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Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)
is the application of intelligence to telephone systems to expand the existing
telephone capabilities. It is the use of computers to manage phone calls. With
computer telephony integration, call center agents/users are able to project a
more confident and positive image to callers (customers) by delivering the
customer profile straight to the desktop of the agent as soon as the call is
connected.
With the great leaps made in telecommunication technologies over the years,
this is extended to include multiple channel communication.
Computer telephony integration is applicable to all industries and is
particularly useful for the following:
A traditional telephone system, such as a PABX, does not have computer
telephony integration. When an incoming call is received, it routes it to the
first available caller in sequence. When answering a call using a traditional
telephone system, the user first interviews the callers to find out who the
caller is and what he or she wants. All these take time and, if not properly
handled, annoy the caller who may be a customer. If the caller is an existing
customer, the staff has to manually pull out the caller’s customer profile
before proceeding with further interaction with the customer. This is not
efficient.
With computer telephony integration, the system is able to identify whether the
caller is an existing customer and the system automatically fetches the
customer profile from the backend databases. As soon as the call is routed to
the agent (or user), the computer monitor simultaneously flashes the customer
profile as a screen popup. This does away with the need for the agent to
interview the caller and effectively eradicates the time required for the agent
to manually search for the customer profile. The agent is able to attend to the
caller straightaway.
The PowerX2011™ telecom server is rich in CTI. Some of the ways CTI are
used in the PowerX2011™ telecom server include:
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Caller ID matching involves system matching of the caller identification with
that in the backend database. The caller identification is usually the caller’s
telephone number. When the caller ID feature is activated, the PowerX2011™
telecom server is able to extract the telephone number from which the call is
made and perform a backend database matching of this telephone number against
that in the database. Once a match is found, the system automatically fetches
the customer file from the backend database and displays it on the
agent/operator’s monitor as soon as the call is delivered to his extension.
This appears as a screen popup.
As described earlier, the screen popup of the customer profile only appears
when there is a match between the caller ID of the caller and the caller IDs
residing in the backend database. Besides the customer profile, the PowerX2011™
telecom server is also able to generate other screen pop-ups such as for
incoming communication. This helps to alert busy agents/operators of incoming
communication and enable them to attend to the incoming message as soon as
possible. For example, in a multiple communication channel Contact Center
environment, an incoming facsimile transmittal may be configured as a screen
popup on the agent/operator console (or computer monitor). This shortens the
time required for the agent/operator to respond to this communication. Without
the screen popup, the agent/operator may not be aware of this fax until he
checks the fax mail and thus may not be able to respond as quickly.
Screen based telephony including outdial or making external calls via the
screen console is possible because computer telephony is fully integrated into
the PowerX2011™ telecom server. In fact, all the activities evolving around the
telephone handset such as picking up the handset to answer a call, transferring
a call, putting a caller on hold and replacing the handset to the phone at the
end of the call can be replicated online via the screen console. Together with
a headset, this effectively eliminates the necessity and time required to
perform the same tasks.
Monitoring of response to callers involves the ability to capture both call
data and log the conversation for management study into the promptness and
appropriateness of agents’/operators’ responses to callers. As a fully
integrated system, the PowerX2011™ telecom server is able to provide such
sophisticated features to help users improve their performance and assist
supervisors to train the users. It also provides a fair and reliable gauge on
which the quality of performance of users can be measured.
Collection of call statistics is important to help organizations review the
telephone and any other communication needs. The information enables planners
to make confident projections for expansion. For example, based on the call
statistics, a telesales company may realize that they are receiving more sales
calls between 7pm to 9pm on weekdays from the telephone and there is an
increase of transactions via the email. With such information, the organization
can reallocate its staff and equipment resources to position itself more
advantageously.
Online real time graphic display of call statistics is particularly useful for
call centers as it enables all users to view the information at a glance. For
instance, a monitoring screen has been put up at a Contact Center to provide a
graphic display of the call statistics. The PowerX2011™ telecom server is not
only able to provide such displays but can provide multiple call statistical
displays on a rotating basis. For instance, it can display the incoming calls,
outgoing calls, abandoned calls and response time for answering calls for every
hourly block. As CTI is built into the PowerX2011™ telecom server, it is able
to capture call statistics and process it real time. It is also able to display
the processed data online real time. When there is a high incidence of
abandoned calls, for instance, the supervisor and staff alike can immediately
investigate the matter and, perhaps, recall more staff to be on duty during
those peak periods so that the company does not lose callers and any related
business. The PowerX2011™ telecom server enables such investigations to be
carried out immediately as it is able to display real time data.
Generation of online real time reports with the call statistics is possible in
the PowerX2011™ telecom server. As much as the call data can be collected real
time, the system is also able to process the data captured and generate online
reports with the information. As the information is processed immediately, the
online reports are real time. The reports can be graphical or text based in
spreadsheet format. Printed options can also be programmed into the system.
Collection of call data such as call logs involves the recording of
conversation during the call. The PowerX2011™ telecom server offers many
options for this feature including recording of conversation based on prefixes
such as 1900, recording of outgoing calls, incoming calls and/or internal
calls. The conversation is recorded as a voice file which may be stored in the
database, backed up like any other file. This file can also be converted to a
user-friendlier format for dispatch via email.
Provision of multiple channel communication on a single common platform
involves the incorporation of other communication modes such as email, web
chat, facsimile transmittal, SMS, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to the
normal telephone call. With this feature, the Contact Center can cater to all
modes of communication and ensure that the organization is not left behind in
the fast paced communication industry. As the PowerX2011™ telecom server is a
fully integrated telecommunication cum computer system, it is able to provide
such features and is also positioned to handle new trends in communication.
Rule based routing of communication through multiple channels involves the
distribution of incoming communication to the most appropriate agent/operator
in a multiple channel communication environment. In the PowerX2011™ telecom
server, routing of incoming messages/communication to different
agents/operators based on agreed criteria is not confined to the common
telephone calls. It can be extended to cover communication through other
channels such as facsimile transmission, SMS, voice over internet protocol
(VoIP), web chat, internet, and even the personal digital assistant (PDA). The
system recognizes that different skill sets would be required of the
agent/operators handling the different mode of communication. For example an
agent who is assigned to handle email and other written forms of communication
is expected to have a strong command of the written language while an agent who
speaks with good diction may be more appropriate handling telephone calls.
Hence the PowerX2011™ telecom server provides routing criteria for different
modes of communication to ensure that all callers to the system have a positive
experience
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The purpose of computer telephony integration is to improve Customer
Relationship Management and productivity of telephone agents.
The computer telephony integration is part of the PowerX2011™ telecom server
and can support all organizations; regardless of size.
Computer telephony integration provides the following benefits:
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The PowerX2011™ telecom server is rich in computer telephony integration (CTI).
Some of the ways CTI is used in the PowerX2011™ telecom server include:
The PowerX2011™ telecom server's optional CTI feature enables companies to
improve customer relationship management and productivity of telephone agents.
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