I have been tasked with merging 3 internal departments into one call centre. 2 of these primarily make outboud calls and the other department makes inbound calls. Can anyone please give me sone advice on how to set up this call centre?
Thanks

Karen,
If you can answer a few questions about your project, we may be able to better assist you.
1. What is the purpose of merging these 3 departments? Reduced headcount? Some economies of scale? Are they now going to report to a single person, instead of three?

2. What are the three types of calls being made? Are the two outbound functions similar? Are the inbound calls related to or driven by the outbound component? Can a single agent be trained to be blended into the outbound/inbound mix?

3. What type of technology are you using? An ACD, and what kind? Predictive dialing for the outbound component? Can a single piece of on site technology be utilized to manage and report on all call types? Will your system support each call type on a single platform?

4. Are the quality and productivity measurements for each call type similar enough to create a single QA and performance matrix? Do the people talking with your customers possess skills and training within a fairly narrow band?

Glad to add what I can with a little more info.
Brent

Hello Karen,

Their are several key areas where our Agent Focus solution can make this transition period simpler.
At this time of change you are going to have the highest levels of inefficiency within your call centres. Your agents will take time to adjust to unfamiliar systems, lost time will become a factor and misuse of systems by agents is possible.
Agent Focus can help you assess how long an agent takes on a new application, identify which of your systems is most efficient and measure the number of input errors and number of help requests.
Agent Focus can tell you exactly which software is being actively used in which call centres and allow you to manage the costs associated with unused software as well as deter misuse of systems. Agent training needs can also be easily identified.

Feel free to contact me any time.
Regards,
Kevin

I'd add to Brent's comments that knowledge of the call mix ratio would also be useful - is it 1/3 to 2/3 or are the calls different lengths, different volumes, etc. Also, how peaky is the inbound traffic?

Would be delighted to take this offline and try to help you sort this out. Drop me a line.

Duncan

duncan.henry@tangent-telecom.com

Hi Karen,

I have some solutions for your internal call centre that will mean reducing the number of lines needed for both inbound and outbound and also allow unlimited capacity for lines, voicemail, IVR as well as lots more functionality including
a free audit on all your incoming voice, e-mail and web to compare to other competitiors

Regards

Shaun Sen
Director
XRL Communications Ltd
shaun.sen@xrl.co.uk