http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/call-centre-monitoring-scheduling-software-an-introduction.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/call-centre-monitoring-scheduling-software-an-introduction.html Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0600
In this article I will discuss the advantages of call centre software especially those which help manage the workforce such as call centre monitoring software, call centre scheduling software, etc.

In general call centre software help call centres to efficiently manage routing of calls to the agents depending upon their expertise and capabilities, hold times, scheduling of employees, detailed reporting, etc. They help in improving customer service, cost efficiency of the operations and working efficiency of the agents, in short, raise the productivity levels of the call centre. They are also the key enabler of improvement in management and reporting.

Call centre monitoring software
This improvement in man-management and reporting is brought about with the help of call centre monitoring software which allow the managers to access each phone conversation and evaluate it in terms of quality and time management in real time and in recorded mode. They also help the management make sure that customers are getting best possible experience through the agents who should utilize their skills and tools, policies available to them to the optimum.

Call centre scheduling software
Call centre scheduling software helps determine the optimum number of staff required to manage the prevailing call turnover. This way the problem of over or under staffing does not arise and there is maximum utilization of the agents’ skills and productive time. This software also help call centres correctly plan and forecast their work time.

This software is particularly useful in determining how many people are waiting for a tech support person to answer the phone, how many agents are currently going through a call, call length of the every agent, how many calls each agent has taken for one hour and the total for the entire day.

All this data help managers to know the peak hours, number of calls each agent is taking per day, the most efficient agents, agents which are not so good and need to be replaced etc.

Before you finalize a call centre Software

Before zeroing on one of many such software available in the market you should take care of the following:

• Provider’s reputation, standing in the market and its past record which can be judged by speaking to the existing and past customers

• The software should not only cater to your current needs but also should be customizable and scalable according to the future needs and demands.

• Don’t go for the cheapest one available in order to cut costs. It can backfire badly costing you precious business.

• Don’t finalize before you have a demonstration so that you are sure that the features are exactly what you need for your own operations.


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Kate Dawson is a call centre administrator and have an in-depth knowledge about call centre software such as call centre monitoring software, call centre scheduling software etc. She is also a prolific writer and her various write-ups on call centre software have been published in many newspapers, magazines and online media.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/how-to-make-cheap-calls-abroad-using-voip.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/how-to-make-cheap-calls-abroad-using-voip.html Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:32:45 -0500
While many people have heard about the advantages of using VoIP to make cheap calls, some are still unsure as to the best way to start reaping the benefits themselves. The answer is incredibly simple: choose a VoIP provider and let them do the rest. Once you've subscribed, you'll receive a telephone adapter that connects a digital landline telephone to your computer and away you go. Most providers offer a monthly tariff, which is capped, so you'll always know what your bill is going to be - no more opening the dreaded envelope at the last minute because one of the kids has been chatting to their best friend in Australia!

In addition to giving you the opportunity to make cheap phone calls abroad, there are a number of other factors that make VoIP such an attractive option. The most obvious attraction is its ability to save you money. Because VoIP uses broadband to make and receive cheap phone calls, there are fewer overheads for the providers to charge you for. Instead, providers can offer a monthly package that covers the countries you want to call, not the amount of times you want to call them. If you have broadband already, then the process has already begun - you already have part of the technology to make cheap calls.

When it comes to installing new technology, many people worry about the amount of equipment they'll need and how expensive it is to install. If you've ever had a new landline installed, you'll know what a costly and demoralising process it can be. With VoIP, all you need is a telephone and an adapter with broadband. What you'll be sent is an adapter to connect the two; no wires, no digging out bits of plaster to install a new connection - just plug the two together.

Another nifty feature is that of portability. The phone number of a traditional telephone is allocated to your home or business. VoIP phones are designated to a person, meaning that, as long as you have your adapter and access to a broadband connection and a telephone, you can still make cheap calls on your account, no matter where you are. And because the number is portable, people can still make calls to you regardless of where you are.

With continual changes and improvements in technology, more and more consumers are getting wise to the idea that they can shop around and choose the service that best suits their lifestyle and budget. VoIP technology is the spearhead of a revolution in communications that could see the landline telephone - and the expensive bills that come with it - become a thing of the past.


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Costas Kariolis - Online Marketing Manager of Vonage UK. Vonage are leading low rate VoIP providers of cheap phone calls for home & small business users. Offering cheap international calls and free international calls to landlines via an internet phone service for a set monthly fee.

For interviews, quotes, images or comments contact:
Costas Kariolis
Online Marketing Manager
E-mail: theteam@vonage.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/how-to-choose-the-right-voip-service-provider.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/how-to-choose-the-right-voip-service-provider.html Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500
What is VOIP and is it right for you? First of all, VOIP stands for Voice Over IP or Voice over Internet Protocol, and it is the hardware and software that allows you to make and receive phone calls over your high-speed Internet connection. Many people have VOIP these days and many of them have eliminated the phone they had with their local phone company after determining that VOIP works well for them.

But with all the VOIP service providers out there, how do you know which one is the right one or the best one for you? First you need to take a couple of steps back and remember one of the very core things that is required for a VOIP connection. That core thing is a fast and reliable high-speed Internet connection. Studies have shown that in far more than 95% of situations where a customer has complained about lousy VOIP service, the problem was not with the VOIP service but was their lousy Internet connection instead.

So before you can determine which VOIP provider is going to be your best choice, you need to first look at the company that is providing your high-speed Internet connection and determine realistically if they are providing enough pizzazz to allow VOIP to work for you. Is your connection spotty and slow? Does it slow to a crawl sometimes for no apparent reason whatsoever? Does it disconnect you every so often for no reason? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then chances are that you should get a different high-speed Internet provider before you consider trying to use VOIP, because the likelihood is high that you will not be happy with your VOIP solution from ANY VOIP service provider.

For a residential VOIP connection, that is going to be either DSL or cable Internet service. VOIP will not work well on a dial-up connection, and VOIP will also not work well with a satellite high-speed connection. If you have a T1 line, VOIP will almost certainly work, but a T1 line is typically for business instead of residential since it costs several hundred dollars per month, so you probably don't have a T1 line at home.

Assuming you have a stable and reliable high-speed Internet connection at home, your choices for a VOIP vendor are pretty much wide open. Believe it or not, one of the places NOT to get VOIP service is directly from your cable company. Why? Because from what I have consistently seen, the VOIP service from your cable or DSL company is about twice the price of what VOIP service should cost. That is a pretty steep price to pay just for the convenience of having your DSL or cable on the same bill as your VOIP service, which is the ONLY advantage I can see.

Almost all the VOIP service providers offer a very similar system with very similar features – call waiting, voice mail, call block, unlimited local calling, unlimited long distance calling. More features than that are gravy, and you should take a long hard look at those features to see if they are worth the higher cost. Some companies offer a substantial discount if you pay for a full year up front, which brings the monthly cost of the VOIP service (including unlimited long distance) below $17 per month.

Just a note about the "unlimited long distance" aspect that most of the VOIP providers advertise – it is not true. By definition, the word "unlimited" means "without limits". But in reality, if your long distance minutes are more than about 2500 to 3000 minutes per month, you can expect a short and tactless letter from your VOIP provider asking why you are using that many minutes on a residential phone, and to let you know in no uncertain terms that they expect to see fewer minutes used in the future.

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For more information and to see recommended VOIP Service Providers please visit our web site at http://www.voipinsideinfo.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/what-are-calling-cards-anyhow.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/what-are-calling-cards-anyhow.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0600 A somewhat new feature to calling cards now allows you to register phone numbers (from which you usually make your calls) so that you don't have to enter your PIN when calling from these numbers.

Some of the calling cards available are postpaid; this means that you have an account and are monthly billed for your usage. Others are prepaid, so you can only spend a set amount. Prepaid cards frequently have lower rates, since by paying upfront you enable the calling card provider to negotiate the rates in advance.

There are prepaid cards designed specifically for use between two countries or just within a single country. It's actually not hard to choose a calling card, but you should take this things into consideration, to make sure you pay the absolute lowest rate for your calls.

Now, let’s see what calling cards are not: first of all, do not confuse the calling cards we talked about in this article with the cards used in many countries to activate payphones; these cards usually contain smart chips and have many names, including phone cards, telecartes, and calling cards. We don't mean these, either. We are simply a way to lower your long distance costs. And if you purchase them online, you will also avoid getting a useless piece of plastic (the physical card). You will however get the PIC, access number(s) and the credit you paid for. Basically, all you need to start making low-cost high-quality local and international calls.


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This article was written by Alex Russell; he's constantly posting news about calling card and phone card industry.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/iphone-dialers-fill-in-the-gaps-in-device-functionality-and-add-a-little-fun-as-well.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/iphone-dialers-fill-in-the-gaps-in-device-functionality-and-add-a-little-fun-as-well.html Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:47:21 -0500
iPhone dialers range in features with the most vibrant offering to keep track of the numbers you have called, download a picture to represent your stored numbers, send text messages, view the contacts and so on. You may even find a feature on your iPhone dialer that will show you on a map where your contact is located. You can also find dialers that are just for fun such as an old fashioned rotary iPhone dialer. In fact, the rotary dialer is one of the more popular applications. iPhone dialers are available to allow you to use voice dialing as well. Many of the popular iPhone dialers are free.

Among the iPhone dialers available today are those designed to take advantage of voice over the Internet protocol (VoIP). Some of these are very full featured and allow you to connect your iPhone through SIP or IP based phone system. This allows you to take advantage of services such as Skype, Google Talk, and MSN so that you can make free IP-based calls. This is a big advantage for businesses since some of these iPhone dialers will also integrate with PBX systems. These systems also boast special features such as caller ID. Some iPhone dialers are integrated with instant messaging and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This is a popular feature since use of these sites is becoming more and more widespread.

Among some of the newest dialers are those that connect to voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and allow you to use the Internet to make your calls. This allows you to avoid using cellular talk time minutes and long distance charges. Some of these dialers do require that you pay a fee for their service and that you connect through their system so you will need to do some investigating to see what is best for you.

The lack of voice dialing capabilities on the iPhone has baffled its users and those that follow the market. Third party apps have taken care of that problem with the most promising of the iPhone dialers allowing you use voice commands for dialing. And there are quite a few iPhone dialers with voice capability out there. They vary in accuracy and ease of use and due to limitations of the device, not the applications, most don't work well with Bluetooth or allow you to dial without looking at the screen. It is likely, however, that over time Apple will respond to complaints by users and get these problems fixed.

So the long and short of it is that you are certain to be able to find an iPhone dialer that suits your tastes. If you can't find it today, just keep checking back. It's sure to be available soon since there is probably a developer working on it right now.




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Make calls from your mobile device browser. If your mobile device can connect to the internet with a browser, then you can make cheap calls from you mobile device. Check out VBuzzer's iphone client, iphone dialer,iphone sip, iphone sip client, iphone softphone and iphone voip

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/why-use-ata-voip-hardware_1.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/why-use-ata-voip-hardware_1.html Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:33:21 -0500
· Ata VoIP adapters are perfect if you want to keep your own home phone and still make VoIP calls, this means that using VoIP is even cheaper.
· There are many different types of ata VoIP adapter to choose from and there will be one to suit every price range and every user. So you don't have to worry about having to pay for expensive ata VoIP hardware when you are choosing an adapter.
· Buying ata VoIP hardware, such as adapters, works out cheaper than having to buy a new phone, although you can do this if you wish. There are VoIP phones that you can buy which
· Using an ata VoIP adapter is really easy, there is no tricky set up - you simply plug your home phone into it, connect it to your modem, access your VoIP account and you can make calls instantly.
· You can choose if you want an ata VoIP adapter that will allow you to switch between your regular telephone line and your VoIP line, should you wish to. This type of feature is more commonly used in businesses as they often have an old and established telephone number that many customers know and use frequently.
· If you want to have a fax line in addition to your phone line you can connect your fax machine through the ata VoIP adapter quickly and easily. That means that you can make and take calls and faxes at the same time using your VoIP account.
· There are some amazing prices to be had online if you are interested in buying ata VoIP hardware which makes shopping online even more appealing.
· Ata VoIP products help anyone get connected to their VoIP provider and start to benefit from lower phone calls than ever.
· You can buy an ata VoIP adapter that will be suitable for several phones at any one time, which can make life a lot easier for smaller offices which need to use the telephone and want to use a VoIP provider.

So if you are wondering whether or not to take the plunge and start to use a VoIP service provider you now know a little bit more about ata VoIP hardware and how easy it is to use. This knowledge should then help you to make a more informed decision on whether or not to make the switch.


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Vbuzzer provides quality voip products and services. The company has special offers for adapter voip, ata voip, voip adapter, voip ata, voip phone adapter and many more.




Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/satellite-internet-and-voip.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/satellite-internet-and-voip.html Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500 Fresh Developments in VoIP Technology

At present, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony has been reaching new heights, expanding use even through satellite internet services. VoIP calls which utilize satellite internet connections operate just as an ordinary phone at home. Simply put- you just pick up the receiver and dial. Yes, you may be using your satellite internet connection but these voice transmissions sent through the net are decoded by the specific software and what you have is a much cheaper way to call abroad.

Support between VoIP services and Satellite Internet

Presently, more and more support between VoIP services and satellite internet providers is being exchanged. The internet has now become an instant tool for those anywhere around the world in need of an urgent call abroad. Satellite VoIP has been considered one of the freshest developments in VoIP technology as it offers consumers from anywhere in the world a direct source of communication with loved ones around the globe.

Making the world a whole lot smaller

Satellite internet may be more expensive than other types of providers, but it does not set limits to the enjoyment of the internet to those areas where a telephone line is present. It can be projected that satellite VoIP may make the world a whole lot smaller for those living in hard to reach, remote locations as developments in satellite technology reaches the masses. For those living in these kinds of areas, satellite VoIP can be the most beneficial choice in order to keep one’s self connected to others. Research and experimental projects done in remote areas will receive most advantageous results from such developments in communications.

Working together

VoIP providers have been collaborating with satellite internet service providers in order to benefit from service tie-ups. The VoIP providers have an opportunity to reach more customers while the satellite services can keep other cable companies at bay. But satellite technology still has its own issues to deal with. The advancement of the technology may provide a lot more convenience for those in remote locations but this does not come simply. Satellite technology deals with complex streams of data which must be correctly managed in order for satellite VoIP to work without delay and in a smooth manner. These issues with precision management of data are being worked out between provider tie-ups at present. The new advances in satellite VoIP may just give DSL providers a run for their money, while giving developing countries a taste of communication they may not have had with other service providers.


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Hope Ocampo is a freelance writer. To find out more about her articles and about VOIP, please visit href="http://www.voip-architecture.com">VoIP Architecture.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/how-to-avoid-bad-calling-cards.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/how-to-avoid-bad-calling-cards.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
But for now, we're just going stick to calling cards and phone cards. So here are some things you should do to make sure you're getting what you think you're paying for in a phone card/calling card:

1. Check for fees
An honest calling card provider will always detail every tax, fee, and surcharge that goes along with each card. This information is usually on a card's profile page or in its details (so, not the most obvious locations), but it's worth looking for it.

2. Check the rounding
The rounding big can eat away your minutes if you're not careful. If you buy a 100 minute international phone card with a 10-minute rounding and use it to make 10 calls that last 20 seconds each, your card will be used up after these 10 phone calls. 10 calls x 10-minutes each = 100 minutes. But, you'll argue, I only talked for 3 minutes and 20 seconds, not 100 minutes! Here's what's really going on: the rounding is the unit in which you will be billed, so if it's 10 minutes, anything up to 10 minutes will be billed as 10 minutes, and any calls from 10 minutes and 1 second to 20 minutes will be billed as 20 minutes, and so on.

3. Make sure you can contact the company
Make sure that there's a customer service number for your card. Our contact information, for example, is readily available on our website, and the Customer Service Department is opened 24/7. This is so because we want you to be able to reach us at every hour of the day OR night. Bottom line is this: if you a company you're considering buying something from doesn't have any contact information, why would you consider purchasing a calling card (or anything else) from them?

On the same note, here's some more information about our site, www.BananaCall.com:
On our site, we fully explain all the fees that will be associated to your calling card or phone card, and we do our absolute best to ensure that card information is always accurate and up to date.
We deliver all of our cards online, and we have a built-in security system that protects you against online payment fraud. You won't ever have to worry that you will be billed for a card you don't receive, or that you won't receive a working PIN number.
There are some things over which we have no control, like pay phone and cell phone surcharges. These are determined by the carrier, not by us.
Knowing as much as you can about your purchases is definitely the smart thing to do. If you have any questions about prepaid calling cards, phone cards or BananaCall.com, in general, please feel free to call out Customer Support anytime!

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This article was written by Alex Russell; he's constantly looking for and posting news about calling cards and phone cards.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/iphone-sip-is-finally-a-viable-option.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/iphone-sip-is-finally-a-viable-option.html Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:52:09 -0500
So what's the big deal and why do people want an iPhone SIP client anyway? SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol, is a multimedia conferencing protocol that allows you to make telephone calls over the Internet. It does a whole lot more than that but telephony is the big draw. iPhone SIP enables users to make telephone calls via wireless networks, as opposed to using valuable and costly telephone minutes. In other words, SIP allows you to make calls to virtually anywhere in the world without using talk time.

Until recently, there were few iPhone SIP applications that would enable you to take advantage of VoIP technology. In recent months, however, there have been a number of announcements made by large SIP vendors such as Skype introducing SIP tools that make VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) an real option for current iPhone users. This is what many iPhone proponents have been waiting for since up to now iPhone SIP was really just another item on the list of wanted apps.

So why has iPhone SIP been so long in coming? The answer to that question is easy. iPhone SIP has been slow in developing due to Apple's restrictions on how it can work. Apple has limited SIP to use on wireless networks (wi-fi), as opposed to through cellular providers. This means that SIP clients such as Skype will only work if you are in the range of a wi-fi network. This limitation was put in place so that iPhone VoIP calling would not cannibalize AT&T's revenue from regular wireless calls. No doubt AT&T's concern about this issue was greatly justified but the limitation has brought a lot of frustration to iPHone users who have anxiously awaited high quality and reliable iPhone SIP client applications.

Apples block on iPhone SIP VoIP clients that work over a cellular data connection continue but iPhone SIP advocates can take heart now as there are even and iPhone SIP clients available in the official iPhone app store. Apple has finally opened its arms, if not its network, to developers who are working to catch up with development of SIP clients. There are now, at last, a number of SIP applications to choose from and users, while perhaps not having the all encompassing open access they had hoped for, do have good access to SIP technology now.

As competition between iPhone SIP apps has grown, so too has the ease of use. The iPhone SIP clients that are available today are far more user friendly than earlier derivations. This is great news for users and should be a leading indicator that there will continue to be improvement in iPhone SIP apps. It is likely that these advancements will continue and the iPhone SIP market will only get better for users. So, good news for all you iPhone users out there--SIP is finally here.


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Make calls from your mobile device browser. If your mobile device can connect to the internet with a browser, then you can make cheap calls from you mobile device. Check out VBuzzer's iphone client, iphone dialer,iphone sip, iphone sip client, iphone softphone and iphone voip

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/voip-phones-a-combination-of-convenience-and-cost-effectiveness.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/voip/voip-phones-a-combination-of-convenience-and-cost-effectiveness.html Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:35:49 -0500
VoIP or voice over internet protocol is one of the latest developed technologies which allow organizations to make voice calls over the internet. While making a VoIP call from a computer system to a VoIP conferencing phone or landline phone, the average cost of the calls is much cheaper than the calls made using landline phones. Moreover, a VoIP call made from a computer system to another is almost equivalent to free of cost.

A common misconception about VoIP calls and VoIP phones is that, the individuals at both the ends of the call need to remain glued to their seats and computer systems until the call is over. Nowadays, there are a number of wireless VoIP headsets, telephone adapters and VoIP systems with high quality speaker systems available in the market which allows users to move around certain space, while connected to a VoIP call.

Besides the portability and cost effective communication options offered by the VoIP systems and VoIP services, some of the other benefits for which more and more number of organizations are investing in these systems, include:

* The portability options offered by a VoIP conferencing phone prove highly beneficial especially for business travelers. Business travelers can even choose to use regular phone systems and use it with VoIP phone adapters while traveling. All that an individual will require for making a VoIP call is the VoIP phone number and a internet connection.

* VoIP technology facilitates users to access phone, email, fax, web conferencing, Internet and video applications, all at the same time.

* A VoIP user also has the facility to choose any area code for own VoIP phone number. Therefore, an organization located in one city, with clients from other cities, can select the area codes of the cities where their clients are located. By doing this they can make calls at the local call charges.

More and more number of business organizations from diverse business fields are choosing to invest in high quality Avaya phone systems and other VoIP systems so that they can communicate with their clients in a better, convenient and cost effective manner.

Businesses are also investing in Merlin phone systems for their exciting and unique features. For more information, you can visit : http://www.telcom-data.com/

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Zaibatt is an experienced business development content writer and publisher for Telcom & Data Inc., a leading provider of desktop video conferencing & business phone systems including phone voice recorders with VoIP gateways.


Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>