INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN
Carrier Connection: Fiber
There is no substitute for fiber optics. You must have the most reliable, fastest connection available.
Fiber is preferable due to its speed and symmetrical bandwidth, which allows for much longer transmission distances and security. Fiber is completely dedicated to your business, making it private. Not sharing lines makes for a higher level of security. Fiber is made of glass; you’d have to literally break it to breach the connection. Copper can be compromised and hacked much more easily. While fiber is more expensive up front, the benefits make it less expensive over time. Before any sites are considered, require your site selector to see the fiber maps to identify prospective buildings with existing fiber connections. This is not an option. For your operation to be successful, fiber is necessary. You must ensure fiber is available and up and running when you move in. Don’t accept any promises about when it will be installed. You want your center up and running successfully from the very first day.
Ethernet Switching Equipment: Is It Time for a Gigabit Switch?
A gigabit switch used in tandem with a gigabit router will allow you to use your local network at speeds up to ten times greater than the previous generation, 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet. Yes, it is time for a Gigabit switch.
PC OS (Operation System): Are You Still Running XP?
Every business wants to get the most life out of its equipment.
Use it up; depreciate it until it has no value. It’s like paying off your car and you still get to drive it for a couple of years for free. But is it free, really? The repairs are usually more than car payments. It’s amazing how many contact centers are still running XP and Windows 7. Companies run PC’s into the ground installing work-arounds and patches to keep things going. Is it cheaper running that old OS instead of upgrading to an OS that is still supported? PC’s should be using a supported OS within the last two years. How old is your OS?
Infrastructure Cabling: Ethernet Cables
What makes Cat 6 cables so great?
Cat 6 cables are a standardized twisted pair cable for Gigabit Ethernet and is backward compatible with Cat 5/5e standards. Cat 6 has more stringent specifications for cross-talk and system noise. Out of the box it provides up to 250 MHz and provides symmetrical bandwidth that allows for much longer transmission distances and security. Cat 6 is a major improvement over Cat 5e. It’s fast and reduces cross-talk while keeping your center current for a longer period. Standing up a new contact center? It makes sense to put up the most current technology of the time – get Cat 6 cables.
Too Many Potholes
You want a smoother ride to work. The potholes, bumps, jolts and rattles just wear you out before you even get to the office.
So, over the weekend you go out and buy the biggest Mercedes you can find. You are excited about your Monday morning commute expecting a smoother ride. You get out there on the main road but it feels the same, sounds the same and it IS the same! The road hasn’t changed! Those potholes, bumps and cracks in the road are still there. If those roads were newly paved, to cover up the holes, you’d have a smooth ride!
It is no different regarding contact center infrastructure. The call handling is only as good as the infrastructure the calls “ride on”. Using current and advanced technology results in streamlined call handling which reduces hold times, call times, and improves the customer’s experience. The quality of the calls is determined by the quality of the infrastructure.
INDUSTRY SERVICE TIPS
1. Home Run! The Ethernet connection from the PC to the data switch should be straight through. No routers, no hops of any kind. This is called a Home Run.
2. The best of the best: Fiber, Cat 6 cable, 1.6 Gigabit switch and a primary LEC carrier is the best in class standard. Don’t settle for less.
NEXT STEPS
The road to contact center success requires the smoothest possible ride you can get and that means a best-in-class infrastructure. When it comes to contact centers, that is a fiber optic cable. You want the fastest and most reliable connection on the planet. Eliminate the potential risk of security issues and outages and enjoy less stress and restful nights.
Provide your agents with current tools so they can do the job they were hired to do. Clunky, cumbersome outdated computers are not fun to work on all day. Slowness, reboots, frozen pages etc. slow up service levels and frustrate agents, which then gets taken out on customers and many times results in turnover. Agents will find centers that are using more current technology. Keep OS upgrades current.
The quality of the ride is dependent on the quality of the road. Building out a new contact center gives you the opportunity to install current infrastructure and build a world-class environment that everyone will want to work in.
Audio visual technology
Industry Content Supporter:
Julie Solomon
Chief Marketing Officer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliesolomon/
Audio visual technology is a must-have in the modern contact center. Creating a positive employee experience is vital to the long-term success of your organization. Designing the work space in your building is the first step. That’s where an A/V expert comes in:
• Keep employees on track and motivated with large format leader-boards. Isolated workstations with only desktop monitors to display information offer no visibility into calls being processed by other team members.
• Easily allow managers to monitor employees in-house or remotely, saving both time and money while protecting your business’ reputation.
In our digital age, A/V consultants and integrators have become a significant resource for architects and designers often thought of as important members of the design team. In the early days of A/V, commercial building design always included the four main utilities: water works, electric, gas and telecommunications. Integrating audio visual equipment was an afterthought and typically addressed after the building was completed instead of included when wiring and other connections were made at the onset of a project. Today, designers wouldn’t dream of planning the installation of Internet after the business was fully operational, right? It makes sense to preplan for the essentials. Audio visual technology is virtually a given for most companies and has become an important part of their success. Why not think of A/V as the fifth utility?
Top ways A/V helps your business:
1. Save some cash: If your organization is trying to save money on travel expenses, you can have “face to face” meetings through high definition videoconferencing systems from all corners of the world without ever stepping onto an airplane.
2. Leave lasting impressions: Through digital signage, HD presentation technology or new communication tools, the latest A/V can enhance your organization’s reputation with prospective customers and employees.
3. Think outside the flat panel box: Audio/visual design can be more than hanging a couple of flat panel displays in your lobby. Think about how you operate as an organization and have an A/V consultant design more useful and effective work spaces.
4. Collaborate: Using the latest interactive collaboration tools can save time, increase productivity and encourage creativity.
5. Reduce your carbon footprint: Room control systems can not only merge multiple remote controls into one central touch panel for ease of use but can tie into HVAC and lighting systems to lower energy costs and reduce consumption.
VIDEO FROM OUR EXPERTS
INDUSTRY EXPERTS
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NETWORKING FOR CONTACT CENTER PROFESSIONALS
ABOUT NACSMA
NACSMA brings together like-minded professionals focused on advancing the customer contact industry and creating career growth.
BEST-IN-CLASS
Management of a best-in-class contact center sites require the continuous review of Agent Sourcing Models, Organizational Training and Management Development Programs.
NACSMA MEMBERSHIP
NACSMA is a professional, non-profit association whose members represent customer contact organizations and the vendors who support them.
IMPLEMENTATION
When a contact center organization expands to an additional site or requires new space, the steps to properly implement are unique to each organization but do have standard phases.