Contact Management Layer Infrastructure

This layer is responsible for effective contact treatment and management, ensuring that the contacts are delivered to the appropriate skilled resources.

Voice Skills Routing
As detailed above, we use the Avaya ACD system which can queue and distribute calls to our agents in a variety of configurations. The system can also be programmed to handle skills based routing within the local centre, in conjunction with the CLI capability outlined below.

We are currently working with BT Ignite to enable intelligent routing of calls across alternative call centres with whom we have entered into partnership arrangements across Europe. This will give us access to native speakers in predefined centres (thereby enabling us to manage multilingual contracts) and also provides another strategic option in terms of backup and redundancy.

CTI / CLI
Our systems can mange CLI to enable quick access to customer details for the agents. We have an entry level CRM system provided by Avaya to which the CLI system is linked and we have resources available (see Systems Integration Teams below) to enable us to interface the CLI with the Contact Management Software or CRM system deployed on our various projects.

At a basic level the incoming line information is trapped at the Avaya switch and can be picked up by a basic software module and although much depends on the openness or flexibility of the application concerned, we feel that this information can successfully be relayed to most CRM systems.

Queuing and Blended Services.
Our Avaya software has queue management systems providing real time statistics on queue status in terms of average holding times, number calls in queue etc. These are available to Team Leaders and Managers whom can calibrate the manpower to respond quickly to limited fluctuations in volumes.

We have not currently deployed an IVR based project (and blended service) and while the capability is available, we would need to evaluate this with each client circumstance.

Outbound Calling Technology
Merit does not use predictive diallers on its outbound campaigns. Instead we favour preview / power dialers and we have integrated our PC based dialing modules on to various applications and projects.
This allows for increased efficiency in the calling volumes whilst leaving control with the agent thereby providing a balanced solution which can be effectively deployed in both B2C and B2B campaigns.

The dialer and the client data records are integrated providing a nicely self contained environment for handling and recording all aspects of the telemarketing efforts. This environment while efficiently aiding the agent’s efficiency is also use to compile crucial campaign statistics which are further augmented by telephone based system reports.