Vendor Profile: American Tel-A-Systems

American Tel-A-Systems, better known as Amtelco, focuses on providing call center solutions that meet or exceed customer expectations, backed by top-notch service and support.

Millions of telephone calls and messages are processed every day by Amtelco systems and software in operation in all fifty of the United States and more than twenty foreign countries.

By working closely with customers, Amtelco continues to develop innovative features and products to enhance experiences and boost profitability for their customers.

Partnering with Customers

Since the company’s founding in 1976, Amtelco has focused on working closely with customers to advance telecommunication solutions.

Amtelco works closely with both the National Amtelco Equipment Owners (NAEO) group and the Telescan User Network (TUNe) group to advance not only Amtelco and Telescan solutions but the industry as a whole. Both NAEO and TUNe meet annually to network with peers and collaborate with Amtelco and Telescan leaders and software developers. In addition to attending the annual meetings, Amtelco hosts webinars for both groups and participates in several committees, including the NAEO Future Direction Committee, which focuses on educating the members on industry trends and Amtelco software advancements for use by NAEO members.

The Future of Call Center Software

Genesis is the next generation of Amtelco’s Infinity automatic call distribution (ACD) and unified messaging system. Genesis is a software-only platform with the powerful features and benefits of the Intelligence Series (IS) and adds software-based switching, multichannel skills-based ACD, call logging, voicemail, and conferencing to provide a single software platform for all call center functions.

According to Theron J. Mossholder, member of NAEO’s board of directors and NAEO past president, “Genesis allows us to have a fully virtualized infrastructure giving us the ability to utilize AWS (Amazon Web Services) as our IaaS (infrastructure as a service). We no longer have the need for numerous physical servers on-site nor the needed IT staff to support those servers. Having the entire Intelligent Series and Genesis platform now virtualized in AWS, we have the full use of the AWS infrastructure, services and, most importantly, redundancy that we need as a 24/7/365 service provider.”

This all-inclusive call center software suite improves call routing and management, saves time with customizable reporting and audit functions, and enhances accountability with call logging and video capture. It also connects remote agents and simplifies on-call and workforce scheduling.

Cloud-Based and Virtual Call Center Technology

Call centers can take advantage of running Genesis in a virtual server environment or in the cloud. Virtual servers allow a call center to grow without adding additional hardware—saving time and money because there’s less equipment to buy and maintain. Large companies with multiple locations and call centers can run on a single virtual server located anywhere in the country—even if they all use different PBX telephone systems.

Cloud deployment moves the call center platform to a cloud provider such as Amazon or Microsoft. This shifts the responsibility for server management to the cloud provider.

Secure Text Messaging App

Amtelco provides secure messaging via smart devices with the miSecureMessages app. Regular SMS or text messages are stored on mobile devices and can be viewed by a third party. With miSecureMessages, encrypted messages aren’t stored on a person’s device. Unique passcodes, fingerprint access technology, and remote disabling are additional safety features.

Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as personal computers, can use miSecureMessages. Users can send text, photo, video, and audio files. There is also a voice-to-text mode, so a person can speak a message into their device and it automatically converts into text.

Bridging the Gap

MergeComm is an automated dispatch and systems integration engine that elevates the capabilities of the Intelligent Series by adding automation to become a bridge between technologies.

MergeComm reduces errors and saves labor by automating inbound message and outbound dispatch activities. MergeComm enables receiving inbound messages via email, web service API, SMS text message, TAP page, WCTP page, HL7 record from an EMR platform, and phone calls. It also automates outbound dispatching with automated retries, escalations, and dispatching for individuals and groups.

Complex Call Center Applications Made Simple

Simplification can have a big impact on the success and profitability of any business, but it has a significant impact on call centers, which are very labor-intensive. As time has progressed, the complexity of call center applications has grown and so has the time it takes to train agents and administer those applications.

Amtelco has identified four key call center areas that are simplified and streamlined with the help of Genesis:

System and client administration
Agent interface
Web interface
System maintenance

One of the benefits Genesis offers is the consolidation of system and client administration. Using an administrative process based entirely on Amtelco’s IS Supervisor allows all system software administration to be performed in a single application, eliminating confusion and repetitive data entry steps. This greatly reduces the time it takes to administer and activate new clients, generating revenue sooner than previously possible.

The agent interface used in Genesis is designed to be intuitive to minimize training, increase efficiency, and reduce errors. This is accomplished through a customizable presentation that is both keyboard- and mouse-friendly. Agents can connect to calls with a keyboard shortcut, the home screen can show any helpful tools and information, and the toolbar menu has quick access buttons for common functions.

Call center applications and data can extend beyond the call center with web and mobile interfaces. With its internet connections, Genesis provides a single point of access for all call center applications and data. This includes access to call recordings and screen captures, as well as the ability to view and initiate messages and access directories. It also provides the ability to update on-call schedules, perform status updates, and run reports. Users with smartphones and tablets can navigate the screens just as easily as desktop users. The presentation of data and applications can be tailored to each user with a customizable home screen layout of widgets. This provides each user with a streamlined interface, specific to their needs.

Genesis has an integrated event manager for monitoring and managing system events within IS Supervisor. All system events are available in the event manager, eliminating the need for a separate print capture-type application. Genesis also provides trunk configuration and diagnostics from within its configuration manager component of IS Supervisor. This allows access to troubleshooting information that previously was available only to Amtelco Field Engineering personnel via the Infinity diagnostic port.

Amtelco’s Commitment to Better Call Center Solutions

Amtelco’s revolutionary products continue to make a big impact on people’s lives. They are committed to continually improve their Intelligent Series to reduce complexity, streamline the agent interface, simplify system administration, and reduce maintenance overhead and costs.