VOIP technology in call centers

To those who may be less familiar, call center technology consists of automated phone systems capable of answering incoming phone calls and performing outbound autodialing. A call center is a group of telephone agents who receive incoming calls and/or make outgoing calls. Many call centers are completely automated, processing incoming and outgoing calls without any manual operations. Software applications usually associated with calls centers are CRM (Customer Relationship Management) programs.


Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is a call center technology that allows call center to make and receive calls using the Internet instead of traditional phone lines. As a matter of fact, today, many call centers deploy VOIP technology in a bid to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency as also employ remote call center agents. Businesses worldwide have built VOIP into their call centers, because of the scalability, and VOIP enables call centers to adapt and grow along with business and technology needs.


Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology has come to stay. It has made steady progress in replacing traditional telephone lines in most businesses and even in homes. It is the technology of the future as more and more people are enamored of the features of VOIP technology and the concomitant benefits. For many businesses, reduced cost is perhaps the most compelling reason to adopt VOIP in the call centers. VOIP allows organizations to set up core operations in their main office, while operating call centers at many locations across the globe.


Ordinarily, a VOIP call center is a virtual communication warehouse for marketing, and to a lesser extent, customer relationship management (CRM) functions. Using software on your call center's workstations along with a broadband Internet connection can result in significant savings on operational costs. The telephone communications through the Internet allows the VOIP call center staff to initiate and respond to any number of simultaneous telemarketing calls, phone orders, and customer inquiries. Essentially, a VOIP call center centralizes telemarketing, ordering and customer service functions for various manufacturing and service companies.


There are two different choices - one is to make your current equipment - enabled. The other is to build up a new system through a separate gateway. But there are greater gains in having VOIP technology native to your existing call center system. You can use your current equipment by adding a VOIP interface board or similar bridging device to your current system configuration. There are many manufacturers who offer these products.


While exercising this option, buy a product that is certified and capable of easy integration with your existing equipments. Please remember the vendor's commitment to developing VOIP solutions for you is important. If you find it difficult, hire a professional consultant, who has already handled multiple VOIP call center deployments, to guide you through your project.


Since all telephone functions of are computerized, and since the Internet is by far more capable of handling multiple phone transmissions than a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a call center need not be unduly bothered about overburdened telephone lines. This is a huge advantage. A number of opportunities are presented once you have your call center on the VOIP technology.