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Connections Magazine News
December 2005
SHUG and SNUG Merge
Startel
National Users' Group (SNUG) announced the completion of the merger with the
Startel Hospital User Group (SHUG). SNUG
president Dennis O'Hara said, "We're excited to have SHUG join us as this
will result in a stronger, more diverse user group bringing more resources to
the table."
Tanisha
Threats, president of SHUG added, "We are energized about the opportunities
that merging with SNUG presents to the healthcare group. It affords us the
chance to exchange ideas and concerns with a larger group."
SNUG is a not-for-profit
professional association serving Startel equipment users.
For more information, call 800-317-8529
or visit www.teamsnug.com.
For more information about Startel, go to www.startelcorp.com.
Mercom
Introduces Audiolog 3.3 Recording Solution
Mercom
announced Audiolog Call Recording Server Release 3.3.
Version 3.3 emphasizes security and reporting enhancements.
With this release, Mercom continues its call recording and quality
monitoring solutions with upward compatibility and scalability.
Mercom's development philosophy guarantees customers a versatile, fully
featured audio recording system with low total cost of ownership.
Audiolog
3.3 has been enhanced to run on Windows XP Professional SP2 and 2003 Server
systems, availing itself to inherent Windows security and Windows Groups in
login. With version 3.3, Audiolog continues to be cross-compatible regardless of
application and customers benefit from a seamless upgrade on an established
platform.
Even
in non-CTI environments, true searches by agent ID can be performed and
free-seating for any size enterprise is simplified and manageable.
Selective archiving and deletion can be based upon agent name.
For added security, recordings can be automatically deleted via
Department of Defense-compliant standards. "In
today's world of HIPAA and related security and privacy concerns, one of the
strongest features of Audiolog 3.3 is the ability to positively guard access to
sensitive data," said Bob Jagendorf, Audiolog Sales and Marketing Director.
For more information about Mercom, visit
www.verint.com.
Professional Teledata Announces PinnFax
for PInnacle Users
Professional Teledata announced
the introduction of PinnFax, a new fax and alpha paging system for PInnacle
users. Based on the Linux open source operating system, the new system is
capable of up to 48 simultaneous alpha/fax transmissions. PinnFax is an
integrated module that is currently delivered with each new PInnacle
Telemessaging System from Professional Teledata.
"The existing FMDS systems are
rock-solid and the current industry standard for faxing and alpha-paging."
said Rick Moore, chief developer of the new system. "However, PinnFax is
a completely re-engineered product retaining the best of the existing system
while taking advantage of current developments in hardware and software."
For more information, call
Professional Teledata at 800-344-9944 or www.professionalteledata.com.
Telescan
Rolls Out Spectrum Navigator
Spectrum
Navigator is Telescan's latest upgrade to their Spectrum System.
Spectrum Navigator adds customized information screens for each account
or sub-account. This addition will
reduce the training time necessary for complex accounts, allowing agents to be
productive sooner.
Spectrum
Navigator provides a virtually unlimited number of information screens.
These screens are designed to guide and assist agents in processing calls
for an account. Customized screens
may also be programmed with embedded commands.
The pre-programmed commands make agents more efficient and reduce the
risk of errors. They will also make
it much easier to handle complex accounts. With
a simple keystroke or click of a mouse, agents can select the text prompts on
the Spectrum Navigator screen and perform complex tasks.
This new feature gives agents easy point-and-click access to retrieve
client information screens, copy messages from one account to another, select
multiple message templates, retrieve pre-scheduled on-call information, and
speed dial phone numbers from alphanumeric, digital, or voice pagers.
To find out more about Telescan's new
Spectrum Navigator, call 800-770-7662
or visit www.telescan.net.
Incoming Call Data Available to PInnacle
Agents
Professional Teledata announced
a new feature to the PInnacle agent interface. Agents and customer service
personnel have immediate access to all incoming call data from the eOn
Millennium digital switch. The new upgrade is being provided at no charge
to all Millennium-based PInnacle sites under Professional Teledata's standard
support agreement.
With a single keystroke, agents
can view information regarding all calls received by the PInnacle Telemessaging
System. Call records include date, time, client ID, caller ID, calling
party name, queue time, if answered, and assigned agent station. Stored in
chronological order, search and sort capabilities are included to quickly
isolate an individual call. "Written in direct response to our customer's
requests, this new capability further improves the efficiency of operations and
customer service of PInnacle installations," said Allen Kalik, president of
Professional Teledata.
For more information, call
Professional Teledata at 800-344-9944 or www.professionalteledata.com.
Telescan
Introduces Free-Form Message Tickets
Telescan
introduced customized free-form message tickets to their Spectrum system.
This new feature allows telemessaging call centers the creativity and
flexibility to customize a message ticket of each account.
The free-form tickets can be a single page or contain multiple pages.
They will support editing capabilities such as inserting and overwriting
text, ensuring the required fields are not left empty and phone numbers gathered
from callers will contain the correct number of digits.
Customized message tickets can contain an embedded code to track the
usage of that message ticket.
"Telescan
is constantly listening to our users and looking for new ways to make their
businesses more efficient and productive," said Robert Riggs, Jr.,
Telescan's Director. Telescan's
custom message ticket can be used for a specific account or several accounts can
share the same form. Forms can
contain multi-colored field labels to highlight important information that
agents need to convey to or gather from callers.
Field attributes can configured as: required (text must be entered),
must-fill (a specific number of characters are required), numeric-only (numerals
must be entered), and mixed-case (allows both upper and lower case).
To find out more, call 800-770-7662
or visit www.telescan.net.
Appletree
Earns Second Consecutive Year on Inc. 500
This
month marks the 10th anniversary of Appletree Answering Services and the second
successive year the company has appeared on Inc. Magazine's Inc. 500
list. Appletree was the only
telemessaging company named to the 2005 list. The company is an inbound
telemessaging center that serves a variety of industries by providing a seamless
extension of its clients' in-house staff.
A
combination of acquisitions, a commitment to leading-edge technology, a
well-trained staff, organic growth, and strategic planning has contributed to
Appletree's fast-paced growth. Appletree founder John Ratliff said this was a
tremendous accomplishment for his company and commented on the role acquisitions
played in the company's growth. "A
portion of our growth has come from acquisitions, but the challenge of growth is
not in the acquisition itself but in the continuing success of those businesses.
The Appletree team has excelled in successfully integrating those
businesses into the Appletree family and growing our business."
For
more information about Appletree, visit
www.appletreeanswers.com.
InfoCision's
Taylor Honored as Visionary, Pioneer
InfoCision
Management Corporation Founder and Chairman of the Board, Gary Taylor, was named
to the American Teleservices Association (ATA) Pioneer Hall of Fame.
The organization gives the honor once a year to someone who has made a
long-term impact on the industry and the ATA.
Taylor was added to the list of Pioneer Hall of Fame
winners during the ATA's annual conference in .
Taylor also received special recognition in Smart
Business magazine, which recognized at the 7th annual Innovation in
Business Conference. A committee
selected Taylor to receive a Visionary award for his innovative
ideas on quality, which have set the industry standard for more than two
decades.
Taylor said he was proud to accept both the awards, but
he's especially proud of the ideals that InfoCision projects to a growing
number of clients, employees, and the general public.
"I have often said that my goal has never been to be the biggest
teleservices company, but rather to be the best," said Taylor .
InfoCision provides inbound and outbound
marketing for nonprofit, religious, and political organizations.
For more information, visit
www.infocision.com.
Influent
Expands, Purchases Call
Center
in Quincy,
Illinois
Influent,
a provider of outsourced customer sales and service solutions with offices in
the U.S., Panama, and the Philippines, completed the acquisition of a 144-seat call
center located in Quincy , APAC Customer Services.
"It is extremely gratifying to be able to meet the growing needs of our
clients while saving valuable jobs in Quincy ," stated Andrew C. Jacobs, Influent's
President and . "We look forward to
meeting our hiring goal of adding another 150 employees to the center, which we
hope to expand to 172 seats." With
this expansion, Influent adds nearly 20% to its current domestic capacity of 800
inbound and outbound call center seats located across the United States.
"Influent's
decision to create over 200 jobs in is great news for the West Central Illinois
region," said 's Mayor, Spring . "We
are proud that Influent has chosen the Quincy region to do business in and we look forward to
a long relationship."
To learn more, visit www.influentinc.com.
Sento
to Provide Outsourced Call
Center
Operations for LensCrafter
Sento Corporation announced
that it has been awarded a multi-million dollar outsourcing contract from
LensCrafters. The eyewear retailer
chose Sento to manage inbound customer and support calls for 168 of its 888
stores.
Initially, Sento's new , NM contact center will handle the inbound call
volume for LensCrafters with 85 customer service representatives.
Sento will answer questions regarding store locations and hours, schedule
appointments for eye exams, handle insurance inquiries, and respond to questions
regarding lenses and contact lenses.
"We chose Sento because of
the company's flexibility," said Bill DiGrezio, senior vice president,
shared operation services for LensCrafters.
With "Sento we will be able to provide top-notch customer service and
support to our valued consumers."
"We are pleased to have
been selected by LensCrafters," said Patrick O'Neal, president and chief
executive officer for Sento. "We
are dedicated to providing LensCrafters with the service they need to maintain
their loyal, satisfied customers."
For
more information about Sento Corporation, visit www.sento.com.
AnswerNet
Appoints New GMs
The AnswerNet Network has appointed three new general managers.
They will perform their duties in the company's Fair Oaks
, CA
;
Susan Schoonmaker is responsible for the Fair Oaks
center.
She previously managed Cingular Wireless's Rancho Cordova , contact center.
Before that she was account manager for Sprint's San Jose , long distance/voice and data center.
Debbie Maturo is running the Morton
Grove
center. She built and
managed her last center, The Medical Connection, from scratch.
She is mentioned repeatedly by that firm's former owner, Jerry
Inglehart, in his autobiography, The World Is A Stage.
Mark J. (J.R.) Ryall is in charge of the Portland
center.
A Portland resident for most of his life, J.R.
joined AnswerNet-Portland in 2000 and worked his way through the ranks.
Prior to that, he had worked for Medical Answering Service of Oregon.
"Susan, Debbie, and J.R.'s
experience will be of considerable benefit to companies, nonprofits, and
governments seeking contact center and telemessaging services," says AnswerNet
President and Chief Executive Officer Gary A. Pudles.
For more information about The AnswerNet Network, visit www.answernet.com.
Tele-Response Changes Name to 1 2 1 Direct Response
Tele-Response
Center, Inc., a provider of call center and direct response outsourcing
services, has changed its name to 1 2 1 Direct Response to reflect its full
direct response program design and execution capabilities.
"Although our firm started as an outbound call center outsourcing
company in 1988, our capabilities have grown dramatically since then," said
Stuart Discount, CEO of 1 2 1.
"We have excelled at providing direct response analytics, direct mail
fulfillment, and outbound and inbound customer and donor contact services for
many years. We now assist some of
the largest nonprofit organizations and commercial enterprises in the country to
design and execute integrated direct marketing programs that combine direct
mail, outbound and inbound phone contact, and sophisticated database analytics
for campaign performance optimization."
"1
2 1 Direct Response is uniquely suited to helping its clients with full service
direct marketing program design and execution," said Jeffrey Plaut, Vice
President of Sales and Marketing.
For
more information, visit www.121DirectResponse.com.
Hispanic Community Contributes to Hurricane Relief
Global
Telesourcing, a provider of inbound call center services for the US Hispanic
market, reported a significant outpouring of support from the US Hispanic
community during the recent telethons, which were organized to raise funds for
hurricane disaster victims. Global
Telesourcing provided support for several of the telethons that have recently
taken place to raise funds for Katrina victims.
"It's
heartwarming to see such tremendous generosity being displayed by Hispanics
across the nation for those in dire need in the Gulf Coas ," noted Bill Colton, president of Global
Telesourcing. "Hispanics living in the US want to give back to the community which has
embraced them and helped them in their own time of need."
For more information, visit www.globaltelesourcing.com.
Gravity
vs. Momentum: Sales Training in Many Voices
In
a new interactive Web-based sales training program, called Gravity vs. Momentum,
the Sales Sage speaks to each learner in the way that he or she is most
receptive to hearing. Instead of a
conventional trainer speaking to participants, the participant selects the
voice, character, and delivery they want to hear.
This new learning method, called alternative cognition, heightens
potential for learner retention and involvement.
Program
creator, Robert S. Burns, says, "Many trainers say the fundamentals of
communicating are based in telling them, telling them what you told them, and
then telling them again. But what
about telling them in different voices? An
alternative way to hear information provides participants with the power to
learn on their own terms – which promotes buy-in."
Alternative
cognition is only one facet of a learning system designed to reach participants
on different levels. Core sales
competencies are presented in engaging animated lessons, couched in the Gravity
vs. Momentum metaphor – where all events create or are created by Gravity or
Momentum.
To arrange for a free demo, contact
Robert Burns at 888-876-7780
or robert@gvsm.com;
visit Gravity vs. Momentum at www.gravityvsmomentum.com/.
Survey
Says Technology Problems Regularly Impact Productivity
Empirix® Inc., announced
the results of their recent call center survey.
The survey focused on the impact that technology has on contact center
efficiency and quality of service. Among
the survey findings:
- When asked how often technology problems negatively impact agents
or the caller experience, four out of five answered "Often" or
"Sometimes."
- Fourteen percent reported missing key performance indicators (KPI)
every day, and 32 percent reported missing KPI goals at least once a week.
- Sixty percent believe that technology problems are the primary
cause of not meeting KPI goals.
- Fifty percent are first notified of technology problems by callers.
"The data clearly show
that technology problems have a major impact on overall contact center
productivity," said Frank Moreno, Director of Product Marketing at Empirix.
"Most contact centers apply substantial resources toward ensuring the
quality of live agent interactions, but relatively few have taken the steps to
ensure the quality of the automated systems that support those agents and
callers."
Empirix®
Inc., provides contact center testing and monitoring solutions.
For an executive summary of the survey, visit www.empirix.com.
Study Provides Outline for Telecom Reform
The
rules that govern the telecommunications industry in the United States have been made increasingly irrelevant by recent
technological developments and will continue to hurt consumers and slow economic
growth unless phased out, says a study published by the Competitive Enterprise
Institute. Authors Braden Cox and
Clyde Wayne Crews, Jr. argue that increasing competition, particularly among
different communication platforms, has made much of telecommunications
regulation unnecessary and counterproductive.
The rapid proliferation of alternatives to landline telephones and
broadcast radio and television content means that the scarcity once used to
justify the regulatory burden no longer exists.
"Congress
must consider these broad market developments and act in tailored ways that
change communications law and reform the agency that administers it," write
Cox and Crews in the study Communications without Commissions: A National
Plan for Reforming Telecom Regulation. "First, it should establish clear
boundaries as to whether an area of communications should be regulated by
federal or state governments. Additionally, Congress must restrict the role of
the Federal Communications Commission in future regulation."
CEI
is a
non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free
enterprise and limited government. For more information, visit
www.cei.org.
Delta
Implements Workforce Optimization Technology
Delta
Air Lines and ac2 Solutions, a provider of workforce management
solutions for contact centers, announced that Delta Air Lines has implemented
the Advanced Workforce Optimization (AWO) Portal.
The product has been developed using process technologies that have been
developed based on scientific research in mathematical optimization.
"We were looking for
a solution that could enhance the customers' experience and optimize the work
schedules of our agents," said Steve Scheper, Vice President- Reservation
Sales at Delta. The AWO Portal works
together with Delta's current workforce management system to provide a fully
integrated scheduling environment, ensuring that Delta optimizes performance in
their 12 North American call centers.
"We're very proud
that Delta has seen such a positive result from their implementation of the AWO
Portal. Our optimization technology
takes Delta far beyond what traditional workforce management systems have to
offer," said Turgut Aykin, Ph.D., President of ac2 Solutions.
For
further information, visit www.ac2Solutions.com.
Multimedia
Amp Ideal For Call
Center
Training
Environments
The Apollo Multimedia
Amplifier from Pro Tech Communications, Inc. is designed for simultaneous
telephone and computer use. The
product features dual headset jacks and dual mute switches to facilitate agent
and trainer communications, making it useful for call center training
environments.
"We're received extensive
customer feedback on the Apollo Multimedia Amplifier and a common theme of this
feedback is about the products utility as a training tool," said Richard
Hennessey, president.
Ideal for use with Pro
Tech's Apollo Headset, this desktop amplifier features a conference mode giving
the user the ability to conference a telephone and Internet call simultaneously
and includes many other features. List
pricing for the Apollo Multimedia amplifier is $139.
For
more information, contact Pro Tech at www.protechcommunications.com
or 800-468-8371.
SafeHarbor
Partners with RightAnswers
SafeHarbor Technology
Corporation, a provider of customer interaction and business intelligence
services, announced a partnership with RightAnswers, Inc., providers of
technical support content. Through this alliance, SafeHarbor clients and
business partners will have access to RightAnswers' Knowledge-Pak libraries,
which provide more than 120,000 answers to common problems faced by service and
support personnel, help desk technicians, and employees. Knowledge-Paks from
RightAnswers currently accelerate problem resolution for more than 200 of the
most popular computing applications.
"RightAnswers' Knowledge-Paks
go hand-in-hand with SafeHarbor's Smart Support Solutions," said Jeff
Weinstein, President and CEO of RightAnswers."
"The integration enables
our clients to increase efficiencies across all support environments and end
user communities, benefiting all lines of business," added Annette Jacobs, CEO and chairman of SafeHarbor.
For
more information, visit www.safeharbor.com
or www.rightanswers.com.
Aegis
Reporting Releases "Open Source" Reports Suite
Aegis
Reporting has released for distribution a suite of custom ACD reports written in
the popular "Crystal Reports" development environment.
Released in the spirit of the "open source" license, the reports are
available free of charge for telemessaging managers to use or modify as they see
fit. Currently there are versions
available for the Amtelco Infinity and Professional Teledata's Pinnacle
system. Reports included are a
Service Level Report for measuring queue time performance and a customer
friendly Call Detail Report and Business Hours Report for tracking daytime phone
traffic. Stated Angus Campbell, Vice
President of Aegis Management, Inc., "There is a lot of data tied up in
switches that's not always accessible with vendor-supplied reports, so the
idea of this distribution to encourage people to explore custom reporting
options."
Aegis
Reporting provides custom reporting solutions for call centers.
It is part of Aegis Management Associates, Inc., a New York based provider of business communications and
consulting services.
For more information, contact Angus
Campbell at acampbell@aegismanagement.net
or 212-517-1100.
Avaya
and SAP Form
Avaya announced a strategic
alliance agreement with SAP America, Inc., to market Intelligent
Communications-enabled business applications.
Under the agreement, the companies will jointly market mySAP™ Customer
Relationship Management (mySAP™ CRM ) with Avaya contact center capabilities.
Expected to be available in North America during the second quarter of 2006, the solution
will integrate the multi-channel communications routing and management
capabilities of software.
Customer service agents
using SAP 's CRM solution will have the capability to interact
with customers through voice, email, and Web communication through their mySAP console, enabled by Avaya contact center software.
The combination of Avaya intelligent routing with the context of SAP customer relationship information will get the
right customer to the right business associate more efficiently, reducing
holding times, delays, and call backs for callers.
For
more information, visit the Avaya Website at
www.avaya.com.
Marketel and Call Compliance
Integrated Teleblock DNC Technology
Marketel
Multi-Line Dialing Systems, Ltd., a developer of predictive dialer systems,
announced that its dialers have been integrated with Call Compliance, Inc.'s
TeleBlock® system, according to Christian Laudinsky, Vice President of Sales
and Marketing for Marketel Systems®.
"By
integrating our dialers with TeleBlock, we are providing our customers with the
failsafe level of compliance they need to survive in today's hyper-regulated
calling environment. We are always
striving to eliminate the risks associated with human error and with the 30-day
update requirements and state lists with no grace period," said Keith Gill, CEO of MarkeTel.
"TeleBlock®
updates all of the state and federal DNC lists and makes it simple for
telemarketers to control compliance across their entire enterprise," stated
Dean Garfinkel, Chairman of Call Compliance.
The integration of our technology with Marketel's dialers allows any
telemarketing operation to maintain the highest levels of both efficiency and
compliance, which is an absolute must in today's challenging and complex calling
environment."
For
further information, call MarkeTel at 800-289-8616
or visit
www.predictivedialers.com;
Call Compliance can be reached at 888-674-6774
or www.callcompliance.com.
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