Call centers have special telecommunications needs. In order to effectively run their business and manage their employees they need to be able to monitor when agents are available, average queue times, number of calls in queue, and service level in real-time in order to provide the highest quality service to their customers.



Most call centers have turned to call management systems to help them to manage and monitor their workforce effectively. These call management systems offer the ability to monitor real-time activities, such as those listed above, as well as do historical reporting on hold times, accepted calls, abandoned calls, etc. Both real-time and historical reporting are crucial to the ability for a call center manager to be able to effectively manage the success of his/her team.

In the past, these call management systems required that all agents log into the system on site, as these systems were linked directly to the traditional PBX system and could only be utilized on the premises. These restrictions were found to be far too limiting. They didn't allow the call center to take advantage of the cost savings available by implementing a home-based agent program.

Since the onset of VoIP telephony, the options of call management systems available have really expanded. Whether located in a centralized location or globally distributed, a well designed VoIP call management system can provide all of the real-time and historical reporting functionality previously only available on premise.

This new VoIP technology allows call centers the flexibility to run a home-based agent program, thereby reducing their costs. A manager in Utah can monitor and report on activities of an agent in Ohio as if they were sitting next to each other. A recent Frost and Sullivan research report (“The Hosted Model: Why it's Revolutionizing the Contact Center Industry”), compared the total cost of ownership for hosted VoIP services platforms to that of premise-based alternatives. According to Frost and Sullivan, a hosted platform will yield a 64% cost savings in the first year, 36% in the third year, and 23% in the fifth year.

While the cost advantages are clear, many call center managers are still skeptical about switching systems. A system change causes so much upheaval in an organization there is no wonder they are hesitant. But, in the long run, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

So, how do these VoIP call management systems work exactly? When a call is completed, these call records are fed directly from the VoIP service provider's switch into the call management system. Call events from the switch platform are fed directly into the call management systems ACD reporting tool. These call events represent the parts of the complete call detail record including call initiation, transfers, holds, and agent presence. Account information is transmitted to the emPulse ACD reporting system from the switch platform via the web services API.

The call center agent then logs into the application, via a web interface, and are presented with a browser-based dashboard that allows them to view the call events in real-time from the moment the call is initiated, through the queue process, and through call termination. The call center manager can view the status of an agent regardless of the geographic location of that agent. The call center manager is also able report on the historical agent activity regardless of the agent's geographic location. This makes managing a home-based agent a much easier prospect.

By adding a VoIP call management system to monitor call center agents, the call center is purchasing flexibility, free maintenance, and little to no replacement cost without sacrificing the functionality crucial to managing a call center effectively.