The new system uses VOIP technology from Avaya to allocate incoming calls seamlessly between support staff based in the UK and India. Using the telephone software, calls can be transferred directly between members of the team regardless of geographical location, and managers in either location can monitor the status of the support queue.
Calls are routed over the internet via leased lines into the two call centres, in Weybridge, Surrey and Chennai, India. The system eliminates all
call charges between the two locations, and the fixed rate lines give the company complete control of infrastructure costs, Actinic expects the new system to pay for itself in its first year and reduce call costs by 50%, leading to savings of £7000 per year subsequently.
The changeover involved upgrading an old telephone switch – Avaya’s IP Office – which offers both PSTN and IP extensions. For the Indian team, IP
extensions are used. When one of those extensions is rung, the call is routed over the internet to the corresponding IP phone in the Chennai office. With reliable broadband connections in both Weybridge and Chennai,
and a VPN in the middle, the voice data is transmitted with acceptable quality and no noticeable latency. Persistence was needed to overcome a number of teething problems, and the process took a few weeks longer than expected. But the success of the installation demonstrates that IP technology and its corresponding benefits are no longer restricted to large corporates.
Phil Rothwell, managing director of Actinic, comments, “The new system gives us the best of both worlds. As a relatively small company operating in a highly competitive industry, the cost savings from going offshore are essential for us to provide telephone support profitably, and at a price our users consider reasonable. At the same time, maintaining a parallel support team in the UK reduces the risk, and gives us better quality control.”
About Actinic Software Ltd:
Founded in 1996, Actinic produces ecommerce software for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that want to sell online. Its products include Actinic Developer, Actinic Business, Actinic Catalog and Actinic Audio Store, and power more UK ecommerce sites than any other company. Research shows that over 50% of SMEs using packaged software to run their e-stores use Actinic.Search for ‘acatalog’ on Google to see the vast range of online stores that run using Actinic. Some of Actinic’s better known UK users include the Royal Opera House, Lloyds of London, the Royal Navy and Help the Aged. Visit www.actinic.co.uk
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