We know: You want to compare the cloud-based versions of call center software with the on-premise model to see how the different models stack up in terms of cost, implementation, usage and success of the Workforce Management tool in your organization.
We -- and Monet Software -- are here to help:
Consider setup and implementation. The cloud gives fast set up, as the vendor creates the new account and you simply access the product through a web browser. On-premise installations take time and configuration hassle -- both hardware and software.
If you’re into that kind of thing, or if you have the sort of geeks in your office who get their kicks installing new software, who come in on weekends just to get up to their elbows in new product installations, well, you’re golden with on-premise. Of course you still have to worry about your own upgrades, whereas with cloud software you’re paying someone else to worry about all that.
Now consider the upfront investment. With the cloud there’s hardly any upfront investment for software or hardware, but there is a subscription fee, which typically includes support, maintenance and upgrades, your mileage may vary, so check the fine print and ask a lot of nosy questions.
Read more here.
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Unitus Community Credit Union has selected the Interactive Intelligence IP communications software suite, Customer Interaction Center for use throughout its organization, replacing an Avaya system.
Unitus officials say the move is part of an effort to “improve its member services by offering contact via email and Web chat, and by adding new functionality such as speech-enhanced interactive voice response and skills-based routing.”
Unitus’s project manager, Leah Keeler, said with the CIC system the credit union “will now be able to do things like match caller ID with the associated account information so members are automatically routed to the most appropriate agent.”
The credit union’s CIO, Brian Irvine, noted CIC’s Windows-based architecture allows them to “manage the system in-house.” The deployment is slated to eventually support the entire Unitus workforce located across its eight branch offices throughout Oregon and Washington.
Read more here.
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Hey, we all like success stories; and IVR solutions provider Angel definitely has one you can learn something from.
The company has worked with some pretty big global pharmaceuticals. And they’ve learned the general corporate culture. “When it comes to many technologies, pharmaceuticals can be slow to change, often times for regulatory or other pressing reasons,” Angel officials said in a blog, adding that this “go it slow” attitude extends to their IVR: “It becomes a major technological and regulatory undertaking to overhaul the IVR systems of a pharmaceutical company.”
A year and a half ago, Angel was selected to assist with an IVR overhaul for “49 brands of one pharmaceutical,” according to company officials, who said that prior to contracting with Angel, this pharma had “significant complexities, such as IVRs connecting to other IVR’s, IVRs connecting to call centers, a jumble of different IVR vendors, drastically different voice talents and IVRs interacting with multiple data sources.”
So you can see the urgency. Needless to say, this wasn’t doing great things for the pharma’s customer satisfaction numbers. As would be expected in such a confused situation, this led to high caller frustration “since the IVRs weren’t talking to each other, nor were they pushing data to the call center representative, who had to ask the caller to repeat information previously provided sometime earlier in the IVR.”
Read more here.
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Industry journal On Hold Messaging Direct has a good blog post telling you how to write a good script for your on hold message.
FADE IN to a rainy street in a foreign capital at night. The HERO runs along the sidewalk, nervously looking over his shoulder. Suddenly from a parked 1965 Aston Martin, a shot... huh? Oh, sorry, wrong script.
First off, why is the script such a big deal? Isn’t “Hi, thanks for calling, sorry, all available operators are busy, your call will be answered as soon as we can get to it” good enough?
Hardly. As blogger Lee points out, “This may be the only opportunity you have to do business with them so you can’t afford to get their on hold experience wrong... the on hold messages and background music need to engage the caller, to defuse potential frustration.”
Distilling Lee’s good advice into the essentials then:
Tell the caller where they are and thank them for calling. “Thank you for calling Acme Anvils, Mr. Coyote will be with you as soon as possible.”
Read more here.
