Speech Technology - October 2008 - (Page 35)

>> SUCCESS STORIES >> SUCCESS STORIES >> SUCCESS STORIES call treatment, network-to-desktop computer telephony integration (CTI), and multichannel contact management over an IP infrastructure. It also combines multichannel automatic call distributor (ACD) functionality with IP telephony in a unified solution. Cisco’s Unified Contact Center Enterprise solution has also enabled CTCA to smoothly integrate inbound and outbound voice applications with Internet applications, such as real-time chat, Web collaboration, and email. This integration enables a single agent to support multiple interactions simultaneously, regardless of which communications channel the customer has chosen, an important factor to consider since an information specialist is also available for Web chat through a link on CTCA’s Web site. HEALTH MATTERS CTCA’s phone channel handles roughly 22,100 incoming calls per month; with the new system in place, call volumes into the contact center have increased 64 percent. Calls are handled in the order in which they enter the system, and the belief is that no one should have to wait long when discussing matters as serious as cancer and their health. In that context, “a solution was absolutely critical to make sure we have constant availability of agents to our customers and patients,” Eckes says. The bulk of the call center operations are handled from CTCA’s main base of operations, though each facility also has an oncology information specialist on site as well. “To our patients and customers, we are viewed as one large call center, but it’s really dispersed across the country,” Eckes says. The call center currently has 75 ports, and getting the staff to adjust was fairly straightforward. “It was easy for our people to learn the new system,” Eckes recalls. “We did some minor training, but there was a quick learning curve. The system is so simplistic that [training] did not cause a huge hurdle.” www.speechtechmag.com I see the convergence of all our communications channels as a key to serving our patients in the most efficient manner. Along with the contact center changeover, CTCA also switched its in-hospital phone systems to a VoIP network. To date, the entire project has included 2,500 to 2,700 phone lines systemwide. “Cisco wireless networks span everywhere in every hospital,” Eckes says. “It helps the patients in our beds get in touch quickly and easily with nurses. Our patient response time is now 20 percent better than it was before.” Though he says switching the phone lines generally went off without major glitches, there were the typical hiccups along the way. “Our biggest challenge was keeping 100 percent uptime while replacing all the cables, networks, and phone systems,” Eckes recalls. “But Cisco had a highly structured methodology that it rolled out. It did small cutovers nightly.” The age of some of CTCA’s buildings also was a factor. “The most challenging [conversion] was in Zion. It was built in the 1950s, and it’s the oldest hospital in our network,” Eckes says. “The Tulsa facility was a lot easier because it’s our “ App At a Glance SINCE UPGRADING ITS PHONE AND CONTACT CENTER SYSTEMS TO CISCO’S UNIFIED CONTACT CENTER ENTERPRISE SOLUTION AND VOIP NETWORK, CANCER TREATMENT CENTERS OF AMERICA HAS SEEN: A 64 percent increase in call volume to its Oncology Information Specialist call center; A 20 percent improvement in patient response times; and An overall growth of 35 percent to 40 percent. newest facility—it opened in 2005— and it had the core foundations already in place for networking and VoIP.” CTCA continues to build on its VoIP capabilities, and has plans to introduce increased network security measures; Cisco Teleworker, a program that lets call center agents work out of their homes; videoconferencing; telepresence; and a unified messaging system that will integrate voice, chat, email, and text messages onto a single platform. The entire plan is designed to move CTCA to a fully unified communications platform. “I see the convergence of all our communications channels as a key to serving our patients in the most efficient manner,” Eckes explains. “It still amazes me. I came to realize that some of the most critical operations at a hospital are in the communications area. Where we are today, and the functionality available, is phenomenal. We can draw a direct line between our telephone technology and our patient care.” Since implementing the system, CTCA has seen an overall growth of 35 percent to 40 percent, allowing it to serve nearly 50,000 patients each year. The average patient travels more than 500 miles to be treated at a CTCA facility. At the heart of the system’s success is the relationship between the hospital and Cisco. “With the partnership approach that Cisco took with us, our Cisco account manager became an extension of the CTCA team,” Eckes says. And now Eckes wonders how CTCA ever managed without Cisco’s systems. “If you look at all the ways people communicate with us, it becomes unmanageable if it’s so scattered,” he says. OCTOBER 2008 ” Speech Technology | 35 http://www.speechtechmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Speech Technology - October 2008

Speech Technology - October 2008 Contents Editor’s Letter Industry View Inside Outsourcing Interact Keynoter Highlights the Shrinking Technological World Former Hacker Tackles IVR and Biometrics ‘Press 1’ for Caller Thoughts Soundbytes Voice Vote A New Dragon Emerges Overheard/Underheard An Emotional Mess Emotional Intelligence The Case for Call Recording Unified in Care and Communications An Education in E-Learning Guest Column Standards Speech Solutions Voice Value Forward Thinking

Speech Technology - October 2008

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