For instance, with a number of flavours of MS-Windows and other network software options available, the first point above is especially important. And even within a specific networking software product the implementation can often differ in terms of protocols used, regional settings etc. which in turn can affect the manner in which the application is handled.
In our transfer process (see additional documents on project transition) we will conduct a detailed study on the clients IT configuration and replicate this as far as possible in the offshore environment. We will ensure that our network software, firewall configuration and client PC’s are aligned to the clients UK setup. Even if this means purchasing additional hardware (& software licences). Incurring this initial expense is often the most cost effective and reliable solution in the long run - even if that expenditure runs to five figure sums. This tends to be easier to implement and if the clients IT department is experienced with handling local support on a given configuration, they will be better able to assist our IT teams in the long run.
As well as using our dedicated programming and systems integration (SI) teams we have additional dedicated IT support available to manage the application maintenance. We have one IT engineer to every 80 workstations in addition to dedicated telecoms engineers and the SI team.
CMS Capabilities
Merit Infotronics can manage a range of CMS options and we have commercial experience with desktop applications such as ACT, Goldmine and Telemagic etc to assembled MS-Access or Client Server apps as we as web based systems such as provided by Salesforce.com.
Our IT staff have extensive experience with the off-the-shelf solutions while our dedicated systems integration teams have the programming capacity to handle bespoke or tailor made systems around the major databases SQL, Oracle on web server (or thin client WAN) platforms.
While we have the capability to deploy a variety of solutions, each client will require a systems plan to ensure that we understand and can deliver the technological requirements on which most call centre services depend. This planning process will also deal with licensing, deployment and security issues.
Automation Capabilities
Automation capabilities are heavily dependent on specific projects. We can of course implement simple email handling automation not just with automatic reply’s but also using programmable interfaces to outlook / exchange which will allow us to handle email in a more sophisticated manner. E.g. getting the sender to put their customer number in the subject line makes it easy to trap and distribute that email to the relevant agent.
Using our programming resources we can build more advanced workflow into the client CRM system to automate simple process like emailing/faxing a brochure, application form, standard letter etc. Again the level of sophistication required will vary depending on the project and on the CRM system, but we have sufficient expertise in Merit to examine every process and suggest re-engineering options which will make the maximum use of practical technology. This in turn will increase our efficiency giving us more time to devote to clients or the ability to handle higher call volumes. |
