“The challenge for partners is to bring forward compelling benefits for end users while also presenting new revenue opportunities.
Investment in call management applications, when drawn against greater efficiency and improved control and measurement across a contact centre, offers long-term value that can cut the customers’ costs from the outset.
Network-based intelligent call handling solutions do not require expensive hardware installation or capital costs. Advanced contact centre functionality is achievable via a sophisticated suite of virtual management features, including routing and reporting to ensure a robust business delivery, while at a much lower cost than using traditional systems.
Partners can capitalise on these solutions - such as TalkTalk Business’ unique inbound proposition, Contact Manager - that offer clients easy access to call plans and statistics via a web portal. Placing ownership and easy management of calls into the hands of clients enables them to realise the cost savings and improved call connection and handling times they are achieving, while allowing partners to focus proactively on delivering other services for clients and developing opportunities to grow their business.”
Contact Manager enables the client to work smarter by measuring calls and performance across a multi-site team in one easy to manage online portal. Call centre managers are able to monitor and review operative’s calls for quality and consistency and assess the performance of staff by providing live statistics.
Remote and home working can also be embraced while not reducing work force productivity. It is important that resellers take the opportunity to raise awareness among their customers in how remote working not only introduces staff flexibility, but over a resilient and secure Next Generation Network can reduce office overheads and travel expenses.
Improved business continuity in times of peak call volume can be leveraged through solutions such as Contact Manager, with excellent potential for instant and urgent routing changes or call centre set ups such as emergency support lines across a multi-site network of landlines and mobiles. Jammed lines and long hold times can result in loss of sales and poor customer feedback, however instead of costly investment in additional permanent staff contracts to cover fluctuating demands on the contact centre, Contact Manager provides the scope for staff to work remotely and be available when and where they are required, giving a company the flexibility to scale up, or down, operations as necessary. This adaptable and scalable platform provides customers with comprehensive control.
TalkTalk Business’ portfolio of hosted inbound call management products, which is designed to support partners looking to explore new revenue opportunities in this market space, also includes Intelligent Call Control (ICC). ICC is a margin-rich, white label platform that can be customer branded as an own-managed solution. The easy-to-use self-serve portal provides small contact and call centres with the facility to manage all their inbound numbers and call handling services with an abundance of value-added features including single translations, divert plans, ratio plans, hunt groups, fax to email, virtual receptionist, scalable call queuing, call recording and Management Information (MI) reporting.
Hosted applications offer resellers the additional advantage of presenting customers with a ‘try before you buy’ approach, unlike onsite solutions that necessitate an immediate outlay that for many customers is currently out of the question. This allows customers the opportunity to assess the benefits before they commit long-term spend. For channel partners, the opportunity lies in providing customers with affordable, flexible call management solutions that can respond rapidly to changing market conditions and new ways of working.”