The first automatic call distributors (ACDs) were intended for large call centers such as airlines and car rental reservation centers. However, a new revolution in buying habits has shifted the technology that now provides products over the Internet. Consumers first turn to the Web and communicate via e-mail before picking up the phone to communicate with a call center. Therefore, call centers must either integrate with the Web or companies must set up separate centers for voice and data sessions. This chapter discusses the major features and issues of ACDs, how to choose the right type of ACD, importance of ACD reports, and how to develop staffing/scheduling requirements. Callers who contact a center have certain goals which should be offered by the companies. They are:
·
Connect callers
within a reasonable time to a qualified agent
·
Enable callers
to understand what is happening as the session progresses
·
Provide callers
with assurance
·
Give callers
the product or services they wanted
·
Provide callers
with value commensurate with the price they expected
This section discusses the major components of a call center: circuits, the switching system, the services database, workstations, voice processing equipment, and the management information system.
Calls
arrive over a variety of circuits, the type depends on who pays for the call.
If the calling party pays, the circuits are usually direct inward dial but may
be regular central office trunks or pay-per-call 900 services. If the call center
pays, the circuits are toll-free services, such as:
·
Business lines
·
Dedicated
line toll-free services
·
The Web
Equipment providers offer three alternatives
for call distribution: call sequencers, PBX-integrated ACDs, and stand-alone
ACDs.
·
Call sequencers are used in small call centers
·
Call sequencers informs agents which call arrived first
·
Stand-alone ACDs are more expensive than PBX-integrated ACDs
·
Stand-alone ACDs are closely integrated with the switching platform
·
Stand-alone ACDs are not intended for ordinary call processing
·
PBXs telephone sets are general-purpose
·
PBXs have full network capabilities
Computers contain databases that are a vital element of virtually all call centers. Databases may include customer records, company products or services, and other information needed to complete the transaction.
ACDs
have two types of workstations: agent and Management. An agent station is a
special-purpose telephone that is equipped with function keys relative to the
task, such as:
·
Logging into the system
·
Answering and transferring calls
·
Enabling agents to communicate their status to the switching
equipment
Management
workstations resemble agents’ sets, but provide additional information, such
as:
·
How many calls are waiting
·
How long calls have been waiting
·
Current status of each agent
·
Queue statistics
Virtually
all call centers employ voice processing to some degree. Voice mailboxes answer
agents’ personal lines while they are on ACD calls. Voice processing is used
for a variety of call-routing functions, such as:
·
Voice mail
·
Speech recognition
·
Interactive voice response
·
Automated attendant
·
Synthesized speech
·
Announcement system
ACDs
include several information providing tools for managing the system.
·
Period reports
·
Cost and customer service
·
Queue and agent status
Systems
produce this information:
·
In their central processor
·
Outboard computer (PC or Unix workstation)
Most
systems also have a station message detail recorder or call distribution recorder
port. Information provided by these ports are:
·
Source of incoming calls
·
Who is placing outgoing calls
·
Determine where calls are going
·
Call detail reports by station or department
The features listed below are available only in high-end PBXs or stand-alone ACDs. Features that were once provided only by the most sophisticated devices are now provided by all products.
This
is the central function of an ACD and it distributes calls to agents based on
variables programmed into the system. Calls are distributed to an agent with
the least amount of work and if no agent is available, the call is placed on
hold until one becomes available. The system operates on the first-come-first-served
basis. A feature known as conditional routing, routes calls based on the following
variables:
·
Number dialed
·
Time of day
·
Number of agents logged on
·
Number of agents available
·
Length of time in queue
·
Priority of the call or caller
·
Expected wait time
·
Length of oldest waiting call
PBXs lacking the conditional routing feature can only route calls based on a few simple variables. More sophisticated systems allow the programming of routing scripts. If agents were not available, the call would be routed based on the script.
Call
center administrators need the following information to manage a service function:
·
Number of calls received per time interval
·
Average speed of agent answer
·
Average talking time per call
·
Average wrap-up time per call
·
Number of calls abandoned
·
Average time to abandon
·
Call prompting
·
Call monitoring
·
Agent displays
·
Management software
No matter if you are establishing a new call center, replacing equipment, or attempting to improve operations, the starting point is the same: identify your objectives. Factors that need to be considered are the service level and the service-level motivations.
The
process consists of the following elements:
·
Answering the calls
·
Routing the calls
·
Informing the callers
·
Queuing the calls
·
Serving the callers
Half
of the value of an ACD comes from the management information it produces. Statistics
is produced by group, queue, and by agent. Agent statistics are used for evaluating
individual agent results. Queue statistics are used to evaluate service and
to determine staffing requirements. Group statistics include:
·
Number of calls received
·
Average talking time per call
·
Average wrap-up or after call work per call
·
Average speed of answer
·
Number of calls abandoned
·
Average time to abandon
The
MIS function is built into the ACD software or run on an outboard computer (most
flexible). In addition to the reports discussed above, ACDs typically provide
the following reports:
·
Trunk reports
·
Answer time distribution
·
Abandoned call distribution
·
All trunks busy
·
Source number report
·
Routing script report
The
primary CTI service is screen synchronization (screen pop), where the host computer
identifies the caller. Screen pop has several advantages:
·
Relieves agent from asking for an account number
·
Relieves agent from keying information into the terminal
·
Agent work load is reduced
·
Toll-free costs are reduced
·
Less time required to transfer calls
·
Collected information is stored for future use
·
Power dialing takes integration a step further
Several
important criteria should be considered:
·
Setup assistance
·
Technical ACD functionality
·
MIS functionality
·
Ancillary equipment