Our latest newsletter looks at how blending activities in the contact centre and home working for call centre agents leads to improved operational efficiency.

You can view the newsletter online. If you want to receive your copy as soon as it is published then please contact us.

Doing a thorough overview of the contact centre in terms of what it is trying to achieve, who/what is needed to meet those aims, technology requirements and available budget is the starting point. Sticking to your strengths and speaking to experts who can assist in weaker areas is crucial to gaining a full picture before making any improvements.

Ken Reid of Rostrvm Solutions says, “Having the right mix of people and technology to be flexible is key to optimising resources and reducing expenditure. Contact centre customers still expect to be able to speak to a human being quickly and easily despite the huge growth in web facilities, so blending (swapping staff over to different tasks during down times) will ensure that agents’ skills and time are maximised. Modern software which enables blending will help to keep customers – and staff – happy.”

The rostrvm Prophet contact centre consulting methodology ensures that your contact centre operates to its optimum performance. Our consultants can help when you are first planning the enhancement of your contact centre operation, or used by existing contact centres to identify areas that require further optimisation.

Rostrvm says that ‘doing more with less’ during 2012 will literally mean ‘ringing the changes’ in many contact centres, as they discover the considerable benefits of blending.

Blending is useful because contact centres are no longer dealing with one-way traffic on a single issue. Rostrvm’s research has shown that even in call centres that regard themselves as primarily inbound, 40% of all contacts are actually outbound – such as returning calls and following up enquiries. And every outbound campaign needs some method of accepting returned inbound calls.

As well as dealing with telephone calls the management of text-based contact – emails, SMS and social media – is a growing challenge.

Blending helps when a call centre’s business aims and targets are changed rapidly. For example, a marketing offer can change on a daily basis in response to competitive conditions. Or the regulatory framework can change practically overnight. Having the ability to change staff over to different tasks really pays dividends here.

Ken Reid of Rostrvm Solutions says, “Blending tasks in the contact centre ensures greater output is gained from the same number of staff. Many contact centres use blending successfully to improve productivity, lower queue times for customers and reduce the risk of abandoned calls. This is crucial as the challenges facing the call centre agent are getting more complex. Blending is not just about combining inbound and outbound telephone calls – it can also be used for combining calls with emails, web chat, facebook and Twitter for example.”

However, bringing a complex blend of media and traffic loads under control needs thought.  Consider your call centre and identify how best blending could be used. Ask questions like:

• What is your call centre doing now and what is its primary role?
• In an inbound operation when do agents deal with outbound calls or vice versa?
• Who decides when emails and other text based contacts are dealt with?
• Where are the peaks and troughs in your primary activities?
• Who in your team would work well in a blended environment?

Once you answer questions like these to gain a clear picture of your existing operation, approach suppliers about how technology can optimize blending in a cost-effective way.

The rostrvm call centre software application suite comprises a range of modules including blending (inbound, outbound, multimedia, agent desktop, screen popping, scripting, etc).

25 years of call centre software

Q: Why do you think Rostrvm Solutions has been successful in the contact centre business and continues to be so today, even during these tough economic times?

I think it’s because Rostrvm has its own research and development facility so that we can be innovative and produce products that are future-proof, which is vital with telecommunications. Our software is flexible and can be used with all kinds of hardware and other systems – hosted or on-site. Of course cost plays a part – our products provide value for money and that is only possible because we configure our software to exactly meet the needs of our customers. Rostrvm is proud of its reputation for listening to its customers.

When you design, develop and support software applications for the call centre and back office process management and reporting, you really have to be sure you come up with the right solution each time and we are experts at it.

Customers often say to us that we were the first contact centre technology supplier they spoke to who had enough experience to be able to ‘hit the ground running’ by understanding business needs instead of ‘trying to fit a square peg into a round hole’.

Q: How did Rostrvm start and what experience has it gained?

Rostrvm was established in 1986 as the technology division of a financial trading applications company, royalblue – but we actually go back further than that – to Intercom Data Systems (IDS), which was founded in 1981.

IDS were an independently-owned software company, supplying solutions to the telecommunications, financial and helpdesk industry. A noteworthy innovation by IDS was the Operator Assistance Software (OAS), one of the world’s largest computer-supported telephony applications at the time. It was used by BT’s Operator Services to deliver a wide range of call handling and information services and, crucially, was part of the digital transformation of the PSTN in the UK. The technology under which OAS operated was the precursor to Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) and provided the link between an organisation’s telephony, its information systems and its people. It was essentially the first generation of the rostrvm platform that we have today.

A change of name by IDS to royalblue technologies in the mid-eighties, coupled with a new public image saw its CTI platform, rostrvm, quickly emerge as the leading UK player in the telephony software market; rostrvm and royalblue stood out in an increasingly US-dominated market.

Rostrvm Solutions retains a strong culture of independence with a clear understanding of customers’ real operational needs, with the aim of being ahead of the game and delivering clear financial benefits. We have extensive experience and a successful track record in supplying software solutions to some of the largest call handling operations in the public and private sectors.

Q: You mentioned the importance of being ahead of the game with your products so that they take customers forward …

Absolutely. Moving with the times is essential to any business but especially in communications – just look at the vast changes we have seen over the last 20 years! During the 1990s the call centre expanded from an ‘inbound’ customer service focus to incorporate proactive technologies such as the rostrvm predictive dialler. And towards the end of the 20th Century, productivity through call centre blending and support tools for call centre agents gained emphasis. New technologies such as the Internet and mobile communication have made an even bigger impact on the call centre, making it more of a ‘contact’ centre and even changing the way people work in them. The continued evolution of this industry will always be linked to the development of communication technology, and Rostrvm is working on further innovations for the future as we speak.

Q: How do you keep things fresh?

Keeping on with our research, listening to our users and having the best engineers ensure we stay ahead and that our customers trust us to provide innovative solutions for them.
Our continued commitment to technological and commercial innovation led to recognition by global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan and the presentation of an award for “Global Excellence in Technology Innovation”.

Q: What next?

Our rostrvm application suite helps organisations to achieve and exceed business objectives whilst delivering personalised customer service.

The contact centre faces significant challenges; consumers want to use an increasing number of communications channels – including social media – whilst economic conditions mean that costs need to be contained. In summary more needs to be done with less.

Technologies such as rostrvm’s ResourceBroker task blending and the associated operational and management challenges will come to the forefront.

Why have we changed?

A review of our ‘disaster recovery’ procedures highlighted that key operational areas, such as our customer support desk, were at risk during an external incident. For example the UK suffered difficult snow conditions during 2010 and 2011; we maintained a full support desk during these conditions but only as result of staff struggling through difficult circumstances to reach the office. The new numbers mean that we can more easily service our customers even if our team can’t reach the office.

Additionally continued business growth means that Rostrvm Solutions will need to move offices during 2012. Our new phone numbers mean that the change of location will be transparent to our customers.

Our support call centre can now  be contacted by telephone  on 08432 163502

Other contact details are available here.

Can I continue to use the old numbers?

The old numbers remain available – at least until we move offices!

I can’t use the new numbers – Help!

We recognise that some customers may have some difficulty using the new numbers – particularly those outside the UK.

Alternative numbers available during UK office hours are given below

Support Desk: +44 1483 744600

Switchboard: +44 1483 744500

Fax: +44 1483 744447

Please note that these alternative numbers are expected to change during 2012. Please check back here frequently to ensure that you have the correct numbers.

It doesn’t matter how many ways a contact centre communicates with a customer – telephone, email, social networking sites, SMS, blog … the crucial point is that the medium and the messages should be helping to build better relationships with customers.

You can view the newsletter online. If you want to receive your copy as soon as it is published then please contact us.

Whilst the rostrvm suite of applications requires minimal ongoing support once installed, Rostrvm are always on hand if customers have questions. In addition, the Rostrvm team provide high-level training to ensure customers are confident when using rostrvm, whether it’s for inbound, outbound, desktop optimisation or managing performance.

Regarding the Help Desk, Ben explains, “Naturally, there are times when a query can arise, such as when a customer explores functions on rostrvm that they haven’t been using frequently. The rostrvm suite of applications is highly customisable so each customer’s requirements will be different to the next.”

Rostrvm has a sound reputation for listening and acting on the needs of its clients and is known for being highly ‘customer-focused’.

Ben says, “Our aim is to help our customers quickly and efficiently and to go beyond their expectations in support, whatever their query. We have a very strong team of engineers on-site here – and this is where Rostrvm differs to some – because we will solve every issue, however small:  if it’s bothering our customer, we help.”

The Rostrvm team know their products literally ‘inside and out’, having researched and developed them before tailor-making the software to meet individual customer requirements. This allows them to be proactive as they don’t need to refer to others. The team have a vast amount of knowledge and expertise in contact centre technology so when a customer asks Rostrvm a question, they can rest assured they will receive an answer from someone who knows their stuff.

Ben, who previously worked at Albany Software, adds, “Most, if not all, issues can be resolved over the phone and by remote access to customers’ rostrvm software. It helps that Rostrvm have built up strong, lasting relationships with customers because they trust us and know that we understand their business. This makes it easier to work together to solve issues rapidly.”

Rostrvm recognise that a proactive service on the Help Desk is crucial to ensure productive contact centres, empowered service agents – and happy customers all round.

For further information please contact Ken Reid at Rostrvm Solutions on 01483 744429 (email ken.reid@rostrvm.com)

Rostrvm Solutions is proud to be celebrating 25 years of successful business.

The South East Contact Centre Forum was formed to provide a regional Operations user group for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey & Sussex, which is home to 700+ Contact/Call & Customer service centres in the South East region.

Rostrvm Solutions’ presentation at the Forum will focus on the changing work mix in the call centre and the new agent and management skills that will be needed.

Rostrvm Solutions at the recent Professional Planning Forum

The event, held in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, provides a useful meeting point for the contact centre industry, giving access to hundreds of companies.

There are morning and afternoon workshops – with case studies, research and practical advice – as well as the chance to network with colleagues from other organisations facing similar challenges and to meet leading suppliers.

More details can be found at: http://planningforum.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=1468