| WIRELESS, PDAs AND THE
CALL CENTER OF THE FUTURE
by Jim Becker
January, 2001
We all are familiar with cell phones but is everyone ready for the wireless
revolution.
Wired telephones and wired connections to the network will be challenged in a
few years. Your customers are already starting to use the new wireless phones
and devices and they will be asking you to interface to these devices and relay
their messages to them. As an example the Palm® personal digital assistants
(PDA) were one of the hottest adult Christmas gifts in 2000. Many of these
Personal Devices like Palms, PSion, Sony, Clie, IBM Workpad, the HP Jornanda
and the Handspring from Microsoft are now adding a wireless interface. Users
can now interface to their stock quotes, their schedule, their messages and
even browse the Internet. Doctors and nurses are using PDA’s as a portable
primary information source on patients, schedules, appointments and messages
within the hospital. Palm and most of the other PDA manufactures have now
announced an interface to the cell phone network. The merging of these two
technologies will mean more challenges for the Call Centers. Users will update
their status with their center, they will look for their appointments,
schedules and messages sent automatically to their enhanced cell phone/PDA. So
when they need the information, it is waiting for them. Call Centers will need
to keep more information on customers and be able to interface with these
devices in order to meet their customers demands. The new wireless devices will
be true communication devices.
Wireless local area networks (LAN) are another part of the wireless revolution.
Wireless local LANs are now available allowing LAN networks to stretch almost
anywhere in a building without wires. Combine this with wireless telephony and
you will no longer need your operators grouped together and tied together with
wires.
Wireless will also affect the Internet operation of the Call Center. As the
cost comes down on wireless, Call Centers will be able to have local and remote
instant access to the internet via a wireless connection. In several European
countries wireless is installed in more homes and businesses than wired phone.
In Finland and Sweden wireless cell phones with enhanced services can now, not
only receive stock and Internet information, they can also send and receive
text messages, are used for banking transactions at ATMs and can be used with
vending machines instead of using money (they initiate an electronic bank
transfer). The next generation of wireless will be based on 3G Technology, NGN
and Blue Tooth Technology. 3G is a universal standard that is about to be
deployed world wide allowing for voice and data-intensive smart phones. Blue
Tooth is a short-ranged universal wireless interface that allows wireless
devices to interface directly with appliances, computers and other devices.
Basically it will allow users to open doors, turn on lights, start the stove
and interact with other wireless devices all via a personal wireless device.
NGN (Next-Generation Networks) represents a fundamental shift in wireless and
core networks from circuit switching to packet switching. NGN will be core
technology that will allow agents to process calls from local and remote
locations via a wireless connection. Agents will have wireless access to the
Internet and will use this connection to receive and transmit voice and data to
clients.
Clients within a few years will be demanding universal messaging. This means no
matter what device they are using, enhanced cell phones, wireless PDA’s,
fax Internet connection or standard telephone they will expect their messages
and information to be available on these devices. Phillips Imfotech Research
indicates that sixty percent of firms of five hundred plus employees will
implement and expect suppliers to interface to their universal messaging system
by the year 2003.
A large percentage of these users will have enhanced wireless devices. Call
Centers will need to interface to their clients devices for updates on their
schedule, to find out who is on call, and they will use it for a directory
search, and receive and transmit messages.
Wireless will be our future. It will be the medium for all communications
anywhere in the world. Are you ready for the wireless revolution?
Jim Becker has been with Amtelco for 18 years. He is vice president of sales
and marketing and the Director of the AMTELCO XDSDivision which has numerous
wireless accounts, utilizing XDS technology. Contact Jim at (800) 356-9148 or
visit Amtelco's Web site at www.amtelco.com
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