Monthly Archives: August 2011

Mobile and IP Centrex Service Strategies: Templates for Success Part 6 – A Hunting We Shall Go!

Posted by Gintel on 29/08/2011 None comments

Before we move on to consider personal calling services, let’s spend a few moments considering “hunting”. Hunting is simply the way in which a call can be distributed between a number of alternative end points. This means that, for example, a call can be made to a number and the software behind the call processing tries a defined set of numbers in a sequence.

Let’s imagine that a sales office within a company has six members within the team. They can be reached via the main number, or they might have a dedicated main number that reaches that team directly, bypassing the attendant. The individual numbers of each member of the team are linked as a group, so that the sales number can be routed to any of the extensions. But how do we choose between them?

The simplest way is to have the phones ring in a predefined order. Thus, for example, a call to a sales office may try each of the available extensions in turn until one is found to be free and the call gets answered. The call can then be dealt with properly, rather than simply being lost or diverted to voicemail. This is important, not just in a sales organisation but in any office where employees share interests and tasks.

The order in which different extensions are called can be managed in a variety of ways, for example:

•    Parallel hunting
•    Sequential hunting

These are largely self-explanatory – either all phones can ring at once, or they can ring in a sequence. But what if all calls end up being answered by the same individual? To meet this occasion, there are special variants that can be deployed, such as:

•    Least recently used
•    Rotating head

These variants take into account the frequency with which a particular individual may have taken calls, or automatically moves the available members up and down a queue, so that the one at the top moves to the end after each call. There are other variants too, but the key point is that calls can be distributed to match the resources available in the organisation. We also could talk about skills-based routing, but that’s for a future article.

It may seem that hunting is really a feature for larger organisations, in which there are teams with multiple members. But that’s not really true. SMEs can leverage hunting capabilities too. Imagine a case where there is a partnership of plumbers. There may not even be an attendant in the office, but the partnership doesn’t want to miss any calls, as all represent potential business opportunities – and, they tend to come at all hours. Each member of the partnership could be part of a simple hunt group. Incoming calls try first one of the available numbers and then another, until it is answered. If none of the team is available, voicemail can be available as a fallback, but as each employee is treated as a member of the team, the chances of someone being available are dramatically increased.

It’s often said that one of the advantages of Mobile PBX and IP Centrex solutions is that small companies can obtain big company capabilities without the significant investment that this would once have required. This is undoubtedly true. Features such as hunting benefit any team and service providers can ensure that their service package is attractive by including such capabilities. And, the ability to offer different hunting options to suit the requirements of businesses can be built in. By choosing service templates that include hunting, the service provider can offer services that can be configured by users – and ensure that the benefits of such capabilities are recognised by potential subscribers.

So, if the target customer base includes enterprises and SMEs of different sizes, including companies with only a handful of employees, it should be simple to demonstrate the value of features that are available. And, of course, the service provider can continue to innovate and launch new services optimised for different segments. Hunting is simple and powerful and benefits enterprises of all sizes. Make sure your offer includes the flexibility to meet the needs of all potential customers.

Mobile and IP Centrex Service Strategies: Templates for Success Part 5 – Simple Details, Powerful Services

Posted by Gintel on 22/08/2011 None comments

To complete our current series of articles on main number functionality and services, let’s zoom in on two critical elements that can dramatically enhance even the simplest of services:

  • time of day routing
  • hunting

First, let’s consider time of day routing. This is simply the ability to make decisions about where to route a call based on selected times. It allows subscribers to the Mobile PBX or IP Centrex service to choose the times during which they want calls to be routed to particular destinations.

For example, an enterprise or SME can define its opening hours as “0800 – 1700”. Outside of these hours, they might wish all calls to be diverted to the corporate voicemail. They may also wish to define an office week, say from Monday to Friday, so that calls received on a Saturday or Sunday are also diverted to voicemail.

Similarly, there may be a general holiday period (Christmas Day, perhaps), on which the office is also closed, so we need to take account of calendars too. This is easily done, so enterprises can control not just how calls are handled when they are open, but ensure they are treated appropriately when they are not.

The insertion of the time of day module allows the service provider to offer these options to its clients. It’s a key part of the service, but one that is often overlooked because we tend to think about what happens to calls that are actually answered. We often don’t consider the calls that we don’t want to receive or which can’t be answered because they originate outside normal working hours.
The module is easily inserted into a service strategy and is included in many of the templates that are provided with the Easy Virtual PaBX. Once available, there are many aspects of the behaviour that can be configured, both by the user and by the service provider. It is easily linked to the subsequent modules which determine what happens to calls after the time and date behaviour has been activated.
Being able to configure such rules and exceptions is easy, but also very powerful and subscribers to the service appreciate being able to control such features. It means they buy not just a service, but a capability that complements their own business and can adapt to their circumstances. It’s the difference between simply having a service and leveraging powerful business tools that enhance productivity.

It’s this sort of flexibility and attention to detail that turns a basic service into a winning service – and which distinguishes the Easy Virtual PaBX from other solutions. With the Easy Designer, it’s a straightforward matter to enable these and other options to be introduced, either into generic service templates or to specific service offers that are generated by the service provider. More complex scenarios can be created for enterprises that have more demanding requirements – for example, if offices have sub-teams with different opening hours such as a service desk that is open all year round. Adaptability and flexibility are the key to differentiation. What’s more, service providers can have the confidence that, while they can offer generic, proven services that meet most requirements, they can also ensure they cater for exceptional needs with something tailor-made.

Vertical Solutions Make Strategic Sense for Telcos

Posted by Gintel on 15/08/2011 None comments

In recent research, analyst and consulting firm STL Partners pointed to six key strategic opportunities for telcos. One of the opportunities outlined was a focus on vertical solutions. We agree, but this means more than just thinking about enterprise or business customers. It means adapting current thinking about horizontal solutions – in which offers are made according to the size of the company – and considering how specific offers can also be made to specific industries.

Different industries can have different communication needs. We have already seen our customers segment their service offers horizontally, with features offered for companies of different sizes. But we also expect to see evolution towards specific vertical offers that target individual industries. What might users within petro-chemical industries need that is different from customers in local government or in financial industries?

The only way to execute such a strategic orientation is through finding out what these needs are. Once known, telcos can launch tailor-made services to suit different verticals. This could be key to building a lasting, strategic relationship and growing market share.

Of course, the mix of industries varies from country to country, but wherever the telco is located, there are likely to be some verticals that have particular requirements. In order to be successful with such a strategy, telcos need tools that allow them to differentiate services according to these different requirements. They need to be able to take service packages and make changes that allow them to launch tailor-made services and target particular industries. In short, they need a tool that will allow them to offer generic services with horizontal alignment, specific services with vertical alignment, and a combination of the two.

Innovation never stops and is essential to building strategic relationships that support telcos’ strategic goals. The place to start is with understanding existing and potential customers, so that telcos can be well positioned to take account of their evolving needs.

Mobile and IP Centrex Service Strategies: Templates for Success Part 4 – Main Number Services

Posted by Gintel on 10/08/2011 None comments

Mobile and IP Centrex Service Strategies: Templates for Success Part 4 – Main Number Services

As we have explained in previous articles, the main number is of critical importance to companies. It’s also one of the core functional groups of an IP or Mobile Centrex service.

Main number traffic constitutes inbound calls to:

  • the main or primary number of a company;
  • a function within a company; or
  • a group within a company.

This means that an enterprise might have a direct line for all inbound calls, but it might also have a separate number for the service department or to a sales team that can also be reached directly. Main number traffic is distinct from calls made to and from individual users. We shall discuss these topics in future posts.

Normally, calls to the main number are processed, either automatically via an auto-attendant with IVR capabilities, or are handled by an individual, the attendant. The attendant answers the call and then either terminates it, or directs it via call transfer to one of the other employees.

How does this relate to a Gintel service strategy? Well, each strategy is assembled from modules or components. A module provides a decision point at which particular (related) actions can be taken. For example, an enterprise might have a single main number for all incoming calls, 0123 456789, let’s say.

Now, when this number is dialled, we need to consider what we would like to happen. In this case, we can imagine the enterprise has a single attendant to manage the switchboard. The attendant can only answer one call at a time, but there might be inbound capacity for more than one call. So, we might decide to create a queuing function that places calls in a queue and informs the caller that their call will be answered as soon as possible.

There might be a limit to how many calls can be placed in the queue, in which case, we might have an alternative announcement either requesting that the caller rings back later or leaves a message. At each point, we can see various options and possibilities. Here’s an example:

The modules represent decision points and actions and each is configurable according to the setup of the company in question. A more complex example is shown below.

In this case, the concept of time management has been added. A calendar module has been introduced which can be set to the company opening hours. Additional richness has been added to the call handling possibilities.

The modules are assembled from a palette in the Easy Designer service creation toolkit. Each module has configuration options that are set via dialogue windows.

Gintel’s customers can select preconfigured templates that offer different service strategies for different kinds of enterprise, or they can simply create their own to introduce special or targeted product offers. By using Gintel, a range of dedicated main number services can be offered. The service provide can sell a Mobile or IP Centrex service based on the existing templates – either as a comprehensive package or with different options according to company size or segment. It’s up to our customers what they choose to do. But once they have deployed a service, it’s very easy to modify it to introduce new features and capabilities, using the palette of available modules. Such modifications can be launched “on the fly”, simply by assembling the appropriate sequence and clicking a button.

The main number service is fundamental. It can be offered as part of a complete Mobile PBX or IP Centrex package, or it can be sold as a standalone product. The auto-attendant capabilities allow service providers to also offer virtual receptionist or switchboard services, managing these on behalf of customers. With the flexibility of the Gintel solution, service providers can go to market quickly, using tried and tested service strategies, but with the confidence that they can extend their service offer through time, achieving both service evolution and differentiation critical to improving market share and building customer loyalty.

“The power of telephony is forging a new enterprise culture” Says Leading UK Newspaper.

Posted by Gintel on 03/08/2011 None comments

It is well known that mobile phone adoption can help stimulate economic development, particularly in emerging economies. A recent feature in one of the UK’s leading Sunday newspapers, the Observer, reported on the impact of mobile technologies in Africa, for example. Research cited from the London School of Economics (LSE) suggests that, for every extra 10 mobile phones per 100 people, GDP can rise by 0.5%.

That’s not insignificant. While much of the initial impact of mobile adoption has been seen in agriculture or fisheries, there is also going to be a significant impact in other enterprises, particularly for the SME market. Mobile phones can empower individuals and allow them to communicate more effectively across markets and to access innovative services. But when individuals are linked as groups, the impact of technology adoption is likely to be compounded.

A small enterprise might have five employees. Each can be equipped with their own mobile device. But if those mobile devices are also connected as part of a discrete user group, communications can be shared more effectively between the team. This can be achieved with a Mobile PBX service, in which each device becomes an extension within the group and each individual can act on behalf of the organisation as well as undertaking their own responsibilities.

By combining sophisticated main number routing capabilities with personal number handling, Mobile PBX services enable even the smallest enterprise to enhance efficiency. Once a group of handsets are linked, a simple hunt group can be established between all users, ensuring that potentially valuable calls are not missed, but are delivered to an available employee.

Employees can use short number dialling to reach their colleagues, and calls can also be transferred between them to ensure that issues can be resolved. If I don’t know the answer, I think my colleague might: let’s see if he’s available. What’s more, with conference capabilities, group calls can be established for team discussions, either internally or with potential customers.

Mobile adoption has done much to stimulate economic development, but there is much more to come. Deployment of Mobile PBX services not only promise valuable and predictable revenue streams for mobile providers, but will also help stimulate further development by enabling companies to adopt more efficient communication tools. Everybody benefits – the provider, the user and the economy at large.