Visual IVR Application Request for Comment

[DrVoIP]

I am working on creating both a Smartphone Application and an SMS Application (using Twilo) toward the goal of allowing callers to Queue without actually placing a call to the Contact Center.    We seem to construct contact centers to have more incoming lines than Agents, clearly that is why we have Call Centers.   This is the 21st Century however, and it occurs to me that that model has to change.   You should be able to hit a Webpage, or use a Smartphone Applicaton, or SMS the Call Center.   The Call Center would treat this as a Call Back Request, Queue the caller and even send them back and SMS indicating the waiting time.  No need to have more phone lines than you have agents avaialble?  There has to be some savings there?  Clearly, the Smartphone applications can get more sophisticated, even providing an visual menu tree not unlike what they would have experienced calling into the Contact Center.

The UCCX with its ability to use XML and Http seems to have all the tools necessary to execute this concept.  Twilo does a great job of handling the SMS portion and REST interfaces.

I would be interested in comments from the community and notes from anyone that has taken a step in this direciton.

Thanks - Peter

Peter Buswell (aka DrVoIP)
http://blog.drvoip.com       

[Gergely Szabo]

"Simpsons did it"

I live in Prague now, and there's an insurance company "Kooperativa" offering this kind of a smartphone application. For instance, if you have a car accident, you just choose the appropriate option in the app, and the process is started in the background, for instance, your contact is queued to a call center skill group and based on your preferences, they call you or text you.

What is the added value of your application-to-be?

G.

[hemal.mehta]

These kind of web pages are already there.  In concept, it seems to be nice.  However be aware if one of the goals is to also increase self service utilization on IVR, then this one may not help with that. 
This kind of facility can be provided more to premium customers so that they do not have wait and dial through maze of options on the IVR, but may not apply to all customers.  A lot of  IVR's discourage getting to an agent easily and would like the customer to get as much done through Self service.

Hemal