August 2020 Summaries

The global recession has led to increased call volumes in contact centers, with customers calling about complex issues such as travel cancellations and package delays. AI is not yet equipped to handle these complexities. Additionally, agents working from home due to the pandemic have decreased efficiency and raised security concerns. To ensure success during this time, businesses should prioritize scalability, flexibility, and maintaining quality customer experience (CX). Cloud-based contact centers can help manage these challenges by enabling rapid expansion, differentiating businesses through CX, and facilitating seamless support across devices. Understanding the customer journey in times of uncertainty will be crucial for businesses moving forward.

When choosing a voice service provider for your business, consider factors such as call quality, scalability, coverage, uptime and reliability, pricing structure, and expertise and support. Look for providers that can reduce or eliminate jitter and other disruptions, have the ability to scale with your business, offer extensive coverage, maintain high uptime and reliability, provide a suitable pricing structure, and possess in-house expertise and support.

The Awaiting app, developed by Vaporware Co-Founder and CEO Dan Moore, aims to simplify the process of contactless communication for businesses during the COVID pandemic. The app uses an SMS-powered virtual waitlist that allows customers to add themselves to a queue and receive notifications when it's their turn to enter a store or establishment while maintaining social distancing guidelines. The Awaiting app has already proven successful in helping small businesses manage walk-in customers, and future developments include features such as Q&A functionality for guests outside, wait time management for crowded events, and contact tracing capabilities.

Bandwidth has introduced a new security feature called Port-Out Passcode Protection to safeguard phone numbers from unauthorized porting and slamming. This self-service feature allows users to add 4-10 character alphanumeric passcodes to their on-net phone numbers, enhancing protection against fraudulent activities. The text highlights scenarios where this additional layer of security can save businesses time and money by preventing unauthorized ports. Bandwidth complies with FCC guidelines for end-user porting but may override a passcode if a valid request is made.

Packet loss, often experienced as robotic-sounding voices during VoIP calls, is not just an annoyance but can also affect overall IT network performance. It can be caused by various issues such as slow network speeds, bottlenecks, and bandwidth limitations. The effects of packet loss include increased costs due to overspending on extra IT infrastructure, bad user experience leading to reduced conversion rates, and decreased overall network quality. Common causes of packet loss include problems with network hardware, software bugs, security threats like packet drop attacks, and network congestion. To prevent or resolve packet loss issues, one can replace faulty hardware, address security risks, manage network congestion, or switch to a high-quality service provider.