The Most Efficient Technology in the Answer Services Industry

What makes a call center so effective? Because they are a company focused solely on providing telephony - it's essentially the product they sell - they aim to provide the best service possible. To stand out, they make sure they stay abreast of information communication technology. Currently, most call centers implement what is known CTI, or computer telephony integration, a system that uses high-speed internet connections and state-of-the-art server devices to efficiently handle thousands of daily calls.

The Specs

Using CTI is essentially like plugging a phone directly into a computer, and then using it to control everything that you need to do with the call via your computer screen and keyboard. An automated call director (ACD) routs the call to an agent, where it is displayed as information that the representative can respond to. In addition, the CTI is able to combine information from several sources, namely whatever type of media the customer is using - chat, e-mail, fax, video, etc - into one interface. It coordinates the transfer of data between the agent and the customer, and between other agents. It also provides advanced services, such as: allowing the agent to determine when they can receive calls; ability to re-route calls; preview and predictive dialing; etc.

One of the first large and separate ACDs was a modified 5XB switch used by New York Telephone in the early 1970s to distribute calls among hundreds of 4-1-1 information operators.

For large companies, such as one providing answer services, a "third-party" version of CTI is used with a dedicated telephony server. This server allows interaction between a phone network, such as a PBX, and the computer network. Instead of the phone being plugged into the computer, vast numbers of calls are captured in the server and distributed between the stations in the call center. The agent receives the information from the central computer, instead of directly from the call itself, but the interface is basically the same.

A Look in the Past

To help support CTI, most companies use their own private phone network, known as a private branch exchange, or PBX. PBX's initially became popular when businesses realized they saved money handling their own calls, compared to using the local telephone service. Soon other functions were developed for the PBX, which were not available to the general operator network, including call-forwarding and extension dialing. It was further revolutionized in the 1990's, as companies began relying on a more efficient process of relaying digital information - the advent of packet switching. Data networking capabilities increased, and with internet providing a way to easily transmit data around the globe, even more possibilities were opened up.

The term PBX has been around from the days when switchboard operators ran company switchboards by hand. Now it refers to any type of complex telephony setup, whether or not they are "private, branches, or exchanging anything."

A new cousin method was developed, called VoIP (Voice over IP), which is used widely today in call centers. Voice communications are delivered over IP networks, like the internet, instead of using the traditional phone networks like the PSTN. The benefits of using VoIp over PBX include conference calling, automatic redial, and caller ID features - and once again, it reduces the cost because of the way internet usage is billed compared to regular phone calls. These methods are able to support the demands of customer service, and have paved the way for Denver answering service to develop.

VoiceNation Live is an excellent example of answering service support. Named "Top Provider in the Industry", it leads the way for customer, and business, Denver Answering service. Visit their website at http://qualityansweringservice.com.