Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Taking Command of Branch Offices

      By
      Caron Carlson
      -
      February 25, 2003
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        To give network administrators a way to manage and control voice and data applications at branch offices simultaneously from a central location, Vertical Networks Inc. this week is unveiling a centralized communications management tool, called MultiSite Manager.

        The product, which is aimed primarily at enterprises with a high volume of incoming calls, such as stores and financial institutions, was built to help companies gauge the behavior of both their own employees and callers. It not only allows simultaneous remote network reporting and application upgrades, but it provides more flexibility for marketing purposes. For example, a company can make near real-time changes to recorded messages based on caller response.

        Household International Inc. will deploy MultiSite Manager at its 1,500 branch offices in the United States and Canada over the next two months, said John Armstrong, managing director of networked systems at Household in Bridgewater, N.J.

        The lending institution, headquartered in Prospect Heights, Ill., wanted more network control and uniformity than it was able to get through the myriad voice and data plans it had in place, according to Armstrong. “Everybodys got a friend in telecommunications, and youd find branch managers trying to switch their local service and their long-distance service to anyone offering them a deal,” he said.

        About two years ago, Household started looking for ways to create a more efficient calling environment and to learn why the communications system seemed to operate more productively in some branches than in others. “We didnt know if it was because they were overloaded with incoming calls,” Armstrong said. “We didnt get a lot of insight and didnt have a good idea of what was going on.”

        The company wanted central control and uniformity, but it also wanted to maintain a presence in small towns rather than convert to a central call center environment, so it installed Vertical Networks InstantOffice integrated communications platform about a year and a half ago. “The real value is the ability to really understand what our 10,000 employees are doing,” Armstrong said, adding that hes seen a 15 percent improvement in employee productivity. “These people are compensated based on their profitability. In the end theyre being more efficient.”

        With MultiSite Manager, in addition to generating uniform agent productivity reports at a central site and coordinating the deployment of applications, Household can make better use of recorded messaging at all 1,500 branches. It can distribute at once the same recording to all offices, making it easy to change recordings.

        “Without MultiSite Manager, its a manual effort for our tech resources to get changes out to each of the branches and pull back data. We would have to do a lot more legwork than wed want to,” Armstrong said.

        Vertical Networks developed MultiSite Manager because customers said they needed the ability to centralize management and reporting capabilities, and they needed detailed visibility into specific network functions, said Scott Pickett, chief technology officer and founder of Vertical Networks. With InstantOffice, they were able to manage all the branches remotely, but they had to do it one branch at a time.

        “The operations folks actually want to find out what the caller behavior is: How many are calling at what time; how many times theyre transferred; whether or not they hang up,” Pickett said. “They also want to start tracking employee behavior: How many are making outbound calls to their friends and family.”

        MultiSite Manager sends only the instructions for an application upgrade or a reporting change; the actual change is made at the branch site. “You have centralized control, but you have a distributed intelligent network,” Pickett said. “We simplified the approach. Were not talking about having to bundle the information with the commands.”

        Caron Carlson

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Big Data and Analytics

        Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

        James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
        I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

        James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
        I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
        Read more
        Cloud

        IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

        James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
        I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
        Read more
        Applications

        Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

        James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
        I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
        Read more
        Big Data and Analytics

        GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

        James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
        I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×