Contact centres are the first point of contact between a company and a customer after the purchase of a product or service. These centres make use of contact centre agents to service customer queries. In the past contact centres hired as many agents as they could in order to service customers, which have led to an increase in personnel costs causing contact centres to become costly to run. Automation techniques were introduced to decrease personnel costs and one such technique is the Interactive Voice Response (IVR). The usability of IVR systems is, however, dismal. Customers would rather speak to a contact centre agent than navigate through the menu structure found in these systems. The menu structure has come under scrutiny because it is difficult to use and navigate, is often not aligned to caller usage patterns, and the menu options are long and vague. This research investigated whether a Natural Language Interface (NLI) could alleviate the problems inherent to IVR. NLIs, however, come with their own disadvantages of which the main ones are ambiguity and the loss of context of a conversation. Two prototypes were implemented, one of which resembled an IVR and the other an NLI (using ALICE concepts). An evaluation of two prototypes confirmed the advantages and disadvantages of these concepts in accordance to theory. A Hybrid prototype was proposed with the aid of two models. The model which proposed an NLI using a rule base was chosen for implementation. The Hybrid prototype was then evaluated against the NLI and IVR prototypes to deduce which prototype was the most effective, efficient and satisfying. The evaluation through the aid of descriptive and inferential statistics showed that the Hybrid prototype was the most usable prototype. The evaluation of the Hybrid prototype confirmed that a Hybrid approach could limit the shortcomings of IVR through the elimination of the menu structure found in these systems, thereby allowing users to state their queries in natural language. The incorporated rule base provided the Hybrid system with long term memory, eliminating one of the main disadvantages of NLIs.

This thesis was the result of a study conducted for the call-centre at the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia (WCB). The management at WCB wanted to understand the nature and pattern of calls at their newly opened call-centre. The purpose of this was to provide an efficient customer service while streamlining the flow of calls coming to the call-centre. An extensive data collection exercise was undertaken at the call-centre and two other units of WCB with which the call-centre interacts. The data analysis revealed that a high proportion of calls were related to transfers to these departments. There were also calls related to routine inquiries on claim payment cheques and forms that could potentially be handled by a well designed IVR system. Based on this understanding the development of an effective IVR system was proposed to address the problems that were discovered through documenting the nature and pattern of calls. An extensive review of literature was undertaken to design a new system according to the standard industry guidelines suggested by the best practices and customized to WCB's business needs. Two alternate scripts were developed after analysing the source and purpose of calls to WCB. One was 'person specific' and the other was 'task specific'. The two scripts were tested on students at WCB through a computer-based IVR simulation. The results of the student survey provided evidence that introducing additional options and use of simple and clear instructions in the new scripts could potentially in fact address the problems discovered in the study and they were preferred over the existing WCB script. The IVR simulation is reconfigurable and can be used in future studies to gather further evidence in support of the results obtained in this thesis as well as refine scripts before putting them in a production mode. / Business, Sauder School of / Marketing, Division of / Graduate

Thousands of call centers operate in the United States employing millions of people. Since personnel costs represent as much as 80% of the total operating expense of these centers, it is important for call center managers to determine an appropriate staffing level required to maintain the desired operating performance. Historically, queueing models serve an important role in this regard. The one most commonly used is the Erlang-C model. The Erlang-C model has several assumptions, however, which are required for the predicted performance measures to be valid. One assumption that has received significant attention from researchers is that callers have infinite patience and will not terminate a call until the service is complete regardless of the wait time. Since this assumption is not likely to occur in reality, researchers have suggested using Erlang-A instead. Erlang-A does consider caller patience and allows for calls to be abandoned prior to receiving service. However, the use of Erlang-A still requires an assumption that is very unlikely to occur in practice - the assumption that all agents provide service at the same rate. Discrete event simulation is used to examine the effects of agent heterogeneity on the operating performance of a call center compared to the theoretical performance measures obtained from Erlang-A. Based on the simulation results, it is concluded that variability in agent service rate does not materially affect call center performance except to the extent that the variability changes the average handle time of the call center weighted by the number of calls handled and not weighted by agent. This is true regardless of call center size, the degree of agent heterogeneity, and the distribution shape of agent variability. The implication for researchers is that it is unnecessary to search for an analytic solution to relax the Erlang-A assumption that agents provide service at the same rate. Several implications for managers are discussed including the reliability of using Erlang-A to determine staffing levels, the importance of considering the service rates of the agents rather than the average handle time, and the unintended consequence of call routing schemes which route calls to faster rather than slower agents.

This diploma thesis focuses on development of graphical user interface for managing IVR applications. The work is more software oriented, it analyzes current state of the iPBX product belonging to the IPEX a.s. company, describes used technologies and introduces new concept of interactive user interface for generating IVR diagrams together with Asterisk dial plan generator.

The call centre industry is gaining momentum in the retail sector, which can be attributed to the fact that many companies use call centre agents to communicate with the end users of their products. A major challenge facing retail companies is finding the right employees for their call centres, so that these people are able to perform according to their natural abilities and acquired skills. The South African retail company under study uses the Clerical Test Battery (CTB2) to screen candidates for its call centre. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the CTB2 numeracy subtest scores and work performance scores of employees in this call centre. The literature review examines the use of psychometric instruments in general, and then focuses on the use of the CTB2 in South African contexts. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the validity of the numeracy subtest when used as part of the selection process for call centre candidates. A quantitative research approach was employed to analyse the raw data, which was already available in the company’s database. The two datasets used were the CTB2 numeracy subtest scores and the work performance scores of 300 call centre agents. The correlation between these two sets of scores was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (version 17). No statistically significant relationship emerged between the two research variables. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to use the CTB2 numeracy subtest to screen call centre candidates. The findings of this study suggest that the CTB2 should not be used in isolation when assessing call centre candidates. Face-to-face interviews should form an important part of the decision-making process, and the use of additional instruments to measure general cognitive aptitude and skills such as perceptual speed and accuracy is recommended. The dissertation concludes by outlining the limitations of the study and giving some suggestions for future research in this field. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Psychology / unrestricted

The thesis deals with the analysis and concept of the functionality optimization of a company information system. All parts of the information system are analysed and system modifications, already implemented in some cases, are proposed afterwards. The thesis also aims to evaluate the proposed solution with regard to further possible extensions and portability.

Call centres across the globe experience high levels of absenteeism and labour turnover. The reason being: job dissatisfaction. South African call centres are also facing the same problem where absenteeism and labour turnover is on the increase. Job satisfaction is influenced not only by situational aspects of the job environment but by dispositional personality factors of the individual as well. The aim of the study was to determine the possible relationship among locus of control, self-determination and job satisfaction. The study population consisted of (N= 187) call centre agents from a Municipality in Gauteng. The results of the empirical study indicate there is a relationship between locus of control and job satisfaction. Copyright 2006, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Carrim, N 2006, The relationship amongst locus of control, self-determination and job satisfaction in call centres, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02132012-105055 / > C12/4/70/gm / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

The swedish labour market has gone through an increasing flexiblization in part through an increase in insecure employment such as on-call employment. Research shows that these forms of employment have a number of negative consequences for example in the form of family life issues, economic worry, health issues and reduced life satisfaction. This essay investigates which sources of insecurity on-call employees experience and which strategies they use to feel safe. Six semi-structured interviews were performed with individuals using on-call employment as their primary source of income. This way the respondents own experiences and stories were explored. The analysis was primarily done through the terms ontological security with Anthony Giddens, the precariat from Guy Standing, The psychological contract and Lazarus and Folkman’s coping strategies. The result shows sources of insecurity primarily in the form of employment insecurity, economic insecurity and demand on availability. The respondents used strategies such as saving, adaptable routines, workplace participation and action aiming to achieve future safety such as continuous job searching and applying to education.

This case study examines a widely criticized part of an advertising campaign published by the Swedish Public Employment Service. The criticized picture is a montage that features one of Sweden’s largest influencers, Therese Lindgren’s, head edited onto the body of the disabled influencer Natalie Eriksson. The study also examines a reaction to the campaign in the form of a Youtube video made by activist Lovette Jallow. The purpose of this study is to create a deeper understanding of on what grounds the campaign could be seen as problematic. The purpose is also to contribute to the development of the idea about call-out culture. The study is based on the two following questions: “On what grounds can the Swedish Public Employment Service's campaign image with Therese Lindgren and Natalie Eriksson be considered problematic?” and “What arguments are made in Lovette Jallow's Youtube video Therese Lindgren II Ableism and Whitewashing and how can those be linked to call-out culture?”. The methods used are a semiotic analysis of the campaign image and a rhetorical analysis of the video. The study is based on theories concerning representation, intersectionality, call-out culture and crip theory. The study shows that the campaign image could be seen as problematic because normality is used to construct abnormality, the image helps maintain false beliefs about people with disabilities, it hides Eriksson’s ethnicity and also makes her invisible in her own battle. The study also shows that Jallow’s video could qualify as an example of call-out culture because it contains segments that are typical for a call-out. The video is further problematized and discussed based on ideas about call-out culture.

Background: The need for care increases as people both grow older and live longer. This, together with a shortage of staff, creates challenges to meet the increased need for care. To meet the growing need for care, increased implementation and use of digital healthcare is seen as one of the solutions. Thus, it is important that the nurse has the competence to use digital tools to provide qualitative and safe healthcare. Aim: To describe the nurse's experiences of digital healthcare meetings through video calls. Method: A literature study was performed. An analysis of ten empirical studies which the results are based on were conducted. Results: Two main themes and six subthemes were identified. The main themes were "The nurse's experiences of the interaction at digital care meetings through video calls" and "The nurse's experiences of digitization in the nursing care". The subthemes were "Prerequisites of the environment for a caring relationship", "Mediating safe care and relieve anxiety", "The importance of communication", "The impact of the digital health meeting on perceived participation", "The implications of the technique" and "Accessible and effective care". Conclusion: Digital care is currently not suitable for all patients. Digital care should be used as a complement to physical care. Many nurses are in need of technical support and training to further develop skills in e-health. Proper use of technology that meets the demands of the healthcare can lead to time savings for the nurse in the care of the patient. The nurse's ability to both see and hear the patient via video calls promote nurse assessment and patient participation in healthcare.