Business gears-uo for 24-hour access with telecoms technology

The telephone can be used by anyone regardless of age, education or background. By harnessing today’s telecommunication’s technology, organisations can create sophisticated response systems that manage large volumes of enquiries and help organisations deal with each individual caller in the most effective and appropriate manner.

What Are The Problems Facing Businesses Today?

Many companies handle thousands of calls each week, often from callers who do not have English as a first language. This can lead to misunderstandings and frustration for both the caller and operator. Today, advances in announcement and call processing systems mean that they can be pre-programmed with messages in several languages according to the ethnic mix of the region. This enables callers to navigate through different levels of messages until they reach someone with the skills – and the right language – to handle their enquiry.

Such systems off-load callers who do not require a human interface to an audio text service, again delivering information in the caller’s own language.

Introducing New Technology Does Not Mean Sacrificing Existing Systems

Call announcement and processing systems, such as Interalia’s, can be connected to virtually any telephone system and does not mean sacrificing an organisation’s current technology or rebuilding the entire telephone system. Instead, an organisation can simply add on the technology to increase the functionality of the existing network. In this way the systems not only preserve the initial investment made in the telecommunications equipment but enable organisations to gain extra value from their systems.


What is available?

There is a range of products on the market suitable for organisations of any size providing solutions from entry-level systems to bespoke applications. Such production can be used alongside or incorporated into Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems, a call processing applications using Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF). Many systems offer extremely cost-effective processes for voice messaging and call processing solutions.

Digital voice announcers give organisations a simple and effective way of providing pre-recorded information to callers, thereby freeing valuable personnel for other tasks. Single Line Announcers can play one or two stored messages through a single-announcement channel. Others have the capacity to store up to nine different messages and play back through 2 or 3 announcement channels and can time and date stamp the message so that the unit will automatically play different messages according to the time of the call. These are particularly useful for businesses wishing to provide information on opening times and facilities, e.g. overseas customers.

At the top of the range there are systems that have the capacity to run sophisticated call management programmes. These are used with great success for multi-tasking. For example, British Waterways uses Interalia’s XMU system for its visitor centre, and a leisure centre in Romsey, Hampshire uses the system to support reception staff who were under great pressure trying to simultaneously handle telephone and face-to-face enquiries.

These systems can bring financial and productivity benefits to numerous organisations. Frequently used as the first point of contact between customer and their service provider, phone information lines can become clogged at high points of demand whether through seasonal variations or due to specific incidents. A communications company, for example, could experience an increase in enquiries at certain times of the year in response to specific marketing initiatives. Systems, such as Interalia’s, not only mean organisations can cope with such changes in demand but ensure all callers get the information they require whatever the strain on resources.

Products can play a key part in an organisation’s communication strategy. Major information campaigns can be pre-loaded and implemented easily and efficiently across diverse locations at the same time and on the same day. As the system can manage all callers and direct them to the best source of information, an organisation can concentrate on delivering their services.