Single Agent Workstation: every application in just one window

When facing harsh competition, companies strive to increase the quality of their service and client support. This involves resolving a range of specific issues at the contact center level:

• Reducing average handling times 
• Increasing the percentage of requests handled during the first call 
• Personalizing interactions with clients 
• Using alternative communication channels 

Finding a solution to the above problems is complicated by the multitude of different types of information systems used to service clients. This situation is especially characteristic of bank, insurance company, and ISP contact centers using ABS data, billing, CRM, service desk, etc. Each information system requires authorization, meaning that contact center agents have to switch between dozens of open applications. All of this significantly complicates the request handling process while also increasing the qualification requirements for employees. Apart from the need to access applications multiple times, inevitable problems arise with forgotten passwords and expired session times that lead to extra delays and a large number of IT support incidents. 

A need has arisen from all of this to simplify agent access to external systems and to minimize the number of open desktop windows. This task is easily solved with the help of the Single Agent Workstation (SAW) concept implemented in Naumen Contact Center. 

Technical implementation

SAW is based on technology that provides a means of integrating all applications into a straight-through business process. With a unified interface for simultaneous work with a variety of applications at their disposal, contact center agents can fully focus on servicing clients, no longer being required to spend time figuring out the particulars of the software they use.

From a technological point of view, SAW represents a ready-made framework that consists of two sets of elements:  

• Tools for visually displaying information 
• Tools for generating requests and transferring/receiving information

These tools allow software telephones to be precisely integrated with practically any kind of application. Since Naumen SoftPhone has an embedded browser, external web systems can also be integrated within a matter of hours. COM objects are used to interact with large Win32 applications, while JavaScript is used for bilateral interaction with web applications.

After integration, the operating window becomes a unified access point through which agents log in to all their applications as technical users. This design provides simplified and centralized control of access rights, eliminating the need to repeatedly enter usernames and passwords and have multiple windows open on the desktop.

Functionality

• Full and instantaneous client profile compiled from all external data sources 
• Unified interface for interacting with clients across all channels (SMS, e-mail, and web portal) and convenient switching between channels 
• Several client profiles simultaneously displayed, providing a means to synchronize servicing across various channels 
• Chronological history of interaction with a client, providing a means to understand the reasons for calls being made and find the best way to resolve issues 
• Context of a request when transferring a contact to another staff member saved: when a call is transferred, a card with all the client’s information and interaction history is opened in the other user’s software telephone 
• Graphic scenario constructor that provides a means to quickly modify scenarios, adapting them to altered business requirements without bringing in programmers

Examples of use 

Collections

All information on debtors is displayed in the single operating window used by collection department employees. Agents can make calls from their form with a single click of a telephone number, while it is also possible to launch automatic calling with a notification of the amount and terms of debt repayments, and to automatically dispatch such notifications via SMS or e-mail channels. Calling lists can be downloaded from external systems, and when the calling ends, the resulting statistics can be re-uploaded.

Data on the state of a personal account

For handling calls related to payments, a full archive of payments is brought into the operating window. The direct display of all bills issued to the client allows anomalies to be found immediately, after which it becomes possible to do a more detailed analysis, including a parallel analysis of bills over various periods. 

Cross-selling and up-selling

Based on a preset algorithm, the telesales specialist operating window automatically supplies notifications on potential cross-selling and up-selling opportunities.

Benefits for business 

• Reducing the average handle time (AHT) of calls by 20-30% 
• Increasing the proportion of client requests handled during the first call 
• Increasing sales thanks to cross-sales and up-sales 
• Increasing client loyalty 
• Reducing operational costs by decreasing qualification requirements and reducing training costs by up to 50%

Benefits for IT  

Offers a wide range of possibilities for interface integration: practically all application interfaces are supported, including web services, REST, XML, JSON, RMI, and JDBC

• Can be integrated with both server-side databases and desktop applications 
• Removes the need to modernize existing information systems and IT infrastructure in order to build straight-through business processes for service and sales 
• Provides the ability to independently integrate and create servicing scenarios