Banking on world-class call centre solutions at Channels 2005

Altitude uCI is a platform independent contact centre solution with a universal queue and full blended support for voice (inbound, preview, power and predictive dialling), IVR, email response management, Web collaboration and chat. Typical business activities powered by Altitude uCI include telebanking, debt-collection, customer services, lead generation and telesales.

Gathering International financial services and banking leaders
"Channels is the only event that focuses exclusively and comprehensively on the financial services industry in the Middle East," said Riadh Boukhris, Altitude Software vice President Middle East, Africa and South Asia. "Altitude Software is an acknowledged global leader in multimedia contact centre solutions which counts some of the world's most innovative, fastest growing and profitable financial institutions among its client list. Therefore Channels is the perfect platform for us to demonstrate our solutions for Middle Eastern banks."

The 2005 summit will focus on the marketing and technology sectors and will provide an opportunity for delegates to gain insight into developments impacting the banking arena. "Following the unprecedented success of Channels 2004, we responded to an enormous demand from industry professionals, investors and financiers to expand the Channels 2005 Summit," recently commented Barth de Ridder, Channels Summit Director of IIR Conferences. "An extraordinary range of subjects will be covered over the course of four days that will nourish the industry and enhance understanding and practice." Highly sought after speakers from forward-thinking financial institutions such as The Saudi British Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank are expected.

Generating Tangible Business Benefits
Delivering a suite of software modules for automating and maximizing contact centres, Altitude Software has already helped over 200 fast-paced financial institutions around the world realize world-class contact centre operations, with truly integrated solutions that incorporate blended and multi-media modes of interaction. These solutions offer an array of tangible business benefits including:

• Increased productivity: through optimized call blending, intelligent dialling and agent scripting, all underpinned by CTI, the cornerstone of improved productivity.
• Enhanced Customer Relationships: a holistic view of the customer that enables personalized service and relationship development.
• Return on Investment: in three months a contact centre can move from cost centre to profit centre.
• Rapid Implementation: because Altitude uCI is open by design and a fully integrated suite, implementation can be realized in one to six months depending on the complexity of the project.

Banque Saudi Fransi in Riyadh is a good example of a Middle Eastern organisation which is using advanced call centre technology to better manage its customer-to-brand relationships. Using Altitude uCI, this forward-thinking bank is meeting its goals of increasing customer satisfaction, improving knowledge and services to customers and providing them with a unique front office experience.

A further example in the region is Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) which has set up a new IP-contact centre to enhance customer satisfaction and increase operational efficiencies. ADIB's IP-contact centre is the focal point for its telephone banking service delivery. In this project, Altitude uCI has been integrated with Cisco's Call Manager IP Telephony platform. The project was completed in less than 90 days, enabling ADIB to meet its aggressive schedule for enhancing customer care, increasing operational efficiencies, and cementing its image of excellence in the GCC.

Back in Saudi Arabia, The Saudi British Bank (SAAB) needed to improve the overall effectiveness of its contact centre and increase the productivity of its outbound collection campaigns. To fulfil these needs, the bank selected Altitude Software after having evaluated several contact centre software providers. Before Altitude uCI was implemented, agents at SABB's call centre were dialling numbers manually. After using Altitude Software, talk time increased significantly. Such an increase translates into direct savings for SABB, notably by allowing its collection centre to handle more calls per day with the same number of agents. Commenting on those benefits, Riadh Boukhris concluded, "Advanced contact centres have the potential to enhance and retain existing customer relationships through a truly integrated approach to customer service and information leverage. As the latest contact media such as Web chat and email enter the equation, contact centres are realizing additional opportunities for both serving and "getting to know" their customers, and are poised to revolutionize the way we do business."

More information about Channels 2005 is available at www.channelsme.com