UK Call center software - TouchStar Call Centre Software : TouchStar Connect Predictive Dialler

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Thursday 4th December 2008

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a predictive dialler?

Seamless predictive dialling increases agent productivity up to 400% over manual dialling by allowing your agents to speak with live contacts virtually continuously.

TouchStar Connect dials out automatically and screens out answering machines, busy signals, disconnected numbers and no-answers. It effectively "predicts" when a "live" contact will be reached and when an agent will be available. Thus, it enables agents to speak with live customers and prospects with minimal wait time and significantly increases productivity.

The dialler can conduct simultaneous multiple campaigns, has agent scripting, data integration, a power and preview dialling option, on-the-fly campaign configuration and record loading, agent and campaign call-backs, separate campaign dial pacing and Call Recording

How much better is predictive dialling than manual dialling?

It is difficult to be accurate with figures in this area as the quality of the data has a large bearing on call outcome but, typically an agent dialling manually will make in the region of 6 – 10 contacts per hour - predictive dialling will increase this to a figure closer to 25 contacts per hour.

What is a dialling algorithm?

The algorithm is a set of complex mathematical equations that determine when the dialler will make the next call. It takes into account such things as the data quality, average length of call and the time it takes for a customer to answer the call.

TouchStar Connect manages these factors and many others to determine when to launch the next call. Calls can be placed at a rate of more than four per second on a single line. Answer machine detection takes less than two seconds and the transfer to an agent is almost instantaneous. There are 2 separate algorithms for small and large teams. The dialler will automatically make sure that enough calls are placed to keep the agents busy without launching too many and causing dropped / silent calls. The system will self manage to below the 3% requirement on dropped calls and allows your call centre to operate within the OFCOM regulations.

Will the system grow with the company?

Yes! The software is packaged so that you only take what you need to meet your initial business requirements. As your business grows in complexity and size, additions can be made. A working outbound system may be all that is required on day one, adding inbound, IVR and blended are licences that can be supplied without expensive hardware.

How do I manage silent calls?

TouchStar Connect has the has the most sophisticated call progress analysis available and call transfer to the agent takes less than 1 second - these two factors keep silent calls to a minimum. When a silent call is detected the system automatically plays a pre recorded message this automatic silent call monitoring software will ensure that the dialler is run below the limits required by OFCOM and the DMA.

Does TouchStar Connect fully comply with OFCOM and DMA regulations?

TouchStar Connect is fully compliant with all OFCOM and DMA regulations. Furthermore, the call recording meets all FSA regulations.

Is a hardware dialler better than a software based dialler?

Not all software based diallers have a mechanism to detect answer machines, and these are all passed to the agent. This may be as high as 80% of all calls when ringing landline campaigns in the morning and at best it will be 30% in the evening. In the same way most software diallers do not detect bad numbers (tri tones), no answers and busy tones.

There are also capacity issues with many soft-diallers with the maximum dials per hour being vastly reduced. TouchStar Connect is not a “soft” dialler, as it is based on Intel Dialogic hardware with sophisticated dialling algorithms.

Can I run more than one campaign at a time?

You can run several outbound and/or inbound campaigns together to maximise the strengths of your agents and optimise your line usage.

TouchStar Connect runs multiple campaigns simultaneously using an extremely flexible drag and drop user interface. Each campaign is fully managed from the supervisor station. Supervisors can easily set the calling pace within each campaign based on keeping the drop rate to a minimum. Each campaign can be assigned its own unique set of agent scripts and call disposition codes that agents use when calls are completed. Campaigns can be run separately or grouped to give maximum flexibility to campaign management and agent assignment.

Will the system record all of the conversations?

TouchStar Connect will record both the agent and the caller’s conversation to a Vox file and saved to any network device for long term storage and quality checking. The recordings can be started automatically from a point within the script or by pressing a button manually within the script. Retrieving a recording is done using the retrieval utility; the retrieval can be by a host of criteria such as date, time, agent name etc. A call transferred off site will also record the third parties conversation even after the agent has dropped out.

Can I dial multiple phone numbers from a single record?

TouchStar Connect will dial up to 1 numbers per record and is configurable per campaign and time of day. This feature is particularly useful in the collections market or when following up a sales call. The most common sequence is to ring a person’s home number followed by their mobile and possibly then their work number. Some predictive diallers will support only one number which users find restricting.

What is agent scripting?

The TouchStar Contact Centre provides rapid development and deployment of scripts that are easy to create and modify. A script acts as a transaction management device for the call centre agents, which can look up information in your database and automatically generate documents or information on the agents’ desktop, simultaneous to their call with a customer.

This provides a powerful and flexible tool to allow data collection right in the agent scripts through the use of HTML and ASP (Active Server Pages) for connection to the host database.

How good is the answer machine detection?

The number of Telephone Answer Machines (TAM’s) in the UK has risen four-fold in the last 10 years, it is not unusual for a campaign to hit 80% TAM’s when ringing landline numbers in the morning, dropping to 40% in the evening. With the increase mobile phones the issue of detection can have a big influence on agent performance. Some TAM’s will get through to an agent, it is crucial to keep this to a minimum without dropping live callers. TouchStar Connect is based on Dialogic boards running with complex voice detection software. Therefore, the rate of detection is far higher than any soft dialler with a telephone system. Depending on the campaign the volume put through to an agent will vary between 5 and 12%.

What are the reporting tools available to the managers?

Every transaction that takes place is captured by the reporting module and stored in easy to access formats. Over 50 standard reports are available including such things as agent performance / history, talk times, wait times, goals and sales. This is a very short list of the reports available. The system manager will be able to customise these reports and produce web based formats, these can then be viewed by anyone with internet access and a password. TouchStar have developed this further to produce a selected list of automated, scheduled reports, saving supervisor time and reducing the potential for error.

Bespoke reports can be achieved using the reporting utility. And with a little help from our 24 x 7 help line a novice can produce some very complex reports. Reports can be scheduled to run automatically and emailed to essential personnel.

What is IVR and how is it used?

Enhanced Interactive Voice Response Integration (IVR) (Inbound and Outbound) lets contacts navigate easily to find the exact information they need, by using their touch tone phone which often eliminates the need for an agent.

Outbound IVR can leave thousands of messages on answering machines (where permission has been obtained) in a fraction of the time it can be done manually, delivering your message quickly where you want it.

The TouchStar Connect IVR Utility is a point and click interface that allows the manager to build simple and sophisticated call flow. The dynamic routing refers to the ability to programme in such things as agent skill levels. In its simplest format it can be used as an auto attendant directing incoming callers to specific agent groups or voicemail. Out of hours the system will act as a voicemail, either for groups, campaigns or for specific agents.

The IVR routines can be built to allow integration with the database allowing self service solutions such as ordering goods and services, payment of invoices and fines, completing customer satisfaction surveys and a host of other applications. The business benefits are considerable, reducing agent involvement, extending business hours, serving more customers without increasing the number of agents requires and updating databases accurately. Every transaction is recorded for future verification.

What is ACD and how can it improve my business?

Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) maintains an orderly queue, and provides management of inbound calls.

These calls are routed to the most suitable agent or agent group available through Intelligent Call Routing and passed to an agent by ACD. When calls are received, agents are visually notified and can selectively or automatically (at the discretion of the Supervisor) retrieve the next call when the previous call is completed. When inbound calls arrive at an agent’s desktop, an automated lookup can be completed and account information provided via a screen pop.

What is screen popping?

‘Intelligent Call Answering’ directs the call and caller record show up on the agent screen for faster and better customer service. TouchStar Connect puts intelligent call answering to work in your call centre. When an inbound call arrives, the dialler retrieves detailed caller information from a database and inserts it into the inbound script. This information is then delivered to the next available agent and their computer desktop just as voice contact is made with the caller. When the agent answers the phone, he or she knows who is calling, and has access to past transaction history and, in many situations, why the caller is calling. Intelligent call answering allows you to provide more competent service to your callers and to handle more calls during a given period of time.

What are the benefits of mixing inbound calls into an outbound dialler?

‘Dynamic Call Blending’ passes both inbound and outbound calls to the next available agent practically eliminating periods of agent inactivity.

TouchStar Connect can be configured to receive inbound calls and make outbound calls and pass either or both to the next available agent. Outbound calls are made only when no inbound calls are in the ACD queue. Dynamic Call Blending is particularly useful during periods of decreased inbound activity when agents are available to make outbound calls.

Will an agent be able to transfer a call to a colleague?

When an agent is talking to a client, the agent’s PC will contain any relevant information about the client, to transfer the call and the data to another agent is very simple. The agent can either put the client on hold and then transfer the call, or conference the second agent in before transferring the call. The agent can also transfer the client to off site locations the data can be sent via web portals so that the receiver gets both the client and the data simultaneously.

This feature is used extensively by telemarketing companies to transfer calls to their clients who may be finance companies for loans and mortgages. The call recordings will continue even after the call has been transferred.

Will TouchStar Connect integrate with my CRM?

Database integration allows you to use your existing database and all of its information to populate the agents scripts.

The software is controllable by, and can be integrated with, host or legacy database systems via its flexible Visual Basic and ODBC interface. Account information from the database populates the agent’s screen where it is updated and reintegrated back to the host database. Call activity and history is tracked in a SQL database providing easy accessibility to the data for reporting.

The benefits are that when the agent completes a script all of the information will be passed directly to the CRM system thus reducing duplication of entry and errors. The process from sales call to fulfilment becomes a seamless process, more efficient and at a lower cost.

There is a do not call list for the system and per campaign.