Focus on: Choosing ACD technology that meets your needs

Telemarketing, Feb 1994 by Schoen, Ralph

Q. What would an automatic call distributor (ACD) do for my company?

A. Today's ACD systems do more than just distribute calls. They offer powerful tools to increase staff effectiveness and manage costs. For example, by using call information available from your telephone carrier, specialized messages can be provided to the caller, high-priority calls can be moved to the beginning of he queue, and calls can be sent to service representatives who are trained to handle specific callers' needs, e.g., customers speaking Spanish, customers with complex accounts, etc.

Q. How is this accomplished?

A. The conditioned call routing capability of newer ACDs can be used to determine the treatment provided to each call. Using automatic number identification (AMI), dialed number identification service (DNIS) or an account number entered by the caller (through touchtone keypad), the system can be programmed to play selected announcements, route to different agent groups or allow the caller to leave a voice mail message. More intelligent systems can even alter call treatment based on the operating conditions of the call center. For example, when the average speed of answer exceeds an acceptable level, additional agent groups can be assigned (automatically) to service the queue or the system can decide to send the call to another center.

Q. Can I control the programming of an ACD?

A. Yes. There are systems available with English language commands and geographical "point and click" editors. You don't have to learn a specialized programming language. Best of all, you can tailor the ACD to meet the business needs of your call center quickly and easily.

Q. Given the flexibility of a conditional call routing ACD, how can I tell if calls are being effectively routed?

A. New reports are now available that show what happens to calls as they are routed through the ACD. You can pinpoint steps where excessive abandoned calls occur so you know where to make changes.

If you are considering a new call center ACD, make sure it has this type of call routing report capability. Without it, you could be mishandling calls and never know it.

Q. Is there anything about today's ACDs to help me better manage the cost of running my call center?

A. You may not know it, but the major cost component of a call center is labor. With capabilities now available, such as real-time adherence (reports showing current service representatives' activities against a predetermined schedule of assignments and tolerance/threshold levels), call center managers have better control over the management of the critical labor cost component. Real-time knowledge of the operation gives call center managers the insight to identify and solve problems before they become critical. In the sample display on page 24,(Display deleted) service representative L. Owings exceeded the predetermined threshold for the call-work state. Therefore, it is automatically highlighted and brought to the manager's attention.

Q. I read a lot of articles about CTI in call centers today. What is CTI?

A. CTI stands for computer-telephony (telephone) integration, but can have more far-reaching implications than implied by that definition. The first applications of CTI involved connecting the ACD to a host computer for synchronized voice and data using automatic number identification (ANI). Today, CTI encompasses all of the technology used in a call center. By integrating all of the technologies such as ACD, intelligent network services, MIS, telephone service representative (TSR) workstations, voice processing, local area networks (LANs) and mainframe computing, the telephone transaction can be streamlined to reduce call holding times, after-call work time, and eliminate many errors.

Q. How cost-effective is CTI?

A. Very. CTI is more beneficial than any other program that can be implemented in a call center. Typical full return on investment (ROI) for early-stage inbound CTI applications is usually less than one year. Many times, ROI on predictive outbound applications that replace manual operations can be realized in only a few months!

Q. What are some of the more common applications for CTI?

A. "Screen Pops" to synchronize the arrival of voice and caller data at the workstation is probably the most common application of CTI in use today. However, the evolution is now encompassing the integration of many functions into the workstation, implementation of automated outdialing, and the integration of reports from the many technologies into one set of comprehensive "transaction reports."

Q. I want to take advantage of CTI. What's the first step?

A. Tough question. You must first identify your business requirements. Determine whether you need functionality at the workstation (e.g., screen synchronization) or better management tools. Then compute cost justification for the project. Typically, CTI solutions that focus on functionality (i.e., workstation automation) are very easy to cost justify. If better tools are needed, it may be easier to bundle together the projects and let the justification for one fund the other.