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Call Center Software Buyer's Guide - Computer Telephony Integration – CTI

Call Center Software Buyer's Guide - Computer Telephony Integration – CTI

Published: 03/27/2011

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Computer Ttelephony Integration – CTI

Computer telephony integration isn’t so much a specific feature as it is an integral part of any call center system. The most common CTI feature is “screen pops” – having records from your customer database or CRM system appear on agents’ screens as they answer each call. It saves valuable time and improves customers’ impressions of your business.

 

 

CTI also includes “soft phone” functionality – where agents can use their computer to control phone calls. CTI is one of the most recognizable features of a modern call center.

 

 

Another popular CTI option is predictive dialing, which takes advantage of the fact that a large number of calls never reach a live person. The computer automatically places calls and only connects them to an agent when someone answers. Busy signals, disconnected phones, and answering machines never waste your agents’ time. Predictive dialing allows you to place a significantly larger number of calls without hiring a single additional agent.

 

 

Be careful, though. If your predictive dialer software doesn't place enough calls, agents will sit idle waiting for a call. If the predictive dialer places too many calls, no one will be available to speak with the person who answers the phone. If you're even answered the phone only to hear a recorded message saying, "Please hold the line for the next available agent,” you've experienced a predictive dialer failure.

 

 

 

Interactive voice response - IVR

 

Interactive voice response (IVR) is another hallmark of modern call center software. While pressing multiple buttons to navigate through automated telephone systems can quickly get annoying, properly designed IVR systems help customers get the information they need while reducing the burden on you call center. If a large percentage of your calls are customers seeking a single piece of information like their current balance or your store hours, IVR can provide them with better service than a live agent.

 

 

Modern IVR can collect basic customer information while calls are in queue for a live agent. Some include text-to-speech capabilities, allowing you to update messages on the fly without re-recording: you just type in the new messages. If IVR is not included the base package, it can be an expensive add-on, so make sure you ask upfront.

 

 

 

Workforce management

 

Real time monitoring can alert supervisors whenever hold times or drop-off rates hit certain thresholds. Call monitoring and recording can be valuable training and evaluation aids or invaluable insurance in case of customer complaints. And scripting capabilities make it easy for staffers to handle multiple situations with the right messages. All of these options are fairly common in call center software – make sure you know in advance which are most important to you.

 

 

 

Call blending

 

For larger call centers, call blending offers another productivity boost. Call blending allows agents to switch between inbound and outbound calling as call volumes dictate, allowing you to maximize your agents’ time. Agents can also be assigned to outbound calls only, which is helpful when training new employees, allowing them to master one task at a time.

 

 

Call blending features can eliminate or greatly reduce their need for ACD software. Setting up call blending is fairly straightforward, but once again requires your input. To start, your provider will need to know your monthly calling volumes as a whole and also the volume broken down by the hour of the day.

 

 

 

Auto dialers

 

An auto dialer calls a list of customers in a specific order so you don't have to. This can save lots of time when you need to send out appointment reminders or notify clients of upcoming events. Auto dialers can perform different actions when they reach a live person, a busy signal, or voicemail. If a person picks up, they can even collect feedback by prompting the customer to enter responses using the telephone keypad.

 

 

 

Multimedia handling

 

The ability to handle email, web, fax, and chat inquiries along with phone calls is very important to some companies, and barely on the radar for others. Remember that you’re planning for the future, so even if electronic inquiries make up a relatively small percentage of your total right now, you should expect that to increase. Well-integrated multimedia handling systems will use agents’ downtime on the phone to handle other types of inquires and make sure that all questions and orders are tracked and measured in the same detail.

 

 

 

Remote access

 

Whether it’s a small handful of home workers or an entire team that’s scattered across the country, more and more remote workers are contributing to call centers – leading to the term “virtual call centers” for widely distributed groups.

 

 

Most installations can support remote workers if they have a broadband connection, giving them access to the full functionality of the call center applications. Even if you don't have many offsite employees now, it's still an important feature to obtain up front if it's in your future. Again, if it’s important to your business, make sure it is high on your list of vendor questions.