Desktop Information Management
1 Sep, 2005
By: Christopher R. Capo,Duncan Temple,Matt SchwabelPart 1: Analysis and Resolution at the Desktop
Resolving incoming customer support calls is one of the greatest challenges that contact centers face on a daily basis. Effectively managing these help desk issues requires desktop information management and the ability to quickly analyze and remedy problems from remote locations. Proxy, from Funk Software, helps contact centers resolve these problems by allowing help desk technicians to remotely take control of a customer’s computer.
Even simple support issues can tie up contact center staff for lengthy periods of time when help desk experts must rely upon users to explain and then remedy a problem. Traditionally, any support call that couldn''t be resolved over the phone required a visit to the customer site—requiring added time and cost to send a technical representative. With customers today located around the globe, in-person visits spread thin the resources available to the contact center.
Proxy removes the need for many of those onsite service calls. When help desk technicians receive an incoming call they can''t remedy over the phone, Proxy allows them to take direct control of the caller''s computer, giving the technician access to the information necessary to assess the situation and apply the proper solution. With a few simple clicks, the problem can be resolved and the user can return to work. And for added security, Proxy enables call center managers to easily set permissions and limit who can see which machines depending on their access rights.
From the customer''s point of view, minor issues can become significant if not resolved quickly. Depending upon the business, unresolved issues can cause losses due to downtime of a critical application or resource, or inability to access important information. An efficient desktop management contact center needs to be able to offer a solution to any problem customers face as soon as possible.
Proxy, which has been chosen by thousands of customers, is an enterprise-class remote control solution that provides help desk technicians and contact center resolution specialists with fast and simple operation of desktops and servers over any network, Internet or dial-up connection.
Proxy improves the overall efficiency of a contact center by allowing help desk technicians to solve their customers'' problems faster and move on to the next caller who needs assistance. Customers are pleased to avoid the cost of an in-person visit and get back to their day.
Funk Software''s Proxy allows contact center managers to improve the ability of their team to assist with desktop information management calls. The tool brings the technicians into their user''s office without them having to physically set foot in the door. Proxy''s remote control capabilities give users the ability to quickly review the problem, make the proper assessment and give their customers the most efficient service possible.
Proxy is an essential tool for any help desk organization, permitting rapid resolution of computing problems and easy maintenance and monitoring of critical network devices.
Provided by Duncan Temple, Proxy Sales Manager, Funk Software.
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Part 2: Reporting Metrics in an Increasingly Complex World
In a simpler world, customers used the telephone when they needed to contact a company, their calls were handled by a traditional call center, and the performance of that center was measured by basic statistics, which often came directly from ACD reports.
The world has become more complex with more ways for customers and companies to communicate including email and web chat. Customers are demanding to interact via these alternate channels, and they are expecting a level of service that is too often going unmet. Part of the problem is that the shift from traditional call center to modern, multichannel contact center requires a shift in the way performance is measured.
Managing and improving performance in today’s contact center requires metrics that account for all contact channels (not just voice) and that provide a true picture of performance in relation to a company’s goals. This requirement calls for an enhanced set of metrics such as contact profitability and first contact resolution that are designed to better reflect how well the contact center is working. The challenge in implementing these advanced metrics is that they typically require calculations of data from many different sources. Given the variety of systems available, the solution is to use middleware to pull disparate sources of information into consolidated reports.
Inova LightLink™ is a powerful middleware platform from Inova Solutions which offers rapid integration to leading contact center systems through a library of off-the-shelf adapters. It is the core component of the Inova Performance Optimization Suite, a family of software developed to help companies capture and communicate real-time performance metrics. The robust integration capabilities of Inova’s middleware include easy-to-use tools to automate the calculation of even the most advanced metrics.
Reporting metrics with the Inova Performance Optimization Suite is simple and flexible. Metrics can be delivered via email or wireless devices or graphically displayed through desktop clients, web-based dashboards and a number of wallboard options including a multimedia communication solution. Additionally, the consolidated data can be written to an XML file or database to feed a company’s in-house or third-party reporting applications.
The automation and flexibility, and in turn the cost savings, offered by middleware make it an essential technology for successfully reporting metrics in an increasingly complex world.
Provided by Matt Schwabel, Marketing Director, Inova Solutions
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Part 3: Display the Possibilities
Dashboards Deliver Business Intelligence
Contact center management is faced with an overflow of information. Voice traffic, workforce management, help desk, email—how can your agents possibly keep up with the variety and quantity of contacts? High turnover in the agent population, new campaigns, multisite operations and remote agents are common in contact centers. Can a software solution provide value by making sense of this data overflow and delivering knowledge-based information to agents, management and senior staff?
Ultra View by Spectrum Corporation is a complete dashboard solution that allows for the integration of a variety of disparate voice and data. It has the ability to monitor, alarm and distribute valuable/actionable information to virtually any employee. By making statistics easily viewable from great distances, agents can receive quick and complete updates at a glance. By creating logic-based alarms and color-coded alerts, Ultra View can present real-time information that allows for greater control of voice traffic, handles queue spikes more effectively and provides senior management with a modern tool to display information to large audiences while maintaining costs.
Real-time data management solutions such as Ultra View are designed to make critical information available 24/7, enabling better return on agent investment and providing a showplace for investors and stock holders. Utilizing cutting-edge business intelligence encourages better dialogue with agents, allows for healthy competition and provides constant messaging to agent and manager.
With the overflow of disparate data, multiple contact points and the growing need for technology in the contact center, real-time dashboard solutions are essential. Agents can perform at higher levels if information is made available in a format that is easily viewed, has details that enable proactive decision-making, and alerts them to arising issues.
Provided by Christopher R. Capo, Business Development Manager, Spectrum Corp.
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Part 4: New Product Provides Instant Notification
Texas Digital Systems, Inc., a global provider of real-time visual alert communication solutions, has launched the QuickCOM Vitals Dashboard.
Using Dashboard, customers will be able to push automated data to 20,000+ desktop clients, providing each user or group of users with specific views designed exclusively for them. Supervisors will be able to monitor the queues and agents under their purview, with the ability to use embedded charts and gauges to create their own intuitive views. The program was designed to integrate with Microsoft’s Active Directory (AD), enabling Dashboard administrators to easily direct critical information to groups of users. For customers that do not utilize AD, Dashboard integrates with Windows NT Domain security. Additionally, customers may utilize Texas Digital’s proprietary security model, if preferred.
“Texas Digital is excited to add Dashboard to our line of products,” said Dennis Davidson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Dashboard offers a flexible yet powerful tool to distribute information quickly. And its enterprise-wide scalability allows Dashboard to expand with a company’s needs.”
Dashboard is comprised of several different Microsoft .NET Web Services that provide integration to QuickCOM, external databases, Active Directory, and the actual desktop clients. These Web Services may all reside on one physical server or on multiple servers, depending on the number of clients, the refresh rate of data, and the amount of data requested to be viewed on a client.
Dashboard views can be customized by role (agent, supervisor or manager) and can assign different levels of capabilities and views (charts, graphs and gauges) for users or groups of users. Because Dashboard is not tied to a particular PC address, users can access their custom Dashboard view from any PC they log into. Additionally, Dashboards can be displayed in any size, including full screen partial screen or even the taskbar, based on user needs.
Provided by Linda Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Sales for Texas Digital Systems, Inc.
