| Issue 3, 2013 | Download pdf |
Improve the quality of service and efficiency of your business by incorporating voice and text communications into your business processes at run-time with webMethods Communicate.
Introduction
Just imagine: you receive an automated text message from your bank when you’ve reached your credit card limit. Or, you get a call because your car is due to go to the garage for servicing, and you can make an appointment using interactive voice response or touch tone menus. Or, your mobile phone company sends you automated suggestions for a new plan based on your calling history.
All of this and much more is possible with webMethods Communicate. webMethods Communicate provides a communication layer that enables webMethods Integration Server to integrate phone, text, interactive voice response, teleconferences and even an entire service center into the process chain. Specifically, this means that incoming and outgoing calls can, if desired, be conducted and processed in a fully automated way. It is possible to play recorded messages and provide touch-tone-based selection menus, with Dual-tone Multi-frequency (DTMF) signal recognition, that will influence the next steps of a process.
Integrating conversations with internal users (e.g., customer service representatives) is also an option. For this, webMethods Communicate offers an integrated Automatic Call Distribution feature that includes user administration, skill-based routing and queue management. You may also record conversations manually or automatically, as well as send or receive texts—Short Message Service (SMS). With this complete spectrum of functionality, the moment a human assumes a decisive role in a business process, webMethods Communicate steps in to ensure glitch-free execution of that process.
webMethods Communicate increases the efficiency and service quality of business processes.
How to use it
webMethods Communicate provides a set of webMethods Integration Server services that provide full telephony and SMS functionality that can easily be incorporated in your business process as shown in Figure 1.
FIGURE 1: It is easy to implement webMethods Communicate in your business process with webMethods Integration Server services
The Integration Server services available with webMethods Communicate include:
Call Control
- Initiate, accept, end call
- Automatic recognition of answering machine, fax, busy signal
- Forward call
- Set up conference call
Voice Services
- Play sound files
- Touch-tone recognition (DTMF)
- Record conversation
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)
- User log in/out
- Set pause/ready
- Queue management
- Skill-based routing
Messaging Services
- Send and receive SMS
Transfer of process control to existing applications
- Register application
- Transfer conversation data and control to application
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Take back results and control from application
How it Works
webMethods Communicate is able to cooperate with any existing telecommunications hardware, even with just mobile or landline phones. Since webMethods Communicate is based on its own out-of-the-box communication server there is no need to integrate with any existing telecommunications system. This speeds up implementation of Communicate projects dramatically.
The communication server is equipped with an Aculab® communications board and can be connected to any telecommunications provider. Both Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) technology (call “tel:+1555123456”) as well as Voice over IP (VoIP) calls (call “sip:JohnDoe@online.com”) are fully supported and can also be mixed with each other.
Communicate can cooperate with external service centers by simply connecting the customer with a service number from the service center. Alternatively or in combination, you can use the built-in Automatic Call Distribution function to service all calls within your organization.
All communication with internal or external systems is based on telephone lines only, as shown in Figure 2. All company internal and external phones that can be reached with any telecommunications network can be incorporated into the Communicate user cluster, no matter if it is a dedicated user in an in-house service center, a person with a VoIP softphone located in a home office or a technician on his or her way to the customer with a mobile phone.
FIGURE 2: webMethods Communicate architecture overview
Use Cases
Every time your business process escalates, it is a potential area for application of webMethods Communicate. The moment your customer process is interrupted by an event, you can automatically:
- Call the customer immediately and without delay
- Inform the customer of possible problems
- Recommend alternatives to the customer
- Connect the customer to a service rep, provided he/she opts to do so
Internal decision making
A process comes to a halt because a decision is needed by the authorized person. With webMethods Communicate, it is possible to contact the relevant decision maker immediately with an automated call or text message. The decision maker can communicate his or her decision by way of DTMF touch tones or text message. The process resumes as soon as the business-relevant decision by the authorized user has been received.
Scheduling appointments
webMethods Communicate enables automated scheduling of any type of appointment with customers. The customer can choose to schedule an individual appointment from a touch-tone menu or by automatically connecting with a service representative. The process resumes as soon as the call has ended.
Disseminating information on important events to large customer groups
webMethods Communicate is a useful tool for informing large customer groups about important events such as updates or flight cancellations. webMethods identifies the relevant customers and provides them with the necessary information and alternative selections via Communicate.
Added value for your customer service
When your customer needs a specific service, webMethods Communicate allows you to automatically field a customer query. A recorded message informs the customer of the menu of services. He or she chooses the desired service and is forwarded to the corresponding service representative. Alternately, the call can be forwarded along with the relevant data to a manager, or a conference call can be set up to include the manager.
Conclusion
webMethods Communicate is a platform that makes previously unthinkable communication in your business process a reality. Remove the delay between business process and communication. Improve your service quality by getting in direct touch with your customers with phone calls or text messages, fully controlled by your business process.
Ask your sales representative about webMethods Communicate today.
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