Blogs

CPI Named One of Indiana's 2013 Top Places to Work

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:05:00 -0700

Communications Products, Inc. was one of 119 companies that recently took place in the WorkplaceDynamics Central Indiana’s Top Workplaces 2013 survey. 22,981 employees responded to 20 statements covering areas such as company values, leadership, management, benefits, pay, growth opportunities, appreciation, work/life balance and retention.

CPI Unveils New State-of-the-Art Demo Facility at its Indianapolis Headquarters

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:05:00 -0700

CPI recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil a new state-of-the-art conference/demo/training facility at its corporate headquarters in Indianapolis. Michael Hylton, Membership Manager of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Dickman, Senior Vice President of Construction at CitiMark were in attendance.

How to Get ININ's Customer Interaction Center (CIC) on Your iPhone Today!

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:13:00 -0700

Ever since I got my iPhone, I've wanted to use it as my phone for CIC and I'm not alone. This has been one of the most requested items from our customer's C-Suite. Unfortunately, there just isn't a great solution for this yet. This is because:

Queued IN - Free development series for contact center professionals in Indianapolis and Cincinnati

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:30:00 -0700

We, at CPI, are thrilled to be hosting a new quarterly Lunch & Learn event, Queued IN, for contact center professionals. There are so many exciting things happening right now in the contact center world. We want to help give you an edge with powerful and current industry information to empower your agents to provide a more remarkable customer experience.

Avaya Releases IP Office 8.1

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 06:34:00 -0700

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a buzzword many of us are familiar with. As the popularity of BYOD is on the rise, Avaya is introducing IP Office 8.1 for small and mid-sized enterprises (SME). It includes new mobility, management, and security features as well as custom-built services to help SME’s take advantage of the rapidly growing BYOD sphere.

Interaction Mobilizer - Interactions 2012 ININ Conference Report

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:09:00 -0700

Interaction Mobilizer (slated to be released by the end of the year) is a software platform that enables contact centers to quickly deploy customer service applications on multiple mobile operating systems, devices, and even facebook. ININ has put together a high-level video that will give you an idea of what it can do.

Interaction Analyzer and the Value of Speech Analytics - Interactions 2012 Conference Report

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 07:55:00 -0700

Here’s the dilemma of every contact center manager and QA team: you have 100 agents who take an average of 12 calls per hour and work 8 hours per day. That means your call recording system is capturing 10,000 calls per day or 300,000 calls per month. Out of that mountain of calls, you need to select 10 calls per agent per month to monitor. From those monitoring sessions, you need to identify common customer problems that could be fixed operationally AND agents who need coaching to provide better service for those customers. You know that you’re missing 99% of the potential locked up in those recordings – but what can you do?

How to Manage System Schedules in ININs Interaction Center

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:02:00 -0700

In this video, you will learn step by step how to manage system system schedules in Interactive Intelligence's Interaction Center:

The Top 7 Challenges for Contact Centers in 2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:30:00 -0700

Guest Post by: Roger Collings, Managing Director of RDC Communications Ltd in the UK and a telecoms consultant specializing in business VoIP.

How to Design Good Call Flows

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:11:29 -0700

Often, the first interaction that customers have with your company is with your phone system, and a good first impression is critical to the relationship with these customers. This requires great, well-designed call flows. There are many articles, videos, and classes devoted to this subject.

They cover topics such as the following:

How to Create a Shared Station Appearance in Interactive Intelligence's Interaction Center

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:54:46 -0700

In this video, you will learn step by step how to create a shared station appearance in Interactive Intelligence's Interaction Center.

CPI Powers Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee Contact Center

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:28:14 -0700

CPI enabled the SBHC contact center to provide extraordinary service to Super Bowl fans from around the globe.

CPI was honored to be on the team with the SBHC Control Center to ensure that the fans could get quick and easy access to all of the resources that Indianapolis had to offer.

Getting Your IT Initiatived Funded (Introduction)

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:09:38 -0700

One of the biggest challenges I see in the IT world today is the inability for techies/analysts/managers to be able to make meaningful change happen in their organization. The typical story goes something like this, in a moment of brilliant insight; you come up with an idea to make a meaningful impact at your company. That idea could be anything from adding workforce management software in the contact center to simply hiring a developer.

Precautions to Prevent Your Interactive Intelligence System from being Hacked

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:34:18 -0700

Domain accounts, website accounts, phone system accounts, and any other account that requires a user to log in to perform certain tasks or access secured data are vulnerable to attack and probably always will be. The reality is that if an attacker can authenticate as a valid user in a given system, the attacker can then do anything that the compromised user has permission to do in that system.

Customer Interaction Center: How to Create a New User

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:30:00 -0800

In just one and a half minutes, this video will teach you how to create a new user in Interactive Intelligence Customer Interaction Center 3.0.

How to Customize CIC Hold Music

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:20:15 -0800

Have you ever noticed that a phone system can often be identified by its default hold music? Well, Interaction Center is no exception... and that could be good or bad depending on whether or not you like the packaged music. Either way, you may want to change the system hold music for holidays, special occasions, or simply for variety. Here's how to do it:

Avaya IP Office's Top 3 Mobility Features That You Should be Taking Advantage of... Today!

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:15:00 -0800

IP Office is Avaya’s Small business phone system and they have packed in some innovative mobility features in their 7.0 release. Some of these fun features are not widely known yet and it’s important to note how much they can improve communication while you (or your employees) are on the go. Listed below are my top 3 favorite IP Office mobility capabilities:

Don Brown and the Future of Customer Service Technology

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:42:00 -0800

I had the pleasure of listening to technology visionary Don Brown, M.D. (Founder and CEO of Interactive Intelligence) speak on the future of customer service at the Indiana Chapter of SOCAP International on September 22, 2011. Below are my takeaways from his presentation.

4 Tips For Creating Great Prompts

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 06:08:00 -0700

In many cases, the first thing a customer hears when calling into your phone system is a recorded prompt – perhaps something like “Thank you for calling XYZ! For sales, press 1. For support, press 2.” This relatively simple prompt creates a first impression of your organization that may be difficult to change. Whether it is a greeting, menu, or compliance message, the prompts a customer hears should accurately reflect your business and give them a positive impression… even if they haven’t actually spoken to an employee.

Dialing is Harder Than it Looks...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 05:58:00 -0700

Something important crashes to the floor from the desk in the rush to get to your phone for the executive conference call you were supposed to join three minutes ago. After looking up the number and quickly punching it into the handset, you hear “bee-Bee-BEE. Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number…”

The First Rule of Call Troubleshooting

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:49:00 -0700

A quick Google search for call troubleshooting tips returns a few possible first steps:

Everything is true, look for what isn’t
Keep an open mind
Maintain complete objectivity]
Trust your data

Is Your Customer Service Promise Giving You a Long Nose?

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:39:00 -0700

Last week, on a sweltering, sun-filled afternoon, I happened to be driving through a small town and noticed this hole-in-the wall restaurant… I couldn’t help but notice “FINE FOODS” emblazoned on the awning.

Learnings From the 2011 ACCE Conference - Guest Post by Lori Bocklund

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:27:00 -0700

We are pleased to bring you a guest blog post today. This article was written by Lori Bocklund, President of Strategic Contact. The article was originally published in the July 8 edition of the National Association of Call Centers “In Queue” newsletter. Lori is a leading expert in the Contact Center field and NACC is a great resource for the industry.

Delivering Exceptional Customer Service in the Twitter Era

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:58:00 -0700

It wasn’t very long ago that I was shopping for a very specific product and learned that a specialty retail outlet had just what I needed. Three days later, I had an opening in my morning schedule, which made it possible for me to go and pick it up. I called the store to make sure that they were open, no answer…

Avaya Announces End-of-Sale for BCM

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:41:00 -0700

Avaya has announced “End of Sale” dates for the BCM50 and BCM450 products as of March 2012. Avaya is merging the Nortel BCM systems into the Avaya IP Office.

CPI Aces Avaya Global Service Assessment

Tue, 31 May 2011 10:36:00 -0700

On Friday, CPI aced its onsite Avaya Global Services Assessment. An achievement that authorizes CPI to continue implementing and supporting Avaya Co-Delivery offers, such as Joint Service Delivery (JSD), Partner Support Service (PSS), and to qualify for PASS (heritage Nortel) Co-Delivery Services.

Motivated by Medals? 3 Ways to Keep Your Contact Center Agents Running

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 10:32:00 -0700

I am in training to run the Indianapolis 500 Festival mini-marathon this year. I’ve never run a half-marathon before – actually, I’ve never run anything before. A friend asked if I would join her in this adventure and, in a moment of weakness, I agreed! There have been lots of long training runs to do. During those runs, I keep myself going by picturing what it will look like to receive my medal at the end of the race. I saw a shirt recently that said, “It’s all about the medal.” Yes, I am motivated by the medal!

3 Reasons Why Customer Loyalty Beats Customer Satisfaction - The Tale of Two Socks

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:52:00 -0700

Call center leaders are always measuring something. We’re buried in data and reports. One of the things we struggle to measure is “CSat” – customer satisfaction. We try post-call surveys to assess this; but privately, I think most of us would admit that we’re not sure those reports really amount to much of anything. If the customer is satisfied, they’ll keep coming back, right?

Migration Paths for Norstar Customers

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:48:00 -0700

Norstar’s 20 year run ended on October 4, 2010 with Avaya’s End of Sale announcement. In efforts to consolidate products, Avaya is offering Norstar users two migration paths. As a Norstar (3×8, CICS, MICS, Call Pilot 100/150) user, you may be thinking to yourself “I don’t want to change. I’m happy with what I have.” Regardless of which camp you fall in to, we encourage you to explore all your options before making your next move. Currently, you have three. You may migrate to BCM, migrate to IP-Office 7.0 or maintain your current system until Extended Support Services ends. Here are brief explanations for each of your options:

Ear to the Ground Part 2 at Contact Center Conference 2011

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:39:00 -0700

The Contact Center 2011 conference continued on Wednesday. Many more great speakers presented. Here are a few of the highlights I picked up from the day.

Change thought for the day: “Home agents – if you’re not doing it, do it. If you are doing it, it’s time to expand it. All of the excuses to not do it are gone.”

Ear to the Ground at Contact Center 2011

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:34:00 -0700

Tuesday was the first full day of the Contact Center Conference and Expo 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve met a wonderful variety of contact center staff and leaders and I had the opportunity to attend several excellent sessions. I could write for a long time trying to recap the various sessions, but you’d get bored with that! Instead, I’ve pulled three things that stuck out to me today.

3 Steps to Creating Customer Astonishment - Lessons Learned at the Contact Center Conference & Expo

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:29:00 -0700

We hear so much about customer satisfaction, but is “satisfaction” enough? Moving a step beyond to delighting – even astonishing — our customers helps build loyalty that keeps customers coming back. What does it take to create an astonishing experience? I had one of those experiences recently and I saw 3 things I’d like to share with you.

CPI Named One of Indiana's Best Places to Work in 2011

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:10:00 -0800

CPI was recently named as one of the 2011 Best Places to Work in Indiana – for the second year in a row. The awards program was created in 2006 and is a project of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, BizVoice®, Inside INdiana Business, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Best Companies Group.

Unifying Communications Throughout the Value Chain

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 07:51:00 -0800

Unified Communications is a somewhat abstract term that is used in the IT world to describe the linking of several different types of communications together such as your phone, email, instant message, faxing, video conferencing, mobility and most important of all presence (the ability to see the “status” of another person such as “away,” “in a meeting,” “on the phone,” “available,” etc.)

Indiana Aspirations for Women in Computing Competition

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 07:45:00 -0800

On January 19, I had the privilege of attending the award ceremony for the National Center for Women and Information Technology’s (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing.

Beware of the Coming Industrialization of the Modern-Day IT Person

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:16:00 -0800

In the early 1900s the workforce as we knew it went through a major disruption. We went from artisans producing masterpieces to factories that produced similar goods, but much cheaper and a lot faster.

CPI is a Proud Sponsor for Indiana Aspirations for Women in Computing 2011

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 07:05:00 -0800

Communications Products, Inc. (CPI) is pleased to be one of the corporate sponsors of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) / Indiana Aspirations for Women in Computing 2010-11 Competition. This competition will recognize 20 high school women from around Indiana for their accomplishments and aspirations in computing and technology.

What CIO's, IT Leaders, and even Network Administrators Can Learn from John Kotters new book, "Buy-In"

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:39:00 -0800

I just finished watching John Kotter (Professor of Leadership, Emeritus Harvard Business School and author of an entire bookshelf full of books on change) talk about his new book Buy In. There are some takeaways for IT.

Inspiring Innovation in IT - Lessons Learned from Thomas Edison

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:00:00 -0800

As I think back on one of the greatest innovators the world has ever known, I believe there is learning opportunity for IT professionals.

It is Time for CIO's to Act as a Proft Center... Not a Cost Center.

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:52:00 -0700

Today, CIOs have a very challenging position of balancing the strategy of the company, the operational impact of technology investments, and the cost of implementing it. Basically… helping the CEO and COO achieve their vision in a cost-effective way that will be acceptable to the CFO.

Impending Implication of Social Media in the Contact Center

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:37:00 -0700

The contact center has been responsible for frontline customer service for many years. As the communication mediums have proliferated (email, IM, etc.) they have been consistently integrated into the call center. Now, as social media continues to move through the technology maturity cycle, many organizations will naturally look to the call center to integrate social media as another communication medium.

21 Irrefutable Laws of Giving Superior Customer Service

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:06:00 -0700

1. It’s not the customer’s job to make your life easy. It’s your job to make the customer’s life easy.

2. Worst. Oversell / under deliver Best: Over Deliver Period

3. It’s your responsibility to understand what the customer really wants.

The Avaya Flare Experience - A Revolutionary Improvement in Collaborative Communication

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:55:00 -0700

Avaya recently unveiled an Enterprise Collaboration device that I believe will revolutionize the way we communicate in the workplace. It’s called the Avaya Flare Experience.

Process Automation and Overcoming the Fudge Factor

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:47:00 -0700

Why the fudge factor is eating process automation projects from the inside out.

In the last decade, the Business Process Improvement craze has overwhelmingly become an important directive from the C-Suite. Understandably so, the companies who are able to execute a successful business process improvement project have earned remarkable results… (Toyotay, GE, and Dell are some of the best-known examples of companies who successfully overcame the fudge factor). Can you?

Avaya / Nortel Releases BCM 6.0

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:33:00 -0700

On September 15, 2010 Avaya announced the general availability of Business Communications Manager (BCM) Release 6.0 software. BCM 6.0 will be available on the BCM50 and BCM450 platforms and introduce enhanced unified communications capabilities and provide new teleworking solutions.

CPI and Presidio, Inc. Awarded $50 Million Contract to Provide Avaya Communications to the U.S. Coast Guard

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:15:00 -0700

Indianapolis, IN – The U.S. Coast Guard awarded Communications Products, Inc. and teaming Partner Presidio, Inc. a five year, $50 million contract to provide Avaya IP telephony products and services in support of the Coast Guard modernization efforts to improve their IT and telephony infrastructures throughout the United States and abroad.

How to Quantify the Value of Unified Communications - Using a Balanced Approach

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:54:00 -0700

How do you decide if implementing a Unified Communications (UC) solution will build on your organization’s core strategy or not? Drilling down even further, how do you determine what kind of system is the best strategic fit for the culture and strengths of your organization? Beyond that, how do you convince the CEO/CFO/Board that an investment in Unified Communications is a judicious way to build competitive differentiation?

Avaya Releases CallPilot 5.0 Service Update 8 (SU8)

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:38:00 -0700

Avaya just announced (9/9/2010) General Availability of Service Update 8 for CallPilot 5.0 servers.

Avaya Introduces - CallPilot Compatibility with VMWare

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:46:00 -0700

Avaya just introduced CallPilotTM compatibility with VMWare© on September 7, 2010 for use on customer-provided web-servers for all supplemental application components such as CallPilot Manager, CallPilot Reporter, My CallPilot, and Password Change/Reset service.

Avaya/Nortel Norstar Systems Will be Manufacture Discontinued on October 4, 2010... What Does that Mean for You?

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:18:00 -0700

If you have a Norstar phone system there is a lot of misinformation floating around… We want to make sure that you understand all of your options so you can make the best decision for your organization…