Category: Customer Experience

All about Customer Experiences that you ever wanted to know

  • What is SIP Trunking: Your Questions Answered

    Contact centers’ conversion to SIP trunking technology has been an ongoing industry success story.  Why? For starters, using SIP technology to enable voice and video calls, messaging and data transmission saves money: up to 50% according to Gartner analysts. And SIP trunking is super-flexible; it makes it easy for contact centers to add advanced features like speech analytics, visual IVR, and scheduled call-backs from third-party vendors. It’s the right solution for many, but there are questions to be answered before you know whether SIP trunking is right for your contact center.
    What is SIP trunking?
    Before we break it down, it’s helpful to generally think of a SIP trunk as the virtual version of an analog phone line. SIP stands for session internet protocol, and technically speaking, it’s a signaling protocol that initiates interactive user sessions over data connections. A trunk is a circuit between two switching systems that carries a certain number of calls at a time.  Every call center has a trunk to carry its phone calls: a SIP-enabled trunk lets you use an internet connection instead of a traditional phone line.  

    FACT:
    The “trunk” in SIP trunk refers to a virtual connection and is not a physical line. The word is a legacy term left over from the days of analog calling when a trunk line was an actual physical bundle of phone lines connected to the business from the carrier. Because a SIP trunk delivers the same functionality, the name stuck.

    What are the benefits of SIP trunking?
    SIP trunking is popular for a reason. There are many benefits of using the technology including the fact that it allows you to use the same IP-based network for various types of data transmission, including voice and video calls. SIP trunking eliminates the need for multiple networks and also frees you from having different subscription services for voice and data. It lowers your hardware costs, too, as hundreds of VoIP calls can be made using the same hardware footprint. SIP trunking lets you build a single, solid infrastructure that scales with your business and supports your growth without requiring you to constantly add new services along the way. As we mentioned earlier, it’s up to 50% cheaper than traditional telco setups and easily facilitates advanced features like visual IVR and speech analytics.
    In fact, this inherent flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of SIP. Because SIP enables voice and data through standard protocols, external vendors can interact with your communications flow without having to create proprietary “adaptors” for each call center platform. This frees the contact center from being stuck with the onboard options that come with their contact center software and lets them integrate the specialized software, like voice call-backs, that best suits their needs.
    Is SIP the same as VoIP?
    SIP and VOIP make a great team, but they are not the same thing.  VoIP enables voice calls over the internet.  SIP is a signaling protocol that initiates, changes, or cancels multimedia communications – including VoIP. SIP enhances VoIP because it allows you to transmit video, files, and messages, as well as voice.
    How many channels are in a SIP trunk?
    There is not a set number of channels in a SIP trunk because the number of channels grows and shrinks when your agents connect and disconnect calls. When you have 20 calls in progress, your SIP trunk provides 20 channels to accommodate these calls.
    A better question is: How much capacity is in your SIP trunk?  You see, when it comes to SIP trunking, we’re really talking about data capacity rather than physical channels. Typically, the data capacity is sold as “channels” to make it easier to package and sell.  A SIP trunk can have as many channels as you need, but you’ll need to discuss the capacity your contact center requires with your SIP provider.
    Essential Technology for the Virtual Contact Center
    So, how many SIP trunks do I need?
    Again, what we’re really talking about is capacity. A SIP trunk can accommodate as many channels as you need if you provide enough bandwidth. So really, you only need one.
    Does a SIP trunk change the customer’s experience?
    SIP trunk phone systems work very well when they are used with appropriate internet bandwidth and your callers should expect the same great calling experience. If you are experiencing lagging calls or choppy audio, that likely means you lack the bandwidth to support your SIP trunking set-up, or you have a bad internet connection. Your SIP provider can let you know the exact bandwidth needed to support your system and usually, upgrading is easy and not cost-prohibitive.
    Good to Know: Glossary of Related Terms
    There’s a good deal of technical language that emerges when you dive into the world of SIP trunks. We thought it might be helpful to offer up some textbook definitions of related terms that aren’t quite as familiar as contact center KPIs. Knowledge is power! (And if nothing else, you can impress your friends or maybe win obscure categories on Jeopardy with this glossary of telco terms related to SIP trunking.)
    Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a networking technology that routes traffic from one node to another based on labels rather than network addresses.
    Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is a telephone system within an enterprise that switches calls between users on local lines while enabling all users to share a certain number of external phone lines.
    Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) provides infrastructure and services for public telecommunication. Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is a network of the world’s circuit-switched telephone systems. These systems include phone lines, fiber optic cables, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables. By interconnecting their networks and adopting a single numbering protocol, telephones around the world can phone each other.
    Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) is an older technology that uses physical switches to route telephone calls over copper wires.
    Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a phone system that uses an internet connection to make and receive voice calls.The post What is SIP Trunking: Your Questions Answered first appeared on Fonolo.

  • Neither here nor there

    It’s tempting to imagine that mixing half a glass of milk and half a glass of orange juice might get you a hybrid that’s better than either.

    Alas, not so much.

    The goal is to find something that is in and of itself. That becomes the very best version of what you’re trying to do, the solution to the consumer/user/member problem you’ve identified.

    Here works. There works. But here and there and everywhere generally doesn’t.

    In a world filled with choices, specificity in service of extraordinary results tends to outperform.

  • Now on mastodon

    Update: You can subscribe to this blog by email (but it often gets filtered by our evil tech overlords.) You can also get regular daily updates via FB , LinkedIn, Twitter while it lasts, and now, Mastodon, a distributed, free alternative to more chaotic social media outlets.

    The best way to get it is by RSS. Unfiltered, fast, free and not noisy. Just add this link to a newsreader.

  • YouTube Channel Review

    I would love your feedback and support for my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CXintheCity Any feedback is welcome to help the channel improve, the content only highlights topics I am learning about the Customer Experience field so posting as I find new topics. submitted by /u/CXinTheCity [link] [comments]

  • But how will it fail?

    The wrong answer is, “it won’t.”

    If you buy a piece of tech, it will break.

    If you buy an asset of some sort, it’s likely to go down in value one day.

    If you start a project, you will one day walk away from it.

    And everything that is alive will die.

    Refusing to answer the question doesn’t make it more likely that it won’t fail. All it does is make the failure more painful.

  • Call Center Management: The Best Questions to Ask During a Performance Review

    Ah, performance reviews. They’re a staple of almost every workplace, and call centers are no exception. In fact, these engagements are an essential part of running a successful customer service operation.
    Why? Agent performance directly impacts the caller’s experience. If your agents aren’t satisfied in their daily work, or they’re not doing their job properly, it can spell disaster down the road. Performance reviews are an opportunity for management to evaluate, assess, and lead their team members cohesively in the right direction.
    The Executive Guide to Improving 6 Contact Center Metrics
    Of course, there are right and wrong ways to conduct a performance review. And agents have a hand in how the interaction goes as well. If one or both sides come to the meeting unprepared, little good will come from the interaction. It’s important for each party to understand the purpose of performance evaluations and how to get the most out of them.
    A performance review is the ideal time to:

    Evaluate previously set goals.
    Acknowledge individual successes.
    Identify challenges; create solutions moving forward.
    Update team members on new practices and policies.

    Ultimately, well-conducted performance reviews will improve your overall employee engagement, retention, and your team’s overall quality of service. In short, well-supported agents will lead to happier, more satisfied callers.

    DID YOU KNOW?
    Ideally, performance evaluations should be conducted on a monthly or quarterly basis. The more touchpoints management and agents have with one another, the more opportunities you’ll have to evaluate and achieve your shared goals.

    Call Center Managers: How to Conduct a Performance Review
    When it comes to performance reviews, preparation is key. The first step is to evaluate the agent’s performance based on observations and activity data in your call center platform. Stats like first call resolution (FCR), average handle time (AHT) and occupancy rate can give you an idea of where your team is excelling and where they’re falling short.
    Based on this information, you can plan your areas of focus for each performance review. It may help to split the conversation into categories to ensure all topics are covered in the time you have together. Managers should also have an outline of questions handy to steer the conversation towards important topics. Below, we’ll outline some examples.
    Identifying Strengths
    Every agent on your team will have strengths and weaknesses pertaining to their job. It’s important that they’re aware of what they excel in, and that management acknowledges their contributions. A performance review is the perfect setting for this.
    When asking questions, make them as specific as possible — broad questions invite vague answers; by asking specific questions, you invite the agent to respond with more detail.
    Example questions:

    Which of your skills help you excel in your daily work?
    What parts of your job do you find the most fulfilling?
    What is a recent success in your work that you are most proud of?

    Areas for Improvement
    Of course, performance reviews aren’t just for praising strengths. They’re also opportunities to zero in on challenging areas of the job. Remember that these reviews aren’t for disciplining agents for their shortcomings; rather, it’s all about providing the support they need so they can improve.
    Example questions:

    What areas of your work do you feel can be improved?
    What can management do to support you better in your daily work?
    How do you plan to correct these issues in future?

    Goals and Outlook
    Once you’ve discussed strengths and weaknesses, it’s time to set goals. This helps ensure that there is progress made from review to review and gives both the manager and the agent a sense of progress and hopefully accomplishment.
    Example questions:

    What are your priority goals, and how do you plan on achieving them?
    How do you plan to measure your success when working towards your goals?
    How can management support you in achieving your goals?

    TIP:
    Encourage your agents to use the SMART approach when setting goals. That means their goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound.

    Career Development
    Staying in tune with your agents’ goals and aspirations is worth the effort. Did you know that hiring and training is one of the biggest expenses for any call center. In fact, the average turnover rate for call centers hovers between 30% and 45% — that’s a high figure! Supporting an agent’s career goals will improve employee engagement, minimize turnover, and improve long-term agent retention.
    Example questions:

    What types of call center roles do you see yourself progressing towards over the next year?
    Are there any training or professional development opportunities you’d be interested in?
    What aspects of your current role do you hope to carry forward in future positions?

    Relationship with Management
    You’ve heard the saying: people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers. Since you’re reading this article, we’ll assume you’re one of the good eggs! If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your professional relationship with your agents, the following questions will help you understand how they perceive you as a call center leader.
    Example questions:

    What is your preferred method of receiving feedback?
    Do you have any concerns about management that I can address?
    How can I make myself more available to you?

    Call Center Agents: How to Prepare for a Performance Review
    Agents are frontline workers, and the main connection between the call center and its callers. But even the most seasoned team members can find performance reviews unnerving.
    That’s because call center work can be unpredictable. Between call spikes and frustrated customers, an agent’s individual performance metrics can spike and dip unexpectedly. Because there are so many factors that play into call center performance, it’s important for agents to be able to speak to their successes and challenges, be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and be able to present a plan for improvement.
    While call center managers will be leading the performance review, it’s up to the agent to reflect on their performance and come prepared with information that will help move the conversation forward and prove their commitment to development and growth.
    Identifying Strengths
    Call center managers want to know that their agents are able to self-evaluate. To demonstrate this, agents should be able to identify their strengths in their role, whether it’s working under the pressure of high call volumes, making genuine connections with callers, or maintaining exceptional KPIs such as FCR and AHT.
    Areas for Improvement
    Speaking about work challenges can be daunting. To the agent, it may feel like they’re admitting weakness in the moment. But having these discussions is essential to improving the call center operation. A good manager will understand most shortcomings and offer more support. This may involve upgrading call center technology, addressing policies that hinder service, or setting up more training or mentoring sessions.

    DID YOU KNOW?
    Call-back technology is a simple, but powerful solution to high call volumes, sudden spikes in demand, and customer frustration. Find out how eliminating hold time can improve your call center.

    Goals and Outlook
    Goal setting is an essential part of the performance review, because it allows managers to track and measure agent success. Using SMART rules is the best approach to setting clear goals. Agents should be ready to discuss progress from earlier reviews and to set new goals as needed.
    Career Development
    Call center managers invest heavily in their agents, especially during the hiring and training period. The goal is to maintain high agent engagement and encourage internal career progression. Agents should consider their strengths and weaknesses and be prepared to work with their manager to set career goals with the organization.
    There you have it! Whether you’re leading as a manager or contributing as a call center agent, everyone has a role to play in performance reviews. We hope your next one produces positive outcomes for your organization.The post Call Center Management: The Best Questions to Ask During a Performance Review first appeared on Fonolo.

  • Whining and status

    Toddlers don’t get afforded a lot of respect. They whine all the time about how unfair things are, and it’s difficult to take them seriously.

    Lately, in our quest for victory, we’ve established that some winners get there via whining, and perhaps this is a useful strategy. It seems as though working the refs, blaming the conditions and questioning the score is all good as long as it helps you come out on top.

    In fact, whining isn’t resilient or scalable.

    People with confidence, power and reserves are able to admit when they are wrong, when things aren’t working and when it doesn’t turn out the way they hoped.

    If you’re hoping to demonstrate power, confidence or status, taking responsibility is a better signal than whining.

  • Should there be a social responsibility for a company to correct this kind of error?

    I am administrative assistant arranging a Christmas party at a venue. The venue repeatedly sent me emails asking for a logo for a souvenir for our company for about a week and my department voted on one to put on it. Afterwards, the venue emailed me after I sent them logo that they had made a mistake and the souvenir was not included in our package and we would need to pay if we wanted one. Since this conversation was started on their side, would good customer service be for them to provide the souvenir for free? It just seems to me that they wasted our time and refused to take responsibility for their error. submitted by /u/mecarzy [link] [comments]

  • Palliative care

    Few branches of medicine have created as much comfort, solace and relief.

    When we realize that traditional Western medicine is not going to be able to cure a life-threatening illness, the palliative care team is able to help. Instead of torturing and bankrupting patients, they can offer connection, humanity and closure.

    Too often, we view the fight as an unalloyed virtue. Instead of sharing our preferences and desires before we get ill (as though it’s some sort of bad luck charm), we simply hope for the best and then wait far too long (and create too much family stress) before embracing the next step in our journey.

    And, since I often look for metaphors, it’s probably worth noting that the same approach works for projects, companies and even relationships. We might all come out ahead if we focus on a productive and comfortable way to wrap things up, instead of fighting to the last moment.