Call Centre Voice over IP

Cost Savings for Customer Contact and Distributed Call Centres

Voice over IP can be implemented to provide significant cost savings for customer contact and distributed call centres without any need for network changes. VoIP customer contact is a realistic option with the continued improvements in IP technology.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) allows users to make low cost untimed calls via the Internet using a broadband connection. With increased connection speeds the reliability and quality of VoIP calls continues to improve.

Multisite Connections

VoIP is particularly pertinent where callers need to be connected with agents who are spread across multiple sites, located in remote offices, or are home-based. It's also beneficial where a call centre experiences continual changes such as agent relocation, or seasonal fluctuations in agent numbers.

By unifying voice and data networks, VoIP can also reduce costs. The unified system means smaller hardware requirements and consequently reduced operational costs via maintenance and administration.

VoIP Flexibility

Voice over IP allows a great degree of flexibility for the call centre network with the options for agent mobility enhanced. Also IP technology can be introduced without major changes to current telephony infrastructure such as PBX and ACD systems.

Web administration is commonly used to allow supervisors and managers to configure the system.

VoIP Gateway

The VoIP router/gateway converts the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) voice and data information to IP.

The analog audio signals are translated into packets of digital data which are transmitted through the Internet and reconstructed and converted back to voice at the receiving end.

VoIP phones which can either be a handset similar to the usual landline handset, but connecting with the terminal or PC via ethernet, or a softphone where the user dials via an application on the PC.

VoIP originated calls can also be terminated at a standard landline handset via PSTN.

VoIP Savings

As VoIP connections between the primary call centre and remote agents are often not charged cost savings can be significant. An company with offices or agents in different parts of the country can enjoy calls between sites for free or at local call rates.

Since IP technology can be incorporated without changes to the overall infrastructure, the introduction of VoIP makes economic sense in a large number of cases. New enterprises should also consider VoIP as the setup costs can also be significantly less than the PSTN alternative.

Reduced maintenance and administration are also factors in the cost effectiveness of VoIP. X-on VoIP can be incorporated into existing call centre facilities, either handling all connections or used in a call centre overflow situation where calls need to be directed to alternative methods of answering via the most cost effective route.