Voice over IP in Call centers

With the network in place, the next pillar is the services and equipment that handle the calls. In VoIP, calls are handled by a virtual or physical IP PBX (IP PBX).

Objective: audio quality, scalability and cost control.

• Call plans adapted to the operation: call pricing according to call volume, scalable SIP trunks, channels, national geographic numbers or back-up trunks with another operator. Thanks to the latter, if a trunk fails, the PBX automatically routes calls through the secondary trunk, avoiding communication losses.
• Softphones or physical SIP terminals, depending on the agent's profile. Softphones offer flexibility (for example, they allow remote agents from home to connect via the Internet to the PBX). Dedicated IP phones, on the other hand, provide HD audio quality and stability. In both cases they are registered via SIP to the PBX.
• IP telephony with QoS (Quality of Service). To maintain clear conversations, quality must be correctly configured in the PBX: choose suitable codecs (such as G.711 for high quality on LAN, or G.729/Opus to optimize bandwidth), limit the use of lossy codecs to low bandwidth links only, and take advantage of QoS at PBX and router level to prioritize calls.
• Virtual PBX with advanced features (queues, recording, statistics, CRM integration, etc), like the ones we offer at Smartgroup. Take a look at the features of our virtual PBXs.

Keeping a call center running at peak performance requires active technical support and preventive maintenance, so that problems are resolved before they affect the operation or mitigated quickly.

Objective: continuity of service and rapid resolution.

• In-house technical support with on-call hours. A good voice traffic provider will offer multi-channel support (phone and email) and trained personnel to diagnose network or platform problems. Speed in resolving technical glitches makes the difference in avoiding prolonged outages that result in lost sales or poor customer service. At Smartgroup, for example, we have on-call hours so that attention is maintained even outside working hours.
• Preventive and corrective maintenance with guaranteed response times. Prevention is better than cure: periodic review of the network, backup tests of the PBX configuration, crash drills to verify switching to backups, etc. Constant maintenance also extends the useful life of the equipment and prevents incidents before they occur.
• Technical documentation of the installed system and basic training for supervisors.

Effective VoIP infrastructure design looks not only at current needs, but also at future needs. Call centers are often dynamic environments: they may need to rapidly increase the number of agents, launch new campaigns that increase call volume, or even open new locations.

Objective: to allow rapid expansion according to needs.

• Flexible service contracts by minutes, channels and numbers.
• VoIP and CRM system scalable per user.
• Network designed to increase agents without redesigning infrastructure.

Especially important when handling sensitive customer data and mass call campaigns.

Objective: data protection and GDPR regulations.

• Automatic encrypted backups. VoIP communications can be subject to hacking, unauthorized access or data theft, so proactive measures are required. Encryption of both control signals (SIP-TLS) and voice (SRTP) is recommended to prevent eavesdropping or interception. Keeping software up to date and limiting access by password and IP whitelisting are also practices that reduce the likelihood of attack.
• Active and passive cybersecurity with firewalls and IPS. We recommend software oriented to companies, such as ESET. You can see the specifications of this antivirus in our page.
• Physical and logical access control to equipment and systems.
• Issuance with national geographic numbering.
• Confidentiality agreement and protocols for agents.
• GDPR compliance documentation: legal notices, data processing, activity logs, etc.
• Telemarketing.
  • It is mandatory to consult the Robinson List and refrain from calling those who are registered.
  • Commercial calls cannot be made without the user's express consent, i.e. randomly generated cold calls without prior authorization are prohibited.
  • Clear identification of the company is required from the beginning of the call and provide the user with an easy way to unsubscribe from future communications.
  • Promotional calls should be made only during reasonable hours (no weekends or night hours).
  • Companies cannot hide the numbering or call from common mobile numbers for commercial actions. They must use identifiable fixed numbers (preferably geographic numbers or special numbers designated for call centers). We offer a registration service for 900 numbers. Call 911 177 999 if you want to activate it and avoid penalties.

Conclusion