Application Server Software for Call Centers. Enabling Success and Improving Customer Relationships

Transcription

1 Application Server Software for Call Centers Enabling Success and Improving Customer Relationships

2 CONTENTS C all centers are transforming the way companies support and manage customer relationships. In recent years, call centers have become major distribution channels for a wide variety of goods and services. In the process, they have evolved as a critical point of customer contact. Call centers enable companies to learn more about purchasing habits, provide opportunities for cross-marketing and improve customer satisfaction. They also increase revenue. Organizations that want to succeed in an increasingly competitive and global marketplace must support customers with reliable, flexible and highly efficient call centers or risk losing market share. Section 1: A New Era for Call Centers Section 2: Challenges Facing the New Call Center Environment Maximum Uptime Rapid Application Deployment Dial-in and Remote Connectivity Management and Integration Mixed Desktop Platforms and Configurations Legacy Desktops with New Applications Section 3: Citrix Application Server Software A Better Approach Reach, Speed, Predictability Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) The Key to Digital Independence Citrix Solutions Meet the Challenges of Call Center Environments The Conflict Between Application and Infrastructure Life Cycles Section 4: Call Centers Find Success with Citrix SBC Communications Inc. SITEL Technology Services TeleCheck Services, Inc. Conclusion 1

3 SECTION 1 A New Era for Call Centers Call centers have entered an era of unprecedented change. Once viewed as labor-intensive, back-office operations dedicated to niche markets, technology has transformed today s call center into an essential business tool for companies across a broad range of industries. From home shopping to banking to overnight couriers, business depends on call centers to lower costs, deliver new services and, most importantly, solidify customer relationships. The impact of technology on call centers is perhaps best demonstrated in the growing number of distributed call centers. In distributed call centers, agents from different locations are all connected by a network (WAN, VPN, Internet or extranet). Data and processes are shared across multiple sites for multiple tasks. Distributed call centers are gaining in popularity because of the flexibility they offer. Companies can leverage technology to reduce labor costs (by outsourcing agents) and improve productivity through the availability of expert resources. The array of enhanced services, software solutions and computer telephony integration (CTI) products coming to market is also opening the way for Virtual Call Centers, where agents can work anywhere there is a Web-enabled PC and a headset including at home. Technology is having a tremendous effect on the size and scope of call center operations around the world. The dramatic growth of distributed call centers is leading to an increase in the total number of seats in the U.S. and Canada, even as the number of large, single-site centers is leveling off. This enables scalability without the need to relocate staff from country to country. Projections for call center growth in the Asia Pacific region are virtually limitless, with Japan and Australia showing the greatest potential. In fact, the total number of call centers worldwide will more than double by the year 2002, with the majority of growth occurring in Europe and Asia Pacific. 1 But success brings new challenges. As call center operations continue to grow larger and more complicated, their support needs increase as well. This is especially true for the many organizations that have merged or acquired new companies in the past few years. Beyond having to manage larger call centers, these organizations must also successfully integrate multiple diverse call center environments that may span a number of countries or even continents. And while call centers were once dependent on limited proprietary technology, current information technology (IT) support and enabling options are more numerous and complex then ever. In order to meet these new challenges, today s call centers, both single-site and distributed, need comprehensive IT solutions that provide agents with immediate access to distributed information, whenever they need it, wherever they are. This must be accomplished in a way that ensures maximum uptime while also reducing the risk and uncertainty associated with supporting large, complex computing environments. In Europe, where call centers are often smaller than their U.S. counterparts, market growth is strong, largely because the European business community invested heavily in technology that permits them to unite multiple small call centers into a single large virtual call center. 2

4 SECTION 2 Challenges Facing the New Call Center Environment Today s call centers are redefining how companies manage virtually every aspect of their customer relationships by providing a proactive means for retaining existing customers and generating revenue. While service and retail industries have traditionally relied on call centers to supplement their sales organizations, new technologies have enabled businesses to market more efficiently and less expensively than a large, dispersed sales force or a costly branch office. Because distributed and virtual call centers allow companies to use remote agents from small centers in rural, affordable labor markets to home-based employees with Web-enabled PCs multiple centers can be costeffectively operated as a single center. This has made call centers a much more attractive customer support option to industries such as utilities and telecommunications. As call volume grows, companies are having to open additional call centers, each complete with automatic call distributors (ACDs), interactive voice response (IVR) units, servers, Web servers, predictive dialers, intelligent workstation applications and screenpop servers. Each center must run business-critical applications to multiple stations across its own supporting infrastructure. Unfortunately, many of the technologies deployed within call centers offer limited if any interoperability between systems. As a result, many call centers cannot respond quickly to changing customer demands. Worse yet, systems can become overwhelmed with cross-platform, multiple application activity and risk shutting down. For the purposes of this paper, we have categorized the primary business challenges facing call centers into six specific areas: Maximum Uptime Rapid Application Deployment Dial-in and Remote Connectivity Management and Integration Mixed Desktop Platforms and Configurations Legacy Desktops with New Applications Maximum Uptime The primary mission of any call center is to provide a positive, productive experience for customers, whether they are ordering goods or services, scheduling a flight or requesting additional information for a possible new purchase. There is no more certain way to anger and even lose customers than to have a call center system shut down. That s why maximum uptime is so important. From lost revenue opportunities to driving customers to competitors, a call center that crashes causes tremendous, potentially fatal harm to any business. Rapid Application Deployment In order to ensure that agents are fully prepared to meet the needs of customers, call centers must be able to rapidly distribute vital information throughout the enterprise. From application upgrades and script changes to customer purchase histories and real-time inventory figures, it is critical that call center agents can get the data they need whenever they need it. Call centers that cannot respond quickly to the needs of customers fail in their primary mission. 3

5 SECTION 2 Dial-in and Remote Connectivity Call center agents and their expert contacts are becoming more geographically dispersed and mobile. In response, call centers need a fast, easy and reliable solution for connecting agents and other resource staff, wherever they may happen to be. Management and Integration Legacy Desktops with New Applications Many call centers are equipped with desktops that have been in service for years. Yet, to remain competitive, they must be able to run the latest applications and upgraded software. Companies need a flexible, costeffective solution that enables call centers to run new applications without having to invest in new desktop hardware every few years. In the past it was adequate to have IT staff on premises to support a large single-site call center. But in today s distributed call center environments, it is physically impossible for IT administrators to touch every desktop. As the number of smaller and remote call centers continue to grow, businesses need an effective means for remotely managing, integrating and supporting existing sites, as well as adding new sites. Mixed Desktop Platforms and Configurations Call center functions are increasingly handled by organizations (both within and outside the enterprise) that use a variety of different hardware, software and operating systems. While one company s call centers may equip agents with only PCs, it may merge with a second company whose agents use a mixture of desktops and appliances including old PCs, UNIX workstations, network terminals and handheld devices. It is imperative that today s call centers can effectively operate and support a diverse, mixed breed computing environment without deterring performance. 4

6 SECTION 3 Citrix Application Server Software A Better Approach Citrix application server software is a comprehensive solution for call centers that enhances the productivity of every agent, regardless of location, network connection or desktop hardware. With Citrix software solutions, call center managers enjoy the flexibility of centralized management, and companies benefit from Citrix established track record of reliability. Citrix application server software provides a proven, cost-effective solution for getting business-critical applications to users anywhere in the extended enterprise. Fast. With Citrix, organizations can accelerate the deployment and extend the reach of applications, while reducing the total cost of application ownership. Administrators manage and support all enterprise applications from a single location. And companies can leverage all of their current computing infrastructure, from networks to desktop hardware. Citrix calls this visionary approach Digital Independence the ability to run any application on any device with any connection, wireless to Web (see sidebar). Citrix application server software fulfills the three greatest needs of organizations competing in the digital economy reach, speed and predictability. Reach In order to compete globally, companies must have the reach and flexibility to serve an increasingly mobile, remote and extended group of users around the world, including suppliers, partners and customers. Citrix application server software makes applications instantly available to any user, regardless of location, desktop hardware or network connection. Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) The Key to Digital Independence Citrix ICA is the technology which enables Citrix application server software to function so efficiently and universally. A Windows presentation services protocol which shifts the burden of application processing from client device to server, ICA allows organizations to deliver applications and information anywhere, to any device, operating system or network infrastructure. ICA Client Citrix Server On the server, ICA has the unique ability to separate an application s logic from the user interface at the server and transport it to the client over standard network protocols IPX, SPX, NetBEUI, TCP/IP and PPP and over popular network connections asynchronous, dial-up, ISDN, frame relay and ATM. On the desktop client, users see and work with the application s interface, but 100 percent of the application s logic executes on the server. Only keystrokes, mouse clicks and screen updates transport over standard protocols to the client, consuming less than 20 kilobits per second of network bandwidth. 5

7 SECTION 3 Speed The time it takes to deploy an application determines the time-to-impact on a company s ability to drive revenue, improve customer service and increase levels of knowledge and organizational productivity. Citrix application server software enables enterprises to rapidly deploy new applications, set up or add new offices and integrate new systems in hours or days instead of months. Predictability Failure to achieve assured performance levels represents one of the greatest risks to businesses. For enterprises to succeed, business-critical applications must achieve new levels of reliability and performance. Citrix application server software and services are proven, with more than 100,000 customers worldwide, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500. Distributed Call Centers Dial-in Connectivity Mobile Professionals WAN Terminals, NetPCs and NCs Windows-based Terminals Legacy Desktops Telecommuters Network Computers DOS PCs 486 PCs Dial-up ISDN Network Corporate Data Center LAN Standard PCs UNIX X-terminals UNIX Workstations Mixed Desktop Platforms Web Computing Power Point Citrix Server Lotus Notes Citrix application server software enables IT administrators to rapidly deploy applications across an enterprise, regardless of client hardware, network connection or network protocol. 6

8 SECTION 3 Citrix Solutions Meet the Challenges of Call Center Environments Citrix application server software is an ideal solution for call centers because it provides companies with the ability to deliver business-critical applications to anyone, anywhere, anytime. This not only enhances the productivity of every user throughout the enterprise regardless of location, operating system or desktop hardware it s also the most effective way for organizations to leverage their call center investments as strategic assets. Put simply, Citrix application server software and services increase performance and productivity while reducing uncertainty and risk. Citrix has proven, cost-effective solutions that meet the specific business challenges of call center environments. Citrix Server In a Citrix server-based computing environment, multi-user capabilities allow applications and data to be deployed, managed, supported and executed 100% on the server. Citrix application server software streamlines application management and facilitates technical support. This not only ensures maximum uptime, it also provides call centers with substantial savings in administrative costs. Maximum Uptime Citrix application server software increases uptime in any call center environment, from large single-site facilities to centers using distributed and virtual infrastructures, improving service levels across dozens or hundreds of servers while maintaining business-critical application performance and security. Distributed call centers can share applications and other resources, since agents regardless of their location can work in real-time with critical databases, such as financial management or travel scheduling. While the applications execute on servers, they look, feel and perform as if they were running locally, enhancing agent productivity. Rapid Application Deployment With Citrix application server software, applications are installed once on a server and deployed quickly and easily to agent desktops across the enterprise. This rapid application deployment dramatically reduces the roll-out time of new and upgraded applications from months to minutes, saving organizations time, money and resources. Productivity and customer service are improved, since agents are always working with the latest applications and upgrades. And because applications are managed from a single site, call center managers can selectively deploy applications to a desktop or a browser according to an agent s needs and area of expertise. 7

9 SECTION 3 Dial-in and Remote Connectivity Citrix application server software and services enable enterprises to deliver information to users anywhere in the world, extending the reach and broadening the range of applications. Agents can contact expert resources wherever they may be, inside or outside the company, regardless of their client hardware or network connectivity. Agents and other users can access call center applications and database information through the Internet, corporate intranets, extranets, WANs, LANs, VPNs or remote access dial-up. Citrix even offers Web-enabled connectivity. Management and Integration Because of the centralized nature of a server-based computing environment, all applications and data are managed, integrated, configured and supported from a single point. This provides call center managers with an extremely flexible, scalable and secure call center environment. If a new application update is required for certain agents, the change is made once on the central server and the update will automatically be distributed to other servers across the enterprise, which will distribute the update to every specified desktop. Additional call centers (both servers and desktops) can be integrated into the system just as easily. There is never any need for special emulation software, changes in system configuration or application rewrites. Agent productivity is increased and training costs are reduced, since users can work on their preferred desktop. Mixed Desktop Platforms and Configurations Today s call centers are often comprised of a mix of desktop hardware, network connections and operating systems, making access to business-critical applications difficult and expensive. With Citrix software, enterprises can quickly and easily deliver applications to virtually any device in the enterprise without deterring performance. This includes Intel x86- and Pentium - based PCs, as well as non-intel processors, such as RISC, PowerPC and MIPS. Other supported devices include Windows-based terminals, network computers and wireless devices, as well as clients running DOS, UNIX, OS/2 Warp and Java. The cross-platform efficiency of Citrix application server software enables real-time business reporting to every agent, regardless of desktop or operating system. Legacy Desktops with New Applications Since Citrix application server software works with any desktop hardware, including legacy equipment such as 486 PCs and a wide variety of thin clients and network computers, companies can maximize their investment in the latest applications and upgrades while extending the life of their hardware investments. This change resilience helps organizations avoid the expense of investing in new desktops every few years. Citrix application server software spares companies from the recurring hardware costs of keeping up with the application life cycle (see sidebar). With Citrix application server software, companies can remotely diagnose and resolve IT problems, saving time and money, including the cost of peopleware. Security is improved, since all applications and desktops are managed from a centralized location. 8

10 SECTION 3 The Conflict Between Application and Infrastructure Life Cycles There is an inherent conflict between the life cycles of applications and infrastructure. Applications must meet the rapidly changing demands of the competitive market. This makes the life cycle of applications relatively short. On the other hand, the infrastructure life cycle is constrained by financial requirements (such as 5-year depreciation cycles) and the speed at which new technology can be adopted. In order for enterprises to compete, they must continually upgrade their infrastructure just to use the latest applications. This struggle to keep up with the newest technology costs money and, more importantly, takes time. Citrix enables companies to break the costly conflict of application and hardware life cycles. With Citrix application server software, the latest applications run at LAN-like speeds on any desktop hardware, including legacy PCs and older network terminals, Macintosh systems and UNIX workstations. New desktop hardware can be phased in as time and budgets permit. As a result, organizations can achieve dramatic savings, specifically on a per-desktop basis. Application Life Cycle Business-driven Infrastructure Life Cycle Depreciation-driven Years

11 SECTION 4 Call Centers Find Success with Citrix SBC Communications Inc. SBC Communications Inc., through its wireless subsidiaries, is a leading provider of wireless communications services to consumers and businesses nationwide. Through its wireless brands Southwestern Bell Wireless, Pacific Bell Wireless, Ameritech Cellular, SNET Wireless, Nevada Bell Wireless and Cellular One SBC offers local and long-distance cellular and paging services to 10.1 million customers. SBC serves 119 markets nationwide, including nine of the nation s top 10 markets. The wireless subsidiaries of SBC Communications wanted to upgrade the customer service billing application to a three-tier, customized client/server application. This required transitioning from a mainframe to a client/server environment and replacing green screen terminals with PCs. Problems arose when application performance fell as new user PCs were added to the system. After installing almost 3,000 units, the IT support team realized that the project was too demanding for typical PC-based fat clients. The traditional client/server environment was just too difficult to scale and maintain, requiring more desktop/server hardware, network bandwidth and management than had been anticipated. SBC Communications was already installing Citrix WinFrame servers into the wireless data center to improve dial-up access. They decided to install 90 WinFrame servers to run the client tier of the application for customer billing, Point of Sale (POS), marketing decision support (DSS) and reporting applications. The result was a dramatic increase in client application performance and system availability, and millions of dollars of savings in projected PC/server hardware, data networking and labor costs. Application performance at the desktop improved by 40 percent after the WinFrame servers were installed. Since customer service representatives could answer queries more quickly, customers spent less time in queue. This led to higher productivity and better service. System availability increased by 400 percent due to fewer points of failure. The transition to centralized management also reduced and simplified troubleshooting for IT administrators. Better yet, SBC Communications saved more than $6 million in hardware costs by using existing clients instead of having to upgrade PCs. Labor and travel costs were sharply reduced since all support and upgrades were administered from a single location. And WinFrame s rapid application deployment dramatically cut the timeframe for implementing Y2K-compliant applications through the remote administration of software upgrades. Citrix expertise with thin-client technology has given us the best of both worlds the flexibility of a distributed, client/server architecture and the centralized application management of a mainframe system, comments David Fisher, team lead, Thin Client Services. Today, the wireless IT support team within SBC Communications employs 180 MetaFrame and WinFrame servers to run customer service billing, POS, reporting and DSS applications. The center typically hosts approximately 4,500 concurrent users, with capacity to handle as many as 7,000 users. 10

12 SECTION 4 SITEL Technology Services SITEL Technology Services, a division of SITEL Corporation, operates five large call centers that provide outsourced technical support for ISPs, PC and PDA manufacturers and other companies nationwide. With technology-focused clients regularly upgrading their support software, manuals and browsers, SITEL urgently needed a solution for rapidly implementing these upgrades. The task was all the more challenging because SITEL maintains PC s in each call center, making upgrades labor-intensive and costly. SITEL implemented a server-based computing architecture using Citrix MetaFrame and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition and dramatically reduced downtime with fast, cost-effective upgrades through centralized application administration. Our division s profitability depends on keeping our call center agents supplied with the very latest support information so they can give inbound callers the correct advice, said Jeff Seiler, vice president of Information Technology for SITEL. Installing upgrades on 500 desktops can lead to lost revenues from agent downtime. With Citrix, all it takes is a five minute server upgrade and the entire call center is ready to go. In addition to single-point administration, SITEL benefits from installing thin Windows-based terminals as standard equipment in new call center locations and replacing aging PCs in older centers. As companies focus more closely on their core operations and demand for outsourced services increases, Citrix technology will make it easier and less expensive for us to expand our business, explained Seiler. TeleCheck Services, Inc. TeleCheck Services, Inc., the world s leading check acceptance company, had more than 300 call agents in one of their largest call centers connecting to proprietary data subsystems running on VAX servers through VT terminals. When the VT terminals started failing due to their age, TeleCheck needed a cost-effective solution for replacing the VTs and increasing the performance of their call center. TeleCheck also saw this as an opportunity to increase productivity by implementing a GUI-based application for the agents. But providing every agent with a PC would have been prohibitively expensive and would have severely increased administrative overhead. TeleCheck deployed Citrix MetaFrame 1.8 and the result has been higher call availability of agents, increased productivity and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO). After deploying MetaFrame, TeleCheck replaced the VTs with Wyse Winterms and published a VT terminal emulator on their server farm. This eliminated the cost of maintaining the VTs. Agents now use this load-balanced application to connect to the data subsystems. Publishing a load-balanced application through MetaFrame ensures high availability for agents, and load balancing reduces the impact of a hardware or software problem. And with the addition of applications like Outlook and the standard MS Office Suite, the call center also enjoys increased productivity. The top priority of our call centers is providing fast, accurate and helpful service to ensure customer satisfaction, said Don Bain, manager of the Windows NT Development Group at TeleCheck. Implementing Citrix MetaFrame has greatly improved application availability and performance, while lowering our TCO by 20%. Our Citrix implementation has been so successful, we plan to expand it to several additional call centers and remote-site WAN users in

13 CONCLUSION Conclusion Citrix application server software can improve the performance of any call center, large or small, single-site or distributed, maximizing uptime and reducing the uncertainty of supporting complex computing environments. The net result is better service and stronger customer relationships. With Citrix application server software solutions, call centers benefit from rapid application deployment, centralized management of multiple servers, desktops and applications across platforms, and the ability to leverage existing investments in hardware and infrastructure for lower TCO. For more information on Citrix application server software products and services, contact your nearest authorized Citrix Solutions Network member. Or visit the Citrix website at to learn more about Citrix application server software solutions. 12

14 Worldwide Headquarters Citrix Systems, Inc NW 6th Way Fort Lauderdale, FL USA Tel: +1 (954) Tel: +1 (800) European Headquarters Citrix Systems International GmbH Rheinweg Schaffhausen Switzerland Tel: Asia Pacific Headquarters Citrix Systems Australia Pty Ltd State Forest Building 423 Pennant Hills Road Pennant Hills NSW 2120 Sydney, Australia Tel: +61 (0) Japan Headquarters Citrix Systems Japan KK Arco Tower 16F Shimo-Meguro Meguro, Tokyo Japan Tel: Heenehan & Associates Copyright Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Citrix, ICA and WinFrame are registered trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. Digital Independence and MetaFrame are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.