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CTI (Computer-telephony integration) implementations are changing in revolutionary ways. Today's strategic call centers are evolving beyond such traditional components as ACDs, PBXs and VRUs to include expanded delivery channels and [...]

Companies have realized that call centers can play a major role in creating greater product differentiation, elevating customer and agent loyalty, decreasing overhead costs and ensuring customer satisfaction. Thus, there is a move towards making call centers more accessible to customers by installing a system that will support the convergence of voice and data services. This only proves that over the years, call centers have evolved to become more comprehensive customer care centers., In a highly competitive world, where corporate success depends as much on customer service as on product differentiation, the convergence of voice and data within the call center has become [...]

We all know it's good to talk. It could also soon be cheaper than ever as telephony on the Internet slashes the cost of phone calls. In the beginning was […]

As carriers sort out how to deploy broadband in the local loop, a unified access platform can reduce the hassle of managing multiple systems - and support narrowband services As […]

In all the consulting, analyses and modeling, the thing most often taken for granted is the actual receiving of our marketing effort before a response is made. The growing cadre [...]

Public network service providers worldwide are pursuing strategies for deploying enhanced voice and information processing services to increase revenue streams and protect or gain market share. The platforms to support […]

In wide area networking, where costs go up as bandwidth increases, users are always looking for ways to reduce bandwidth requirements. A variety of multiplexing techniques, from frequency division to […]

The Role of Personal Computers in ISDN Acceptance and Deployment As with any new technology, ISDN acceptance ultimately depends on how well its proponents conceptualize and quantify its benefits. If […]

Shift change patient reporting takes place several times a day at every hospital in the country. And for many, it can be an inefficient, noisy and potentially error-prone process. Things […]

Despite efforts by Novell Inc. and Microsoft Corp. to create standard interfaces that work with a variety of PBXes, most vendors of CTI applications continue to ignore the standards--TSAPI and […]

Byline: Rich Karpinski PhoneFusion this week launched a free, downloadable application that lets smartphone users centralize their voice mailboxes and see a visual list of their messages on their phone. [...]

The Applications Wave Behind ISDN The wave of the future or washed up technology? The question inevitably arises anytime serious consideration is given to Integrated Services Digital Network technology. More […]

Nowhere is the effect of the Internet on the industry clearer than when looking at how orders are received. The respondents to this year's Catalog Age Benchmark Report on Operations [...]

ONE NICE THING about communications protocols is that there are so many. No matter what you want to do, you can find a protocol that will allow it. Of course, […]

If you want any evidence about the impact of lean economic times on the networking economy, all you have to do is look at the business model for voice over […]

Many 911 calls are not emergencies, and those calls contribute significantly to the problem of an overloaded 911 system. In response, U.S. cities have begun implementing other 'N11' systems to […]

What's in a name?' pondered the puss. 'A lot, if the name has earned a reputation as a slow-moving commodity vendor.' Why, then, is e-service provider Cable and Wireless quietly […]

Byline: Glenn Bischoff On Sept. 11, many Americans shared an experience that arguably was as gut-wrenching as watching the terror in New York City and Washington unfold on their televisions: [...]

The WALL Street giant is making a major bet o Internet-based telephony as a way to improve service and enhance flexibility. Here's a case study on the promise and pitfalls [...]

Net-based phone systems are finally catching on for business use. Here's the good, the bad, and the future. IP Telephony Goes A LOT OF THINGS have changed in the office […]

On wireless dam: 'Enterprises will be well advised to remember that no single wireless access network topology will meet anywhere near 80% of the requirements of enterprise knowledge workers. To […]

Service providers that offer only one type of service-voice or data-are losing revenue opportunities in an increasingly competitive market. New technologies in hardware and software enable the shift to a […]

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has the potential to offer many benefits beyond merely cost savings, such as providing the ability to run multimedia services over IP, reduced management complexity; […]

As the economy's growth slows, I have begun to see news of layoffs and other belt-tightening announcements for the first time in a decade. NBC recently made headlines by citing […]

By using technologies that move capacity where it's needed, adjust signal strength to reduce interference and save power, control power on the downlink and point the transmission beam right to […]

Network convergence promises more services at lower cost, but how can service providers best unify traffic in the local exchange? To win customers, competitors entering the local services market must […]

The platform for next-generation services. The year is 2001. In your home office, you briefly divert your attention from the videoconference to e-mail a spreadsheet. Another window opens to notify […]

Internet telephony has been touted as the greatest thing to hit telecommunications since the push button phone, but it has been exceedingly difficult to discern any actual benefits. Sure it […]

Telecom experts foresee merging public, private networks to quench thirst for bandwidth and data ATLANTA--Convergence ruled at the Net-World+Interop trade show. Vendors were not just talking about the convergence of […]

In the footrace to build the next generation of networks, technological hurdles abound. Vendors of wireless infrastructure equipment have been busily trying to clear the next obstacle around the bend. [...]

The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England, has rid himself of his legacy voice-only network, replacing it with a LAN capable of carrying data and video traffic. […]

Updating an older telephone and network infrastructure simultaneously can be an overwhelming experience, but it can also yield improved voice and data service. Located in Albiene, Texas, McMurry University accepted […]

Doug Allen is assistant editor at Telecommunications. The key to bridging the PSTN and the public data network lies in what has been termed service mediation. Service mediation has been […]

VPNs are not new to the enterprise environment. Large corporations, as well as SMEs (small and mid-sized enterprises), have been operating IP-based VPNs for many years to carry large volumes […]

In the contact center: It seems there has been a lot of talk about voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for years, but little implementation. Now, however, businesses are beginning to […]

The Telephone as Computer Introduction Alexander Graham Bell would scarcely recognize his invention today. From a device that transmitted voice from one point to another, the telephone has developed into [...]

It seems incredible to me that in the 18 years since this magazine started publishing in 1982, the call center market has been one of the fastest growing segments of [...]

There are many factors to consider when choosing an Internet telephony gateway. An Internet telephony server should allow you to place voice calls or send faxes just as you would […]

Jittery, delay-ridden Internet phones have given IP telephony a bad name. Most useful to college sophomores who don't seem to mind if callers sound like they're dialing in from outer […]

It's maturing quickly, but Internet telephony still has a lot of growing up to do. Until recently, Internet telephony was mainly the province of computer hobbyists who were willing to […]

With call management CTI, traveling sales reps at Bell & Howell can respond to a greater percentage of their calls--and provide better voice mail as well. If you're a mid-sized, […]

One of the of the more hyped Internet applications of the past year has been 'Internet telephony'--using the Internet for telephony traffic and applications. Depending on which side of the […]

An open-systems, standards-compliant approach enables a financial services firm to attain world-class customer service in its call center. Customers increasingly insist on world-class service from the companies they do business […]

Blue Cross of California hopes to provide first-call problem resolution and much shorter response times for customers who call the managed-care company's service centers. In the process, Blue Cross also […]

Make that phone call yourself on the Internet --and virtually for free Want to reach out and touch someone and not have to pay for it? Forget the telephone. On […]

Siemens CEO Karl Geng says an important element in the future will be media blending--combining existing and new technology into products that deliver new, diversified services. Keys to the future […]