Siemens HiPath ProCenter version 6.5 delivers both ‘presence’ and ‘real-time collaboration’ capabilities into the contact centre environment. Presence capabilities provide call centre agents with a visual indication of the availability of managerial, or specialist colleagues with a specific area of expertise, who can be brought in to resolve calls in real-time, by simply selecting the required icon on the agent’s desktop.
“First contact resolution is entirely dependant on the strong flow of information through an organisation,“ commented Martin Taylor, Business Consultant for CRM Solutions, Siemens Communications. “Organisations must therefore ensure that their call centre agents have the requisite skills, knowledge and resources to deliver seamless, end-to-end transactions to their customers. Applications that can enable an agent to instantly determine an information holder’s presence and availability when dealing with a customer query will therefore create real value.”
According to Siemens, the new presence and collaboration facilities deliver considerably increased levels of both customer and agent satisfaction by optimising the flow of information. With UK contact centres currently spending over £1.2bn each year on staff costs, the company’s presence facilities will also play a major role in reducing both initial agent training and staff churn/recruitment costs.
“Presence and availability facilities contribute to call-centre optimisation and should form an integral part of any organisation’s business strategy,” continued Taylor. “Applications that enable presence and availability will help to integrate an organisation and deliver organic growth through improved customer service,” he said.