Local provider of identification and recovery services for the benefit of pension and provident fund trustees, Benefit Recovery Services, has taken its investment in Linux and Open Source to another level. The company has implemented Asterisk from its Open Source PABX IT partner and managed Linux services provider, Synaq.
Benefit Recovery Services (BRS) is owned by a consortium of shareholders and was established to identify and recover unclaimed monies that lie in financial service companies, find untraced beneficiaries to ensure appropriate distribution and assist pension and provident fund trustees, fund administrators & former members in implementing the requirements and principles of the Pension Funds Second Amendment Act, 2001.
The company operates two call centres, one to log and follow up on incoming calls and the other to manage external or outgoing calls. Management invested in Synaq's customised kick-start CD called ShrinkWrap that automatically configured each terminal at the 60-seat call centre with a custom Linux installation providing each agent with only the necessary tools and eliminating the need for human intervention.
"We were very much a Microsoft house and this proved to be prohibitive to our growth. We made a decision to modify our HTML-based call centre and leverage off browser services. Stability and ease of implementation were also key factors behind the decision," explains Ian Lewin, Executive Director at BRS.
According to Lewin the company's back-end was started in SQL and has remained so in order to effectively manage its database of approximately 7,5 million individuals.
"Our background lies in SQL and we haven't changed in this respect. However, as far as the front-end of the business is concerned, we have moved from XP to Linux. Synaq provided a roll-out CD called ShrinkWrap that automatically configures each seat when required. We can now upscale or downscale our call centre as the need arises at minimal cost," says Lewin.
In the natural development of the company, BRS soon realized that its incoming or registration call centre, viewed very much in the light of a 'step child' to the company and non-core entity, was actually a very important division that could not be ignored.
"We started to scout for solutions that could handle incoming calls, monitor, transfer and voice record them. Asterisk was the one solution with the necessary features, and made the most sense from a costing and facilities perspective. We have implemented it and it runs very well. As a result the management of the incoming call centre and related resources is greatly enhanced," says Lewin.
BRS management has realized the potential in Asterisk and its ideal placement as a VoIP switch. "It actually represents a key alternative to our problematic switchboard. It is the perfect solution for VoIP, saves costs because it has a built-in recording system and is stable, Open Source, measurable and works," adds Lewin.
Yossi Hasson, sales and marketing director at Synaq, considers the investment a major boost for BRS and its position within its specialised market. "BRS management has opted for the very best-of-the-best in Linux-based solutions. This will definitely enhance business processes and we look forward to continuing the mutually beneficial relationship going forward," says Hasson.
Synaq is currently helping BRS with the migration of its outbound call call centre to an Asterisk solution.
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