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| "Seven Things You Need to Know Before You Send a RFI" Published in ContactCenterWorld.com, August 2003 |
| "The Smell of Predictive Dialing Success" Published in Call Center Magazine, December 2001 |
|
"Open Predictive Dialing"; |
| "Dialing's New Role" Published in Call Center Magazine, June 1997 |
| "The UnPBX Revolution" Published in Computer Telephony Magazine, May 1997 |
| "Open Predictive Dialing" Published in CTI Magazine, January 1997 |
| "Pushing The Dialing Envelope" Published in Computer Telephony Magazine, November 1996 |
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Seven Things You Need to Know Before You Send a Request for Information (RFI) for a Predictive Dialing System.
Published in ContactCenterWorld.com, August 11, 2003.
By Calltrol Corporation
400 Columbus Avenue, Valhalla, NY 10595
914-747-8500 voice, 877-673-6284 toll free, 914-747-8595 fax
http://www.calltrol.com
Introduction
This is an outline for writing an RFI for a turnkey predictive dialer system. A turnkey system is a complete predictive dialer solution containing all the elements required for immediate use. For the most part you are looking at something “off the shelf”. Your vendor will deliver, install, train, and support on this system. For information on building your own proprietary dialer/telephony solution (not turnkey) visit us at www.calltrol.com and follow the links to the developer section.
Due to rapid advancements in technology, the best predictive dialers today do much more than their past counterparts. Features such as digital recording, conferencing, silent observation & agent coaching and direct processing of inbound calls are typically standard. Because of the broad range of capabilities and the years over which these systems have evolved you will find both simple and sophisticated solutions at all price points. Price is not directly related to features and performance anymore. Correspondingly there are vast differences in needs among buyers. Understanding your needs and placing importance criteria upon them (i.e. mandatory, desired, optional) is essential in evaluating the responses you will receive from prospective vendors.
#1) Know if you want an Auto Dialer or a Predictive Dialer (or both):
Auto Dialers call telephone numbers from a database and send only the live connected calls to agents in the pool. The Auto Dialer will only call out when there is an available agent to take the call. Auto dialers save agents from the physical task of dialing, hanging up, and listening to busy signals, operator intercepts (SIT tones), and answering machines. Auto Dialers are used in small call centers or in business-to-business environments where a live person almost always answers a phone.
A Predictive Dialer is a system that uses sophisticated mathematical equations and algorithms to determine the pace at which to dial. Phone numbers are called based upon projections as to when a person will answer and coordinating that answer with the completion of a prior call by any one of the agents in the pool. Predictive dialers work best with a minimum of eight agents.
Many systems marketed as predictive dialers do not use true predictions to make calls. These so called Power Dialers are often identified by the following characteristics: Fixed ratio of lines per agent, agent can only get calls from lines assigned to them, system is always dialing at the same speed (or a user controllable speed) regardless of agent status causing a high abandonment rates or long wait times.
Based on a variety of factors, a predictive dialer dynamically calculates its pacing to best keep all operators talking. One strong advantage to a predictive dialer is that operator efficiency (talk time) can be increased by as much as 300% over automatic dialing (Newton’s Telecom Dictionary by Harry Newton). One disadvantage to predictive dialing is the occasional abandoned call, whereby a live connection is made and no operator is available. Today’s best dialers allow the user to dynamically affect call pacing to maintain an acceptable (and legal) abandonment rate.
#2) Recognize there are many pieces in the puzzle:
You only want to send out the RFI once, so know what you want to know. Provide as much information to your prospective vendors as possible to reduce questions and confusion. A typical situation you want to avoid is signing a purchase contract based on a good proposal only to discover (too late) your database software and hardware are inadequate and need replacing.
You must consider both Telephony and Data Processing hardware and software. By communicating what you need and what you already own will ensure a relevant and complete proposal from prospective vendors. This knowledge will also help you to read and compare the proposals as they come in. If there are some components you wish to source independently, (agent PCs are a good example) request separate pricing on those items. It is common practice to request a detailed diagram of the proposed solution so you can visualize any configuration gaps.
Telephony:
Hardware - The physical equipment that interfaces with your telephone lines and agent headsets. This is the equipment that provides the dialing; connecting and other phone call processing and encompass one PC or many large pieces of equipment including a PBX or ACD.
Software - The logic that controls the above equipment and provides communications interfacing with the agent desktop application(s).
Data Processing:
Hardware - The physical equipment that stores the data and runs the programs to manipulate and report on the data. This includes the agent desktop terminals or PCs and servers..
Software - The programs that present data/scripts/forms to the agents, status & reporting to the supervisor(s) and database storage & maintenance (but not the database itself).
#3) Don’t be coy about your company:
The most beneficial RFI responses will be ones that directly suit your needs. We recommend against being vague about your plans. Be as forthcoming as possible with information such as the nature of your business, the inquiry (exploratory, immediate, etc.), scope of your needs (number of agents and sites, percent of inbound vs. outbound etc.), intended purchase and implementation time frame, and some general and technical background on your organization.
Provide the names and contact information for the individual(s) to whom correspondence should be directed and provide a reasonable deadline for questions and a response due date. Specify whether different individuals are responsible for different areas (i.e. telecom, database, receipt of completed RFI documents, etc.). Mention any preferred means of communication for the various types of correspondence that may occur as well as the preferred/required format of the responses and the number of copies.
You should consider conducting a vendor conference call, which will save time by answering all questions at once and also providing an opportunity to get a personal feel for the players.
NOTE: Placing undue burden, restrictions or other demands on the vendors could significantly reduce your response and possibly cheat you out of the best solution for your needs. Some common mistakes we have seen are:
- Inadequate time for vendors to respond to lengthy and detailed questions.
- Strict and often unreasonable deadlines and procedural rules that automatically disqualify vendors.
- Excessive cost in bidding relative to the value of the purchase: Travel, large numbers of copies of the completed responses in numerous paper and digital formats.
Vendors want your business. Good vendors want to answer your questions completely and accurately and during the process will get an idea whether they can fill your need. Good vendors will not respond to you if there is not a good fit. So, the RFI process helps them learn about you, just as it helps you learn about them.
#4) Plan for growth:
Don’t start off with an obsolete system. Make sure the dialer product you purchase will suit your needs in the future. Many dialer systems will last 10 years or longer. Find out how many trunks can be installed per system and the maximum number of users per system. If you are looking at an autodialer, ask if it can be upgraded to predictive one day (if that is your goal). If you are just running outbound campaigns now, verify the system can be upgraded to blended (serving both inbound and outbound calls) without unreasonable charges or disruption of business, and find out if the system supports remote agents and how that is accomplished. Request a list of all available features and options and ask for several pricing scenarios.
#5) Get detailed information on the dialer software:
Dialer suppliers are varied in their approach to presenting and organizing customer data. Inquire about the standard screens, standard fields, limitations, capacity for additional screens, scripting and other call automation tools and features. Ask about the customization features and what the costs are for professional services associated with customization. You will also want to know about campaign management/insertion/deletion and the maximum number of simultaneous campaigns the application allows. A demonstration or example tutorial available online or on a CD will give you a good feel for the application’s layout and user friendliness.
Inquire about the development language the dialer application is written in. Make sure it is universally supported and not obsolete. All the systems you are investigating should enable voice recording. Verify if it is integrated into the dialer solution or if it is provided by separate equipment and determine your preference.
Make sure you are in compliance with the law:
The new FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule (effective October 1, 2003) has made many dialer products on the market obsolete and incapable with keeping you “legal”. Abandonment rate overrides, voice message delivery, detailed campaign reporting, and caller ID output at the campaign level are all required now. Ask what version of the software is being proposed and when it was released, and request information about the methods employed to abide by current FTC requirements. There are exceptions to these FTC regulations. Prospective vendors should be fluent in all the new rules’ provisions.
#6) Get detailed information on the dialer hardware:
The actual dialer is an integral part of your system. It will need to be well maintained and protected. The components inside today’s’ dialers are expensive, and should be housed in an appropriate chassis, typically industrial grade (which is between commercial grade and carrier grade in hardiness). Inquire about who the manufacturers of the dialer chassis and the components are. Verify the proposal includes only new components unless you have specified refurbished parts are acceptable. All PCs and components have environmental requirements (power, temperature, humidity, etc.), so inquire about them to be sure your have a facility that can comply.
Some telephony hardware components are more common and available in the marketplace than others. Purchasing systems with proprietary telephony components is not recommended. Availability of replacement parts is crucial so find out about replacement parts policies, procedures, time frames, and costs. Many companies offer several support options. Also, stocking spare parts is recommended. Request a separate quote for a spare parts kit.
#7) Maintenance and support:
It is the strategy of some dialer vendors to offer low pricing on their systems and require high pricing on maintenance and support contracts. By annually charging hundreds of dollars per seat in support they recoup the lost revenue on the initial sale. There are contact center operators who are glad for this arrangement because it reduces the cost of acquisition. Avoid getting trapped financially by thoroughly analyzing total acquisition and ongoing cost, including cost you will have to bear in addition to those paid to the vendor. We recommend requesting a five-year cost of ownership analysis to provide an accurate picture of the system’s costs. Make sure you get detailed information on all software and hardware maintenance and support policies and component part warranties and guarantees. And again, take into consideration “off quote” items, such as items you must provide such as staff, infrastructure and software licenses. Often times simply having a system that uses a standard database, operating system or reporting tools can tremendously impact long term costs due to the common nature of the skills required for ongoing operation and maintenance.
In addition to the general benefit of automating the dialing of calls to reduce agent idle time and increase productivity there are a number of surrounding features and technologies that will impact the performance, maintenance and overall ROI of the system. Many of the questions in this document do not cover those areas. These areas include your phone network and type of lines, your database’s source, management and design, and the peculiarities of certain vertical markets. We at Calltrol are happy to discuss any questions regarding computer telephony integration (CTI) and are glad to make recommendations for your next contact center system.
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The Smell of Predictive Dialing Success
The software suite made predictive dialers more versatile and accessible to call centers. Here's what's new, and what's to come.
by Lee Hollman
CallCenter-12/05/01, 12:13 p.m. ET
If you've been avoiding buying a predictive dialer because agents at your call center make too few calls to justify the cost of purchasing one, your wait is over. By adding a predictive dialer module to software suites you might already use for managing customer interactions and service, e-mail, company data or other resources, you can achieve effective outbound campaigns with a rapid return on investment.
Just ask Larry Mark, the chief technical officer for VorTecs, a Shelton, CT-based consulting firm for call centers. "Predictive dialing is one of the clearest returns on investment that you can make in a call center," he says. "You don't need to call millions of people, especially as the prices have come down. And you can have fairly small outbound call centers now."
Predictive dialing software has found growing acceptance among large numbers of call centers that can't afford the more traditional proprietary hardware dialing systems. Many of these software dialers are modules of comm servers, which can route messages from different mediums to agents. But call centers that focus primarily on outbound calls appreciate the power and efficiency of a hardware dialer, since they can typically accommodate more agents and handle greater volumes of outbound calls. Both types of dialers have their strengths and liabilities, which we will explore later in this article.
Predictive dialers have dramatically impacted how call center managers run their centers. Mark says that agents who answered outbound calls from a dialer typically worked separately from inbound agents, leaving "islands of information" between them (i.e., agents handling outbound calls weren't able to view the same customer information as agents handling inbound calls). "Upon the realization that there were these islands, [vendors] wanted to start sharing agent resources," he says.
Mark says that software-based predictive dialers emerged to bridge these islands of information. He explains that vendors of dialers and software for call centers contributed to the development of software-based dialers. "The traditional dialer vendors added products to their offerings that enabled them to work with software suites, and software vendors added outbound [modules] to their suites," he says.
As a module of a suite, predictive dialing software can work with other applications. That lets agents, for example, answer customers' e-mails and text chat requests, in addition to inbound and outbound calls. But Mark cautions that requiring agents to respond to blended calls, let alone blending different media, can confuse them.
"Blending information is the present and the future of predictive dialing," says Mark. "But people just don't seem to adapt well to call blending. You've got the human factors of switching modes between inbound and outbound calls."
He doesn't foresee hardware-based predictive dialers becoming obsolete. That's because hardware dialers often have more features than their software counterparts. For example, a hardware dialer might be able to associate more phone numbers with a given customer or include more options for finding customers' names on a calling list.
Predictive dialer hardware still grabs by far the largest share of the market. Brian Huff, technology analyst at New York, NY-based research and consulting firm Datamonitor, says that 68% of the revenue earned by predictive dialer vendors in 2000 came from sales of dialer hardware. Huff notes that centers that have already invested in a legacy-based dialer won't rush to replace them. But he also anticipates a rise in demand for soft dialers during the next five years.
Call centers are increasingly using predictive dialers for applications besides collections and telemarketing, such as assessing customer satisfaction. As more predictive dialing options come to market, say observers, they'll spur additional apps. Below, we detail how the latest products can help you design successful outbound campaigns.
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Controlling Predictive Dialing Options
Can't decide if you want to purchase a turnkey predictive dialing system or dialing software for your call center? Calltrol (Valhalla, NY) offers its Object Telephony Server (OTS) preinstalled on an industrial PC or as software for a Windows NT server.
Calltrol installs, configures and tests the software for you when you purchase it with a Calltrol server. You can connect the server to your phone switch or directly to your call center's phone lines. If you don't have a switch, you can use OTS as a comm server to set rules for routing inbound and outbound calls to appropriate agents, monitor and record calls, and create touchtone menus for customers. The OTS software comprises 12 modules that you can purchase together or separately, depending on the features you want.
David Friedman, vice president of marketing and sales for Calltrol, says that most of Calltrol's customers rely on OTS for more than predictive dialing. He says that customers often purchase the complete comm server system, and those who don't often license the complete software suite eventually. But Friedman adds that if you use OTS exclusively as a predictive dialer, the software still includes call monitoring and coaching features.
The majority of call centers that use Object Telephony Server purchase the software with its own server. But Friedman says that a growing number of centers select the software-only version. He explains that as more call centers gain IT sophistication, they collect their own assortment of servers, voice cards and other hardware and don't need to purchase another server. These centers save money, if not time, by installing the software on their own.
Friedman concedes that some businesses expressed concerns that the Windows server running OTS software isn't as dependable as a proprietary predictive dialing system. But he notes the server isn't necessarily the cause of problems. "These [Windows] systems are extremely reliable, so the bug, crash or lock-up rate isn't significant enough to make a material difference in the call center," he says. "It depends on what vendor's software you're running. Implementing a Windows NT solution doesn't make it less reliable, but predictive dialing software may vary in quality."
A starting version of the OTS software that handles predictive dialing for a server with 24 ports for analog or digital phone lines lists for $274 per port. An upgraded version of the same software with all OTS features, including call blending, recording and routing, costs $398 per port. The same versions of OTS on preinstalled servers cost $9,699 and $12,371 respectively. Each server can reach nearly 500 ports and the OTS software supports multiple servers.
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Super-Dialing To The Rescue
If you're managing a small call center with a limited budget, Digisoft (New York, NY) offers Super-Dialing as a less costly alternative to predictive dialing. Super-Dialing is a module of Digisoft's Telescript 5.3 software that lets you create outbound calling lists based on your own criteria, like customers who live in a specific region or who want to learn more about a particular product. You can then assign individual agents or groups of agents to answer calls from each list. And you use Telescript to provide them with customized call scripts.
Digisoft recommends using Super-Dialing for outbound campaigns that focus on customers who have previous histories with your company. After you create your calling lists, the software enables you to set outbound dialing times for each list. For example, the software can dial every number on a list on weeknights between 6 pm and 8 pm. If agents receive no answer or a busy signal for some customers, Super-Dialing can dial their numbers again on another evening between 8 pm and 10 pm.
You connect the server running Telescript 5.3 to your phone switch. You can also use the software without a PBX by installing the app on agents' PCs that have dial-up modems.
Digisoft also offers Telescript 5.3 as a call scripting supplement for Calltrol's OTS-NT server. Andrew Davidson, director of marketing for Digisoft, says that many of the company's customers use Super-Dialing primarily during the early stages of their call center operations. "A lot of them do Super-Dialing first, and when they need a more powerful dialing platform, at that point they upgrade to a dialer," he says.
Telescript 5.3 recognizes the phone numbers that OTS-NT or Super-Dialing dials to provide agents with the appropriate call script for each customer. Agents can also transfer calls with customers' information to you and to each other. And they can resume interrupted calls at the same point in the script where they left off. New features for version 5.3 enable you to monitor calls using OTS-NT. Pricing for Telescript with Super-Dialing begins at $1,350 per seat. Telescript with predictive dialing functionality begins at $3,000 per agent for ten agents.
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Open Predictive Dialing: What Can Your System Do Now?
BY DAVID M. FRIEDMAN
BUFFALO INTERNATIONAL, INC.
If you have considered any new technology for your call center in the last few years it is likely you have heard about the great benefits of "open architecture." If stuff like: API, OLE, ODBC or TCPIP doesn't ring a bell, the task of product analysis has probably been delegated to an MIS manager. If you're not interested in "technical details," delegating to an expert is a good idea. Although the "open revolution" has opened up a wide world of possibilities for automation and integration within your center, it could also open a Pandora's box of incompatibility, delays and budget overruns.
This article is a primer for management's analysis of open architecture in general and predictive dialers in specific. Open architecture is a good thing, but with the added power it provides comes added responsibility for its user. Don't get scared yet. Consultants and system integrators can shield you from the big "I" (integration), when you want the best but don't want to get your hands dirty.
Why do you need an open predictive dialer to, have the best? Because what's best for you is not what's best for other users or the vendor who is building the system. You can eliminate competing interests from the purchasing process by doing the following:
1) Formulate a sort of call center utopia definition for your company (data and call flows).
2) Identify the underlying functions you will need to achieve this (both computing and telephony).
3) Choose a preferred computing platform (hardware, OS, database, application language). This is key. It may be a system you already own or have a heavy investment in. It may be the latest and greatest brand new network. Whatever the case may be, the MIS environment should drive all other solutions. Everything in the business will potentially be tied to the MIS platform you choose. Managing multiple MIS platforms within one enterprise is a hassle and an expense most companies prefer to avoid if possible. Truly open systems will work smoothly with virtually any system you have.
4) Identify vendors who offer the various components in number 2, which are not directly addressed by your decision in number 3. Get information on each unique solution and ask tough questions.
- Is the open architecture they are proposing a new feature added to an existing product or part of a product's original design? (Good clue as to ultimate flexibility and performance.)
- Exactly what hardware and software are they adding to your network and/or switch?
- Exactly how will the product connect to your MIS environment?
- Which functions do they perform, what is the responsibility of your MIS or other vendors' systems?
- Do they have other customers doing the same or a substantially similar thing?
Open Architecture?
What?
Here's the analogy. Once there was one phone company. Remember those days when you were first starting out or maybe hadn't even gotten into telemarketing? There was one phone number to call for lines, long-distance bills, equipment and service. There was also one price - too high. Then there was divestiture - separating this integrated monopoly into separate and distinct components. Theoretically each had competitive counterparts in the marketplace (other equipment makers, other long-distance carriers, etc.).
Well, what happened after divestiture?
· Competition = lower prices, better service, other perks and incentives.
· Creativity = Better products, better services, interoperability.
"Technological change has been pretty unbelievable. When Microsoft got started, computing was a million times more expensive than it is today. Computing was simply a central tool for keeping track of business accounts or reservations. Only the largest organizations could have this tool. In fact, it was a clear advantage for very large companies." -- Bill Gates
Think of computing relative to my Ma Bell analogy. Not too long ago the market for hardware and software was dominated by just a few powerful companies. The advent of the modern PC yielded vast development of complimentary hardware and software products hailing from a wide variety of vendors. It also made custom application development less costly and time consuming, greatly empowering users to create and manage systems themselves, without being "held hostage" by the vendor.
As the solution landscape resulting from standardization and deregulation in the computer and telecommunications markets has matured, a new emerging niche has evolved - computer-telephony integration (CTI). CTI is home to many of the products our industry has come to know and love - the ACD, voice mail, IVR, predictive dialing. Now that the industry has gotten its feet wet with these great productivity-enhancing applications, it is now ready for open CTI systems - in particular, predictive dialers.
Back To The Analogy
Before Open - Like the old AT&T Conventional CTI systems are proprietary or "closed." Although they may be built using modular components from the computer industry, telecom industry or both, the implementation is usually fashioned with the objective of providing a turnkey call center solution which the purchaser need only plug in and turn on. Because these are relatively specialized rather than mass market applications, and because of the great return on investment they provide, selling prices have been rather steep. Once a proprietary system is purchased, there is no choice as to who will service, maintain, upgrade or reprogram it. One number to call, no competition, no lower prices, no innovation.
After Open - Like divestiture Open CTI systems or predictive dialers are designed to include universally accessible interfaces. These interfaces may he physical hardware or software links that permit easy and cost-effective integration with hardware and software provided by third parties. There is no standard for open architecture. The methods used to offer open architecture and the resulting flexibility of systems vary greatly. Caution: Buying decisions should be made only after analyzing the specific open interface(s) offered on a system and their compatibility with your near- and long-term implementation plans.
Definition: True open architecture allows a product to be tightly integrated with a wide variety of third-party products, regardless of operating system or hardware platform, easily and efficiently.
Diagram of Open Architecture Scenarios
Common "Open" Scenarios
As mentioned, open architecture does not always mean the same thing. This goes for technical details/interfaces as well as the final result (what you can actually get the system to do). Since the basic benefit of "open" is flexibility in what you can do with the system, independent of the vendor, let's look at how flexibility is usually provided.
Customization of user screens, reports, management parameters and scripting should he standard on any system, even a turnkey. How robust these features are, and correspondingly, what they actually permit you to do will vary substantially from system to system. Although some of these features may be touted as "open architecture," they really don't qualify if the system doesn't meet our definition. True open architecture is required if you are seeking a high degree of user screen/script customization, real-time database access or enterprise workflow automation.
Remember that there are no rules governing open architecture. What you can do and how you can do it ultimately determine whether the system meets the definition we have set forth, and whether it is suitable for your call center.
Some systems will let you link their user interface to your database directly (good). If this is done through a hot key and two separate applications, it's not really open architecture. If they let you write your own database interface, but still read and write to their file format, that's good. If you can only develop the interface using their proprietary development language or via customization of their existing interface, that's not open architecture.
When considering the telephony portion of the system, think the same way. The more options you have as to switch, hardware, links and the way it integrates with your MIS, the better off you are. Even if a system works with what you have today, think about what might be the case tomorrow or next year. Computers change, databases change, companies merge, hard ware becomes obsolete, support options become limited and expensive.
Cost alert: Double and triple check all costs involved with each vendor. A vendor supplying a software application that is compatible with a certain switch probably will not provide the switch options required to support their application and may not provide the computer system that runs the application either.
Wrap Up
The two most important considerations when evaluating "open" systems are:
- How is open open? (What are the physical and software interfaces? How do you connect?)
- How open is open? (What can you actually do with the system? Limitations?)
Getting straight answers to these questions is critical to your success. You may not be able to get the full detail from the vendor either. A member of your staff, a third-party vendor or a consultant likely will have to evaluate the specs provided by the vendor in question I, apply to your scenario, and determine the practical answer to number 2.
David M. Friedman is the founder of Buffalo International, Inc., formerly known as Buffalo Audiotex, Inc. (BAl). Buffalo is the developer of OAPDE (Open Architecture Predictive Dialing Engine) and OTS (Object Telephony Server), a truly open inbound/outbound call-processing platform.
Reprinted from Telemarketing (R) & Call Center Solutions(tm) magazine, Volume 16 Number 4, dated 10/97, published by Technology Marketing Corporation, One Technology Plaza, Norwalk, CT 06854 USA. Copyright (c) 1997 Technology Marketing Corporation, all rights reserved. Subscriptions: $49.00 domestic, $69.00 Canada, $85.00 foreign. To order, call 800-243-6002 or 203-852-6800 or visit the publication's Web site at www.tmcnet.com
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Obtained with permission from Call Center Magazine, September, 1997
The Importance of Open Architecture
By Madeline Bodin
David Friedman believes in being as open as possible. And it's not just that he tells it like it is; he wants his company's dialing system to be as open as possible.
He has succeeded. Buffalo International's (Valhalla, NY) OAPDE dialing system may not be easy to pronounce, but it gets along with everybody. Other switches, software of all kinds.
Buffalo's goal is to provide an alternative to traditional dialers and platform.
"We just want to give you a platform to do everything, not to do everything for you," says Friedman. "You can't create one solution that works for everyone. We give you the platform so you can do it yourself." Of course, you don't have to do it all yourself. Your favorite VAR (value added reseller) may already be working with a system from Buffalo International to put together a dialing application that is just right for your industry, your business function or other niche.
As more and more telemarketing software systems offer a predictive dialing function as part of their package, Buffalo stands to gain by being such an integration-friendly system.
"That's my dream," says Friedman. "That all of these companies will be providing a dialer, and it would be my dialer. That with the perfect combination of software and dialing capabilities Buffalo and its partners provide total office automation at the desktop that meets the highly specialized needs of the call center.
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Computer Telephony Magazine - May 1997
The UnPBX Revolution - Ed Margulies
Obtained with permission from Computer Telephony Magazine, September, 1997.
The Great UnPBX Roundup
By Ed Margulies
Buffalo International (Valhalla, NY- 914-747-8500) is the maker of the Open Architecture Predictive Dialing Engine (OAPDE), Object Telephony Server (OTS) and Open Architecture Voice Logging Engine (OAVLE). The OTS is an NT-based UnPBX. It's configured more like an ACD or predictive dialer owing to Buffalo's roots in call center products. Buffalo's OTS and OAPDE (Open Architecture Predictive Dialing Engine) is the platform on which Drextec's (Marlton, NJ -- 609-596-8285) DPTS app is based. It's an outbound call center app used for verification, prospecting and surveys.
Figure 1
Nothing proprietary here. Buffalo international uses standard, off-the-shed CT gear to build its Object Telephony Server (OTS) platform. It's not a plug and play UnPBX, but you can add your own software and get exactly what you want. They've put years into its development. You get an industrial grade computer, LPIN connectivity and a multi-user telephony engine with an API. This platform is built for call centers. Buffalo has solid Predictive Dialing and Power Dialing software built-in. Comes in both NT and DOS versions.
Buffalo says OTS is the basis for many call center apps such as market research, fundraising, customer service, telemarketing, collections and lead generation. Buffalo concentrates on the core dialing component and leaves the client software to its VARs.
You buy the platform and dialing engine and add your own client apps. The company's API works with any type of computer or OS supporting TCP/IP or NETBIOS. Apps can invoke the telephony server for any call coordination and control task. In addition to predictive dialing, the platform handles speech recording and playback, DTMF detection, fax, conferencing and ACD.
Figure 2
Figure 3
You can get a DOS version of OTS. It supports up to four Tls (96 lines) and 72 agents. The NT version increases capacity to "the limits of the SCSA architecture." This means thousands of lines. A DOS-based OTS at 16 trunks and 24 agents is $24,000. 48 x 96 is $70,000. Add $2,000 for the NT versions. Extensions are analog phones driven by Dialogic's MSI/SC board (eight to 24 extensions). Trunks come in analog loop start, T-l / E-l and DID (VoicePro and Exacom units). The whole solution is housed in a single PC. This includes a three-way NIC for NETBIOS or TCP/IP networks.
OTS systems are assembled with industrial grade computers. Buffalo mixes and matches the appropriate telephony components for your desired configuration. They add the OTS software layer so you get a high level API on top. The company says this makes connectivity with computer applications on a network or multi-user system a snap. You can do computer to telephone integration with minimal risk. Buffalo supports Dialogic's CT-Connect middleware so it's easy to add OTS functions to CSTA compliant switches.
The main job of the NT-based OTS is sharing call control between multiple apps. Compliant applications may transfer calls between one another using OTS as the common telephony platform. You can run an off-the-shelf IVR application alongside your ACD code. Run a legacy app modified to do ACD screen pops when receiving calls from the engine. The IVR app can send calls to the legacy client application, both served by the same OTS/SCSA telephony platform (but written by different parties). Call data is transferred between the two apps while OTS handles SCSA resource management. This means code written for one app can work with others transparently. You can do call handoffs between apps without making code modifications.
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CTI Magazine - Vol. 1 Num. 3
OPEN PREDICTIVE DIALING: By Design Or Via A Kludgy Workaround?
BY DAVID M. FRIEDMAN
BUFFALO INTERNATIONAL, INC.
We are hearing more and more about the migration from proprietary to open predictive dialing solutions. However, all too often, a crucial question remains unasked: Just how open is open?
Before taking a claim of openness at face value, determine whether you are looking at a system that is intrinsically open (that is, open by design), or a quasi-open system that links together components originally intended for proprietary or standalone solutions. The information in this article will help you make the distinction.
PRESENT STATE OF OUTBOUND TECHNOLOGY
Over the last decade or so, and very much in parallel with the PC revolution, call center has developed rapidly. Various methods of automated outbound dialing have been implemented, starting with simple modern-based speed or auto dialing (still a popular feature of PC-based contact management programs. Today, automated outbound dialing has evolved into sophisticated, high capacity digital telephony platforms linked to computer database applications dialing numbers based on the results of complex algorithms changing in real-time.
Figure 1
One critical element which has affected the development of dialing systems is call progress analysis ability. By implementing techniques to analyze the signals sent back in response to dialing a telephone number, the best systems can accurately determine the results of a telephone call before connecting the call to the agent. In these system, agents will only be connected to live people, not busies, answering machines, bad numbers, etc. Standard signals can usually be detected with complete accuracy; however, answering machine detection is less perfect.
Although the rate of accuracy in detecting answering machines is excellent and is constantly improving, beware of claims which are too good to be true. In cases where specific claims of performance have been made to the customer by a company prior to sale, almost invariably the customer states that the numbers are not being met. This problem (which pertains not only to call progress analysis but to productivity enhancements resulting from the purchase of dialing technology in general) is due to the vast number of variables in the real world which remain unknown until actual customer trials are performed.
In today's market there is a constant flow of vendors and products entering and exiting. The principals upon which these dialing products are based vary, and may or may not be stated correctly in the product literature. The hardware platforms these systems use are equally varied ranging from PCs with simple modems for the dialing to mainframes linked with expensive switches. The quality and performance of the systems however is not linked directly to price or complexity.
TRADITIONAL PREDICTIVE DIALING -- PROPRIETARY SOLUTIONS
Traditionally, a predictive dialer has been thought of as just that, a predictive dialer, one complete product from one vendor that handles dialing and switching, list management, reporting, and a user interface (a scripting package, for example). Data from this dialer has to he uploaded to another computer system for any specific business need beyond the most elementary application. Otherwise, significant customization of the dialer must he performed by the vendor to meet the client's particular requirements.
We call any turnkey system that requires the vendor for modifications and/or service proprietary. The components from which the system is built may or may not be proprietary to the vendor, but the way in which these components are assembled (both hardware and software) is proprietary in almost every case, resulting in a system only the vendor has total control over.
Figure 2
Performance considered equal, any predictive dialing system requires at lease two hardware components and two software components: Telephony hardware and software (for the dialing and switching functions) and computer hardware and software (for data processing, meeting list management requirements, and running the user/agent interface application). Regardless of what type of solution is being implemented, the aforementioned elements or their functional equivalents must be present.
Questions not normally answered by proprietary system vendors regarding the basic elements are: who makes them, what can / can't they do, can they be modified, what is the future growth capability and/or salvage value. Because these questions rarely need to be answered (when you buy a car do you ask the dealer who manufactures the seats, wheels, or light bulbs?) vendors have incentive to provide the least costly components.
This is particularly true of vendors who sell turnkey systems because most customers are analyzing total (turnkey) system cost on a per agent basis, without comparing the value or long-term implications of the specific hardware or software architecture involved. Many vendors also have an interest in using "nonstandard" (less standard) components when building complete systems to increase the customer's dependence.
MODULAR PREDICTIVE DIALING -- OPEN SOLUTIONS
The most state-of-the-art dialing solutions available today and tomorrow will not include any vendor proprietary hardware. PCs and dumb switching systems are the lowest common denominators. Just as the LAN has replaced larger hosts throughout the corporate world, so too will it replace centralized processing in the call center. Low maintenance and acquisition costs along with robust availability of hardware and software has already made PCs the leader in small and medium-sized centers, with many larger centers adding or convening to PCs from terminals.
Today, sophisticated, customized, and reliable call center applications can be designed for PCs more easily and inexpensively than for any other platform. That covers the data-processing side.
Figure 3
On the telephony side, an analogous situation exists. The utilization of modular telephony hardware to build a telephone switch has become a reality. In most cases, these switches are built to handle very specific tasks such as predictive dialing. The use of modular components by other companies to build entirely different types of switches limits the research and development cost on the hardware side. In addition, the quality and usefulness of the hardware components are beyond those available in situations where the system vendor manufactures its own proprietary telephony hardware. The bottom line is that with today's open, component-based architecture, complete high-performance solutions can be achieved with very flexible and inexpensive hardware.
RELATIVITY OF OPENNESS
Open is one of the hottest buzzwords in computer telephony today. But what attributes make a system open? If a product possesses any possibility of communicating or sharing data with a third-party product, this may prompt a vendor to tout its "open architecture." Thus, smart shoppers need to do more than study glossy marketing brochures. It is necessary to distinguish between systems that approach openness and systems that are truly open.
Figure 4
Recently, some systems that were primarily developed as standalone or proprietary solutions have begun to make strides toward opening up. Typical techniques to approximate openness in predictive dialing include the following:
Serial Port Links: The most typical way to introduce some openness is to base your predictive dialer on a multi-user computer system such as UNIX with dumb terminals or PCs running terminal emulation. The dialer is basically closed, but it allows the upload of numbers to call via a serial port link. As a next step in openness, data collected through the proprietary terminal application may be retrieved through the serial link, usually daily.
Hot Key Methodologies: Another feature which may be touted as being open but which is actually just a workaround for non-open systems is a hot key methodology for "integrating" the dialer with other
applications. An example of this is to have a terminal emulation program running in one window on a PC and a separate in-house application running in another window. This allows the basic record to pop up on the dialer application.
However, productivity is not improved unless the agent is able to access the application designed in-house which contains much more extensive information about the called party. The agent "hot-keys" from the predictive application after saying "Hello, Mr. Jones..." into the "real application." There may be a cut and paste of some kind which takes some record lookup data from the predictive screen and places it into a lookup field on the main application. Otherwise, the agent typically retypes a customer number or the like to bring up the record.
Combining A LAN And A Standard Database: Other so-called open features include using a LAN rather than a more proprietary networking architecture and using some type of standard database file format with published specifications. This permits access to the dialing system data files by third-party applications, and makes it less necessary to pay the dialer vendor for customization of reports and other data-processing functions.
Truly Open Predictive Dialing
The only truly open dialing systems are those which permit real-time, low-level integration of third-party
applications with the predictive dialer. Any system which requires batch uploads/downloads of data, or a hot-key architecture of some type, is one which requires by nature duplication of hardware and software resources, as well as more complex and labor-consuming management.
Low-level integration is provided through programming libraries, or application programming interfaces (APls), which are accessible using a broad range of hardware and software environments. Systems supporting popular programming languages like C or Visual Basic and supporting the most standard communications protocols like TCP/IP, NetBios, or IPX will prevail in this arena.
OPEN BY DESIGN
In most cases, what we have referred to as true openness will only be achieved in cases where a system has been designed to support open architecture from inception. This type of product is one which is analogous to MS Windows versus MSDOS. That is, this type of product is more than a major revision. Rather, it is a new product that has been designed to replace an obsolete predecessor.
This is a difficult step for any technology firm to take if a successful and profitable product already exists,
so often, too many elements of the obsolete architecture survive in the "new," "open" system. The most likely case is that the surviving components will be on the telephony side being masked by an improved data-processing system. This will place limitations on the system in the long run, rendering the "new" system obsolete more quickly than necessary.
Because predictive dialers incorporate several required hardware and software elements, there are an equal number of fronts to cover with respect to being open by design. Either of the two hardware elements can be based on modular (open) or proprietary components, while the controlling software will have varying degrees of openness (as per the preceding section). As a general rule, the more open the better, as far as your long-term investment is concerned, because if some aspect of your system does not work out, it can be replaced or repaired without total loss of investment on the system as a whole. The disadvantage to open systems is that you as the customer will have a higher degree of responsibility to make the system work. You can find vendors who will provide turnkey systems, but the typical proprietary arrangement will lock you in tightly.
Figure 5
There is no question that open systems are the trend in information systems. The historical example of the PC (which was open), in contrast to that of the Macintosh (which was not open), demonstrates how a system allowing outsiders to participate in developing complete solutions will prevail. Open systems for specialized telephony applications are just now becoming available. Keep your eyes open for the unique open architecture product that will plug in and fill the needs of your call center.
David M Friedman is vice president of Marketing and Sales at Buffalo International, Inc. (formerly known as Buffalo Audiotex, Inc.) Buffalo International is the developer of OAPDE, the Open Architecture Predictive Dialing Engine, designed as a truly open dialing component system, and a leading CTI software manufacturer serving the call center industry.
Reprinted from CTI(tm) magazine, Volume 1 Number 3, published by Technology Marketing Corporation, One Technology Plaza, Norwalk, CT 06854 USA. Copyright (c) 1997 Technology Marketing Corporation, all rights reserved. For information about annual subsrciptions, call 800-243-6002 or 203-852-6800 or visit the publication's Web site at www.ctimag.com
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Computer Telephony Magazine - November 1996
Obtained with permission from Computer Telephony Magazine, September, 1997.
PUSHING THE DIALING ENVELOPE
By Joe Desposito
Predictive dialers work. Companies routinely realize productivity gains of 100% and higher in their outbound telemarketing campaigns. Here's a look at the best open-architecture systems in computer telephony.
BUFFALO INTERNATIONAL
The Open Architecture Predictive Dialing Engine (OAPDE) from Buffalo International (Valhalla, NY - 914-747-8500) really is an "open" system.
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OAPDE can be added to an existing computing platform and integrated with existing applications used by call-center agents. The engine is for VARs and technologically savvy call-center people who do their own database work. Buffalo's policy is to encourage development and not market turnkey systems themselves.
VARs developing a predictive dialing app using OAPDE would start off buying Buffalo's Developer's Kit ($299). It lets you modify an existing application while it runs in a simulated environment. This insures compatibility of the modified program with the full OAPDE program prior to purchase. Later, a VAR can buy a runtime version of the system, depending on size and options.
Buffalo sells the hardware too. It's an industrial PC call-processing platform containing Dialogic SCSA cards. All the hardware and software they sell is priced out on a line-by-line basis.
The platform either includes or supports through the client software just about, every popular predictive dialer feature.
To install, you pop in a network card and drivers into a PC to suit your environment. The engine comes ready to plug into either T-l or loop start phone lines and loop start analog extensions.
VARs need to supply their own multi-user environment (a network or dumb terminals with a host). This includes any hardware required for a data processing application, such as servers, printers, workstations or other peripherals. The dialing engine accepts single-line compatible devices at the agent stations. Headsets in lieu of standard phones are an option.
A VAR working with Buffalo's software and / or hardware also needs the programming tools for their database environment of choice (FoxPro, Visual Basic, Power Builder, C) and to design whatever special features the application should have.
Buffalo provides sample code and some utilities to get you going in various environments. Regardless of the language your app was written in, the ability to access NetBios or TCP/IP from your app is what makes it compatible with a Buffalo system.
Buffalo's new platform, Object Telephony Software (OTS), adds inbound (ACD), voice processing (for messaging and IVR) and enhanced predictive dialing in one integrated system. The OAPDE/OTS platform was conceived as a building block component of complete call-center solutions. Buffalo has taken the Dialogic hardware platform, added value to it, and packaged it for the next level beyond VARs - user application development.
System cost varies on the components needed for a particular system and system size. Typical cost for a complete "engine" (PC switching platform and software license) averages $1,000 to $2,000 per user. Average cost per user decreases as system size increases.
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