Call Center Software | The Specialty Answering Service Blog

Learn about voicemail infographic.

Nick D. — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 15:45:30 +0000

Voicemail is a digitally recorded message stored in a digital mailbox – a best friend to all people who screen their calls and actively avoid their friends and family. If you call anyone, one of two things are going to happen: the call will be answered by a human being, or you’ll be transferred to a voicemail box. But that wasn’t always the case. Before 1970 when voicemail didn’t exist, trying to reach someone who wasn’t there meant waiting on the line while it kept ringing, and ringing, and ringing. Endlessly. And you were all like ‘I know you’re there. Pick up. Pick up. PICK UP!’ But they never did. Thanks to voicemail, someone is always there. Even if it’s a digital someone.

For businesses, voicemail is a cheap lead capture tool. Think about how many calls your business gets during the day. Now imagine not having voicemail (or *cough*, a live receptionist *ahem*) and leaving potential customers waiting on the line, wondering when, or if, you’re going to pick up. Not cool.

Today, there are a ton of voicemail providers out there that basically all perform the same function: storing recorded communication for convenient retrieval. In this infographic, we’ll school you on how voicemail works, when voicemail was introduced, how voicemail messages are digitally stored, how voicemail is a part of Unified Communications, and how AI voice to text voicemail transcription services are replacing having to listen to your messages.

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Call Recording Software Infographic

Nick D. — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 11:30:05 +0000

You know the phrase. “For quality assurance, your call may be monitored or recorded.” Those words ring out millions of times a day as consumers contact businesses for customer service and support. But how about this – call recording started out in the air traffic control industry after the invention of magnetic tape. Who knew!

Today, call recording is a hugely important piece of the compliance puzzle, especially for industries that are extremely regulated, such as finance and insurance. And call recording in telephone answering services is a great way to check up on agents and evaluate their performance, while simultaneously providing the call center with a legal buffer.

Here’s an infographic we put together to help you learn about the basics of call recording software.

Read our extended resource to learn more about the history of call recording and the answering service industry.

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Infographic: Interactive Voice Response – A Call Center’s Best Friend

Nick D. — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 12:30:30 +0000

When you call your TV service to find out why cable is on the fritz and hear, “For Service, say ‘Service,’ or press 1,” that’s Interactive Voice Response or IVR for short. Basically, IVR allows a combination of voice and keypad responses to get callers where they want to go. IVR makes it super easy for call centers to filter calls and route them to the appropriate person or department. It can also do a lot on its own so that the caller doesn’t always need to be transferred (think account balances, paying bills, etc.). But outside of the call center environment, it isn’t necessarily well-liked.

Despite the ubiquitous nature of IVR, much like a technological pariah, IVR is shunned by many consumers. But IVR is not going away anytime soon. The goal is to develop IVR in such a way that makes it a plus instead of a minus. Here’s a great infographic giving you a glimpse into the history and evolution of Interactive Voice Response!

Read our extended resource to learn more about how IVR works and how it’s used by call centers.

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Infographic: ACD software provider review.

Nick D. — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 12:30:05 +0000

Did you ever wonder how your customer service calls are instantly transferred to the right person or department, and all you have to do is say a word or two? Behold the magic of Automatic Call Distribution, or ACD for short.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, including call center operators. Let’s say that Alberto is great with billing, Charlie is a technical support wizard, and Danielle is the master of sales. ACD systems, in conjunction with Interactive Voice Response, ensure that you reach the operator who can best serve your needs. They are an invaluable tool for call center success. We’ve outlined ACD basics below and compared the 4 most popular providers.

ACD’s reporting capabilities can analyze call patterns, take stock of operators’ performance, help call centers figure out how many people to have on shift at any given time, and more! Sure, these systems will see to it that your call is transferred to the right person – but they are also designed to answer certain questions with the use of a call attendant, giving operators a little breathing room. With less hold times, calls are handled lickety-split, customers are happier, and agents waste less time managing simple queries. Who knew all of that power was packed into 3 little letters?

If you’re looking for more information beyond what our infographic can offer, check out the full ACD provider comparison here.

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Infographic: Agent assisted automation.

Nick D. — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 12:25:32 +0000

The job of a virtual assistant is never easy. Imagine dealing with hundreds of calls a day, often for similar issues, and having to repeat yourself over and over. It would be maddening. That’s where Agent Assisted Automation comes in – using pre-recorded audio, desktop integrations and tools to make an operator’s life easier. The infographic below will give you the scoop!

Technology is great – but no matter how advanced, an answering service is only as good as the people manning the phones. Agent Assisted Automation gives agents every opportunity for successful call handling by putting all of the necessary resources at their fingertips. Transactions are smoother, agents have less to stress about, and callers are happier – which means a healthier bottom line for your business!

If you run your own call center, love call centers, or are just a telecommunications nerd and are interested in learning more than what our infographic can offer, please check out our extended resource on agent assisted automation.

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Infographic: Learn about dialog systems.

Nick D. — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 13:00:53 +0000

80s Flashback: Knight Rider. If you remember the show, then you’ll remember KITT, the car that could talk to its driver, Michael Knight. Was that a dialog system? Quite possibly.

A dialog system is an automated computer-based system that can talk with a human being, much like another human being would talk. It’s like when you call your bank and ask to speak with a representative. The computer can’t understand you. It says, “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite get that. Can you please repeat your request?” You say it again, and nothing. By this point, you are screaming. Finally the system tells you that it’s going to transfer you because the English it knows isn’t the English you are speaking. So much for their natural language processor.

Dialog systems are widely used in contact centers. Their job is to automate some of the tasks that humans are responsible for, while being just as responsive to the customers’ needs. Trained dialog systems essentially eliminate the need for menu-based IVR systems, and they are also a brilliant solution for decreasing human workload! That’s something every contact center agent can appreciate.

Use the infographic below to learn a more about dialog systems. For extended information, please see our complete paper about dialog systems and their applications in the call center industry.

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Infographic: Learn about IVR and compare the best providers.

Nick D. — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 18:54:50 +0000

Love the simplicity of calling your bank whenever you want and getting your account information from an automated teller rather than having to wait for assistance from a live operator? The ease of automation is brought to you by Interactive Voice Response, or IVR, which allows computers to interact with the human voice.

IVR has a slew of benefits for callers as well as the call center, such as reduced hold times and the ability for customers to manage their own transactions 24 hours a day. In addition, it can reduce the number of live operators necessary at any given time, leading to a decrease in an answering services overall operating expenses.

If you are considering investing in an IVR system for your own small business, we’ve done a side-by-side comparison in this infographic. Our pros and cons guide can get you started. For extended information, please see our full comparison of IVR providers in our telecommunications library.

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Infographic explaining what is PBX.

Nick D. — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 14:31:45 +0000

The advent of the Private Automatic Branch Exchange, PABX or PBX for short, brought an end to the need for switchboard operators and manual cord circuit connections.

PBXs enabled intercommunication between central office lines at an organization with a large number of telephones, and connected outgoing calls to the PSTN via trunk lines. PBXs were advantageous for their cost savings aspect. With shared access to a company’s telephony resources, there was no longer a need for individual PSTN lines for each user.

Eventually, cool features such as voicemail, call waiting, and three-way calling were added. Then, when the technology went digital, we got call forwarding, conference calling, caller ID, and more. Every time you bail when you see your mother in law’s number pop up on your phone, you can thank your lucky stars that PABX affords the luxury of call screening!

PBX makes it possible for you and your coworkers to communicate with ease (perhaps a negative), saves money (definitely a positive), and can help you steer clear of your pesky in-laws and exes, and a whole cluster of other people you do your best to avoid (major bonus). It’s pure genius.

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10 benefits of using IVR systems.

Nick D. — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:35:46 +0000

If you like robots, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is the most affordable business receptionist. Take a look below at the top 10 ways IVR can strengthen your customer care and save you money. If done right, implementing an IVR keeps everyone happy: robot people get robots, people people get live answering service love.

It’s personalized. Just because your callers are hearing a recording and not a live operator, doesn’t mean it can’t be personal. Record any sort of personalized greeting you want, and include the appropriate prompts to transfer callers to the corresponding department.
It’s error-free. If you have a receptionist answering your calls, there’s a good chance that in the hundreds of calls received daily, a couple of them will wind up in the wrong place. With an IVR auto attendant, the customer is responsible for where they are going.
Not everyone wants to talk to a real person. Some customers would prefer to get the answers they need by interacting with a recording rather than speaking to a live person. Giving customers what they want keeps them happy!
It increases productivity. Routing callers to the perfect department or staff member to address their issues means that less time is spent conferring with colleagues to find the right answer or transfer the caller around until they get what they need. The less time you spend trying to figure stuff out, the more people you can help.
Calls are resolved on the first attempt. When a caller is routed to the best employee to service their needs, questions are often answered and problems are resolved on the first try. That equates to satisfied customers and a more efficient customer service department.
It increases inbound call capacity. If your business uses IVR to direct callers, then more calls can be answered simultaneously. With traditional reception, there would be a flurry of please holds or funky hold music while customers awaited transfer. IVR allows for a higher call volume because customers transfer themselves!
Some people want to talk to a real person. While some customers aren’t interested in talking, others insist on it. Using IVR places callers in queue until the specified agent or department is free. It also gives callers the option to have their call returned rather than wait on hold. This small convenience has a big impact.
It can make your company look bigger than it is. IVR creates the illusion that your company is so huge, one receptionist couldn’t possibly manage your call volume. It contributes to a professional image, especially if you are working in a 3 person office!
It cuts down on answering service talk time. If you are using frontend IVR with your answering service, then giving callers the opportunity to service their own needs or promptly transfer themselves to the right person reduces the cost of operator talk time.
It’s affordable. IVR eliminates the need for additional reception staff, and its low cost means a higher ROI. That’s something every business owner will love!

Want to know more about pairing frontend IVR with SAS’ live receptionist services? Give our Sales team a call at 1-888-532-4794, or send us an email!

Want to know more about IVR? Check out our infographic on The Voder, the first electronic voice synthesizer. Without which, IVR wouldn’t be possible.

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Infographic explaining queueing theory.

Nick D. — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 14:33:30 +0000

Do you like waiting in line? If you said yes, then we seriously question your judgment. The fact is that no one we know likes waiting in line. Whether you’re loitering around the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney, or camping outside of Best Buy at 3 a.m. on Black Friday hoping to score a 60-inch flat screen TV for 10 bucks, waiting in line is seriously annoying. Waiting on hold is equally annoying. Queueing Theory is not.

ueueing theory can be described as the mathematical study of waiting in lines, or queues. It originated with Danish engineer, Agner Krarup Erlang when he created models to define the Copenhagen telephone exchange. Since that time, queueing theory has been applied to such areas as the telecom industry, traffic engineering, computers, and architectural design.

Queueing is comprised of single or multiple server queues. It’s often used in call centers to assist with performance management, agent scheduling, and overall call efficiency to ensure customer satisfaction. Then there’s all of this other technical stuff like Erlang models, Kendall’s notation, and a slew of other mechanics that there is just no need for us to go into here. That’s why we created the infographic that you’re about to peruse.

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