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Remember the days of paper scripts, call cards, printed labels and telephones that required manual dialing? Those of us who are old enough to remember, or to have even participated [...]

The availability of advanced intelligent network (AIN) technology frees service providers of public switched telephone networks from deploying supporting software into every network switch and from ensuring software interoperability. AIN, however, shifts network vulnerability from central switches to service control point (SCP) databases. Service providers need to remember that AIN still requires conformance to diversity and capacity standards as well as interoperability between SCP databases and services., The introduction of advanced intelligent network (AIN) technology has simplified, energized and facilitated the deployment of many new and reliable services in today's public switched telephone network (PSTN). That's because [...]

The merging of the desktop personal computer (PC) with the telephone is making possible the design of incoming call management systems that are both more personalized and highly selective. Computer-telephony integration capabilities, as well as improvements in voice recognition technology, have already been implemented in traditional telephone-to-telephone connections. The next challenge is to deliver these services into a mixed environment such as calling from a telephone to a PC or its reverse., Web-based and other new technologies are poised to take call management to a new level. There's no questions that email, the Internet and multimedia information access will gain momentum in [...]

Interactive voice response (IVR) technology is the main ingredient for a customer-friendly call center environment. Without it, handling customers' routine telephone inquiries can be time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive. What Is [...]

Telephone and data networks have co-existed for decades. Today, however, these two networks are converging into a single communication network that offers powerful, economical and new options. The driving force [...]

'I want to apply for a mortgage.' 'What days are you open?' 'Do you sell second-hand tractors?' Before the advent of natural language understanding (NLU) technology, such questions could tie [...]

Standard computing technology has been merging with telephony into what is often referred to as computer-telephony integration (CTI). The resulting products and services enhance both the telephony and computer environments [...]

Of the many call center technologies that have emerged in the last decade, few have been as successful as predictive dialing. Automated dialing has had two things going for it [...]

The explosive growth of the electronics industry in the last four decades has been fueled by seemingly limitless horizons in all directions. This has been especially true in the communications […]

...All agents are busy. Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line, and your call will be answered by the next available agent.... What happens while [...]

The multimedia revolution is an ongoing event in the 1990s as technological innovations continue to promise delivery of interactive services directly to the home via telephone lines. The real challenge is for interior designers to adapt information 'kiosks' and systems to home decor.

There were many skeptics when Motorola announced one of the most ambitious privately funded, satellite-based personal communication networks ever envisioned several years ago. The idea was simple--provide people with wireless […]

ATLANTA--Conventions are traditionally forums for touting new products and strategies, and SuperComm '93 was no exception--with a flurry of announcements about asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) products, which also dominated discussions [...]

The escalating demand forpersonal communication services is driving the development of air interface technology between subscriber units and radio base stations. In fact, the emergence of the radio interface link (RIL) has altered the network architecture for wireless services such that an open network or distributed Intelligent Network appears imminent. Using an RIL served by fiber links, however, entails choosing between analog or digital transmission methods

Open Network Architecture (ONA) and Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) will allow active participation of the public in the telephone network. The Federal Communications Commission attempted to implement ONA in 1988 but met unqualified opposition from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court questioned the regulation and openness of ONA to the public. AIN, which aims to introduce service ubiquity and uniformity, may be the answer to the ONA predicament. However, AIN is currently not available to residential and small-business users because of technological incompatibility.

Predictive dialing systems are commonly used in banks as time-saving tools for contacting clients. These systems automatically dial numbers from a list of customers, pass connected calls onto bank operators and provide the necessary information regarding the customer on the line. The newest models can screen for answering machines, as well as pace dialing in such a way that bank operators can handle the volume of calls. Vendors claim that these devices can enhance the productivity of banks by about 300% to 400%. Productivity gains can come from the reduction in the number of needed bank operators, the elimination of the time wasted in trying to contact customers and in preparing customer information files, and the increase to as much as 55 minutes per hour in the time spent talking directly to customers. These systems sell from around $100,000 to more than $1 million.

Virtual private networks that offer savings of 10% to 30% over private systems are increasingly being used by many large- and mid-sized banks as a telecommunications cost-cutting measure. Virtual private networks are voice and data communications systems that use public network facilities controlled by a customized data base. These networks, which provide the functionality of private networks, are typically run by interexchange carriers that absorb the costs of ownership and management. The use of the networks enables banks to remain active developers of telecommunications-based products while streamlining costs.

US West Inc's NewVector Group based in Seattle, WA, has recently shifted to Motorola Inc's Narrowband Advanced Mobile Phone Service (NAMPS)-capable technology. This modification in its network system is expected to result in improved operating efficiency, better call quality and increased capacity for the company. Customers with NAMPS-compatible phones will also experience less communication interference.

Phone lines soon Will become multilane information expressways, but are agents ready to pay the toll? A client calls your agency with questions about coverage limits on his homeowners policy. [...]

Six ways to make the most of your mobile phone MOBILE PHONES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONVENIENT for conversation, but today's smart models aren't all talk. A new technology called Bluetooth, […]

SIGNALING OPTIONS OFFERED FOR PRIVATE NETWORKS IN any corporate communication system, the ability to integrate more than one PBX intq a telecqmmunications network is an essential option. Typical network applications [...]