Voice Logging - How, why and for whom!

Voice logging is done through an appliance called voice logger. This system is programmed to record audios from radios, telephones, headsets, and microphones. The recordings or soundtracks can be easily stored in the hard disk on the computer or can be transferred to other storage medium like Compact Discs, DVDs, Portable Hard disks, a Pen-drive or any other removable media.

Voice logger can be connected to phones lines or other sources to record conversations. This recording can be easily retrieved and listened at a later date. The VoIP logger has easy to use GUI and navigation options, which can be used to play, pause, rewind, forward and stop the recording.

Principally the voice logging can be done using two modes of recording, first the vox mode, and second the non-vox mode. The recordings are voice activated in case of vox form, where as recording is a continuous process in non vox mode of logging. This system is extensively used where business is primarily based on calling and multi channel communication. The places where the system is extensively used are contact centers, emergency services, Help Desks and Call Centers alike.

It has turned out to be a useful business tool for call centers.

Generally the customer and agent interactions are recorded for future reference. Moreover, they need to record calls because of government regulations. Some businesses opt for selective recording. This may save storage space on the disk but may present an asymmetrical understanding of the performance of the call center, which could result in poor administrative decisions.

In contact centers, there is always an unspoken contract that exists between the agents and the customer and both have to abide to it. Any legal processing against the company or agent may result in potential loss to the company. This loss may be monetary as well as loss of goodwill earned over the years. It is important for companies to safeguard their interests and using call recording is of great significance in this situation. It will help the company to clear their stand certain issues and sometimes solve the problem before it turns into a legal case.

This advanced voice logging technology is equipped with features like beep or message. The beep gives an indication to the customer and agent that the call is being recorded. Sometimes a message is relayed that calls may be recorded for monitoring quality or training needs. This user friendly system helps the call center in better serving customers. The voice logging provides top management with much required peace of mind by helping in improving quality, settling disputes and drawing a true picture of customer care interaction.

• Finance - Collection Agencies, Banks, Stock and Commodity Exchanges, Brokerages
• Transportation - Air-traffic Control and Aviation, Railroad, Port Authorities, and Public Transportation Services  
• Utilities - Electric, Gas, Oil, Water, and Telephone
• Public Service - Police, Fire, Emergency (911), Rescue, and Medical
• Courtroom recording, Intelligence, Aerospace and Aviation, Military/Government
• Industry - Insurance, Broadcasting, and Petroleum
• and many others....

Sage Software: CRM expenditures in the Middle East tend to focus on Campaign management, Sales force automation, Contact Centre.

Middle East spending on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is set to increase in 2013, according to Sage Software, the leading global supplier of ERP, CRM and HRM solutions to medium and large organisations.

The company added that CRM expenditures in the region tend to focus on campaign management, sales force automation (SFA), contact centre, enhancing customer experience and business forecasting, as businesses try to build a competitive edge amidst the steadying economy.

UAE companies need accurate and detailed insight on the performance of the business and employees at any given time so they can take advantage of any increase in demand and/or workload that improving trading conditions may present.

As such, scenario planning and sales forecasting have become the priority for executives as they need to accurately capture a large enough spread of possible outcomes to cover future uncertainties. By adopting Sage Software's CRM solutions, companies can accelerate out of the downturn by automating cashflow and collection management, getting detailed insight on business and staff performance, and responding to changing customer needs and demands, among others.The primary features of 'Sage CRM' focus on allocating leads to sales personnel, measuring activities and timelines involved in a sales process, accurate and complete forecasting, performance tracking, and uninterrupted support to customers. The solution also addresses the information management aspect of the business by facilitating a centralised database of all customers and their activity history. Furthermore, 'Sage CRM' also offers customer care, mobile solutions, application integration, productivity tools, and Microsoft Outlook integration.

"A business can grow and profit during a recession if it understands the underlying dynamics of the marketplace. The challenge is for businesses to respond to changes in buying behavior in a timely and direct fashion. Sage CRM can open up opportunities for UAE companies to leverage a web-based tool to define processes and implement them with workflow and alerts capability, while integrating with outlook for Calendar, Task and Emails. Our efforts to increase awareness on the benefits of our CRM solutions is in line with our aims to help companies adequately support vital processes via convenient storage and access to information about customers across different company departments".

SMS: How small and medium businesses can take advantage?

Mobile marketing may seem elusive, too far out of reach for many small and midsize businesses. There are so many digital and non-digital marketing channels in our modern fragmented media universe that a somewhat new-to-the-party medium such as mobile is overlooked amidst natural skepticism.

Not all businesses have the resources and budget to research, validate, trial and prove new methodologies for spending their marketing dollars.

But there are aspects of mobile – specifically, SMS text messaging – that have inherent value to a wide audience of consumers, which makes it a natural fit for all businesses.

Mobile Users Reach Versus PC Users reach

 

Consider that SMS is a direct communications technology that millions of consumers across a wide range of demographic groups use every day.

Consider also the far greater potential reach of SMS – more than 270 million mobile devices nationwide – than mobile Web, applications or mobile advertising.

Finally consider that the costs for entry are relatively low, and the resources required to manage multiple successful programs can be low, too.

But arguments such as these only make sense hypothetically.

So how do small and midsize businesses leverage SMS effectively on a pragmatic day-to-day basis? How do they visibly affect customer relationships and drive bottom-line value?

SMS can be effective across a variety of business objectives and real-world applications. Here are some examples:

Customer acquisition• Use SMS to leverage existing offline media and promotional campaigns. Get more out of your campaigns and drive foot and online traffic with a convenient direct-response component

• Give customers the opportunity to opt-in for ongoing communications such as upcoming promotions, discounts and event notices

• Given up on event marketing? Instead of trying to capture email addresses, let consumers opt-in quickly and easily with their mobile phone and deliver instant value with a text message discount that they can use today

Recurring revenue• Remember, 160 characters can dramatically affect a consumer’s impression of a brand or product, and SMS is ideal for providing laser-precise timing for offers and updates directed to your customers in a highly personal channel

• By simply using a handful of different key words you can create very simple lists targeting distinct audiences.

Think of the difference between families at sporting events and community fundraisers, as opposed to college students at a nearby campus. Now you can target the right information and offers to the right people at the right time. News flash: college students keep different hours and spending habits than families

• SMS is a great way for encouraging customers to trial new products and visit new locations. If a customer likes a certain brand of clothing or soap, for example, send an SMS letting her know when you have new products that she might be interested in

Differentiated customer experience• In-store SMS campaigns allow for on-demand access to information and savings. Provide the customer with an instant coupon for use in-store or simply allow the customer to receive more information about a product

• Provide alerts and reminders for key events such as payment dates, account balances and status, delivery status and appointment reminders

• Stimulate engagement with polls, surveys and simple games or trivia, and reward those who participate

Small and midsize businesses can take advantage of these SMS opportunities today.

The cost of entry is low, and the resources to manage successful programs are budget-friendly.

This does not mean that marketers can afford to tip-toe into mobile marketing or launch poorly executed, short-term trial campaigns. This approach will yield underwhelming results.

Contact Center Solutions/Business in 2013

As 2012 has come to a close, many of us are thinking about what might lie ahead in 2013. In 2013, the market will feel the impact of simplified analytic solutions as customers begin to master analytic processes and measure results.  Contact centers will become an increasingly valuable resource as the hub of customer interaction data, connecting and flooding information to the enterprise, making it more intelligent about its products, services and customers. Here’s how…

Another essential step for contact centers is to ensure that you are also collecting and monitoring information from the other data and communication channels you have with customers. Whether it’s a sales report, a voice recording or posting on Facebook, customer communication permeates the business – not just the contact center itself. Businesses should think of themselves as one large contact center, constantly listening and talking to the customer through a broad set of mediums. By adopting scalable and flexible analytic solutions that simplify the integration and analysis of all communication streams, businesses large and small no longer have to be intimidated by this large amount of data, and will have the ability to launch powerful intelligence strategies.

Simplified analytic solutions make use of this data a reality. By melding physical and digital actions together, contact centers will analyze all forms of transactions from key strokes and spoken voice, to e-mails, online chats, tweets and Facebook postings. Contact centers will be able to easily correlate vast amounts of data into intelligent reporting that alerts the business of who, what, where, why and how a problem or opportunity started, as well as suggest how to solve or take advantage of it. No matter where an issue or trend originates, the contact center becomes a critically essential component in data analysis that drives customer service, product, marketing and operational improvements alike.

The future is bright for the contact center industry as they realize their ability to harness these powerful, comprehensive analytic solutions without cost, utilization and operational hurdles. Before you can say “two thousand and fourteen,” the contact center will be sharing powerful insights with their company’s decision-makers and demonstrating heightened strategic value throughout the enterprise.