The modern call center is vastly different than the original call centers where a person had a list of different phone numbers and they had to dial those numbers by hand. Now all of the dialing is done via computer and the telephones pick up automatically. This saves a lot of time between calls and ensures that the proper phone number is automatically dialed rather than risking a wrong number being called.
This is not the only part of computer telephony integration that helps to eliminate waste. Since the calling is all automatic and the calls are assigned randomly, the customer service representative does not know who he or she is talking to before they answer the phone. This can be very dis-concerning for the customer service representative and frustrating for the customer. With this integration the computer system tells them who they are talking to, their account number and what the call is regarding. This saves the customer care representative a lot of time in having to ask for account information and potentially typing this information in incorrectly.
This software even connects the individual with the different company’s that handle the account. This includes the billing department, credit card application websites and card activation sites. These sites are the actually client sites, not part of the telephony system but can be accessed via telephony. These sites are already logged into; include lists and easy to use screens that have been created for the singular use by the customer care representatives. This allows the representative to do a lot for the customer without having to call customer service and transfer the customer to the client.
This being said there are some things that the customer service representative can not do. For these things it becomes necessary to transfer the customer to the client’s dedicated customer service representative. This can be done through telephony and allows the representatives a moment to share information before the customer is transferred over. This allows for the dedicated representative to have the information on hand, does not waste the customer’s time and overall creates a smoother flow. This makes for happier customers and happier clients.
With the integrated phone and computer, a lot can be done and done quickly. This helps to reach more people, provide better service for the client and create a better work environment. Things like this are things that people who started the first call centers only dreamed of and now it is being implemented for waste eliminated reasons and better customer service reasons.