Communications management, including call reporting/logging, is not a new concept, but Ian Hilton, director of Lancashire-based telecoms company Tech Advance, believes that a lot of its potential remains untapped. If the technology were to be fully explored, Ian is adamant it can deliver significant business benefits, regardless of business size or industry sector.
The concept of call logging has been around for over three decades, and is all about collecting and analysing phone call data, using it to breakdown the telephone network’s cost, capacity, quality and performance. It has since evolved from basic hardware-based telephone logging systems, to today’s web-based software solutions that capture all aspects of communications to provide businesses with detailed statistics on fixed line, mobile, Internet and email.
Ian Hilton has spoken to Property Aspects, talking about everything the beginner needs to know.
He began: “Communications management should be an important component to every businesses communication set-up, to ensure equipment and lines are being used effectively; usage optimised, and costs minimised. The ways in which communication management can be deployed through any organisation are unlimited. After all, the telephone, email, and now the Internet are the most highly used business resources. As a result, it makes sense that only by clearer understanding how these resources are being used, can all these activities be measured and improved.”
Going into more detail, he continued: “With the arrival of IP telephony, call management can now integrate directly with the phone switch over the LAN, which means it can easily be set up on any PC in a matter of minutes. With the Internet, secure web-browser clients make it more widely available, 24/7, and globally. Users can literally check their communications system from home, or any other part of the world, and give specific access rights to remote workers.
Instant alarms and messaging brings communications management to the front office, to alert people when certain event criteria is matched and give an instant view of communications usage and costs. This automation is further supported by the facility for the management reports to be auto-scheduled, run at predefined times and automatically emailed to selected individuals, or groups.”
Looking to the future, Ian concluded: “The future of communications management lies in its ability, both through software development and services, to help users understand the information it delivers and propose recommendations for change. This will include trend analysis and business modelling, interactive reports (like playing a call back through a voice recording by selecting a line item on a report), and greater integration with other systems, to provide the central command centre for voice and data infrastructures.”
Property Aspects appreciates the contribution to this article from Ian Hilton of TechAdvance who has worked in telecommunications for 22 years. For more information, contact Ian via Tel: 0845 389 2311 or E-Mail: ihilton@techadvance.co.uk
