Application Convergence and e-Business - 8 : Call Center
Full playlist "#Application #Convergence" discusses how convergence enables e-business applications. Identifies some practices and applications that benefit from convergence, e.g., CRM, #ERP, contact centers, and unified messaging.
• 53 : Application Convergence - Fundam...
One area in which convergence applications prove very beneficial is the call center. A call center is the central place within a company where inbound and outbound telephone calls are handled. Call centers are usually found in companies with a large call volume, like mail order catalogs, telemarketing organizations, airline reservation desks, etc. Many call centers have automation systems that have the ability to screen calls and route them to the appropriate person.
Automatic Call Distributors, or ACDs, are used in call centers to forward calls. An ACD is a computerized system that greets callers and then sends their call to the next available customer service rep. If you've ever heard a computerized voice say, "Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line, someone will be with you shortly," that's an ACD application. The ACD keeps you on the line until someone can help you, so that you don't get blocked by a busy signal and have to keep calling back.
A call center feature that's a little more advanced is IVR, or interactive voice response. IVR presents callers with a computerized menu that allows them to pick their choices in order to more intelligently route their call. If you've ever called a store and been greeted with a menu that says, "For hardware, dial 1. For electronics, dial 2," and so on, you've called a company with IVR.
The key to call centers with IVR and ACDs is that, because of convergence, the telephone system has been linked with intelligent computerized databases that help route calls faster and more accurately.
Furthermore, call centers today are evolving into multi-media contact centers, in which customers can be served multiple ways. Customers can visit a company's web site and send an email, click an icon to talk with a representative using voice over IP, or even initiate a chat session. The contact center is a prime example of convergence at work to enhance business for both buyers and sellers.