var quiz = { questions : [ { text : 'According to many experts, this should be the first step in a VoIP project.', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'Determine how the system will be managed', 'Outline a comprehensive business plan ', 'Determine how VoIP will interface with other network components, such as voice mail or an existing CRM system', 'Decide if the customer service system will include a Web-based component, or only voice' ], answer : 1, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'Having a comprehensive business plan is critical when it comes to implementing VoIP in the call center. The business plan should take these things into consideration:\n

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  • The industry you\'re in, which helps determine the features you\'ll need \n

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  • If your call center will be volume-oriented or value-oriented\n

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  • If your call center will be used primarily for internal or external customers \n

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  • If you expect to use your call center only for customer support or also to help generate additional sales and revenue \n

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  • If you\'ll provide service through multiple channels (voice, email, chat, etc.)\n', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'True or False? VoIP isn\'t ideal for a call center with many at-home agents, because it can be difficult to get remote agents up and running with the technology.', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'True', 'False' ], answer : 1, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'According to experts, a VoIP call center is a great option for call centers with at-home or remote agents. Hosted call center applications and VoIP technology has made it easier to set up home-based agents, says expert Donna Fluss. ', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'True or False? Some experts say that enterprise-sized businesses are more likely to adopt VoIP in the call center than small-to-medium sized businesses.', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'True', 'False' ], answer : 1, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'Actually, smaller organizations have taken the lead in deploying VoIP in the call center. New companies that are buying call center software for the first time are often more likely to deploy VoIP than companies that already have call center software in place. Large companies have begun deploying VoIP technology as well, especially in distributed call centers and call centers with remote agents. ', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'True or False? IP has recently replaced time domain multiplexing (TDM) as the primary mechanism for transporting call center transactions.', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'True', 'False' ], answer : 0, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'According to Fluss, TDM is the traditional way of moving calls, but IP has replaced TDM as the primary mechanism for transporting call center interactions. IP has two main advantages; it is agnostic about what it moves (calls, emails, chats, faxes) and it can be carried over the less costly, standard telecom data network rather than the voice network.', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'Many organizations have been slow to adopt VoIP because:', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'Consultants have been advising companies against adopting VoIP ', 'They feel it will be too costly', 'They have been waiting for VoIP to prove its quality and reliability in the call center', 'All of the above' ], answer : 2, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'Many firms have been waiting for the technology to prove its quality and reliability in the call center before they deploy a VoIP system. Also since call centers are usually business-critical operations, many companies can\'t afford to shut their centers down for a complete overhaul of hardware and software. In addition, for companies with call center technology already in place, there isn\'t necessarily any reason for them to get rid of the old technology and buy VoIP. However, many companies will wait until it\'s time to upgrade and then follow their call center vendor\'s IP migration path.', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'VoIP adoption has increased as more and more companies look to:', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'Start up virtual call centers', 'Build large, on-premise call centers', 'Outsource call center operations', 'All of the above' ], answer : 0, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'An interest in the "virtual call center" has caused many companies to turn to VoIP to run their call center operations, according to recent research. More and more enterprises are doing away with their large, on-site call centers and starting up lower-cost virtual call centers using VoIP-based systems. According to Alan Hubbard of Aberdeen Group, moving to VoIP is a critical factor in successfully implementing a virtual call center. ', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'True or False? There are no strategic reasons to implement VoIP technology in a single site -- VoIP is only suitable for call centers with multiple locations.', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'True', 'False' ], answer : 1, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'VoIP certainly offers clear advantages for multi-site call centers and remote agents, but there are some key reasons to implement VoIP in a single site as well. According to expert Lori Bocklund, a single site running VoIP allows the call center to move farther into the enterprise. For example, regional banks that have one call center and multiple branches have been using VoIP to connect the branches to the call center. When the call center is receiving a high volume of calls, some calls can be routed to the branches. VoIP can also help agents to more easily connect customers to people within the company with the necessary expertise to answer their questions.', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'Session Initation Protocol (SIP), a technical feature found in many VoIP call center platforms, is defined as: ', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'The presence of a user with a specific IP address', 'A standard protocol for initiating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements such as video, voice, chat, gaming, and virtual reality ', 'A protocol that offers a limited amount of service when messages are exchanged between computers in a network that uses the IP', 'None of the above' ], answer : 1, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'SIP is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard protocol for initiating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements such as video, voice, chat, gaming and virtual reality. SIP is technical feature included in many VoIP call center platforms that allows users to identify the location and status of any individual connected to the system. It also allows for interoperability between different call center tools or private branch exchanges (PBXs). According to Fluss, using SIP in the call center can mean significant savings for organizations by minimizing the need for multiple automatic call distributors (ACDs) or PBXs and reducing carrier fees. \n', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'According to experts, VoIP offers which of these potential savings and benefits?', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'Cost savings', 'Increased call center agent retention', 'Improved call center agent motivation and morale', 'All of the above' ], answer : 0, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'Most experts agree that cost savings are the number one reason companies deploy VoIP in the call center. According to expert Tom Pisello, VoIP offers these cost savings:\n

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  • Reduced phone bills\n

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  • Consolidation of calling plans and rate reductions\n

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  • Elimination of inter-group/call center toll transfer charges\n

    \nCost savings isn\'t the only thing VoIP can help with. Pisello says VoIP can help organizations achieve increased IT administrative and support productivity and improved business capacity and agility. \n', moreInfo : '' }, { text : 'True or False? One reason to adopt VoIP in the call center is to avoid having to rely on an outsourcer during a disaster.', img : 'http://media.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/spacer.gif', responses : [ 'True', 'False' ], answer : 0, score : 1, expandedAnswer : 'Some companies that have adopted VoIP feel it allows them to stay connected with their customers at all times and not have to rely on an outsourcer during spikes or distaters.\n

    \n"Something of the inviolate mantra here is we want to be as close to the consumer as possible, we want to own the customer," said Ponder Harrison, managing director for Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, in an interview with SearchCRM.com. "We don\'t want a third-party intermediary to come between us and our customers. It doesn\'t matter how good your Web site is, you have to speak with your customers, and we want a system that lets us do that as cost effectively, with the highest functionality married to flexibility." \n', moreInfo : '' } ] };