Last updated 19 July 1999

This section covers hardware to be used in call centres, i.e. ACD's, in the main. IVR is covered here. A call centre is a nebulous thing, from a technology point of view. In its simplest form, it can be one or two PC's and a couple of telephones. At its most complex, it can encompass thousands of networked PC's, programmable switches or ACD's, sophisticated CTI, Headset Adapter cards with integral DSP's, IVR, workforce management, predictive diallers ... you get the idea. It's a bit ambitious to have a single section in this site labelled 'Call Centre', so this section covers call centre specific hardware only that is or can be used in the Banking and Financial call centre arena.

I'm not including call centre furniture, fittings etc, it's getting outside the scope of this site! (even though I've been asked)

Software targetted at financial institution call centres is listed here.

Confused? Click here.

By the way, as a footnote, while researching this I discovered that the various vendors don't even agree on what ACD stands for: Automatic Call Distribution, Automated Call Distributor....

 Aspect

Aspect is a 400 million dollar a year provider of  call center solutions for a wide variety of clients. See them at www.aspect.com However, don't expect the web site to actually tell you anything.

Mission critical platforms are described http://www.aspect.com/products/platforms.htm here.

 Excel Switching Corporation

Excel switching coporation produce programmable switches used for industrial strength ACD. The big plus with programmable switches is that you can do practically anything with them - especially useful if you're developing leading edge functionality, and close integration. Typically, if you're over 500 agents, you probably ought to be thinking about a programmable switch.

Web site is at www.xl.com (you wouldn't believe how many Excel's there are in the world...)

Note that they aren't really an ACD company, you need to go to someone with a software ACD application that uses Excel switches, such as Volt Delta Europe www.vde.co.uk

 Lucent

Lucent should be pretty good at this.. they make the switches that run a substantial part of the telephone infrastructure (the 5ESS) after all....There's a lot of call centre products, but it's quite hard to wade through again .. http://www.lucent.com/pss/prodover/02e_bc.html

 Mitel

Mitel are also well respected in call centres. Their ACD is a software option for their SX-200 and SX-2000 telephone systems. Call centre solutions are at http://www.mitel.com/bcs/bcsprod.nsf/docs+by+title/Call+Center+Solutions

 Nortel

Nortel are pretty large by any standards, and it can be quite hard locating the right components for a call centre. The Meridian range is probably the best know, but there's an awful lot more, and for once, there's a lot on the website as well. Fortunately, they've grouped call centre offerings at this location: http://www1.nortelnetworks.com/entprods/callcenter/product_portfolio.html ...but I have to admit that I have a hard time seeing the wood for the trees. However there is a lot of decent background information on the site, and it's worth persevering.

Incidentally, Nortel make a clear distinction between the ACD, and CTI connecting to the ACD, and explain the roles of each quite well.

 Plantronics

Call centre headsets ... essential but often overlooked. Plantronics are the de facto standard, web site is at www.plantronics.com 

 Rockwell

As I understand it, Rockwell make the heaviest duty ACD around without getting into switch territory (such as Excel and Summa Four). The web site is at www.ec.rockwell.com Claimed scalability is from 25 to 2,400 agents.

There are two main products, the Galaxy ACD and the high end Spectrum ACD. There's also the Transcend offering for the low end that uses Dialogic cards in an NT server.

 Other, Miscellaneous and commentary

I'm not sure if I should be venturing into Voice over IP telephony here .. it seems that call centres in the future (and Internet based call centres etc) will be using it. Let me know what you think.

The trouble with including call centres here is that as call centre is a huge technology grouping in its own right, it gets increasingly hard to stay 'on message' with financial technology. If you think I've got it wrong, let me know which way!

Can you fill in any gaps? Are there any manufacturers that I've missed? Please, please tell me!