CTI – Adding Extra Value to the Customer Service Center Solutions

John Smith, a busy man holding corner office in his organization had an issue with a product he bought from an online store. He called the company’s customer service center and reached a representative who systematically recorded all the relevant details and within minutes resolved his issue. He hung up feeling thrilled and swore to maintain his business with them forever. Millions of customers like Smith end up being immensely flattered by the prompt customer service. Thanks to all the latest techniques and advancements that triggers the system to perform more efficiently than ever. There are multiple determinants that decide success of a call center technology. One of the contributing reasons is efficient CTI (Computer telephony Integration) plug-in.

What is CTI?

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) refers to the process of linking computer software with telephone systems to answer calls, add edit and provide data, route calls to specific department and escalate calls to other agents/managers/Supervisors. At a customer service center, CTI provides a screen pop, allowing caller’s information to appear on the agent’s console (application). “Things have become so much easier. I get to know about the caller even before I answer the call, Its amazing! We resolve most of the cases quickly. We are happy and our customers are happier!” says a delighted Customer Service Representative of a US based mega online store’s call center.

CTI also stands for Customer’s Time is Important!- It’s all about Enhancing Customer Experience

CTI is one of such value added services for a customer service center implementation (CRM Solution) that has become potentially decisive differentiator in today’s complex marketplace. The global market for System Integration is projected to reach $339.68 billion by 2017, according to Global Analysts Inc. The contemporary system integration market is driven by the need to integrate multiple application/system capabilities influenced by a modern approach. As per a study done by AT&T, 27 percent of customers who cannot get through to a company’s 800 number buy elsewhere or skip the transaction entirely. An effective CTI directly correlates with an acknowledged Customer Experience. Delivering undisputed customer experience has become the prime intent of any business.

One of the fast growing system integrator is NebuLogic Technologies based out of Plano, Texas. The Customer centric approach coupled with the relentless pursuit to deliver the highest quality of solutions has made NebuLogic an undisputed partner of choice for many fortune 500 companies worldwide. “It is an honor and a very humbling experience to note that our solutions are being used by thousands of service and sales professionals who are providing round-the-clock services to 30+ million citizens,” explains Nivas Nallanthi, Chairman and CEO, NebuLogic Technologies. The IT company has deployed more 100 customer service center solutions in different business verticals.

How Does it Work?

Computer Telephony Integration results in screen pop which provides customer information to agents, enabling them to deliver the comprehensive customer service experience.

“When the call is presented to an agent, specific customer data is obtained from the caller’s IVR interaction, from internal or external databases, or from third party CRM providers. The information goes through NebuLogic Cloud Application Development Framework (NCADF ®), which facilitates the process of Data management. CTI creates a superior interaction where the customers are not asked to repeat information as and when their call is transitioned from automated systems to agents or when their call is transferred from one agent to another.”, Says Nivas, according to whom, CTI is the most critical value add service for any customer service center solution.

Presently, majority of CTI applications are being built for call centers. While handling inbound or outbound calls, agents often use desktop computers to enter information. A typical call center takes care of hardware and software requirements from different sources like: public and private networks; voice switches; automatic call distributors; computer hardware and software; specialized CRM application from software suppliers; components such as CTI, IVR, voicemail systems; Email, Chat & Fax configuration with the application and other miscellaneous things.

Some of the major functions of CTI Application for call center are as follows:

Intelligent Transfer.

If a caller has too complex issue to be resolved within IVR and needs human help, the CTI system uses information collected through IVR and transfers the call to the suitable department or perhaps to a particular customer service representative familiar with the caller’s account. When the agent answers the call, customer’s complete information entered through IVR is already on the agent’s desktop screen, eliminating the need for the agent to collect required information to resolve the issue.

Intelligent Call Routing.

Calls can be routed to specific department or agents based on the call’s ANI (Automatic Number Identification) or DNIS (Dialed Number Identification Service) information. CTI is clearly a powerful tool for highly efficient call-center based CRM solutions.

Synchronized Voice/Data Transfer.

This function forwards onscreen information at the same time a customer’s call is transferred. If the call is transferred from one agent to another department or supervisor, the call and the data- including any updated information is forwarded too.

Intelligent Answering.

This function uses ANI information from the telephone networks that provides the billing directory number associated with the caller. Here’s how it works: When a customer calls at the call center, the telephone number is passed to a computer. The computer looks up the number in its database and identifies the caller if the details are already present in the database. The computer then accesses the customer’s previous record and passes it on to an agent and the voice call is put through to that agent. Everything happens in a split second. The agent receives all the information of the caller as soon as she/he answers the call. In a bustling call center such automation can considerably increase productivity and encourage the trend of First Call Resolution (FCR) among the agents. It can also enhance the quality of service given to a customer.

Advantages of CTI

CTI is an important tool that can propel a company above mediocre customer service standards into delivering unbeatable customer experience through:

• Improved Customer Experience: The automated routine processes improve efficiency and allows agents to focus on the customer’s need.
• Getting most out of existing technology investments: When agents get instant access to history of the caller’s case, it gets easier for them to recommend best products and assist customer in a better manner. CTI pulls data from a disparate source and presents the data to the agent in an assembled fashion, making it easier for the agent to pitch for sales or resolve an issue.
• Minimized agent training time and costs: Agents’ training time and costs can be reduced as CTI streamlines the entire process.

CTI is clearly a powerful tool for any highly efficient and busy call center. The overall upsurge in productivity that technology is providing is making the business processes more prevailing with every single day. The unyielding customer service is important for not only customer service divisions but also for the corporations in a long run.