TIN 13-03
Telecommunications Information Notice 13-03 Automatic Call Distribution
The Office of Telecommunications Management now offers Automatic Call Distribution for those agencies requiring call center treatment for incoming telephone calls. ACD is offered statewide and is designed for high-volume telephone traffic situations and the fair distribution of those calls among a pool of ACD agents. The ACD system provides detailed reports on the disposition of incoming calls such as calls answered, calls handled, and calls abandoned. Reports provide details such as the average time callers are on hold, the average call length, how well agents are handling calls compared to the group statistics, as well as many other types of information and parameters. The reports provide concrete statistics regarding the incoming call traffic to the call center.
The call distribution involves complex algorithms taking into account variables such as agent skill sets (such as language, program knowledge or any other type of expertise) or longest available agent. Variables involved in deployment include call delivery to the agent via VOIP, land line or cellular telephone. There are a number of financial and technical considerations for each variable.
The ACD is designed and programmed based on extensive and in depth discussions between the user agency, OTM, and the vendor. The agency IT department is integral to the ongoing discussion, deployment, and to any trouble resolution. The agency IT staff should be involved, from the initial meeting until completion of the project implementation, to discuss the variables and particulars of the system as it involves both the agency network and the OTM network.
The ACD system is called "COSMOCOM" and is provided by a subcontractor to AT&T. Refer to the OTM Catalog of Services for more information. Interested agencies should contact OTM to set up the initial meeting to discuss their needs and whether the ACD is a viable solution for their particular telephone situation. Budgetary pricing information is available after discussion regarding the agency needs. For more information on the service or to set up an initial meeting, contact Ruth Werling May, OTM Messaging Manager, at 225.342.0547, or ruth.werling@la.gov.
