實施CTI的十個步驟

（CTI論壇編譯）

現(xiàn)在，有很多企業(yè)正準備使用CTI，特別是那些依靠呼叫中心獲取利潤或為用戶提供服務(wù)的企業(yè)。然而，這些企業(yè)通常并沒有意識到建立CTI系統(tǒng)的復雜性。特別是那些沒有為CTI作好準備的企業(yè)。CTI的實施將會經(jīng)歷一個長期和痛苦的過程。

建立CTI最重要的過程是規(guī)劃階段（CTI為可行性研究賦予了新的含義）。在規(guī)劃階段，公司經(jīng)常發(fā)現(xiàn)要對企業(yè)進行一些基礎(chǔ)改變和預先改進以便引入CTI。這些變化一般包括業(yè)務(wù)流程的變更，新技術(shù)的應(yīng)用和改變長期建立的部門文化等方面。

但是，在過去幾年中，基于CTI的技術(shù)能力有了很大進步，使得實施CTI的時間和費用都降低了。例如： 中間件產(chǎn)品可以為用戶提供快速有效的開發(fā)方式，滿足用戶的定制要求；API（應(yīng)用程序編程接口）允許第三方開發(fā)者設(shè)計軟件產(chǎn)品，他們提供了多種解決方案，目前基于CTI應(yīng)用的開發(fā)"模板"數(shù)量正在不斷增加。

多家供應(yīng)商共同工作解決系統(tǒng)間互操作問題，如共同成立了ECTF(企業(yè)計算機電話論壇）并在近期發(fā)布了S.100規(guī)范。

同時，不要為各種各樣的信息而忽視了基礎(chǔ)的問題。CTI不可能神奇地解決呼叫中心操作流程的缺陷，也不會在工作量大、人員少的條件下，迅速提高生產(chǎn)效率。

最后，不管采用何種設(shè)備，這些設(shè)備一定要能夠協(xié)同工作。例如：如果你使用了兩種不同的，獨立開發(fā)的應(yīng)用軟件，它們都具有控制你的桌面電話的能力，桌面電話本身并不能判斷應(yīng)該選擇誰。

在本文中將重點介紹設(shè)計和實施基于CTI技術(shù)解決方案的一些要點，這些要點是我們與其他公司合作過程中得到的。

以下的10個步驟可以幫助你了解你的呼叫中心或公司是否已經(jīng)為實施CTI做好了準備。

1. 學習準備

對于CTI，不同的人有不同的解釋，即使是CTI從業(yè)者對它的理解也各不相同。所以首先要找一些書籍和文章來看看，并且多參加一些相關(guān)的研討和交流會。有了一定的了解后，就可以向設(shè)備提供商索取有關(guān)CTI的典型案例、技術(shù)白皮書等相關(guān)資料，并就你所要了解的問題與他們進行交流。

2. 分析企業(yè)及各部門的業(yè)務(wù)需求

從為用戶提供何種級別的服務(wù)到對雇員的工作安排，一旦確定了這些需求，就應(yīng)該寫出文檔，它可作為呼叫中心技術(shù)選型的依據(jù)。選擇技術(shù)、實施和使用這些技術(shù)都必須和業(yè)務(wù)的需求緊密相聯(lián)。

3.充分論證

在有了業(yè)務(wù)需求后，就要和呼叫中心的管理員和電話服務(wù)代表進一步探討，看看哪些地方還需要改進或理順工作流程，以便確定采用哪種CTI應(yīng)用。這其間大家要暢所欲言，充分發(fā)表自己的意見，因為你還沒有得到所有問題的答案。

不能簡單的在現(xiàn)有業(yè)務(wù)流程上增加一個技術(shù)層，成功的CTI應(yīng)用應(yīng)該將技術(shù)改造和業(yè)務(wù)流程的重新設(shè)計緊密結(jié)合。你的部分工作就是指出如何改造業(yè)務(wù)流程或創(chuàng)造新的方法改進操作，以滿足業(yè)務(wù)需求。同時還要考慮人員、開銷、班組和合作者的合理改變，這樣才能從CTI中得到好處。

如果在這個階段，你不能確定處理流程和潛在的需要，最好還是先停下來！因為CTI不能自動更改或解決現(xiàn)有處理流程的問題。

4. 為你的企業(yè)創(chuàng)建一個CTI模型

根據(jù)長期的發(fā)展目標，來分析基于CTI的應(yīng)用應(yīng)如何轉(zhuǎn)變現(xiàn)有商業(yè)模式,以及這種轉(zhuǎn)變對公司的影響。模型應(yīng)體現(xiàn)你對CTI能力的了解、設(shè)備供應(yīng)商的能力和你公司的商業(yè)需求及應(yīng)用。主管經(jīng)理根據(jù)模型可以決定進入購買程序，與此相關(guān)的人員還包括：使用者、電信部門和管理信息系統(tǒng)(MIS)成員。一但開始購買設(shè)備，就可以關(guān)注特定的一些具體問題，以逐步實現(xiàn)構(gòu)想的模型。

5.確定資源

在企業(yè)的范圍內(nèi)確定你的項目組所需要的資源（如電信技術(shù)人員、信息人員，呼叫中心管理人員等）。CTI項目成功實施的關(guān)鍵一點是：讓相關(guān)人員盡早介入其中并負起責任。另一關(guān)鍵因素是項目管理。你的企業(yè)內(nèi)部是否有管理CTI實施的專家？(這應(yīng)是一個全職的工作)或系統(tǒng)集成負責人，你要確定能從何處得到需要的條件，或著是否需要從外部聘請專家。

6. 設(shè)計好現(xiàn)有的或規(guī)劃需要的通信系統(tǒng)

這應(yīng)包括ACD,PBX,IVR，語音信箱等系統(tǒng)，要分清哪些是現(xiàn)在需要的，哪些是以后要更新?lián)Q代的。設(shè)計好所有數(shù)據(jù)系統(tǒng)（包括硬件和軟件），節(jié)省成本的設(shè)計方案應(yīng)能適應(yīng)各種環(huán)境：從主機終端方式，到客戶服務(wù)器方式，到桌面系統(tǒng)�，F(xiàn)在的趨勢是客戶服務(wù)器和桌面系統(tǒng)的產(chǎn)品正受到更多廠商和產(chǎn)品的支持。除此而外，還要規(guī)劃好現(xiàn)有的網(wǎng)絡(luò)結(jié)構(gòu)和總體架構(gòu)。

7.著眼將來

要考慮企業(yè)現(xiàn)在和將來在電信、MIS和網(wǎng)絡(luò)構(gòu)架方面的需求變化的影響等因素。你的網(wǎng)絡(luò)結(jié)構(gòu)是否考慮到公司將來的遠程呼叫中心的需求?如果將來要用ANI做數(shù)據(jù)處理，你設(shè)計的數(shù)據(jù)庫能支持多電話號碼嗎？能夠成為數(shù)據(jù)庫的主鍵嗎？當需要IVR訪問時，是否能得到相應(yīng)的數(shù)據(jù)處理系統(tǒng)的支持。

8. 與設(shè)備商共商大計

與電話，數(shù)據(jù)和網(wǎng)絡(luò)供應(yīng)商談?wù)勀愕挠媱潱�請他們提出解決方案。如果現(xiàn)有供應(yīng)商不能滿足你的CTI需要，你的計劃中就要增加購買新的軟件或硬件。如果可能，應(yīng)盡量將你的供應(yīng)商也納入到項目組中去，并且使他們明白這種合作關(guān)系的重要性，以便能共同實施CTI計劃。

9.制定商業(yè)方案

如果你完成了前面八個步驟，接下來就應(yīng)圍繞你的CTI規(guī)劃，制定一個切實可行的商業(yè)方案。它應(yīng)包括詳細的量化的商業(yè)目標、操作目標和預期的收益及花費。這個方案可以提供給你的上級做階段檢查。

10. 起草實施計劃

現(xiàn)在你已完成了需求分析，選擇好了應(yīng)用和技術(shù)方案，明確了潛在的問題，應(yīng)該可以著手起草一份實施計劃了。計劃不應(yīng)只有時間表，還要列明在實施每一步時需要的資源。你的CTI項目計劃會不斷改進，所以不應(yīng)認為最初的草案就是最終方案，有些企業(yè)常常因為追求盡善盡美而拖延了進度，應(yīng)該了解到，在計劃實施過程中是需要具有靈活性的。記住，你不必追求一步就能實現(xiàn)所有系統(tǒng)功能，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)階段性的CTI實施是最好的辦法。

對于很多公司來說，呼叫中心正迅速地成為主要的客戶接觸手段，高層管理人士正逐步認識到呼叫中心的重要性�；�于CTI的應(yīng)用改變了企業(yè)的傳統(tǒng)商業(yè)模式，提供了以客戶為中心的解決方案。

趕快行動吧！因為你的競爭對手已經(jīng)開始了。

作者簡介：Don Van Doren是Vanguard通信公司總裁。Vanguard通信公司是具有8年歷史獨立咨詢公司，隸屬Morris Plains, NJ，主要幫助企業(yè)設(shè)計和實施客戶關(guān)系管理解決方案。

原文：

Ten Steps Are You CTI Ready

By Don Van Doren, Vanguard Communications Corporation

Many companies, particularly those that rely heavily on call centers for revenues or customer service, are getting ready to jump on the CTI bandwagon. What they often don't realize is that CTI doesn't happen overnight - and especially in companies that are not CTI ready, implementation can be an extremely long and painful process.

Most of the battle of implementing CTI is in the planning (CTI gives new meaning to the term "feasibility study"). During planning, companies frequently find that substantial changes and advances must be made before CTI can be introduced. These changes can range from process changes to technology replacement to shifts in long-established department cultures.

However, in the last few years, there have been many advances in CTI-enabling capabilities, which have eased the long timeframes and costs of implementation. For example:

• middleware can provide effective shortcuts to eliminate custom code development for some applications,
• APIs (application programming interfaces) allow third party developers to design and bring to market software products that can provide solutions or at least "templates" for a growing number of common CTI-enabled applications,
• suppliers are working together to solve interoperability issues, such as the work being conducted under ECTF (Enterprise Computer Telephony Forum) and their recently announced S.100 specification

Finally, despite all the positioning of many emerging products, gaps in how these new capabilities work together need to be plugged. For example, there is no built-in mechanism to arbitrate between different, independently-developed applications attempting to control the same telephone on your desktop.

But, for this column, the focus is on some tips we've learned from working with companies to design and implement effective CTI-enabled solutions. The following 10 steps are a start to determining if your call center or your company is CTI ready.

1. Get Educated. CTI means different things to different people. Chances are if you ask five people walking around a CTI show floor for a definition of CTI, you'll get at least four different answers (seven different answers if you talk to five consultants). Read articles and books, attend seminars and conferences, and ask your vendors for materials that they may have, such as case studies or white papers on CTI. While you're at it, ask suppliers for the names of references you can speak with about their experiences.

 
2. Examine corporate and departmental business needs. These may range from providing customers with world class customer service to empowering employees. And once you've documented your business needs, never forget them! Successful implementation, use, and acceptance of any technology must be linked to business needs.

 
3. Keeping your business needs in mind, identify opportunities for CTI-enabled applications. Talk with call center managers and TSRs to find out where you might be able to improve or streamline processes. These should be open-ended discussions - remember , you won't have all the answers yet.

 

 

But avoid simply automating existing processes by adding a layer of technology on top. Successful CTI implementations frequently go hand-in-hand with either re-engineering or process redesign. Part of your job is to figure out how to improve processes or even create new methods for enhancing operations to meet business needs. In other cases, changes in approach to staffing, or compensation, or teamwork and collaboration may be required to achieve the benefits offered by CTI.

If, at this stage, you're not able to document processes and potential applications, STOP. CTI can't magically define and fix outdated and/or poorly defined processes.
 

4. Create a vision for CTI within your company. This should identify longer term objectives for how CTI-enabled applications will transform current business opportunities, and what that means for the organization. Include what you've learned about CTI's abilities, supplier capabilities, and about your company's business needs and applications. Get buy-in on the vision from senior management, as well as the user, telecom, and MIS staffs.

 

 

Once you get buy-in, you can begin tackling specific tasks that will enable you to achieve the vision.
 

5. Look at your entire organization to identify what resources you'll need to include on your project team (telecom, IS, call center management, etc.). We find that a key to successful CTI projects is early involvement and commitment by all groups that will touch the CTI implementation.

 

 

Another issue is project management: it's essential. Does your company have the expertise in-house to manage CTI implementation? Many companies don't have the luxury of a dedicated CTI project manager - and this is a full-time job - or an in-house systems integrator. Determine where you may need to bring in other resources or outside expertise as part of the project team.
 

6. Document all existing and planned telephony systems (ACDs, PBXs, IVR, voice messaging, etc.). Look at what's in place today and what your company plans for upgrades or replacements. Document all data systems, both hardware and software. Cost-effective solutions can often be designed for virtually any environment, from mainframe-terminal to client-server to desktop. Today's trend toward client-server and desktop solutions is increasingly supported by a variety of new products and suppliers. Document your current and planned network architecture(s) and infrastructure as well.

 
7. Consider the impact of emerging business requirements on your current and planned telecom, MIS, and network infrastructures. If you have a business requirement for remote call centers, is that supported by your architecture plans? If you plan to use ANI for data access, do your databases allow for multiple phone numbers, and can they be easily used as a key? Will the data processing systems be available during times that IVR access is needed?

 
8. Talk to your telephony, data, and network suppliers about your plans and see what types of solutions they can offer. Clearly, if a key supplier can't provide you with CTI capabilities, your CTI plan will need to include the acquisition of new hardware and/or software in order to support new capabilities.

 

 

Include your suppliers as part of your project team. And prepare them to understand the new relationships that you expect them to forge with each other to assist in your CTI implementation.
 

9. Once you've completed steps 1 to 8, develop a business case for implementing CTI that defines the specific, quantifiable business goals, the specific, quantifiable operational goals, and weighs the anticipated benefits and costs. This business case is a good checkpoint for your senior manager sponsors.

 
10. Now that you've examined your organization, documented applications and technology, identified issues and potential problems, you can draft an acquisition and implementation project plan. This draft should include not only timelines, but what resources you'll need during each step of the process. Your CTI project plan will be an evolving document, so don't assume your first draft will be the last. Some companies get hung up in striving for perfection; there will need to be some flexibility as the process evolves. Remember, you don't have to go to a fully automated system as a first step - we've found that phased CTI implementation is often the best approach.

Get ready. Your competitors are.

Don Van Doren is founder and president of Vanguard Communications Corporation. Vanguard is an eighteen-year-old independent consulting company, based in Morris Plains, NJ, which helps companies design and implement effective customer contact and employee collaboration solutions.

 
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