Focus on: Setting up for integrated inbound/outbound telemarketing

Editor's Note: This month's column is addressed by Tim Davis, president of Davis Software Engineering, Inc. (Dallas, Texas), a systems integrator specializing in design, implementation and installation of computer-telephony integration business solutions.

Q: Are there different types of inbound/outbound telemarketing?

A: Yes, today's telemarketing call centers may actually choose from three different types of inbound/outbound solutions.

The first type would include call centers that have definite groups of agents that are responsible for certain calls. One group makes the outbound calls and an entirely different group handles the inbound calls. This type of call center can handle both inbound and outbound calls, but it does not use call blending.

The second and third types of inbound/outbound call centers involve call blending and the "universal agent" - the agent who is trained to efficiently handle both inbound and outbound calls. A "typetwo" call blending call center may have its agent begin the morning taking inbound calls and then at a certain point during the day when call volume drops, agents are switched over to making outbound calls for the remainder of the day. If inbound call volume picks up again, agents can easily be switched back to handle incoming calls. This switch is considered a "hard" switch, where agents are manually assigned inbound or outbound calls based on statistical data involving call volume.

The next level of sophistication is the third type of inbound/outbound calling - the dynamic placement of an agent in and out of a queue based on the activity happening in the call center at any given moment. This type of call blending is considered a "soft" switch. When an outbound agent ends a call, the application software decides if it is more appropriate for the agent to continue to make outbound calls or if he or she should be switched to inbound calls to handle an influx of inbound traffic. This type of call blending is automatic and dynamic.

Q: How does the inbound/ outbound dynamic placement work?

A: In this scenario, the desktop application controls the state of the phone and the outbound/ inbound decision is determined by whatever system parameters have been put in place. For example, the application allows you to set up a logic structure that determines if an agent will be switched from outbound to inbound and vice versa. This structure may include information such as the number of calls in the queue, the average wait time for callers, the time of day, etc. If these certain predetermined parameters are met, the application automatically switches the agent from outbound to inbound.

Some applications go one step further by allowing for an agent who has been placed in the inbound queue to be switched back to outbound calling if a call does not come in after a certain amount of time. This feature provides an automatic safety check. For example, the call center may have been receiving calls at a certain frequency for the past two hours that indicated another agent should be added to the inbound group. All of the preset indicators determined that the switch from outbound to inbound was appropriate and therefore, the agent began to receive calls. After a few calls, inbound volume dropped. After the agent sat idly waiting in the queue for 20 seconds, the safety check feature took the agent out of inbound and put him back on the outbound end. This type of a call blending environment is truly dynamic and the application is constantly checking and evaluating the status and needs of the call center.

Q: How do I determine what inbound/outbound solution will work best for my call center?

A: You first have to determine what your needs are based on the particular work and history of the call center. If the call center's volume is constant and predictable, a "hard" switch call blending environment would probably be sufficient. For example, if all your data indicates that every day between the hours of 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. your call center has a large number of calls, then switching several outbound agents to inbound during those hours makes sense and works well.

If the needs of your call center are more dynamic, a "soft" switch approach, one controlled by a desktop application, may be a better solution. For example, if call volume spikes at random times, it may be easier and more efficient for an application to be continually monitoring the situation and dynamically placing certain agents in and out of an inbound calling queue.

Q: What type of structure should a call blending call center use to efficiently set up their universal agents?

A: A true inbound/outbound call blending telemarketing call center should have four rings of agents. The first ring consists of a core group of agents who do nothing but handle inbound calls. The ring around them should consist of agents whose primary responsibility is to handle outbound calls. But if the traffic gets heavy, these agents are the first to be switched into the inbound world. The third ring consists of outbound agents who will get switched to inbound only if there is some catastrophic inbound process occurring that your first two rings cannot handle. The fourth ring consists of all outbound agents. Q: What hardware issues do I need to keep in mind before switching my inbound call center to inbound/outbound telemarketing. A: It may sound obvious, but m before transitioning your agents to handle both inbound calls and outbound calls, make certain you have enough trunks available to accommodate the extra calls. Several of our clients and prospective clients have wanted to immediately take advantage of outbound calling, but have found to their surprise that they didn't have enough phone lines currently in place. As trunks became tied up with outbound calls, inbound callers were not getting through.

Also, don't forget to make sure you have your trunks set up to handle both inbound and outbound calling. An inbound-only call center may have signed up for trunks from the phone company's central office that handle only inbound calls. Make certain you not only have an adequate number of trunks, but that the trunks allow you to communicate in both directions.

A: Will I need to change my application software?

Q: That depends on what you currently have and what type of call blending you plan to implement. If you want to use the "hard" switch call blending solution, you probably will be able to add a single application to achieve the functionality you need. When you switch from inbound to outbound, you can just close one application and open the other.

If you decide that the "soft" switch or the dynamic approach is the call blending environment best suited for your needs, then you will need an application that can easily transition between the two functions. To do this well, your application must be able to totally control the state of the phone device. If it does not, you will have problems such as the phone device being put into an inbound state without the desktop being prepared to take another inbound call. Immediately after the call is completed, the phone will be in the queue for another call, unless the agent manually presses a call work button. This is difficult to control manually, but can be achieved easily by an application controlling the phone.

Don't assume your switch can control these functions. If you anticipate going to a blended call center process, you will need to make sure the phone switch environment can handle the dual functionality that will be present at the desktop. If it does not, the agent will be required to manually remove herself from the inbound queue process to make that outbound call. She will also need to manually make herself available for an inbound call, as opposed to the software doing it automatically. The ideal solution is to let the software control these functions to achieve a more efficient, cost-effective process.

Once you have found software that will automatically control both inbound and outbound calls, you need to investigate other key features. Important items include how seamlessly the switch performs from inbound to outbound and how well the application tracks and monitors the outcome of the calls.

Q: Is it possible to train your agents to effectively handle both types of calls?

A: The idea that certain agents can handle outbound calls and certain agents can handle inbound is not what should be stressed. Instead, you need to focus on the work being done on the outbound call and who that work is being done for. If both the inbound and outbound work is being done for the same client and it is relatively the same type of work with the same products, you shouldn't have a problem with the universal agent.

But if you are running a service agency with different clients and the work being done by the inbound and outbound agents is very different, it may be too difficult and not efficient to blend the two. Again, your call center's needs will determine the solutions that will work best for you.

We strongly encourage you to submit any questions concerning setting up for integrated inbound/outbound telemarketing to: Q&A, One Technology Plaza, Norwalk, CT 06854. If you would like your questions answered specifically by Mr. Davis, please address your envelope to his attention. We will try to print as many questions and answers as space permits.

For information and subscriptions:

Call TELEMARKETING 203-852-6800 or Fax to: 203-853-2845 or 203-838-4070

For information and subscriptions:

Call TELEMARKETING 203-852-6800 or Fax to: 203-853-2845 or 203-838-4070

Michael Dailey is a marketing product manager with Versatility who has more than 20 years' experience in banking and systems development. Versatility is a provider of CTI-enabled, customer interaction software for teleservicing and telesales call center solutions. Prior to joining Versatility, Mr. Dailey was responsible for increasing revenues through the introdudion of new and innovative product offerings at a large bank software development company.

Copyright Technology Marketing Corporation Nov 1997
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