CALL CENTERS
Call Centers
• Original Definition
A call centre or call
center (note spelling
differences) is a
centralized office
used for the purpose
of receiving and
transmitting a large
volume of requests by
telephone.
Contact Centers
• Current Definition is now called Contact
Center
A contact center is a centralized process
used for the purpose of receiving and
transmitting a large volume of requests by
telephone, email, direct entry, or fax.
Why?
• The centralisation of call management
aims to improve a company's operations
and reduce costs, while providing a
standardised, streamlined, uniform service
for consumers.
How?
• Increasingly, the voice and data pathways
into the centre are linked through a set of
new technologies called computer
telephony integration (CTI).
How?
• Call centres use a wide variety of different
technologies to allow them to manage
large volumes of work. These technologies
facilitate queueing and processing of calls,
maintaining consistent work flow for
agents and creating other business cost
savings. Such technologies include:
Features
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ACW (After call work - Sometimes called
"wrap" or "wrapup")
ACD (automatic call distribution)
Agent performance analytics
AHT (Average Handle Time)
ANI (automatic number identification)
Automated Surveys
BTTC (best time to call) / Outbound call
optimization
Call Recording (call recording software)
CIM (customer interaction management)
solutions (Also known as 'Unified' solutions)
Chat and Web Collaboration
CTI (computer telephony integration)
CRM (customer relationship management)
Electronic performance support system
Email Management
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Issue tracking system
IVR (interactive voice response)
PDS (Predictive Dialing System)
Outsourcing
Quality Monitoring
Speech analytics
Third party verification
TTS (text to speech)
TTY or TDD
Virtual queing
Voice analyssis
Voicemail
VOIP
Voice recognition
WFM (workforce management).
Operations
• Often operated through an extensive open
workspace for call center agents or customer
service representatives (CSR), with work
stations that include a computer for each agent,
a telephone set/headset connected to a
telecomswitch, and one or more supervisor
stations.
• New models are leaning more to “virtual” call
centers, where CSRs work from home or in
remote telecommuting centers
MSAA
• Seven sites have developed plans for
TMCC
– Orlando, Louisville, Cherry Hill NJ, Fitchburg
MA, and Atlanta (dropped out)
– Paducah, Kent, Lower Savannah Aiken SC
Operational Features
• Telephone system
• Software – matching, switching, etc.
• Procedures
– Protocol
– Script
– Management – metrics
Telephones
• Major Factor
• Different types
– Phones that do metrics
• On-hold
• Length of call
• Records conversation
– Simple
Software
• There are many systems that provide
various levels of information
– Management only
– Reservations and eligibility
– Scheduling and routing
Protocol and Script
• Medicaid
– Provider of last resort
• Consistency
• Provides for quick response
Call Center Metrics
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Average Speed of Answer
Abandonment Rate
Busy Signal
On Hold Time
Time in IVR
Average Length of Call
Average Abandon Time
Models
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Remote Agents
Temporary Agents
Virtual Call centres
Contact centres
Functions
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Information & Referral
Reservations
Scheduling
Routing
Dispatching
Reporting
Billing
Information & Referral
• Easiest and a good starting point
• Least customer friendly
• Requires good and up-to date data base
Reservations
• Requires good software
• Requires eligibility information
• Requires capacity knowledge
Scheduling & Routing
• Scheduling is just telling the customer they
have a trip
• Routing is putting the trips in a logical
order
Dispatching
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Vehicle control
Easier to reassign trips
Better productivity
Reluctance from providers
GPS/AVL very helpful
Reporting & Billing
• The final step in a central call center
• If AVL in place then the reporting and
billing is easier
• Quicker billing and thus payment to
providers
Discussion