Sunday 6 January 2013

Ethical Call Queuing

Ethical Call Queuing Guidelines


• Don't compromise on your solution; pick the best system for your business, that takes into consideration your amount of lines and number of call agents. If this differs throughout the year, i.e. you have periods of time where call influxes are much greater you can deploy scalable or part time solutions. 
• Don't pick a basic solution should you estimate any sudden growth spurts in your business, by overestimating your needs now you will save on missed calls when the time comes. 
• Don't pick a call solution purely to keep customers on the line and out of pocket - most customers can sense when they are being taken advantage of. 
• Put yourself in the customers' shoes and think realistically, how long would you be prepared to wait before putting the phone down? 
• The higher amount of calls you receive the more complex the solution, fact. Don't scrimp just because you want to save money- lost customers = lost profit.



IVR

IVR solutions enable callers to guide themselves to the relevant department, giving vital snippets of information to an automated voice system - freeing up agent time and keeping calls short and to the point.

Making Calls Faster And Easier Using Auto Dialer

In case you are considering ways of making your calls faster and easier, you can consider the auto dialer. This automated predictive dialer helps in placing calls, by dialing the numbers on your behalf, and thus helps in managing the calling list.
In case you are considering ways of making your calls faster and easier, you can consider the auto dialer. This automated predictive dialer helps in placing calls, by dialing the numbers on your behalf, and thus helps in managing the calling list.

In case you are requested to call back at some other time, you can consider setting the call back and the dialer will place the call automatically at the specified time. Furthermore, the dialer can detect busy signals, answering machines, and disconnected numbers.

The automatic dialer is used particularly by companies that need to contact a large number of clients every other day from an available calling list. This solution comes in the form of either a software package that can be fitted on the personal computer or a hosted service which can be managed through the web.

The time needed to work the phone. Although email communication is a primary way of contacting prospects it is often necessary to contact the clients through the phone for purposes of establishing a meaningful relationship.

The automatic dialer uses a series of algorithms for the purpose of predicting called party answers and the availability of agents. The system adjusts the process of calling to the number of available agents and predicts when the calls that have been made will be answered. The system monitors the outcome of the placed calls and detects the responses of the made calls.

The system will discard unanswered calls, disconnected lines, busy numbers, answers from the answering machines, fax machines and other similar automated services. The automatic dialer connects calls that are answered by people to the waiting agents. This frees the agents from dialing manually telephone numbers and listening to unanswered and unsuccessful calls.

The system allows the agents to dramatically increase the time spend on communication as opposed to waiting. According to recent surveys, there has been an indication of increased talk time from 20 minutes within as hour to about 50. The automatic dialer is suitable for large number agents and low quality lists.

The auto dialer is often used by telemarketing companies. These companies use the dialer to enable agents to make more customer contacts. The systems can also be used by debt management services and market survey companies that need to get in touch and to speak personally to many people by phone.

Read more

Call Handling With Call Queuing

Improve Inbound Call Handling With Call Queuing and IVR


There may come a time in a fast growing business when the volume of call traffic far exceeds the capacity to answer, but before contacting recruiters or working out the price for additional phone lines, businesses must look to how Call Handling services such as Call Queuing or IVR can help solve their problems

72% of callers hang up when reaching a voicemail, so if your business is greeting callers with a busy tone or a messaging service then you are already missing out on potential sales and opportunities. Answering 100% of calls into your business is critical in ensuring that you tend to new business and build trust with returning customers.




With the right technology your organisation can attentively answer all inbound calls without increasing overheads.

Call Queuing

Businesses with peak seasons can often identify with the challenge of keeping up with fluctuating and increasing call volumes. Call Queuing can help any business struggling to answer the phones without the expensive need of hiring more agents - a Call Queuing system increases efficiency and keeps customers on the line.

Call Queuing often gets a bad rap but this is only seen negatively in the press, in fact there are hundreds of companies effectively deploying Call Queuing solutions that get the desired results. This is what we call in the contact centre world, 'Ethical Call Queuing'; ensuring that the system does enough to help your callers, and not frustrate or take advantage of them.

For example, studies show that when prompted and informed by a queuing system, customers are more likely to stay on the line. This could be by informing your customer of their position in the queue, or of their estimated wait time. Some 40% of customers have admitted to shouting or swearing at customer agents on the phone, by combating this early on and keeping wait times to a minimum, you can keep the customer and the agent happy.


As the average UK consumer spends 45 hours a year waiting on the phone it is crucial you provide a system that is there to benefit and help them. You therefore need a Call Queuing provider that will work with you on an individual basis.
Read more

Saturday 5 January 2013

DAS INTERFACE PANELS

TELECOM EQUIPMENTS
Telecommunications equipment for wireline, wireless and home networks, today announced that a Canadian regional wireless service provider, SaskTel, has successfully deployed Westell's new Distributed Antenna System (DAS) Interface Panels in its network. SaskTel is installing the 1900 model of the Westell DAS Interface Panel. This model is only one Rack-Unit (1RU) in height, making it a significant space saver, while covering the full Personal Communication Service (PCS) band.

Since installing the Westell panels, SaskTel has been able to significantly improve the network performance and the operational efficiency of the associated Distributed Antenna System. The Westell panels are installed between the base transceiver station (BTS) and the head end of the DAS, providing proper power levels for the downstream DAS equipment. The Westell 1900 DAS Interface Panel enables SaskTel to monitor and adjust both the "transmit" and "receive" power levels without disconnecting from the BTS or the DAS head end, keeping the DAS consistently up and running at required service levels.

"The Westell DAS panels were very simple to install and have measurably improved the performance of our DAS system," said Daryl Godfrey, Chief Technology Officer at SaskTel. "At a 1RU height, this panel design is clean and compact, which is critical since equipment space is at a premium in most DAS installations. Additionally, these panels are providing very low PIM levels and a larger range of adjustable attenuation - 0 to 50dB - than we had with our previous solution." PIM, or passive intermodulation distortion, must be low to ensure minimal interference and maximum performance of the BTS. 
    The Westell DAS Interface Panels are capable of handling up to 80 watts of input power into a single port from the BTS, and because they are environmentally hardened - with an operating range of -40 to +65°C - they may be used in both indoor and outdoor DAS installations.

Distributed Antenna Systems are increasingly being used by wireless service providers to create a small cell infrastructure that relieves the burden on the macro cellular network. Common deployment venues include stadiums, convention centers, hospitals and college campuses where smartphone use is particularly concentrated.

Why choose the Zinwave 3000 Distributed Antenna System (DAS)?

Zinwave's unique, patented 3000 Wideband Distributed Antenna System removes many of the traditional issues and considerations associated with delivering multiple RF services in buildings. It provides simultaneous support for any number or combination of cellular and other wireless services, enabling the addition of new services on demand without the need for costly and disruptive upgrades.
Unique Technology Expertise.

With patented technologies drawn from world-leading research groups at Cambridge University and University College London, Zinwave is the only company today that can utilise the full capability of existing multi-mode fibre (MMF) to propagate wideband wireless signals.

Zinwave's unique Active Wideband Distributed Antenna System (DAS) technology provides a unified wireless indoor coverage solution, enhancing wireless performance and eliminating the blindspots caused by structural interference. By transporting a wideband frequency range throughout the system without altering the signal Zinwave has the only active DAS system to offer true wideband over long distances using multi-mode fibre (MMF) or single-mode fibre (SMF).

Without Zinwave's technology, such coverage can only be achieved by expensive recabling of buildings using single-mode optical fibre, or implementing multiple in-building systems each with restricted spectrum or application capability.

In essence, a DAS can connect to a variety of wireless services and then rebroadcast those signals throughout the areas in which the DAS is installed. The sources can include cellular service from multiple wireless carriers, public safety radio frequencies, and WiFi. If your campus has a medical clinic or hospital, the special medical wireless systems it uses also can be supported.

 To better grasp how a DAS operates, it helps to know some of the methods by which wireless signals are propagated. Nearly all of us know what a cell tower looks like; well, each of those towers carries antennas for one or more macro cells (multiple carriers when there are “layers” of antenna arrays)
 . But a microcell covering a limited area may have its antenna or antennas placed on a tower or pole, or mounted on or in a building. Wireless carriers use microcells to add capacity in areas with a high density of mobile wireless device users. A picocell has an even smaller coverage area. A WiFi access point can be thought of as one type of picocell. In a DAS setup, any or all of these technologies may come into play.

There are also multiple alternative methods for obtaining the necessary signals from the carriers, including T1s or fiber cabling directly connected to wireless carriers' networks. However, the wireless signal from an existing wireless tower (macro cell) is one of the most common sources of obtaining the service “injection.” The signal of a public safety radio system (e.g., from local or campus police) also would be taken from the air via the nearest repeater for that system.
Read more

Distributed Antenna System

 Distributed antenna system  

Distributed antenna system offers prime solution for wider wireless coverage through the splitting of antennas in the necessary geographical area. Usually smaller antennas connected with CAT5, Fiber or Coax cables; replace a single antenna with higher power consumption. The installation of a distributed antenna system has more to offer over the conventional system. The entire process of installation needs to be carried out with a systematic approach. Understanding the necessity of components involved is essential to identify the required network architecture. In addition to this, factors like location of coverage, number of users, and aesthetic approach are important and service providers offer complete solution after survey of the site of the proposed installation.
 
  The distributed antenna system can also be configured on two prime parameters. The first one is the number of users and the latter is the geographical coverage. In fact, this service can support many wireless providers depending on the requirements. The best part of the installation is the customization factor. Usually, no two organizations have common requirements. Thus, opting for an ideal solution is easy and economical due to individual computation of requirements. Advantages of distributed antenna system are seamless and offer a reliable solution for all enterprise needs.
 Today's modernized milieu needs optimum wireless solutions to serve a large number of users. However, deployment of complete wireless solutions has various factors under consideration. Factors like business process orientation, structural constraints, area of coverage, and layout are important in deciding the scope of wireless solutions. The perfect installation begins with good planning and a survey. These processes help to understand the basic requirements and enable perfect computing of radio parameters. These parameters are crucial in delivering excellent performance. Usually outdoor wireless networking hardware is always vulnerable to hazardous climatic changes; good installations also need to consider the safety of hardware
. Wireless solutions are integrated to achieve objectives like service enhancements, cost reductions, and more opportunities to generate revenue. However, the entire process needs to be documented for clear vision. Some aspects like scalability, data security, thin clients, ease of use, portability of application, effective power management, and the least data transmission needs during the usual course of operation need to be considered and implemented. In some cases, your installation should have a provision for backward compatibility. Consideration of all these factors finally sums up to a state of the art networking solution. 

 “80% of all wireless traffic happens indoors but existing DAS solutions reach their capacity limitations and face operational challenges because of analogue distribution of the RF signal,” said Michael Frankle, CEO at Ubidyne. “With the Ubidyne digital DAS platform, system and antenna vendors can now upgrade their solutions to meet growing capacity demands. Already, countries such as the US, Korea and Japan and some European regions where LTE is being deployed and where mobile broadband traffic is growing exponentially, are running out of capacity in hot-spots.”

  DAS system can be connected with a high capacity small cell, also based on its platform architecture. Finally, the digital architecture enables future-proofed cooperative antenna solutions with distributed MIMO for high capacity hot-spots.
“A majority of operators are using distributed antennas in their mobile networks for coverage, and despite all the talk about using small cells to boost capacity in large venues, operators we interviewed believe DAS will remain a fundamental tool for malls, airports, stadiums and the like,” asserts Stephan teral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics at Infonetics Research, author of a recent survey which found that 80% of respondent operators currently use DAS in their cellular networks for coverage optimization.Wireless solutions are the only option available in today's dynamic world when you need to serve a large number of users.
Read more