SA's independent national insurance broker, Prestasi Brokers, which is part of the listed insurance broking group Alacrity, today announced the addition of an advanced call centre management solution at its Midrand branch. A long-standing and preferred service partner to Prestasi, Siemens Telecommunications was awarded a contract, valued at R2.5 million, to integrate a HiPath call centre over the recently installed data network, upgrading this to a fully functional voice over IP network.
To complement the voice over IP network and manage its processes, Siemens installed one Hicom 330H with a call centre and 22 Hicom 150 communication systems nationwide. These systems will route voice calls from any branch via routers to the new HiPath ProCenter call centre.
Calls routed over the data network are expected to bring significant cost savings and an attractive return on investment as the solution installed is fully scalable to meet future client needs.
Included in the call centre solution is a centralized telephone management system to be used for trends analysis and making informed business decisions, managing the branches and determining bandwidth utilization.
The Siemens Hicom 330H and 150 communications systems also have the intelligence to direct cellphone calls to the cellphone router for least cost routing. In utilising Siemens communications systems and the Siemens call centre nationally, Prestasi intends to maximise least cost routing by deploying voice over data, cell routers and by using Telkom Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN) to route overflow calls.
During their long-standing 15-year business relationship, Siemens has seen Prestasi progress through three generations of PABX systems, now standardised across the branches, keeping the insurance brokers up-to-date with technological innovations and well equipped to service its considerable client base.
Alacrity Call Centre Manager, Vincent Webber said: "The implementation of the Siemens ProCenter call centre technology will provide a new dimension in client service, maximising availability through agent management and driving down cost by being able to effortlessly manage the entire call flow and distribution process. In addition, the call centre is seamlessly integrated into our branch network as a value-added service provider during peak times or, in the event specialised and centralised services are required - offering clients increased response times and improved flow and management of voice traffic.
"The increased productivity of our agents will spill down to our clients in the form of more effective, quicker systems, and responses to client queries and service requirements. This strategic partnership with Siemens has placed Alacrity Financial Services Group and all its various subsidiaries at the leading-edge of technology, enabling the group to excel in the service delivery to their entire client base."
The HiPath ProCenter call centre works by distributing calls to available resources according to the respective date and time, to ensure efficient processing. Customer specific call information can be displayed on the digital instrument so that calls received are answered effectively and on a customer-oriented basis. Additional applications allow reports to be easily retrieved and generated at the supervisor PC for easy administration. The supervisor's workload can also be lightened by making use of simplified Windows applications which show coloured limit values and sound acoustic alarms to help identify solutions and see that these are acted on swiftly.
Webber continues: "The solution meets Alacrity's needs in terms of both cost savings and client services. The scalability of the HiPath ProCenter call centre also paves the way for Alacrity's future plans to achieve a centralised administration system. This is expected to free staff at the branches to offer personalized service and specialised skills to top clients while the call centre will have the facilities to handle large volumes of everyday queries or requests.
Looking ahead, Webber said: "The implementation of the call centre is part of Alacrity's broader strategy to provide an optimal and personalised service that will exceed client expectations and give us a competitive-edge in the fast-paced brokers market."
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Siemens I and C Group (Siemens Telecommunications Pty Ltd) Siemens Information and Communications Group (I and C) in South Africa is a leading provider of voice and data networks with a comprehensive portfolio of IP-based products and solutions for enterprises, carriers and service providers. It is an integral part of the Information and Communications (I and C) business segment of Siemens AG, which also comprises Information and Communication Mobile and Siemens Business Services. The I and C Group is divided into Carrier and Enterprise Solutions which focus on providing customised solutions, including the integration of products, systems and technology, to suit both business and individual needs. With a strong foundation in the mobile networks arena, which includes established GSM infrastructure, products, solutions and services for the Next Generation Internet, and electronic business solutions, Siemens provides the full spectrum of mobile business solutions, allowing users to communicate and be connected to information and services any time and any place.
Further information about Information and Communications is available at: http://www.ic.siemenscom/networks/index.htm
Enterprise Solutions
Enterprise Solutions is a division within the Siemens Information and Communications Group (I&C). There are over 1 million customers in 160 countries for this division. With 70 million connections and 2.5 million Hicom communication servers, Siemens is a key player in this highly competitive and dynamic market. New convergence solutions such as HiPath convergence architecture, provide customers with an end-to-end strategy for integrating voice and data networks on the basis of IP protocols.
The spectrum of products offered by this division included PABX systems, contact centres, digital, analogue and IP compliant terminals, as well as specialised business solutions for the hospitality industry, telephone management as well as a variety of cordless solutions.
Enterprise Solutions also offers professional services, consulting and integration services.
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