.000-08:002008-02-13T23:52:06.093-08:00Vcare Switches from Avaya to CiscoVcare Call Centers India - a 100% subsidiary of Call Centers India (CCI) has contact Center operations in Chennai and New Delhi , providing both voice and non-voice services to global clients. The company has deployed Cisco's technology. Before Cisco's solution, the company was operating out on a leased facility, using Avaya-based solutions. Vcare wanted a robust, secure and scalable infrastructure for supporting their inbound and outbound calling process.<br /><br />The company has implemented Cisco IP Contact Center (IPCC) solution and is currently using Cisco Call Manager and the Electronic Private Branch Exchange (EPBX), Cisco Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and Cisco Unity Voicemail.<br /><br />Sandeep Mehra, CEO of Vcare Call Center India , said, "We found Cisco's IP-based offering superior than the traditional Time Division Multiplexing (TDM based offering). We started using Cisco's Voice over IP Solution for about 2 years. We moved from a leased facility to our own facility and found that the voice quality of the Cisco's IPCC was far superior to any of its competitors." Mehra adds, "This solution helps large enterprises that need to centralize their contact center operations to gain more control over their resources."<br /><br />Vcare faced several challenges before deploying the solution. "We had to have a cost effective solution, which would meet the ever-changing process requirements and co-ordination that is faced by SMB segment-based clients," said Mehra.<br /><br />According to the company, exploring Cisco system's full functionality has been a big challenge. Though the system is very powerful, the domain expertise of this system is still very limited. IT plays an important role in addressing these challenges. One of the major challenges - cost effectiveness - is strictly based on the total cost incurred on IT equipment and maintenance. Total cost of ownership, in the long run, is a lot lower in Cisco.<br /><br />The company claims that the main business benefits of the solution are that it is very simple to use, stable, and reliable. Additionally, through the usage of IP-based systems, the survivability of calls is the highest. Even if one of the lines were to go down, the calls would roll over to another circuit within a few milliseconds, without disconnecting the calls.<br /><br />Effective correspondence and communication is the most common HR issue, as disclosed by Vcare. "Reporting being one of the important functions in a call center, our HR manager is able to substantiate any action we take using the vast reports we get from IT. Through Cisco's technology everything is logged in the system," said Mehra.<br /><br />The infrastructure deployed at Vcare's data center include Cisco Predictive, Preview, Outbound, 24/7 Dialer, Cisco Call Manager called PBX, Cisco Unity Voice Mail, and Cisco IP 7940 series phones. The Cisco solution was deployed in a span of about 3 months, start to finish. The company's estimated IT budget for this year is about US $250 thousand. It is looking to deploy these solutions in multiple cities in India .Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-73517736424171198742007-02-22T08:52:00.000-08:002008-02-13T23:36:24.940-08:00Computer telephone integration<span class="style4">CTI sells its range of voice solutions via the NEC Global Sales Distribution Network and works closely with NEC in the Asia Pacific, South East Asia, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:city st="on">Middle East</st1:city> <st1:country-region st="on">China</st1:country-region> <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">South Korea</st1:country-region></st1:place>, European, North and South American markets.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span><br /><p class="style4">Computer telephony integration (<span style="font-size:+0;">CTI</span>) is technology that allows interactions on a telephone and a computer to be integrated or co-ordinated. As contact channels have expanded from voice to include email, web, and fax, the definition of CTI has expanded to include the integration of all customer contact channels (voice, email, web, fax, etc.) with computer systems.</p><p class="style4"><span class="style4"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuKUzOQlgveRDBQytzOcicSmP0fKfr4cfRiiIJOVBa9_nKGcfrpWQkdat8a7NKvxj0CB13zYwWLomll0bfDcPOZCFLn2Q43iNCW8S2MYUy-H0LU69Sv-dtALLc8vi-0Y8tFDKZvYyMT0/s1600-h/Computer+telephone+integration.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034410449534866834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuKUzOQlgveRDBQytzOcicSmP0fKfr4cfRiiIJOVBa9_nKGcfrpWQkdat8a7NKvxj0CB13zYwWLomll0bfDcPOZCFLn2Q43iNCW8S2MYUy-H0LU69Sv-dtALLc8vi-0Y8tFDKZvYyMT0/s200/Computer+telephone+integration.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="style4"><br /></p><p class="style4"><br /></p><p class="style4"><br /></p><p class="style4"><br /></p><p class="style4"><br /></p><br /><p class="style4"><br /></p><p class="style4">The following functions can be implemented using CTI:<br /></p><ul class="style4" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal">Calling-line information display (caller's number, number dialed, IVR options)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">Screen population on answer, with or without using calling line data.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">On-screen dialing. (Fast dial, preview, and predictive dial.)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">On-screen phone control. (Answer, hang up, hold, conference, etc.)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">Coordinated phone and data transfers between two parties.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">Call center phone control. (Logging on; after-call work notification)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">Advanced functions such as call routing, reporting functions, automation of desktop activities, and multi-channel blending of phone, e-mail, and web requests.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal">Agent state control. (For example, after-call work for a set duration, then automatic change to the ready state.)</li></ul><span class="mw-headline style3" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italicfont-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="FONT-STYLE: normal">Forms of CTI</span></span><br /><p class="style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.25in">Generally, there are two forms of CTI.<br /></p><p class="style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.25in"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">First-party call control</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">First party call control operates as if there is a direct connection between the user's computer and the phone set. An example of this would be a modem card in a desktop computer, or a phone plugged directly into the computer. Typically, only the computer associated with the phone can control it, by sending command directly to the phone.<br /></p><p class="style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.25in"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Third-party call control</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Third-party call control is more difficult to implement and often requires a dedicated telephony server to interface between the telephone network and the computer network. Third party call control works by sending commands from a user's computer to a telephony server, which in turn controls the phone centrally.<br /><o:p></o:p><br /></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">CTI Application Event Flow</span><br /><br /></span></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">A typical CTI application manages the event flow that is generated by the telephony switch during the lifecycle of a call. This typically proceeds along the following sequence:<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-size:+0;">• </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Set up</span></p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-size:+0;">•</span>Deliver (ringing)</p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-size:+0;">• </span>Establish (answer)</p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-size:+0;">• </span>Clear (hang up</p><p class="style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.75in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Other call events that can be handled by a typical CTI solution include the following:<br /><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:+0;">•</span>Hold </p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:+0;">•</span>Retrieve from hold </p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:+0;">•</span>Conference</p><p class="MsoNormal style4" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:+0;">•</span>Transfer </p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" face="arial"> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" face="arial"> <a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a></div>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-31727582012350113322007-02-26T10:39:00.000-08:002008-02-13T23:34:46.057-08:00Advanced Network Services<p>Advanced Call Center Routing Services is an application package on the Cisco Network Applications Manager (NAM) for Service Providers. NAM Advanced Services allows Service Providers to offer advanced Intelligent Network (IN) features capabilities to a broad market of business customers. The features include dynamic call allocation, network-based prompting and queuing and Web-based end-customer call control and reporting.</p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYwuRbptzzlUkbqPCaB4MISCyn1KIR2BBz3zpgv-pU8D83nf-t30P6rhSwnJUq8088S09C2AieEFfjmQNpY1f654WZU8xdbzHE6lx3ioWatGwLjUILG5AMeo1-PU5-H1xjF0EZLrjXhk/s1600-h/Advanced+network+service.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035918090053049298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYwuRbptzzlUkbqPCaB4MISCyn1KIR2BBz3zpgv-pU8D83nf-t30P6rhSwnJUq8088S09C2AieEFfjmQNpY1f654WZU8xdbzHE6lx3ioWatGwLjUILG5AMeo1-PU5-H1xjF0EZLrjXhk/s200/Advanced+network+service.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Advanced Services can be deployed on top of TDM infrastructure as well as with IP networks, using the Cisco Internet Service Node (ISN) or a third part IVR systems as prompting and queuing platform. Advanced Services facilitates rapid end-customer provisioning, since it requires no changes to existing customer infrastructure and can use the Internet for the call control and reporting functions. As a result, the costs and efforts associated with provisioning these customers is dramatically reduced, making them cost effective for small and medium-sized businesses.</p><br /><p>With Advanced Call Center Routing Services, Service Providers can directly address the following market segments:</p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal">Customers with small to medium contact centers for whom high-end hosted call center services like Cisco Intelligent Contact Management (ICM) or IP Contact Center (IPCC) may not be cost effective but who still require dynamic call distribution capabilities.</li><li class="MsoNormal">Contact centers with low-end PBX equipment that can not be readily incorporated into real-time virtual call centers using Cisco ICM software</li><li class="MsoNormal">Cisco ICM users who require dynamic call routing to small branch offices with low-end equipment.</li><li class="MsoNormal">Cisco ICM users who require dynamic call routing to small branch offices with low-end equipment.</li><li class="MsoNormal">Businesses ‘informal’ contact centers.</li><li class="MsoNormal">All customers requiring integrated prompting, queuing and IVR services.</li></ul> <a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-22939938191431745162007-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:002008-02-13T23:34:28.340-08:00Call Logging systems<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">As soon as you start looking at any call logging product you are immediately dragged into their literature.Their literature immediately starts shooting out questions such as :<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span> <ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Which departments make the most calls?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">On average, how long do staff spend on a telephone call?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Which supplier is cheapest?<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Whatever you do, security should be an important consideration. The data emanating from the switchboard can reveal all sorts of detail. What call logging data is available to whom is an important, and sometimes neglected, consideration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Before you start you need some sort of perspective before you get dragged in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Most suppliers of call loggers concentrate on the economics of the operation and presume that this will be the overriding interest for everybody. This is not always the case. Even a small break of service for organisation has the potential of losing his organisation thousands of pounds while his traders sit idle. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">For commercial organisations, which areas you focus on will depend on the circumstances you find yourself in. It could be that you are involved in a cost cutting exercise and the economics are vital to you. On the other hand if business is booming you may be less interested in costs and need to focus on questions such as "Do I have enough capacity to deal with the current level of traffic the business is generating?" "Are we missing potentially valuable calls?"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The essence of call logging is simple. It is made complicated by the constructs that are placed on it by the user and the carrier.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The following animated graphic depicts call logging and how the various parties contrive to complicate it.</span></p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTaA6rR1ja638Ceuo3m8J2Py4Z4ZwU6xxKuYeupjnJ-_FkprfU3Zmz-BNh_sdRkXGht9qsY_eANxR-3PgmZL1KlCJME3jTHVnhhKt0o7Rq38QjoCaYzee-nDQEJ5Nh3HZSQ81TWhKKBHQ/s1600-h/Call-Logging-systems.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034724458888844770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTaA6rR1ja638Ceuo3m8J2Py4Z4ZwU6xxKuYeupjnJ-_FkprfU3Zmz-BNh_sdRkXGht9qsY_eANxR-3PgmZL1KlCJME3jTHVnhhKt0o7Rq38QjoCaYzee-nDQEJ5Nh3HZSQ81TWhKKBHQ/s200/Call-Logging-systems.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Step. 1 The PABX collects data on the elements depicted in this diagram. When a call is made it records which extension is connected to which trunk line. The PABX also records the digits that were dialled and the date and the time of the call and the duration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Step. 2 Not many organisations describe themselves solely in terms of extensions. Most organisations describe themselves in terms of the people that work for it and to to an organisational structure as simplistically depicted here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Step. 3 Extensions are then related to the people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Step. 4 - Step. 8 The carrier uses the dialled digits to interpret the nature of the call. These digits are used as one parameter to cost the call. Calls can be broadly classified into Local, National, International, Special Rate and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mobile</st1:place></st1:city> calls<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Step. 9 The Carrier further complicates the call costing by varying charges depending on time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The PABX (or switchboard in common parlance) has some processing capabilities. It is able to switch traffic and keeps track of time. It is essentially on the labelled elements in Step. 1 that that the PABX generates Call Detail Records (CDR's) also known as SMDR's (Station Message Detail Records). It captures the dialled digits and may, depending on the make of the PABX, be able to capture the Calling Line Identifier (CLI) for incoming calls. The telecommunications company can pass these details to it. The routing of calls in the above diagram is not always from extension to trunk or vice versa. There is also the possibility of extension to extension, an internal call. Some PABX's also allow trunk to trunk calls - <b>this is the mechanism used to perpetrate large-scale frauds</b>. Calls can also be transferred either by the originator or the receiver. Add to this the possibility of conference calls and even the definition of what a telephone call is becomes elusive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The PABX normally generates records as calls are made and received. It sends the details out on, usually, a serial port. This data is then captured by the call logging system.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">This is the simple single site model.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The million and one details that we spoke of earlier derive from the constructs that are put on the end of the lines and complexities that have been imposed by telecommunications companies on the passage of time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The majority of extensions, in most organisations, relate to people. The people in turn are related to an organisational structure. Most call loggers require you to import this detail, thereby giving them the capability to generate reports relating to people or organisational entities. Some extensions are fax machines, while others may be modems - yet more detail that you may choose to report on. Internet access is also an issue; it will depend on the nature of your network whether your PABX generates call records corresponding to your internet access.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The cost of a call is determined by a number of factors. The destination of the call, be it local, regional, national, international, mobile, pagers, personal numbers, special rate services or premium rate services is one factor. The carrier and the service chosen within a carrier are others. The day of the week and the time of the day at which the call is made are yet others. It may be a particular number that attracts a special discount. It could be that with this carrier you have exceeded a certain threshold value for the charge period and all calls are now subject to some discounted rate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Within each of the factors that affect a call charge that we have identified above there is yet more detail. To illustrate, consider international calls - there are 43 different rates in one carriers service.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">If you're going to run a call logging system the description of your organisational structure, together with employees and their extensions are going to have to be input to the system. Furthermore your external network needs to be described, what trunk lines are connected to which carrier. The system will also need costing tables. You should also recognise that this data needs to be maintained or it will get out of date.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Not All Call Loggers Are The Same!<o:p></o:p></span></h4><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The essential functions of a call logger are<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">1. To collect raw data from the PABX<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">2. To cost the call and add missing details such as destination or origin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">3. To provide some sort of reporting capability.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Call logging has been around for a long time - over 20 years. In those days it wasn't just the 2 bytes of the date that they thought about making savings on; processors were a lot slower as well, and this meant they weren't as adept at multi-tasking. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-size:+0;"></span>The result was that the 3 functions above were often separated, and extra hardware was sometimes added - such as buffer boxes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The whole ethos of traditional call logging systems has been for the system to sit there and collect data, and then wait for someone to dream up some questions to ask it. This is too passive a role for such systems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The e-logging philosophy as embodied by Telecost is to act, not as a passive agent in monitoring your telephone system, but to act as an active agent. It monitors the performance of your telephone system in real time and actively informs you, via e-mail or other mechanisms, rather than waiting to be quizzed the much sought after but so rarely attained shift in the paradigm! They'll all be trying to copy it soon, but we're not worried we have a significant lead and we'll be building on it for at least a year<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-65082527811239788402007-03-22T02:34:00.000-07:002008-02-13T23:33:34.523-08:00Preview Dialer<p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Preview Dialer is an application that enables outbound "preview" or "progressive" dialing through the agent desktop. The source of outbound contacts can be an existing CRM system or other external system, database, or flat file. <b><i>Preview dialing gives agents the opportunity to review information about the contact and allows agents to choose when to dial the outbound call</i></b>. Progressive dialing gives the agent a set amount of time to review information about the contact before automatically dialing the outbound call. <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>Preview Dialer is ideal for bill collection, following up on support tickets, marketing campaigns, and customer satisfaction surveys. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>Preview Dialer gives agents the opportunity to review contact information to know whom they are calling and the purpose of the call before dialing the outbound call. During the preview time, agents may also lookup additional information about the contact in external applications using the contact data displayed (e.g. account number). This process can be automated with the optional addition of a screen-pop integration.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq90622WH4Qrj7YIxzW3gwZ5oZyzcpDhhIsXLFOzD5t83BEAuEZ9MPPwdAkgtoHlxnWxyTXb5135m1mgx_R91gDAKa9x5yAj0SlBCbtEpCuZZkNwjmkhWtSa22aCW9u1v-mAuVftOZlGM/s1600-h/preview.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042103399327547634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq90622WH4Qrj7YIxzW3gwZ5oZyzcpDhhIsXLFOzD5t83BEAuEZ9MPPwdAkgtoHlxnWxyTXb5135m1mgx_R91gDAKa9x5yAj0SlBCbtEpCuZZkNwjmkhWtSa22aCW9u1v-mAuVftOZlGM/s200/preview.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">An automatic telephone dialing system that dials from a list of numbers. It presents the agent with the information about the prospect or customer to be called and requires a response either to make the call or not to make the call. It differs from a predictive dialer, which turns all calls over to the next available agent<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Preview Dialer</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"> - Phone agents view call information prior to the call being placed. The agent can decide not to initiate the call. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Progressive Dialing</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"> - This dialing method passes the call information to the agent at the same time the number is being dialed by the phone dialer. The agent usually has a few seconds to view the call information, but cannot stop the call process. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Predictive Dialing</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"> - This technique is more sophisticated because the phone dialer automatically calls several numbers and only passes a call to your agent when a person has been contacted. This eliminates busy signals, answering machines, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Smart Predictive Dialers</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"> - Phone system places calls, plays recorded messages and prompts, and passes the calls to your agents only when the called individual requests a contact. </span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:7;"> </span><br /> <a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a></p>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-91606850859712721032007-03-22T02:40:00.000-07:002008-02-13T23:33:01.129-08:00Vein-based access control system<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">As physical security and identity theft concerns continue to rise, consumers are demanding safeguards to keep themselves and their property safe. Applications for the Palm Secure are vast and span several vertical markets, including security, financial/banking, access control, healthcare and government applications. <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Call</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> client says Palm Secure is a vein-based biometric authentication device that offers a high level of security since palm vein patterns are extremely difficult to forge, and which is also less intrusive than other solutions such as iris scanning. Utilizing the unique characteristic of deoxidized hemoglobin flowing in the palm’s veins, the individual’s distinctive vein pattern is recognized. The process is highly accurate, delivering a false acceptance rate1 of less than 0.00008%.<br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoHNjpNrwhC4bR7liY3wQc81d1VCJcNbNPevKKkU5XAknRs-b8zzBDUX4J1Im2DZMvAouXCJ8c4cx3O3PgG2183EmR87CIsNUE0hKqh8k2zA4Czcd5HoGVhtVOFurG87ccO9V-q-NnU0/s1600-h/vein1.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5041362440159576258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoHNjpNrwhC4bR7liY3wQc81d1VCJcNbNPevKKkU5XAknRs-b8zzBDUX4J1Im2DZMvAouXCJ8c4cx3O3PgG2183EmR87CIsNUE0hKqh8k2zA4Czcd5HoGVhtVOFurG87ccO9V-q-NnU0/s200/vein1.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></div><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Advantages of vein-based identification</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">To prevent information disclosure and illegal access, it is crucial to stop impersonation by others, and biometric identification is the solution. Vein-based identification systems are now attracting much attention thanks to their high identification accuracy compared to fingerprint-based systems.</span><span style="font-size:10;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Compared to a fingerprint-based identification system, a vein-based system is immune to tampering, making it ideal for high-security environments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The vein pattern on the underside of the fingers is identified by image processing. By using the vein pattern inside the body, identification accuracy is outstanding. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The reading section requires no contact, so the system causes no discomfort or unpleasantness. And there is no psychological barrier, unlike with fingerprinting systems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Difference from Old Systems :<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Door-access control is a physical security system that assures the security of a room or building by means of limiting the access to that room or building to specific people and by keeping records of such accesses. It utilizes an individual-authentication method in order to limit access to specific people. The most widespread authentication method for such systems is based on smart cards. Such a system limits room access to only those people who hold an allocated smart card. </span><span style="font-size:10;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">In the case of smartcard systems, on top of the difficulty in preventing another person from attaining and using a legitimate person's card, there is the inconvenience of processing lost cards. In the meantime, accompanying the continuing development of fingerprints as the main biometrics method for individual authentication, the practical application of door-access-control systems utilizing biometric data has begun.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><br /><span class="text-sentence"><b>Biometrics authentication</b> uses information specific to a person's body in order to assure a high level of security that makes it difficult for a stranger to impersonate that person. Although there are several types of biometrics authentication methods, the one —called <b>finger-vein authentication</b>— presented here is the most suitable method for controlling door access by a large number of people. This paper describes the features of the developed finger-vein-authentication method and presents two applications of this authentication method to door-access control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-size:+0;"></span><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">The vein authentication</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"> system requires customers to place their fingertip on a sensor. The system detects veins as a 3D pattern that is unique to each person.Callcenter client said it was looking to quadruple sales of its finger-vein-based biometrics system as more banks in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Japan</st1:place></st1:country-region> attempt to cut rising fraud levels in the country.</span><span style="font-size:+0;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">Hence the article describes the features of the developed finger-vein-authentication method and presents applications of this authentication method to door-access control.This Vein-based access control system is more often using now a days in call centers for there much security purpose and better prospectus technology then old One.</span><span style="font-size:+0;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;">For More Informations</span><span style="font-size:+0;"><br /></span><br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-40900909576875907532007-03-22T02:42:00.001-07:002008-02-13T23:32:30.404-08:00Speech Recognition<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hIPvd8C56ddwZe43tMUYPzIx8ismR39olQFEuTXg-Yndrqt8lIt7EeoyjjG6Lw6NDJITuYy-4CH1u5avJWmBNlrF_eNjUmhlnnMdxX84ogJRnR62axp9QR3kZz12MKF6yQn0YFqHQfg/s1600-h/speech.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039503902595972482" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Speech Recognition" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hIPvd8C56ddwZe43tMUYPzIx8ismR39olQFEuTXg-Yndrqt8lIt7EeoyjjG6Lw6NDJITuYy-4CH1u5avJWmBNlrF_eNjUmhlnnMdxX84ogJRnR62axp9QR3kZz12MKF6yQn0YFqHQfg/s200/speech.jpg" border="0" /></a>Speech or voice recognition is the ability of a machine or program to recognize and carry out voice commands or take dictation. In general, speech recognition involves the ability to match a voice pattern against a provided or acquired vocabulary.<br /><br />Usually, a limited vocabulary is provided with a product and the user can record additional words. More sophisticated software has the ability to accept natural speech (meaning speech as we usually speak it rather than carefully-spoken speech).<br /><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">APPLICABILITY TO CALL CENTERS</span><br /><br />Speech and voice recognition are useful tools in call centers in a number of ways. Not all of these tools and uses are exclusive to the call center environment and could be applied to other locations within a SESA[The SeSa Group was founded in 1973 and operates in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) market]<br /><br />They also make use of both single-user speaker-dependant PC-based systems as well as multi-user speaker-independent server-based systems.One of the more generic uses of single-user speech recognition is as an aid to Customer Service Representatives(CSRs) and others to reduce or eliminate repetitive stress injuries that result from Keyboard and mouse use, particularly carpal tunnel syndrome. By replacing an individual’s keyboarding of information with a speech recognition interface,<br /><br />repetitive stress injury complaints decrease significantly. This has proven to be the case in a number of large call centers, one in particular being that of the L. L. Bean Company. A second single-user application is to enable job positions to be filled by physically handicapped individuals. Both L. L. Bean and the State of Michigan UI Appeals division have used speech recognition applications to enable paraplegic individuals to work at jobs they would otherwise not be able to do. This has been accomplished by replacing the keyboarding of information with speech recognition applications.<br /><br />The other major area of speech and voice recognition use in call center environments is through the use of multi-user speaker-independent server-based systems. These systems are often used in conjunction with existing or new IVR applications. In either case, they serve to extend the capabilities of the IVR applications. As described previously, speech recognition can automate a manual CSR task such as address changes. It also allows a user to use a previously established password or pass-phrase in place of entering a PIN<br /><br />via the TouchTonekeys on the telephone. As with change of address information, multi-user speaker-independent server-based speech recognition allows a many applications to be developed and implemented that heretofore required a CSR. While most useful for simple multiple-choice selections, similar to an IVR menuing system, it also enables the entry of free-form text by the caller in a very simple, straightforward, and natural way. Whether this information is used to directly update a system’s databases, or if it is first reviewed by support staff prior to being released for system updating, is a matter of management choice. Certainly, during the early phases of a new application’s introduction it might be both cautious and helpful to review any updates before they are made<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Key benefits </span><br /><br />Client’s application flexibility is matched by its equally flexible benefits.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">IVR scalability and reliability</span> by configuring multiple Client-based speech recognition servers to handle thousands of calls simultaneously — should one server ever go down, Client immediately and systematically routes calls to another server.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Rapid application deployment </span>and central administration using Client’s built-in graphical application generator and pre-built components to create “in demand” speech recognition applications, along with the Client system’s single inherent administrative interface to configure one or more speech recognition servers.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">A lower total cost</span> of ownership resulting from Client ’s customizable application-driven architecture, open standards interface and unified administration for inbound as well as outbound IVR processes.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">A faster return on investment</span> via the ability to b uild and manage results-oriented outbound campaigns, and to pre-integrate call recording, sales verification and other capabilities that enable your company to realize a higher ROI in months, not years.<br /><br />Speech recognition has developed very rapidly over the last ten years. This has largely been the result of advances in processing power, which has enabled correspondingly rapid advances in speech recognition algorithms. The speech recognition systems that are on the market today are the embodiments of these new algorithms. What was once the property of the R&D lab and science fiction is now a reality.<br /><br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-58692145324804360492007-03-22T02:43:00.001-07:002008-02-13T23:32:21.623-08:00VOIP<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZK1pDqtlvGgBHfzXPsHoI3I6Piikgr6Jkv5I2PKLKMhqE3IQmIEyoEU7_NsvobKAmxeYjyg_J7j7ML6J81YVJITTFpEzkm1hjExwQKDbxjsBLzEtVbGSoAtqHSHv6C7cs5_xk361jhrI/s1600-h/voip-arp%5B1%5D.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039108146689275298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="Voip" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZK1pDqtlvGgBHfzXPsHoI3I6Piikgr6Jkv5I2PKLKMhqE3IQmIEyoEU7_NsvobKAmxeYjyg_J7j7ML6J81YVJITTFpEzkm1hjExwQKDbxjsBLzEtVbGSoAtqHSHv6C7cs5_xk361jhrI/s200/voip-arp%5B1%5D.gif" border="0" /></a>Short for Voice over Internet Protocol, a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls by sending voice data in packets using IP rather than by traditional circuit transmissions of the PSTN.<br /><br />One advantage of VoIP is that the telephone calls over the Internet do not incur a surcharge beyond what the user is paying for Internet access, much in the same way that the user doesn't pay for sending individual e-mails over the Internet.<br /><br />To reduce costs and improve the quality of customer service, companies can locate their call center facilities in overseas locations where labor and facilities are significantly less expensive – avoiding the telecom costs that would otherwise be associated with such initiatives through the use of VoIP. Callcenters used VoIP MultiPath Switch ensures that such initiatives can be implemented without putting critical customer communications at risk.<br /><br />Low inexpensive phone service made possible by voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) will become more of a reality, and for contact centers the biggest benefit is the promise of supporting remote agents, according to a recent report.<br />VoIP sends voice packets over public and private networks, particularly the Internet, cutting phone bills by eliminating the need for separate circuits.<br />There are three compelling reasons for VoIP in the contact center. The first, VoIP's lower cost, has actually become a less compelling argument as traditional telephone rates have plummeted.<br /><br />The second motivator is that VoIP eliminates the need to integrate voice and data networks. With VoIP, companies don't have to run separate infrastructures for automatic call distribution, interactive voice response and predictive dialing, because each application can run on network-based services.<br />Yet the real benefit to call centers is VoIP's ability to support agents regardless of their physical locations.<br /><br />"It's always made more sense to put everybody in one place and to have all the boxes in one place," With IP, that all goes away. If we can move [voice data] over the Internet, it's feasible to set up remote agents and create flexibility.<br />That capability lets companies better leverage outsourced call centers. The challenge has always been integrating internal and external operations, including handoffs for multi-stage services and data integration. VoIP facilitates those exchanges, letting businesses slash costs by contracting with remote agents. The real estate savings -- money that might have been spent on a physical contact center -- offers a compelling reason for VoIP, he argued.<br /><br />Thus far, VoIP has seen its greatest adoption in the consumer and small-business markets. Some larger businesses are wary of rolling out telecommunications technology from companies. While glitches still exist in VoIP, the Reservoir Partners study found that technological development is eliminating many of the early problems. Additionally, the time may soon be right, because contact centers are running beyond their capacity, thanks in part to regulations such as "do not call" lists.<br /><br />" However, startups are beginning to make the VoIP investment Big telecommunications players are planning to roll out their own IP-based telephone services, Doing so is a competitive imperative for them, and as the larger, more-trusted telecom businesses enter the market, they will likely foster more trust in VoIP.<br /><br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-63712815398893245452007-03-22T02:44:00.001-07:002008-02-13T23:32:12.287-08:00Multimedia Queuing<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Multimedia Queuing services is one of the best services for call centers .The queuing mechanism includes one or more skillsets each including an idle agent queue and a pending requests queue. Skillsets are assigned interrupt levels defining the importance of skillsets with respect to each other. Agents are assigned to and queued in the idle agent queue of one or more of the skillsets.<br /></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">As media requests are received in the pending requests queues of skillsets, agents are dispatched to attend to the requests. As an agent is dispatched from a skillset, it is removed from other skillsets that have an equal or lower interrupt level, and is maintained in skillsets that have a higher interrupt level.<br /></div><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">What is claimed is:-----</span><br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">1.</span> A method for routing a plurality of contact requests in a call center, the method comprising:<br /><br />receiving a first contact request from a first source;<br /><br />queuing the first contact request in a pending queue of a first skillset having a first interrupt level;<br /><br />connecting a first agent selected from a first plurality of agents assigned to the first skillset to the first source; and<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">maintaining the first agent as a valid agent in a second plurality of agents assigned to a second skillset having a second interrupt level, the second interrupt level indicating that agents may be interrupted to handle contact requests assigned the second interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /></div><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">2. </span>The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second skillsets include different media requests.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">3.</span> The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second skillsets are e-mail and voice call skillsets, respectively.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">4. </span>The method of claim 1 further comprising:<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">removing the first agent as a valid agent from a third plurality of agents assigned to a third skillset having a third interrupt level, the third interrupt level indicating that agents may not be interrupted to handle contact requests assigned the third interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /></div><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">5.</span> The method of claim 1 further comprising:<br /><br />receiving a second contact request from a second source;<br /><br />queuing the second contact request in a pending queue of the second skillset;<br /><br />putting on hold the connection of the first agent and the first source;<br /><br />connecting the first agent assigned to the second skillset to the second source; and<br /><br />connecting the first agent back to the first source when the connection between the first agent and the second source is terminated.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">6. </span>A queuing method for routing a plurality of contact requests in a call center, the method comprising:<br /><br />receiving a contact request from a source;<br /><br />queuing the contact request in a first skillset having a first interrupt level;<br /><br />connecting an agent selected from a first plurality of agents assigned to the first skillset to the source; and<br /><br />maintaining the agent as a valid agent in a second plurality of agents assigned to a second skillset having a second interrupt level, the second interrupt level indicating that agents may be interrupted to handle contact requests assigned the second interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">7. </span>The queuing method of claim 6 further comprising:<br /><br />removing the agent as a valid agent from a third plurality of agents assigned to a third skillset having a third interrupt level, the third interrupt level indicating that agents may not be interrupted to handle contact requests assigned the third interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">8.</span> The queuing method of claim 6 further comprising:<br /><br />receiving a second contact request from a second source;<br /><br />queuing the second contact request in the second skillset;<br /><br />causing the agent to hold the first source;<br /><br />connecting the agent to the second source.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">9. </span>The queuing method of claim 8 further comprising:<br /><br />connecting the agent back to the first source when the connection between the agent and the second source is completed;<br /><br />adding the agent as a valid agent in the second skillset; and<br /><br />adding the agent as a valid agent in the first skillset when the connection between the agent and the first source is completed.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">10. </span>The Multimedia Queuing method of claim 6 wherein the first and second skillsets include different media requests.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">11.</span> A computer program product, comprising:<br /><br />a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein to route a plurality of contact requests in a call center;<br /><br />computer readable program code to queue the contact request in a first skillset having a first interrupt level;<br /><br />computer readable program code to connect an agent selected from a first plurality of agents assigned to the first skillset to the source; and<br /><br />computer readable program code to maintain the agent as a valid agent in a second plurality of agents assigned to a second skillset having a second interrupt level, the second interrupt level indicating that agents may be interrupted to handle contact requests assigned the second interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">12. </span>The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:<br /><br />computer readable program code to remove the agent as a valid agent from a third plurality of agents assigned to a third skillset having a third interrupt level, the third interrupt level indicating that agents may not be interrupted to handle contact requests assigned the third interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">13. </span>The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:<br /><br />computer readable program code to receive a second contact request from a second source;<br /><br />computer readable program code to queue the second contact request in the second skillset;<br /><br />computer readable program code to cause the agent to hold the first source; and<br /><br />computer readable program code to connect the agent to the second source.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">14. </span>The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:<br /><br />computer readable program code to connect the agent back to the first source when the connection between the agent and the second source is terminated;<br /><br />computer readable program code to add the agent as a valid agent in the second skillset; and<br /><br />computer readable program code to add the agent as a valid agent in the first skillset when the connection between the agent and the first source is completed.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">15. </span>The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the first and second skillsets include different media requests.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">16. </span>A call center system for plurality of contact request, the system comprising:<br /><br />a queuing manager to queue the plurality of contact requests, the contact requests being associated with one of a first skillset and a second skillset;<br /><br />a configuration database that comprises information pertaining to each of a plurality of agents and each of a plurality of skillsets, the information comprises a list of one or more skillsets assigned to each of the plurality of agents, and a list of skillsets and associated interrupt levels; and<br /><br />an agent manager in communication with the queuing manager and the configuration database,<br /><br />wherein the agent manager, the configuration database and the queuing manager collectively<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">(i) </span>receive a contact request from a source,<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">(ii)</span> queue the contact request in a first skillset having a first interrupt level,<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">(iii)</span> connect an agent of the plurality of agents assigned to the first skillset to the source, and<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">(iv) </span>maintain the connected agent as a valid agent in a second skillset having a second interrupt level if the connected agent is also assigned to second skillset, the second interrupt level indicating that connected agents may be interrupt to handle contact requests assigned the second interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">17.</span> The call center system of claim 16, wherein the agent manager, the configuration database and the queuing manager collectively operate to remove the connected agent as a valid agent from a third skillset having a third interrupt level, the third interrupt level indicating that connected agents may not be interrupted to handle contact request assigned the third interrupt level while busy handling contact requests assigned the first interrupt level.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">18.</span>The call center system of claim 16, wherein the agent manager, the configuration database and the queuing manager further collectively operate to:<br /><br />receive a second contact request from a second source;<br /><br />queue the second contact request in the second skillset;<br /><br />cause the agent to hold the first source; and<br /><br />connect the agent to the second source.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">19. </span>The call center system of claim 16, wherein the agent manager, the configuration database and the queuing manager further collectively operate to:<br /><br />connect the agent back to the first source when the connection between the agent and the second source is terminated;<br /><br />add the agent as a valid agent in the second skillset; and<br /><br />add the agent as a valid agent in the first skillset when the connection between the agent and the first source is completed.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Hence consequently, an agent, tending to a media request, may be interrupted with other media requests only if the other media requests are queued in skillsets of higher interruptibility level, and if the agent is assigned to those other skillsets. Media requests include, among other things, a voice/video call request, an e-mail request, a web form request, and an outbound voice call request.<br /></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.<br /></div><p><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a> </p>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-66766202728234527962007-03-22T02:45:00.000-07:002008-02-13T23:31:26.356-08:00Web-enabled call center<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpD2wT3eLwD8xXsWU2n6nbfsIsQ7zAYNkdmgr0yL7UeLl7A_oHS4JnPAuJE7ZPqLJWfnHdIHFwAGOmwNhn_f0dzkJJvucjWKbT4hj_UjTChmCEOfHdeERbQGsSMgCP4My8-OsqcNsQYU/s1600-h/contact2000.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5038493163584801858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Web-enabled call center" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpD2wT3eLwD8xXsWU2n6nbfsIsQ7zAYNkdmgr0yL7UeLl7A_oHS4JnPAuJE7ZPqLJWfnHdIHFwAGOmwNhn_f0dzkJJvucjWKbT4hj_UjTChmCEOfHdeERbQGsSMgCP4My8-OsqcNsQYU/s200/contact2000.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Call center services have changed dramatically over the past 10 years due in part to increased business taking place on the Internet. Historically, a consumer contacted a call center via a telephone number and was able to talk to a customer service representative to obtain product or service information, register a complaint, and discuss other service-related issues. E-commerce-driven technology, however, has changed how call centers interact with customers and has broadened the services that a call center can provide.<br /><br />Modern, Web-enabled call center have adapted to the increased amount of business taking place on the Web by offering consumers both telephone and online service contacts. Many companies have begun to link their call centers to their Web sites in order to provide advanced customer service options. These centers have added e-mail; instant chat, which enables consumers to exchange text messages in real time with service representatives; and other Web-based services such as interactive voice response (IVR), a service that allows consumers to actually speak to service representatives over the Web via PC microphones. Some call centers even offer video services, which enable online customers to see the representative with whom they are in contact.<br /><br />The call center service is a thriving business today and it is evolving. It has become a necessity in both, developed and developing countries. A web enabled call center is one that is based on a web page, on the World Wide Web. The page provides a button, which can be clicked on to access the calls. This is only available on the Internet or Intranet.<br /><br />The Web-enabled call center services are only accessible on the net. The major purpose of these call centers is to help in the easy accessibility of people, anywhere in the world. This facilitates the various business undertakings to reach their clientele in any part of the world. These people need to meet their business needs. The concept of outsourcing is very common and at present, a lot of businesses are outsourced. People need to maintain a uniform way of conducting their business.<br /><br />Through the Web-enabled call center services, people can remain in contact with their customers and continue with their business, unperturbed, on account of the distances between them. People prefer the Intranet, since only people of a specific group can have access to one such facility. The customer can avail of video- conferences and outsource their problems or convey messages.<br /><br />In the intranet, the people of the group in business can view the information or queries of other people, within the group.<br />The Web-enabled call center services help people in different parts of the world to access and enhance their business as well as valuable customers. This also helps in targeting brand messages, potential acquisition of new call centers and it gives high returns for a relatively low investment. It provides enhanced employee performance, maximized customer satisfaction and reduces cost. It also helps to maintain customer satisfaction, maintain standards and increase profitability.<br />Web-Enabled Customer Service Make a Difference --<br /><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Increased Resources:</span> Web-enabled operators can obtain information via the Internet, whereas traditional operators only have the resources available within the call center.<br /><li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Increased Productivity:</span> Operators can access a client's data to give information to the caller or even update the caller's information in the client's database or application.<br /><li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Increased Efficiency:</span> Web-enabled operators can start a trouble ticket and immediately give the caller the ticket number by accessing the client's help desk program on their Intranet.<br /><li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Increased Understanding:</span> Web-enabled help desk support gives the caller assurance that the operator is experiencing the same thing, at the same time, as they are.</li></ul><br />Hence by integrating their Web site with call center services, companies expect to improve customer service, which can increase online sales and eventually cut call center costs.<br /><br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-85876737849298165502007-03-22T02:47:00.001-07:002008-02-13T23:31:17.255-08:00Predictive dialersA predictive dialer is a computerized system that automatically dials batches of telephone numbers for connection to agents assigned to sales or other campaigns. Predictive dialers are widely used in call centers.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">History :</span><br />While the basic autodialer merely automatically dials telephone numbers for call center agents who are idle or waiting for a call, the predictive dialer uses a variety of algorithms to predict both the availability of agents and called party answers, adjusting the calling process to the number of agents it anticipates (or predicts) will be available when the calls it places are expected to be answered. (The auto-dialer preceded the predictive dialer).<br /><br />The predictive dialer monitors the answers to the calls it places, detecting how the calls it makes are answered. It discards unanswered calls, engaged numbers, disconnected lines, answers from fax machines, answering machines and similar automated services, and only connects calls answered by people to waiting sales representatives. Thus, it frees agents from listening to unanswered or unsuccessful calls.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Functioning :</span><br />The predictive dialer exhibits predictive behavior when it has more call attempts (dials) outstanding than it has agents that are already available to handle calls. The predictive dialing happens when the predictive dialer dials ahead of the agents becoming available or when the predictive dialer matches a forecast number of available agents with a forecast number of available called parties. The matching and dialing ahead perspectives provide the large increases in dial rates and agent productivity.<br /><br />If a system has 100 agents working on it, the dialer will dial a number of calls sometimes crudely based on a phone line to agent ratio of 1.5:1 or 2:1. This means that for each available agent, the system will dial the phone numbers of two potential customers. As these calls are made to the telephone network the dialer will monitor each call and determine what the outcome of the call was. From 150 calls made, the system will immediately strip out any unproductive outcomes, such as busy calls (these are usually queued for automatic redial), no answers & invalid numbers. Some predictive dialers incorporate "answering machine detection", which tries to determine if a live person or answering machine picked up the phone. This is one cause of the typical delays that one may experience before being connected to an agent.<br /><br />The advanced predictive dialer determines and uses many operating characteristics that it learns during the calling campaign. However, this level of performance may require a sufficiently large critical mass of agents. Conversely, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a high talk time percentage with a lower number of agents without increasing dropped calls.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Silent calls:</span><br /><br />Predictive dialing systems use algorithms to control the ratio of calls to agents. Because a dialer cannot know what proportion of its calls will connect until it has made them, it will alter its dialing rate depending on how many connections it manages to achieve. Occasionally the system will get more live parties on call attempts than there are agents available take those calls. Consequently, the dialer will disconnect or delay distribution of calls that cannot be distributed to an agent. This is known as a silent call or a nuisance call. The called party hears only silence when the predictive dialer does not at least play a recorded message.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Types:</span><br />Predictive dialers perform the same function but the architecture and delivery methods can vary greatly between manufacturers. There are several types of predictive dialing.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">1. Soft dialers</span><br />Software only solutions use ISDN messaging, or a CTI link to provide call progress analysis for calls made. Software only dialers are often cheaper because they do not require expensive telephony components, but in some cases can offer less functionality than more traditional 'hard dialer' solutions, particularly when it comes to detecting answering machines (AMD) and integration with other 'voice' related functions (voice recording, IVR, speech recognition, text-to-speech etc<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">2. Hard dialers</span><br />Hardware dialers use dedicated telephony switches to perform call progress analysis and answering machine detection. Those switches usually have two main types of connections, agent audio and external audio. The agent audio connections are usually simple T1/E1/ISDN etc. telephony spans which are connected directly to an existing PBX (although other connection types that do not require a PBX are available such as Analogue or VoIP connections). When an agent first logs in for the day, the dialer will place a call from the switch directly to the phone on the agent's desk.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">3. Smart predictive dialers</span><br />Smart predictive dialers combine voice broadcasting with phone agents who are prepared to handle calls initiated by the dialer. Answering machines, busy signals, and no answer calls are processed in a manner similar to that of a normal predictive dialing system.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">4. Hosted predictive dialers</span><br />Typically, the only requirement for a firm to use a hosted predictive dialer system is a computer with an Internet connection and a telephone line for each agent.<br /><br />Hence A predictive dialer can dramatically increase the time an agent spends on communication rather than waiting: a 2002 survey indicated an increase in talk time from twenty minutes in the hour to almost fifty. The system is most suitable for low quality lists and large numbers of agents; a high contact rate can overwhelm the system.<br /><br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-71471177283432650322007-03-22T02:48:00.001-07:002008-02-13T23:30:46.868-08:00Knowledge Base Tools<div align="left">The basic idea behind a knowledge base is to automate customer support by organizing product support information into an easy-to-find, easy-to-access format. The knowledge base tools can be used by customer support personnel to find answers to common customer complaints, or can be put out on the web, allowing the customer to do their own searching. Some Knowledge base systems used in call centers are as : </div><ul><li>Inbound Call Center</li><li>Virtual Call Center</li><li>Call Center Outsourcing</li><li>Call Center Consultant</li><li>IVR Outsourcing</li><li>CRM Solutions</li><li>Direct Response Marketing</li><li>Call Center Services</li><li>Answering Service</li><li>Political Call System</li></ul><p>Features and benefits include:</p><p><ul><li>Reduces strain on Call Centres by resolving customer queries online<br /><li>Increases call centre capacity by reducing the number of incoming calls<br /><li>Improves customer communication channels by providing 24hr customer support.<br /><li>Knowledgebase of FAQs can be used by both customers and call centre operatives<br /><li>Enquiries can be monitored and trends identified</li></ul>The Knowledge base tools integrates seamlessly with any Callcenter, offering customers 24 hour access to a dynamic self service facility.<br /><a title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img height="16" alt="Save this Blog" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" border="0" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-59409882669771051282007-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:002008-02-13T23:24:34.945-08:00IVR Technologies are perfect for businesses looking to boost their productivity and achieve cost savings.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5950/4188/200/343950/cci7.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/5950/4188/200/343950/cci7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response, and represents software applications accessible from a telephone. Simply put, an IVR system lets callers obtain, exchange, or input information with a computer via touch-tone phone without a human intermediary. IVR systems automate the input and retrieval of information. IVR systems are perfect for businesses looking to Boost their productivity and achieve cost savings. Telnet uses innovative IVR solutions to supply its customers with easy-to-use interactive voice response applications.<br /><br /><br />IVR systems provide the basic software which allows the use of voice self services. In contrast to assisted services, which require the active involvement of a call center agent, IVR systems will pre-qualify the caller. This can be used to relieve the agent or to create a fully automated voice application. At the same time, they form the basis for call-center independent value added services such as ring tone downloads location-based services, lotteries or contests. IVR’s provide customers with 24-hour a day, 7-day a week access to business information and various services through a simple touch-tone telephone.<br /><br /><br />Below are just a few of the Industries were IVR application technologies are used.<br /><br /><br />Financial Industry: Tele Banking Solution, Mutual Funds, Credit Card Account information, Stock Trading, Financial Bank Transaction.<br /><br />Call Centers: Call center employee screening, Customer satisfaction surveys, Client survey/questionnaire administration, Panel data collection.<br /><br />Corporate Organization: Order entry and status, Training center, Automated Attendant, Call Centers<br /><br />Education: Course Registration, Student Registration<br /><br />Entertainment/Sports: Ticket Sales, Sports Schedule, Interactive TV, News Clipping<br /><br />Government Organization: Vehicle Registration, Tax Office, Ticket Citation Payment<br /><br />Health Care Organization: Appointments with Doctors, Clinical research surveys, Bed Checking, Time and attendance verification, Home Care Check-in<br /><br />Manufacturing Company: Certification and Testing, Component availability, Order Entry and Status<br /><br />Telephone Company: Third Party Verification, Conferencing, Cellular Feature Activation, Cellular Roaming, Line Testing<br /><br />Transportation: Airline Fly Status, Airline Scheduling, Shipping line global checking<br /><br />Retail: Dealer or Store Locator, Order and shipping tracking, Directory Assistance, Order Processing, Market Research (surveys and polls), order entry transactions<br /><br />Telemarketing: Automated Dialers<br /><br />IVR technology can support analog and digital telephone systems, although the latter can process many more calls at the same time. The voice board that processes each call has only between 2 and 24 ports in analog systems, but between 30 and thousands of ports when digital. Since the number of ports determines the number of simultaneous calls the system can handle, an analog system can only process a maximum of 24 calls at any given time.<br /><br />Requirements for IVR Technology<br /><br />1. Easy telephone access for clients<br />2. Affordable telephone charges for the client or MFI<br />3. Centrally-stored data accessible to the call flow application<br />4. Frequent data updates so clients can access accurate account information<br />5. Secured databases to prevent unauthorized phone-based access<br /><br />Now a days IVR technology makes phone a powerful business tool for Organization, the simple telephone instrument becomes a powerful input/output device through which all kinds of transactions can be performed with assured security and data integrity.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Save this Blog" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-41602312428940211652008-02-13T23:13:00.000-08:002008-02-13T23:15:08.456-08:00Linchpin Technologies of Call CenterNew technologies are leading the way in the evolution of the contact center. By the revolution in communication and information technology have led to a boom in call centers across the world. Call centers use different technologies to join with a customer. As focal points of communications, contact centers were the first to integrate voice and data technologies, deploying interactive voice response (IVR) systems that linked caller information with database records to accelerate response and improve customer service.<br /><br />Today's challenge is providing personalized service that can handle both voice and multi-media contacts (fax, email, voice mail, Web interaction). Enterprises are also incorporating a new array of contact center services such as video, wireless access, and compatibility with personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other smart devices.<br /><br />There are so many versions of software and upgraded technology in the market to fulfill the requirement of call center. Different major technologies are:<br /><br /><strong>Email Management:</strong> Email is the most commonly used medium for customer contact.<br /><br />IVR: In telephony, interactive voice response, or IVR, is a computerized system that allows a person, typically a telephone caller, to select an option from a voice menu and otherwise interface with a computer system. Generally the system plays pre-recorded voice prompts to which the person presses a number on a telephone keypad to select the option chosen, or speaks simple answers such as "yes", "no", or numbers in answer to the voice prompts.<br /><br /><strong>Guided speech IVR:</strong> The Guided Speech IVR approach for call centers is a hybrid model that integrates live call center agents with all the advancements of speech in a new real-time approach for callers. This new approach creates a "safety-net", as the new role for the agent as a guide who assists the automation invisibly helps the caller using human intelligence and transcription to ensure the correct computerized service is provided.<br /><br /><strong>CTI:</strong> Computer telephony integration is technology that allows interactions on a telephone and a computer to be integrated or co-coordinated. As contact channels have expanded from voice to include email, web, and fax, the definition of CTI has expanded to include the integration of all customer contact channels (voice, email, web, fax, etc.) with computer systems.<br /><br /><strong>ACD:</strong> In telephony, an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) is a device that distributes incoming calls to a specific group of terminals that agents use. It is often part of a computer telephony integration system.<br />Predictive Dialer: Predictive dialer systems are commonly used by telemarketing organizations involved in B2C (business to consumer) calling as it allows their sales representatives to have much more customer contact time.<br /><br /><strong>WFM:</strong> Workforce Management encompasses all the responsibilities for maintaining a productive and happy workforce. Sometimes referred to as HRMS systems, or even the larger ERP systems.<br /><br /><strong>TPV:</strong> Third party verification is a process of getting an independent third party company to confirm that the customer is actually requesting a change or ordering a new service or product. By putting the customer on the phone (usually via transfer or 3-way call) TPV provider asks a customer for his identity, that he is an authorized decision maker and to confirm his order.<br /><br /><strong>Virtual queue:</strong> Virtual queuing is a concept that is used in inbound call centers. Call centers utilize an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) to distribute incoming calls to specific resources (agents) in the center. ACDs are capable of holding queued calls in First In, First Out order until agents become available.<br /><br /><strong>Voicemail:</strong> It is a centralized system of managing telephone messages for a large group of people. In its simplest form it mimics the functions of an answering machine, uses a standard telephone handset for the user interface, and uses a centralized, computerized system rather than equipment at the individual telephone.<br /><br /><strong>Voice Recognition:</strong> VR is the task of recognizing people from their voices. Such systems extract features from speech, model them and use them to recognize the person from his/her voice.<br /><br />VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol, also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network.<br /><br /><strong>Speech Analytics:</strong> Speech Analytics is a process of analyzing recorded human speech in order to collect information about what was said. In contact center environments, Speech Analytics is used to mine recorded phone conversations between agents and their customers. By carefully “listening” to hundreds or even thousands of calls, Speech Analytics automatically identifies important business intelligence that helps managers reduce contact center costs, increase customer retention and satisfaction, and improve agent performance.Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-55898435027202130482007-02-12T07:50:00.000-08:002008-02-13T22:53:01.256-08:00Call Center TechnologiesToday, companies are recognizing that being able to deliver a high-quality customer experience through call center technology is of major strategic value to the organization. Technology has played a vital role in customer service outsourcing. Rapid advancements in information and communication technology have led to a boom in call centers across the world. Call centers use a variety of technologies to support contact with a customer.<br /><br />Call centers have been aided by a range of telecommunications and computer technologies, including automatic call distribution (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR), and computer telephony integration (CTI), which allows the actions of the computer to be synchronized with what is happening on the phone. The latest internet technologies allow "virtual" call centers to be established across a company's telecommunications network without physically putting all the people in one office.<br /><br />Technology is transforming the traditional call center, allowing staff to be in contact with customers in a number of different ways.<br /><br />Technology Usage Level in Call Centers<br /><br />Technology ----------------- Percent of respondents<br />1. Email -------------------------------------- 62<br />2.Voice response systems ----------------- 61<br />3. Quality monitoring systems ------------ 53<br />4. Computer telephone integration ------ 51<br />5. Call logging systems -------------------- 49<br />6. Contact Management tools ------------- 46<br />7. Workforce management tools --------- 43<br />8. Wallboards / reader boards ----------- 42<br />9. Advanced network services ------------ 38<br />10. Knowledge-base tools ----------------- 35<br />11. Predictive dialers --------------------- 18<br />12. Web-enabled call center -------------- 8<br />13. Multimedia queues ------------------- 13<br />14. VoIP ------------------------------------ 9<br />15. Speech recognition ------------------- 7<br /><br />Finding the right technology is not an easy task, but the first steps must be to determine the organization's needs, and to link customers with the information and services they require quickly.<br /><br />Various technology options are available to an outsourced customer service center and the selection of technology that will be used by the center needs to be done intelligently. That should provide the following six essential requirements:<br /><br />1. Availability: The applications and services should be available during the specified time of operations. The system should also be available to the customers without making them wait for a long duration.<br /><br />2. Manageability: The system should be easily reconfigurable and should enable the center to quickly customize the applications for any new services and scripts requested by the client.<br /><br />3. Quality of Service: The voice and data services should be reliable and should have a pre-specified quality level.<br /><br />4. Redundancy: There should be adequate protection against system failures and data loss. Adequate back-up plans in case of any system failures should be made so that the operations are not hampered.<br /><br />5. Scalability: Modular increments in the system capacity should be feasible.<br /><br />6. Security: Technologies used by the center should ensure prevention of loss and theft of client data.<br /><br />Posted by:<br />Call Centers India Inc.<br /><a href="http://www.callcentersindia.com/">http://www.callcentersindia.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Save this Blog" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-86850518657763429312007-12-17T00:37:00.000-08:002008-02-06T08:16:30.965-08:00CRMCRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. CRM is a methodology and it is used by companies to manage their relationships with customers. Company’s can learn more about internal process for customer’s needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them by using the CRM.<br /><br />CRM helps businesses use technology and human resources to gain insight into the behavior of customers and the value of those customers. <br /><br />The three aspects of CRM are as follows.<br /><br />1. Operational<br />2. Collaborative<br />3. Analytical<br /><br /><strong>Operational aspect of CRM:</strong> Operational CRM provides support to "front office" business processes, including sales, marketing and service. Each interaction with a customer is generally added to a customer's contact history, and staff can retrieve information on customers from the database when necessary. <br /><br />One of the main benefits of this contact history is that customers can interact with different people or different contact channels in a company over time without having to describe the history of their interaction each time. As a result, many call centers use some kind of CRM software to support their call center agents.<br /><br />By using the Operational CRM process call centers can easily keep the track of all customers and easily managing Campaigns. It is helpful for enterprise marketing automation and for sales automation.<br /><br /><strong>Collaborative aspect of CRM</strong>: - The objectives of collaborative CRM can be broad, including cost reduction and service improvements. Collaborative CRM covers the direct interaction with customers, for a variety of different purposes, including feedback and issue-reporting. Interaction can be through a variety of channels, such as web pages, email, automated phone or SMS.<br /><br /><strong>Analytical aspect of CRM</strong>: - Analytical CRM will help call centers to know more analyzes customer data for a variety of purposes. Analytical aspect will also give view of the customer behavior to aid product and service decision making. Analytical CRM generally makes heavy use of predictive analytics.<br /><br />A full featured CRM software application that performs virtually all of the functions required of a customer response call center.<br /><br />By using CRM in call centers the sales conversion can be improve. You can expect to achieve this magnitude of increases to your bottom line as well when you follow these proven customer service call center techniques.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Save this Blog" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8807331540952272769.post-14850923712045022692008-02-02T03:07:00.000-08:002008-02-06T07:49:47.298-08:00Call Center Technology: PBX - Private Automatic Branch eXchangeA Private Branch eXchange (PBX) is a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public. PBXs are also referred to as:<br /><br />PABX - Private Automatic Branch eXchange<br />EPABX - Electronic Private Automatic Branch eXchange<br /><br />Short for private branch exchange, a private telephone network used within an enterprise. Users of the PBX share a certain number of outside lines for making telephone calls external to the PBX.<br /><br />Most medium-sized and larger companies use a PBX because it's much less expensive than connecting an external telephone line to every telephone in the organization. In addition, it's easier to call someone within a PBX because the number you need to dial is typically just 3 or 4 digits.<br /><br />A new variation on the PBX theme is the Centrex, which is a PBX with all switching occurring at a local telephone office instead of at the company's premises.<br /><br />PBX System Components<br /><br />The PBX’s internal switching network.<br /><br />Central processor unit (CPU) or computer inside the system, including memory.<br /><br />Logic cards, switching and control cards, power cards and related devices that facilitate PBX operation.<br /><br />Stations or telephone sets, sometimes called lines.<br /><br />Outside Telco trunks that deliver signals to (and carry them from) the PBX.<br /><br />Console or switchboard allows the operator to control incoming calls.<br /><br />Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) consisting of sensors, power switches and batteries.<br />Interconnecting wiring.<br /><br />Cabinets, closets, vaults and other housings.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>PBX Functions<br /></strong></span><br />Functionally, the PBX performs three main duties:<br /><br />Establishing connections (circuits) between the telephone sets of two users. (e.g. mapping a dialed number to a physical phone, ensuring the phone isn't already busy)<br /><br />Maintaining such connections as long as the users require them (i.e. channeling voice signals between the users)<br /><br />disconnecting those connections as per the users requirement<br /><br />Providing information for accounting purposes (e.g. metering calls)<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">How PBX Works?</span><br /></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJodF0z6-t0mT5YdmnVpOZtvhijGsX-7IIw-uuz3CcqXn9qN4a6_1gm43-w635hKjlz_dsitIDcbLx7L1tOywQAFl5xt11uFNk3WJWgpedzGPIJALchnou-v78YiuGvNLO8kFXitOY-M/s1600-h/PBX.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162339560426819266" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJodF0z6-t0mT5YdmnVpOZtvhijGsX-7IIw-uuz3CcqXn9qN4a6_1gm43-w635hKjlz_dsitIDcbLx7L1tOywQAFl5xt11uFNk3WJWgpedzGPIJALchnou-v78YiuGvNLO8kFXitOY-M/s200/PBX.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a switch station for telephone systems। It consists mainly ofseveral branches of telephone systems and it switches connections to and from them, thereby linking phone lines.<br /><br />Companies use a PBX for connecting all their internal phones to an external line. This way, they can lease only one line and have many people using it, with each one having a phone at the desk with different number. The number is not in the same format as a phone number though, as it depends on the internal numbering. Inside a PBX, you only need to dial three-digit or four-digit numbers to make a call to another phone in the network. We often refer to this number as an extension.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" onclick="window.open('http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?wt=nw&pub=callcenter&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'addthis', 'scrollbars=yes,menubar=no,width=620,height=520,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,location=no,status=no,screenX=200,screenY=100,left=200,top=100'); return false;" title="Bookmark using any bookmark manager!" target="_blank"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="Save this Blog" /></a>Maria Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03642670209702483176noreply@blogger.com1