Display Boards
1 Jan, 2003
By: Rhonda C. ProctorAs readerboard systems become more sophisticated and provide more integration with call center tools beyond the ACD, one of the emerging trends is to use the displays to deliver necessary information to agents as quickly as possible. In addition to basic call statistics, centers are now displaying information from workforce management and help desk systems. Systems today can integrate with multiple hosts and can display other vital information to manage call center business, including trouble ticket/help desk statistics and industry specific information such as stock quotes for investment banking organizations or flight information for airline reservations centers. Some centers even display information databases unique to their business like sales volumes and employee performance.
The trend to make more information more readily available has surfaced with two key product innovations:
1. Desktop Displays: The advent of the desktop display has been the biggest change in display technology in the past five years. It has been driven by the need to communicate more information more quickly to everyone in the center. The desktop display or "soft readerboard" as it is often labeled, allows call centers to communicate agent specific information in real time, and are often used as communication tools in situations where traditional readerboards are not practical. For example, in large centers where agents are physically spread throughout a facility, or where there are barriers to visibility, this option has been increasingly viewed as a powerful device. These displays also provide an inexpensive solution for updating off-premises managers on the daily call center operations.
A key advantage of the soft readerboard is that centers can customize a desktop display that meets their specific needs, and n most cases; this technology can be implemented for less money than the traditional readerboards.
2. Integration through TCP/IP Communications: One trend of significant impact is the power of TCP/IP communications in display technology that allows connectivity to numerous host systems. In the area of the LED readerboards, the newer, smaller computer processing capabilities have TCP/IP connections to allow the displays to be tied in directly to the customer''s network infrastructure. This capability provides simpler installation and allows displays in multiple remote locations to be easily controlled from a single site. Other capabilities of the displays include the ability to play .wav files and to support custom graphic images.
In addition to displaying information on desktops and readerboards, the most capable display systems have the ability to send real-time information to web pages, TV/plasma displays, email destinations, and wireless devices (pagers, PDAs, and cell phones). This adds a whole new dimension to the importance of the displays used in integrated communications.
In a nutshell, there have been quantum leaps in display system technology in the past three years that have not been fully digested by the industry. In the future you will likely see call centers starting to take advantage of the wide variety of communications tools available. We now see centers that employ a broad mix of display technologies including TVs, readerboards, desktop displays, and wireless devices. Technology is now being used to deliver the best possible solution for a given area, call center group, or application. In most cases these applications will be highly customized and effective solutions for a given center - not cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all system.
