COCOS HOSTING (Hosting and outsourcing on the COCOS infrastructure) Simplifying Customer Interaction Management with the leading edge technology, best Customer Service and optimum costs.
COCOS Hosting and Outsourcing is the right solution for companies which have realised that they would prefer to invest in their business operations and lease or outsource other functions. Hosting or outsourcing is not only a solution for small companies whose investment in their own contact center or CRM solution would not prove economical, but also for large organisations which entrust the performance of certain functions to professional partners. Successful companies in numerous sectors of the economy are aware that contact centers have become the most important factor regarding customer retention, achieving competitiveness, as well as flexibility in response to changes in the market. A contact center is the key intersection point for all contacts between a company and its customers, and an important element in raising productivity. It is also the basis of every Customer Relationship Management strategy. Furthermore, it provides new selling approaches and generates new business opportunities. We are becoming a service oriented society, where companies must make themselves valued in their field of activity if they wish to survive in the long-term, which means that they have to concentrate all available resources on their basic activities. That is why more and more companies are looking into the possible outsourcing of specific functions (services) in the company, mainly regarding fields (customer service center, help desk, telemarketing services, etc.) connected to infrastructural investments (IT, telephony). This mainly concerns a new way of thinking i.e. a company cannot be self-sufficient in every field. If you can have an external accounting service, you can also have an external customer service centre. The fact that our clients are banks, insurance companies, and commercial companies proves that outsourcing or hosting is already a common occurrence. Establishing your own contact center is reasonable only if it is an integral part of your business activities when contacts are demanding in terms of content, or when there is a high number of interactions through various communication channels which are more or less equally distributed in terms of timing; and when, in most cases, immediate access to information of other information systems is necessary. Start with hosting and outsourcing and then proceed according to your needs. Outsourcing and hosting have always had an economic logic. Successful companies recognised the importance of effective Customer Relationship Management long ago, as well as the advantages of outsourcing/hosting services, according to the following principle: everyone should do what they do the best. What should companies that decide to outsource such services consider when selecting a provider? When selecting a partner, the quality of the service must be taken into consideration, which includes: the professional attitude, the ability to solve clients requests as regards content, as well as responsiveness and flexibility with regard to clients needs and wishes. The technical appropriateness of the solution is also important as it ensures a direct and safe connection between the contact center and the information system of the parent company, as well as the ability of the partner to ensure the development of the CRM application element of the solution and its integration with the client s information system. How can you identify reliable? An important criterion is the provider s references and experience and knowledge regarding the implementation of similar projects. Ability to adapt to a client s technical requirements is also important, as well as the client s responsiveness and flexibility concerning capacity expansion, in particular in the case of unexpected situations. However, staff resources and their training and monitoring during the performance of services should not be neglected. As all COCOS contact center applications, i.e. CIM or CRM systems, are the result of our own research and development, our advantage is that we can offer clients an optimal combination with regard to their needs, which entails: establishing their own center (purchase); hosting on the COCOS infrastructure; or outsourcing contact center services, which in our opinion, in most cases proves to be the most reasonable and economic solution. COCOS HOSTING By combining a call center located at the client s premises and a hosted call center, we are able to create a flexible inbound/outbound contact center platform that meets variable customer needs, and can as well combine in-house agents with client-based agents. Hosting on an external server infrastructure is gaining popularity, since it enables the client to avoid the demanding purchase, installation, and maintenance of the expensive server and application infrastructure. Furthermore, the client does not need specially trained staff and is not burdened with the maintenance and upgrading of the server infrastructure. In such cases, the client invests only in its own agent workplaces where the COCOS application
is running, which is connected in the background with the remote outsourced server infrastructure. The client maintains integrated control over work processes, since these take place within the company and involve the client s personnel. Our partners usually opt for hosting on an existing infrastructure, since they find the financial conditions of such cooperation more suitable given the professional reliability of our company. One significant advantage for our clients is the low cost of COCOS hosting, since there is no need for continuous investment in upgrading and maintaining the system. In addition, our clients are offered the most advanced technology and flexibility in adapting the number of active workplaces. COCOS hosting means that you hire 24/7 technical support (software, hardware, and telephone connections), which is located at the service provider site. Human resources and workplace equipment are provided by the client and are based at the client s premises. Reduce costs, but still have at your disposal the best knowledge, experience, and infrastructure. The main benefits of hosting: No need to spend scarce capital on purchasing, operating, and maintaining telecom and data infrastructure. No hardware acquisition and follow-up costs (the technology is upgraded by the service provider without the buyer paying for it). No software licenses or upgrades to manage. No maintenance or support staff. No capital costs (avoidance of capital expenditures). No fixed monthly expenses. Full control. We take responsibility for the technological upgrading and the development of the contact center, which is reflected in the low costs of such partnership. As we would like to maintain the leading position in this field we continuously track innovations in the market. The price of services depends on the use, while the center can easily be adapted to such use. This system can monitor an increase in the client s needs and provide for an appropriate adaptation of the work system. This enables us to avoid potential discontinuities in business operations and the operability of the contact center. We contribute our knowledge and experience to our relationship with a client. In this way we can release the client s IT department and thus enable it to focus on the strategically critical problems of the company. TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Our technical infrastructure is based on the most advanced technologies, enabling the simultaneous use of various telecommunication standards and protocols (TDM, VoIP, etc.). In order to ensure sufficient availability and security, we employ various Internet and telecommunication. Thus, we avoid potential bottlenecks in permeability, or the failure of an individual network. The consumer communicates not only through one channel, which we took into account in the formation of our service offer, which thus supports the communication channels most frequently used (telephone, e-mail, telefax, World Wide Web, SMS, and documents). Since our activities also include the planning of contact centers and CRM solutions, we can respond to any additional requests from clients, including those involving interoperability or integration with other business information systems. Why do companies use outsourcing or hosting? 6% Wider coverage (with regard to operating hours or geography) 6% Reduction in investments/assets 9% Coverage of peak period activity 3% Decreased implementation schedules 5% Campaigns 9% Difficulties with regard to managing/hiring human resources 3% Access to the latest technology 3% Access to specialists in CC services 22% Control/ reduction of operational Costs 20% Enables a better focus on the company s core activities Conclusion During the last years a number of companies in the telecom and data service industries have come to understand the concept of IP, and the importance of hosting solutions. They have seen costs reduced in their operations by an order of magnitude. They have gained a solid competitive advantage for their company. The IP hosting industry is adding more and more customers each quarter and adding the value that they need and seek. The COCOS IP hosting solution provides short-term and long-term benefits to our clients in the entire customer care and contact center industry. Every day they realise that this service is financially and technically attractive. Businesses can begin to adopt IP hosting network technologies with no initial investment, zero service disruption, and a fast ROI. By some general statistics
The IP hosted contact center industry is looking at a future where clients never need to buy hardware or software again, while serving all customer needs regardless of agent seat requirements, any time, anywhere. our agents are also trained to work on many projects at the same time, since the COCOS Contact Center enables easy and exact adaptation to each individual campaign or project. Supervisors specially trained for such work are responsible for coordination, supervision, and management. Redirect your energy to areas where the company needs you most. COCOS OUTSOURCING Companies choose various methods of outsourcing and various types of outsourcing services from complete to partial outsourcing, or a combination of own purchase, hosting, and outsourcing. The most demanding form is complete outsourcing of customer relationship services, including the support of all communication channels and the automation of work processes (Work Flow Management). Partial outsourcing follows next, whereby the client arranges the redirection of certain types of calls, or support for excess calls, or support outside working hours. The most simple form of support involves temporary actions which a company carries out with a view to supporting sales and marketing actions, such as telemarketing, sales promotions, market and public opinion research, database updating, monitoring consumer satisfaction, and the like. Upon our partners request, in 2002 we established our own COCOS outsourcing contact center with a daily capacity of up to 20,000 calls, putting us on a par with the leading regional of complete contact center outsourcing solutions. If creating your own contact center is not the right choice for you, this does not mean that you cannot ensure quality communication with your customers. Choose outsourcing in the form of a complete service or hosting. Our key competitive advantages are that we offer the most advanced technology with the possibility of combining old and new communication infrastructures (TDM, VoIP), a highly educated technical team with many years of experience in the field of contact center implementation, and expertise regarding connecting to other business applications and databases. A variety of good practices gained from our successful client partnerships ensures that new clients will be offered appropriate consulting and an optimal solution adapted to the their needs. Since we have our own training programme for Customer Relationship Management, agents in our contact center are provided top quality training. However, Companies do not need to deal with costs and problems that arise in relation to establishing their own contact center. Outsourcing offers clients the necessary infrastructure, 24/7 technical support, and professional and trained personnel exclusively focused on the client s activities. The client only provides for hiring the agents and the site, or pays the provider for the processed contacts regarding a particular campaign. At CDE, we constantly invest in new technologies, and we have the know how which enables us to get the most from the technology and people in the contact center. We are good at giving advice, foreseeing complications, and finding the most effective solutions. The main benefits of outsourcing: No investment into hardware, software, telecom and data infrastructure, maintenance or operating costs. Maximises customer satisfaction by quickly resolving any customer queries. Access to a team of dedicated resources that you may not have in-house. Leverage our state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology. Provide quality services. We can help you lower costs, as well as free up your precious resources. Significantly lower costs. Proven process quality. Access to a trained, computer-literate, professional workforce, with good presentation and communication skills. Complete transparency of call center operations. Well-designed, standardised call center processes. Web-based, real-time, and historical reporting. Flexible and seamless integration. Faster agent response times.
THE OUTSOURCING SERVICES WHICH YOU CAN OFFER THROUGH THE COCOS CONTACT CENTER ARE AS FOLLOWS: Primary Inbound Activities Info service help desk (general, general information on business units, opening times, products and services, product-based, technical info) information on products, price quotes, and offers, Counselling and customer care Receipt and resolution of complaints mail distribution, receipt and forwarding of faxes, etc. help desk, assistance with managing customer/client relationships, promotions and current offers, information on the benefits of loyalty programmes and account balance, sorting of orders/logistics, etc. monitoring customer satisfaction, etc. Support for marketing activities Operation as a dislocated central telephone reception, enabling the receipt and transfer of calls Primary Outbound Activities Dunning processes debt collection prize contests, collecting data on callers, SMS, etc., televoting, surveying, etc. telephone reception services, telephone calls, emails or SMS notification as support for other warning procedure activities, Updating databases Market research and opinion polls Sales promotion Direct selling telemarketing services The customer database is the basis of marketing activities in the company. Through the contact center, we can update the client s existing database with newly updated data (name, surname, direct telephone number, email address, position in the company, title, filed of interest, etc.). Customers who want to enter a new marketing segment or check the opinion of potential customers, voters, etc. can be provided with the answers to the questions: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, HOW, and WHERE! follow up to a direct mail campaign with a view to selling a roduct/service, cross selling & up selling campaigns, etc. marketing certain services and products, promotion of last/first minute offers, arranging appointments for insurance agents, bank advisors, etc. Additional Benefits of Hosting (Saas Software as a Service) Building a state-of-the-art call center, hiring competent people, and getting operations up and running is expensive and time-consuming. Call center outsourcing is becoming widely used as companies realise the resulting benefits. Greater flexibility Almost no business risk Better risk management Gain the advantages of our strategic COCOS outsourcing or hosting services and stay focused on your core business. Let our expert team take care of your CC outsourcing needs. Conversion: FIX costs VARIABLE costs
Telecom VoIP VoIP Over Internet TDM/ISDN Network xpra or xbra SIP trunk xpra or xbra COCOS VoIP PBX Hybrid Voice Services Servers (TDM, VoIP) IVR & Fax Services LAN COCOS Application Servers: Contact Center Server IVR/VSS Server Workflow Server Document Management Server File Server, Backup Server FAX Server, Mass E-mail Server Mass SMS Server, WEB Chat Server Knowledge Database Server, CRM,... Agents and Administrators with VoIP SoftPhones Agent 1... Agent n Administrator 1... Main COCOS Contact Center Platform Administrator n DESCRIPTION OF THE ARCHITECTURE VPN SIP trunk LAN LAN COCOS VoIP PBX Agent 1... Remote Agent Agent n Administrator 1... COCOS Hosted Contact Center Administrator n COCOS contact center OUTSOURCING for South East Europe Telecom xpra or xbra COCOS VoIP PBX LAN COCOS Application Servers: Contact Center Server IVR/VSS Server Workflow Server Document Management Server File Server, Backup Server FAX Server, Mass E-mail Server Mass SMS Server, WEB Chat Server Knowledge Database Server, CRM,... SIP trunk Agents and Administrators with VoIP SoftPhones VoIP Agent 1... Agent n Administrator 1... Administrator n CDE nove tehnologije d.o.o., Tehnološki park 24 Building H, 1000 Ljubljana, Telephone: +386 (0)1 500 47 10, E-mail: info@cde.si, Website: www.cde.si