siemens hipath procenter suites - ross school of … 4000, hipath 3000 (v4.0) and hipath 5000...

Gartner© 2003 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to bereliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Gartner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretationsthereof. The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

DPRO-90394Jay Lassman

Product Report22 October 2003

Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites

Summary

Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites includes contact center solutions, management tools and mediaofferings, as well as pre-integrated customer interaction modules that can be added as needed.

Note

Siemens’ HiPath initiative offers organizations a cost-effective transition path from establishedinfrastructures to converged technologies. The HiPath family of products represents a comprehensiveInternet Protocol (IP) convergence portfolio. It includes IP- and circuit-switched communicationsplatforms, IP telephones, multimedia PC clients, IP-based applications for mobility, messaging and thecontact center. Customers can implement these applications today in a circuit-switched environment andmaintain those applications when they evolve to an IP environment, ensuring substantial investmentprotection.

Table of Contents

Overview

Analysis

Pricing

Competitors

Strengths

Limitations

Recommended Gartner Research

Insight

List Of Tables

Table 1: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites Standard Design Elements

Table 2: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Capacities

Table 3: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites Networked Call Centers Capacities

Table 4: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites Optional Features

Table 5: Price List: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites

List Of Figures

Figure 1: Routing Flow Properties

Figure 2: Graphical Report Writer

Figure 3: Call Queue View


© 2003 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.DPRO-9039422 October 2003 2

Figure 4: Current E-Mail Details

Figure 5: Chat Details



Corporate Headquarters

Siemens Information and Communication Network

900 Broken Sound Parkway

Boca Raton, FL 33487, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 800 765 6123

Internet: www.siemensenterprise.com and www.siemenscrm.com

Overview

Siemens’ HiPath ProCenter Suites, its flagship contact center solution, offers advanced multimediafeatures without the need for custom integration or custom programming. The HiPath ProCenter customerinteraction suites are pre-integrated modules that can be added as the needs of the contact centerchange. They offer contact center managers a single point of configuration for all three primary mediatypes (voice, e-mail and Web collaboration). In addition, contact center managers have a unified view ofall customer interaction events, such as queuing, routing and reporting, irrespective of media. Finally, theHiPath ProCenter suites can be used with both Siemens and non-Siemens platforms.

Siemens offers a variety of contact solutions, each tailored for contact center requirements ranging inagent size and functional sophistication from simple to highly advanced. HiPath ProCenter Compact, thenewest addition to the portfolio, provides simple uniform call distribution (UCD) and reporting capabilities.

Entry, Standard and Advanced HiPath ProCenter Suites are three individual offers designed for mid- tolarge-sized centers with more complex needs. The suites consist of packaged modular components andoptions designed for contact centers with more complex requirements. Pre-integrated modules offercontact center managers a single point of configuration for all three primary media types, in addition toproviding a unified view of all customer interaction events, such as queuing, routing and reporting,regardless of media. The Business Rules Routing Editor, a feature of the HiPath ProCenter solution, is aflexible graphical tool that allows management to influence the routing of customer contacts on the basisbusiness rules used with information from external customer relationship management (CRM) databasesor internal statistics, such as call in queue or service levels. With the Siemens IPortal program (currentlyavailable in the U.S.), the HiPath ProCenter Suites can be used in non-Siemens switching environments.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) capabilities inherent within the HiPath ProCenter Suites enableintegration between HiPath ProCenter solutions and the most popular CRM applications. In addition,Siemens provides pre-packaged integration for applications software from third-party sources, such asRemedy Software, Siebel and SAP.



Table 1: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites Standard Design Elements

Architecture Software Platform Hardware Requirements

• Object-oriented design

• Distributed, IP-based

• Client/Server Communication

• PBX CTI integration, third-party call control routing

• Full desktop CTI, telephony and voice-data transfer

abilities

• Clients optimized for broadcast, real-time and call

control capabilities; Microsoft Windows or browser-

based agent supported

• Modular for easy addition of requirement or

optional components

• Scalable from one to 1,250 active agents at a

single site

• Supports up to 10 sites in a networked

configuration (capacity to support up to 25 sites)

• Windows 2000 Server

Desktop Clients—are 32-bit

applications supported on

Windows 98SE, Windows

2000 and XP

• Informix call record

database with open

database connectivity

(ODBC)

· Crystal Reports

interface

• Nonproprietary,

symmetric multiprocessing

(SMP) server-class

machine designed to work

with Hicom 300 E, 300 H,

HiPath 4000, HiPath 3000

(V4.0) and HiPath 5000

(V4.0).

• Minimum Dual CPU

PentiumIII 800MHz or

above (requirements vary

based on release and

agent size)

• Min. 512MB RAM

• One 18 GB UltraWide

Fast Small Computer

Systems Interface (SCSI)

drive

• Separate real-time

PC/application for

distribution of real-time

statistics to desktop users

from primary server (LAN

segmentation). Lower PC

hardware requirements and

quantity of servers required

varies based on LAN

environment and total

Desktop users.

• Call-by-Call (option)

requires additional hard

drive and RAM

• SVGA, PCI Network and

Video Cards, Tape Backup,

RAID options

• Desktop PC requirements

vary based on quantity of

applications running at the

desktop simultaneously

and the operating system

used; Memory 32MB-

64MB; recommended

Pentium 300MHz or above



Table 2: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Capacities

Description Capacity

Active Agents per Site 750-1,250

Maximum Configured Agents 2,000

Skills per Agent 100

Preference Range per Skill 1-9

Skill-Level Range per Skill 1-9(Advanced Suite)

Routing Criteria per Call 100

Routing Entries 15,000

Priority Levels per Call 99

Maximum Configured Skills 15,000

Number of Supervisor Desktops 500

Maximum BHCAs* 6,400

Maximum No. of Call Types 1,000

Report Storage Periods 15 min.—42 days

Daily data—100 days

Weekly data—371 days

Monthly data—750 days

*Busy Hour Call Attempts

Table 3: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites Networked Call Centers Capacities

Description Capacity

Number of Sites 25

Active Agents/Site 750-1,250

Active Agents/System 10,000

Configured Agents/Site 2,000

Configured Agents/System 50,000

BHCA/Site 6,400

BHCA/System 160,000

Analysis

Additional Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites specifications can be found in Gartner Call and ContactCenters: Comparison Columns, DPRO-89875.

HiPath ProCenter Compact

HiPath ProCenter Compact is a simplified voice call distributor for basic call centers and departmental usewithin enterprises. It is available only on the Siemens HiPath 3000 series platforms. HiPath ProCenterCompact can handle up to 64 active agents and provides real-time and historical reports.

HiPath ProCenter Suites

HiPath ProCenter Entry, Standard and Advanced Suites are modular packaged suites that includestandard and optional features designed to meet the needs of any size call center, from small to large,whether needs are simple voice-only applications or highly custom multimedia capabilities. All Suites haveskills-based routing and a wide range of standard features. These include desktop productivity tools forevery user in the contact center, with functionality based on the roles and responsibilities of specific userswithin the contact center. The HiPath ProCenter Suites are available in six languages: U.S. English,



Spanish, French, German, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. The five core applications included asstandard features in the HiPath ProCenter Suites are as follows:

• HiPath ProCenter Skills-based Routing Application—an intelligent routing platform that routestransactions precisely to the most appropriate skilled resource, with the goal of enhancing thedevelopment and growth of customer relationships in the contact center environment. The level ofskills routing sophistication varies based on which suite is purchased—HiPath ProCenter Entry,HiPath ProCenter Standard or HiPath ProCenter Advanced.

• HiPath ProCenter Administrator—an administration and configuration tool that allows managers andsupervisors to adjust routing rules as well as agent profiles in real time. This tool uses a graphicaluser interface (GUI) that can illustrate the entire contact center design and allows administration andconfiguration to be done from any desktop. Managers and supervisors can dynamically update ormodify routing rules and agent profiles. Siemens includes unlimited license rights with the purchaseof the suites.

• HiPath ProCenter Reporter—a comprehensive, historical reporting application that provides an arrayof standard and customizable reports, as well as a Microsoft Windows-based report-schedulingfunction.

• HiPath ProCenter IT Monitor—a monitoring and reliability application that enables systemadministrators to monitor the entire contact center in real time. The application provides status viewsand error reporting, diagnostic information to monitor the specific server application performance forreliability and service requirements. The application allows for system administrators to be notified ofspecific alarm conditions via a “call for help” application that alerts users via pager or e-mail.

• HiPath ProCenter Simulator—a nonproduction simulation tool that allows contact center managers tosimulate and forecast call-center activity based on historical information and what-if parameters, thuspredicting contact center requirements for peak performance. This is a standard feature in the HiPathProCenter Standard and Advanced Suites.

Unique Skills-Based, Interaction Routing

At the core of the HiPath ProCenter Suites is Siemens’ patented HiPath ProCenter Skills-based Routingcomponent, featuring virtual group routing, which intelligently determines the best possible matchbetween a caller and an agent on a call-by-call basis. It enhances ACD intelligence by identifying callerrequirements and then searching for available agents who best meet these requirements by virtue of theirpersonal skill and preference resume.

With HiPath ProCenter Skills-based Routing, all agents are available for all calls without segmenting thecall center into fixed ACD groups. Caller requirements can be identified from multiple sources, such asnetwork information like automatic number identification (ANI) and dialed number identification service(DNIS), database information, customer responses to call prompts from an interactive voice response(IVR) system or a voice processing application and even parameters being input by a live call screener. Avirtual group is then instantly constructed from agents whose resumes most closely match the needs ofthe caller. Once the transaction is routed to an agent within the virtual group, the group is disbanded,making the other agents available for additional transactions.

Skills-based Routing can handle up to 100 criteria per call and 100 criteria per agent. Every agent resumeidentifies their unique skills and a preference level (one to nine) on every skill, which is used for Siemens’patented caller-to-agent matching process. If calls are not answered within the required time period, thesystem can dynamically relax call criteria, expanding the pool of agents eligible to service the caller.



When the application finds several agents eligible to handle a call, it uses a blend of criteria to determinethe best agent to whom the call should be routed.

Performance Routing, a standard feature of the suites, enhances the intelligent routing capabilities,providing an added layer of sophistication based on real-time conditions in the contact center. This featureserves as “cruise control” for the contact center, automatically adjusting the speed of routing decisionsdynamically on calls in progress to maintain preset targets based on Service Level, Average Wait Time,Estimated Wait Time or Transactions in Queue by call type. As an example, a business can select aservice-level target by type of call and route calls based on the current value of that target. If the servicelevel drops below the target level, a scaling factor is used to move calls through the call steps at a fasterpace. This has the effect of providing a larger base of qualified agents to answer a call in a shorter periodof time than if the call progressed through the steps at a normal pace. Once the desired service level isachieved, the scaling factor is removed.

Business Rules Routing and Rules Editor

This standard feature in the HiPath ProCenter Standard and Advanced Suites allows for the businessrules, customer-specific data and internal contact center statistics to be used in the intelligent routingprocess. By using the ANI, information collected via an IVR or information held in a CRM database, therouting of a specific call can be influenced based on key elements, like customer value. For example, if acustomer calls to place an order, but the CRM database identifies the account is seriously overdue, thecall is routed to the accounting department rather than to the order desk. Or, if the specific customergenerates a large amount of revenue with a company on a quarterly basis, that information can be used,in conjunction with the current service-level information, to determine if the call should be routed to an IVRfor self-service or to the best sales agents. To simplify the configuration of these routing parameters forcontact center management, a new Business Rules Visual Editor is provided (see the figure Routing FlowProperties). The Business Rules Visual Editor is a user-friendly graphical tool for configuring andmodifying routing scenarios, virtually eliminating the need for custom programming.

Figure 1: Routing Flow Properties



Source: Siemens

Management and Reporting Tools

The following summarizes management and reporting attributes of HiPath ProCenter Suites:

• HiPath ProCenter Reporter, a historical reporting application, provides a complete array of bothstandard and customizable reports, along with a call-by-call option and life-of-call reporting wizard.Reporter includes a Microsoft Windows-based scheduling and report definition function. Unlimitedlicense rights for this application are also included with every suite. Statistical reporting can also beexported to Excel, Lotus 123, Delimited text or Crystal Reports.

• The HiPath ProCenter Skills-Based Routing application records statistics in the Reporting Databaseabout virtually every aspect of the contact center’s performance. HiPath ProCenter Reporter is usedto generate reports using third-party applications, such as Crystal Reports, to create customizedreporting templates with the data in the Reporting Database.

• Call-by-Call Reporting is a standard feature (optional in non-U.S. markets) with the Standard andAdvanced Suites that enables customers to keep call-by-call information in the HiPath ProCenterReporting Database. Call-by-call information includes detailed records along with the wrap-up datacompleted by agents for each call. Agents can complete their wrap-up data using the HiPathProCenter Agent and desktop applications. HiPath ProCenter Reporter also includes an optional Life-of-Call Wizard, which allows users to specify parameters and to trace call activity on-screen for



exception reporting purposes. In addition, Reporter provides contact center administrators with asingle reporting tool for both skills-based and group-based reporting requirements. This is an optionavailable with the HiPath Standard and Advanced Suites.

• HiPath ProCenter Suites also provide an optional Graphical Report Writer available with all thesuites, which allows information for all call types, media, agents, groups and wrap-up information tobe displayed in custom graphical formats (see the figure Graphical Report Writer). These reports canbe used to depict interaction trends across media and to help contact center managers to moreeffectively analyze business data while increasing productivity.

Figure 2: Graphical Report Writer

Source: Siemens

Simulation and Business Analysis

HiPath ProCenter Simulator is an integrated virtual group traffic simulation tool available for sophisticatedskills-based contact centers. With HiPath ProCenter Simulator, managers can safely try hypothetical newstaffing or routing scenarios and spot problems that might arise without impact to the live system. To usethe Simulator, a manager simply inputs an anticipated traffic load, caller behavior profiles and scheduledagent roster. HiPath ProCenter Simulator provides detailed graphical reports that forecast the effect onservice level and agent utilization per call type. Routing factors and agent work criteria can be altered andmore simulations run until ideal contact center performance is achieved. Once a manager has the correctmix in place, it can be made live instantly or saved for future use. License of the Simulator clientapplication is included with every standard and advanced system purchase. Agent schedules produced by



third-party applications, such as Blue Pumpkin’s PrimeTime Workforce Management solution, can also bevalidated with the simulation tool.

Optional Features

In addition to the standard features described above, the following optional capabilities are also availablewith the HiPath ProCenter Suites.

Table 4: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites Optional Features

Feature Entry Suite Standard Suite Advanced Suite

Agent Ö Ö

Supervisor Ö Ö Ö

Graphical

Report Writer

Ö Ö Ö

Message

Stream

Ö Ö Ö

Prompt

Response

IVR*

Ö Ö Ö

Call Director Ö Ö

E-Mail Ö Ö

Networking Ö Ö

Call-by-Call

Reports

Ö Ö

Web

Collaboration

Ö

Outbound Ö

CRM Ready

Kits

Ö

Mobile

Solutions

Ö Ö Ö

* U.S. market only

HiPath ProCenter Call Director

This feature provides front-end call processing and announcements, such as position in queue or queuewait time, and collects digits that have been input by callers for identification purposes. It consists of twoparts: a simple-to-use Call Processing Administration GUI tool to create, modify and run the createdscripts; and a Script Processing module to process the steps in the scripts. Call Director is available infour-port, eight-port and 16-port analog or 24-port digital configurations. Hardware required for thissolution is not separate, but rather is integrated into the HiPath ProCenter Suites server.

HiPath Supervisor Real-Time Reporting

HiPath ProCenter Supervisor resides on the supervisor’s or contact center manager’s desktop, allowingmonitoring of agent and call center activity in real time. Users can customize launch-pad views, specifyagent teams, identify call lists and define alarms and alerts specific to monitoring purposes. With themultimedia interaction routing capabilities, all views reflect call types and agent activities for inboundvoice, outbound voice, e-mail and Web chats, providing real-time reporting statistics to monitor trueutilization of agent resources (See the figure Call Queue View). The Supervisor application provides call



control capabilities from the desktop, including revisions of calls in progress, the ability to reserve contactsfor specific agents, call diversion of contacts to agent groups, simultaneous changes to the priority ofmultiple calls and viewing details for abandoned calls. This optional feature is available with all three ofthe HiPath ProCenter Suites.

Figure 3: Call Queue View

Source: Siemens

HiPath ProCenter Agent

This productivity tool resides on the agent’s desktop, giving agents access to information related to thecontact center, including business and CRM applications. HiPath ProCenter Agent provides access toreal-time reporting, agent adherence and personal performance statistics, as well as online telephonefeatures. From this application, agents have quick access to frequently used applications, such as billingsystems, reference materials, customer history databases and communication tools. HiPath ProCenterAgent is highly customizable and uses very little screen space. With host application integration,components of Agent or the entire application can be blended with a CRM application, eliminating theneed to have multiple applications running on the agent desktop.

HiPath ProCenter E-Mail

This Siemens-built application provides skills-based routing for e-mail interactions. The e-mail interface isan integral part of the HiPath ProCenter Agent desktop; therefore, the solution does not require anadditional e-mail reader. E-mail interactions are pushed to the Agent desktop, not pulled, based onkeywords and using the same skills-based routing engine and agent resumes as voice and otherinteractions. Messages can be driven into the contact center via the enterprise Web site and are screenedfor keywords or phrases that allow the contact to be routed to the appropriate agent in the center. The



solution can be configured to automatically create and send a personalized acknowledgment messageback to the original sender. In addition, auto-response text can be configured, thus eliminating the needfor agent intervention. A centralized library of standard responses in the form of pre-defined messagetemplates is also available. Agents can use this to simply select a standard response to send to thecustomer, minimizing agent response time and increasing efficiency.

HiPath ProCenter E-Mail provides a customer history based on the sender’s e-mail address or trackingnumber and retains it for a configurable time period. Both agents and supervisors have access to thismessage history (See the figure Current E-Mail Details). Real-time monitoring and Supervisor “pre-screening” of e-mail replies to customers are also included as standard features. Finally, reporting of all e-mail interactions is a standard feature, and data is fully blended within the HiPath ProCenter Supervisorand HiPath ProCenter Reporter applications. Microsoft Exchange 5.5, 2000 and Lotus Domino throughopen IMAP4/SMTP protocols are all supported.

Figure 4: Current E-Mail Details

Source: Siemens

HiPath ProCenter Web Collaboration

The latest addition to the HiPath ProCenter Suites includes a new optional feature for Web Collaboration.Live Web “chat” capabilities can be enabled based on customer demand. Again, the user interface isintegrated with the HiPath ProCenter Agent desktop. Agent views present call type and customer-specificdata in the chat window as well as pre-defined standard messages that streamline customercommunication (see the figure Chat Details). Web page URL “push” to the customer is provided througheasy “drag and drop” abilities. Agents can re-queue, transfer or conference other agents or supervisors into their session. For customer views, the system auto-detects end-user browser capabilities and selectsthe best chat window version to utilize, providing a separate pop-up window that allows them to continuebrowsing on the company Web site. No special download, installation or configuration is required. WebCollaboration screens can be customized to suit an enterprise site’s look and feel.

Figure 5: Chat Details



Source: Siemens

All chat session transcripts are stored. Supervisor-quality monitoring abilities of live chat sessions are alsopart of the standard features. HiPath ProCenter Web Collaboration is firewall friendly and is supported inWindows, Unix Web servers, Apache, Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and iPlanetenvironments. The solution’s “thin client” Java-script or Java-based end-user capabilities ensure thewidest compatibility and easy deployment.

HiPath ProCenter Outbound

HiPath ProCenter Outbound allows a variety of capabilities for outbound and callback requirements.Callback requests can be initiated from “Call Me” buttons on the Web, by stored abandoned callinformation, or by direct agent or supervisor desktop input. Callbacks are then driven to agents based onreal-time performance criteria and through the HiPath ProCenter Agent desktop application. This featureallows the contact center to schedule both voice and Web outbound transactions in order to optimizeagent resources during lulls in activity and to import outbound dialing campaigns from third-partyapplications. HiPath ProCenter Outbound interacts with the other HiPath ProCenter Suite components toperform the callback upon acceptance by the agent via their desktop display (that is, preview dialing).With HiPath ProCenter Suites, this functionality is an integrated part of the solution and doesn’t require aseparate dedicated PC or server, reducing the overall cost of adding blended outbound transactions to acontact center.

Siemens CRM Ready Kits

Siemens has created a series of out-of-the-box, pre-integrated CTI solutions called CRM Ready kits thatprovide the benefits of computer telephony without the need for custom development. The CRM Readykits leverage the benefits of open standards and standard Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) tosimplify the connection of devices and applications. The need for customized programming is greatlyreduced or in some cases eliminated, thereby reducing the time and expense required to integrate CRMapplications with the HiPath ProCenter Advanced Suite. The CRM Ready kits act as the “glue” that allows



the HiPath ProCenter Suite and the CRM application to work together for enhanced capabilities and fasterdeployment. HiPath ProCenter solutions integrate with the leading front-office and back-office CRMbusiness applications, such as Remedy, SAP and Siebel. The CRM Ready kits have been SAP- andSiebel-certified. Each kit has unique “out of the box” functionality, and the integration with the suites canbe expanded for more custom capabilities when required. As an example, the integration of the Siebelsolutions with the HiPath ProCenter Suites allows users to:

• Let clients access the contact center through all media: Short Message Service (SMS), e-mail, voice,fax and Internet-chat.

• Have immediate access to Siebel customer information through automated screen delivery.

• Utilize their Siebel CTI Toolbar to control and monitor specific functions within the HiPath ProCenterSuites.

Besides the CRM Ready program, Siemens also offers third-party vendors the ability to certify theirapplications for connectivity with many Siemens systems, including the HiPath ProCenter Suites. Thisglobal program, created out of the original Siemens Ready and HiCom Ready programs, has over 150members. Members can be identified by their use of the Siemens HiPath Ready logo in their advertising.Certification is conducted in a Siemens laboratory and is available on two levels: HiPath Ready Standardand HiPath Ready Advanced. Among the vendors that have certified their products HiPath Ready with theHiPath ProCenter Suites are Hipbone, Mercom Systems and Acumen Software.

Interactive Voice Response Solutions

HiPath ProCenter Prompt Response (U.S. markets only) is an IVR solution allowing customers using anyof the suites to obtain personal information and complete transactions without agent intervention whilegreatly enhancing call routing to contact center agents. Through extensive joint development withInterVoice, the supplier of Prompt Response, Siemens has provided pre-integration with Hicom 300 andHiPath switches, customization services, integration with established customer systems, including nearlyall commercial switches and ongoing application development. HiPath Prompt Response is offered on allthe HiPath ProCenter Suites. HiPath ProCenter Prompt Response provides contact centers andenterprises with improved customer interaction, efficiency and a rapid return on investment through theutilization of:

• Self-Service—Provides callers access to database information for executing simple to complextransactions without occupying agent resources.

• Precision Routing—Provides call routing to the most qualified agent via any combination of inputs(Automatic Number Identification and Dialed Number Identification Service, caller DTMF, speechrecognition or information from a host server), ensuring callers are routed to the most qualified agentor resource on a call-by-call basis. Prompt Response provides information it has collected fromvarious sources to the agents’ telephone display or their PC via CTI. This information gives agentsthe ability to more quickly assist callers and provide responses tailored to the callers’ needs andhistory.

• Enhanced Basic Queue Announcements—Provides callers with an accurate representation of theirestimated wait time and provides them with different choices based on the length of their wait, suchas listening to information or leaving a message for agent call-back at a later time.

• Advanced Speech Recognition—is an optional feature that improves the IVR-to-human interface sothat even many callers who previously avoided automated systems are comfortable with it. “Naturallanguage” recognition let’s callers speak naturally, in full sentences or phrases, to gain secure access



to transactions and personalized information. Speech recognition understands accents, as well asmultiple responses, for a given answer.

HiPath ProCenter Prompt Response Integration, a standard capability with the HiPath ProCenter Suites,consists of IVR API software that enables the ability to write IVR scripts for use with the interaction routingapplication. Functions include estimated wait time and position in queue by call type.

HiPath ProCenter Networking

The HiPath ProCenter Standard and Advanced Suites are available in both single- and multiple-siteconfigurations. HiPath ProCenter Networking provides call-by-call, skills-based load-balancing capabilitiesbetween sites. Transaction routing between the sites can be configured in different ways based on “bestsite” or “preferred site” routing criteria and real-time performance statistics. Networking includes SNMPsupport, central reporting software and a license of the HiPath ProCenter Enterprise Manager, a real-timemonitoring and reporting tool for maintaining the pulse of networked site performance. Central reportingallows historical reporting statistics to be accumulated from all sites for enterprisewide multisite reports.

HiPath ProCenter MessageStream

HiPath ProCenter MessageStream, available on all the HiPath ProCenter Suites, interfaces to Spectrummessage boards and displays real-time information from the contact center. This software also providesmessage-board windows that appear on an agent or supervisor workstation. Contact centeradministrators can create messages and send them to Spectrum wallboards, individual agents or lists ofagents. The administrator specifically addresses all messages, so agents receive only relevantmessages. MessageStream allows users to create messages that include text, graphics and animationdata about real-time statistics and custom thresholds. Unique messages can be addressed to eachmessage board or groups of message boards.

HiPath ProCenter MessageStream is a core product in Siemens’ mobility solutions for the contact center,delivering real-time alerts and reports to agents, supervisors, managers and IT professionals usingwireless and mobile devices.

Mobile Contact Center

All of the HiPath ProCenter Suites offer specific solutions related to today’s growing requirements formobility in the contact center environment. Siemens architecture allows customers to leverage and extendestablished contact center management systems, enterprise applications and databases without having torevamp or discard established infrastructure investments. Critical, relevant information is proactivelydelivered to target recipients in real time. Examples of HiPath ProCenter’s mobile functionality for thecontact center environment include:

• Teleworking that allows agents to work at home, at sites closer to their home or at a branch officethat is more convenient for them. Agents can log on from home using a standard analog telephone ora HiPath optiSet and have full functionality as if they were sitting in the contact center. Skills-basedrouting can be used in conjunction with HiPath Teleworking to automatically route queries of anymedia type to the right persons, wherever they might be working. A remote access data connection tothe agent can be used for voice-over-IP (VoIP), data transmission and computer telephony supportedapplications, such as screen pops.

• Full monitoring capabilities of remote agent performance regardless of agent or supervisor location.

• Executives, managers, administrators and supervisors can have anytime-anywhere access to callcenter reports, alarms and alerts.



• Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) reports can be sent to wireless devices with real-time andhistorical information. As a result, messages can be sent and received that enable executives toevaluate media and voice activity along with CRM and revenue data.

IP Environment Support

At the core of Siemens’ HiPath strategy is to provide the ability for customers to seamlessly migrateestablished and new applications from circuit- to packet-switching environments, including communicationcontrol, eCRM integration and user applications. Integration of the HiPath ProCenter Suites’ functionalityis also supported on the Siemens IP-enabled platforms, such as the HiPath 3000, 4000 and 5000. Thisprovides investment protection by providing a smooth migration path and eliminating the need to retrainemployees on applications. Siemens’ focus is on full-featured functionality for IP contact centers and help-desk environments.

Pricing

Approximate starting prices for the HiPath ProCenter Suite of systems are as follows:

Table 5: Price List: Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites

Version US$

HiPath ProCenter Office 4,200

HiPath ProCenter Entry 7,000

HiPath ProCenter Standard 30,000

HiPath ProCenter Advanced 40,000

GSA Pricing

Yes.

Competitors

Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites compete most directly with like-sized systems, such as:

• Alcatel

• Apropos Technology

• Aspect

• Avaya

• Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories

• Interactive Intelligence

• NEC

• Nortel Networks

• Rockwell FirstPoint Contact

Strengths

• Skills-based Routing intelligently determines the best possible match between a caller and an agenton a call-by-call basis and helps optimize call center resources.



• Pre-integrated modules offer contact center managers a single point of configuration for all threeprimary media types (voice, e-mail and Web collaboration) and unified views of all customerinteraction functions, such as queuing, routing and reporting irrespective of media.

• Integrated suites provided on a single platform, which include routing, reporting and managementtools designed to work seamlessly together.

• Inherent CTI capabilities within HiPath ProCenter Skills-Based Routing enable integration betweenHiPath ProCenter Suites and industry-leading e-business and CRM applications on a pre-integratedor custom basis.

• Non-real-time simulation capabilities provide user-friendly resource planning tools that do notjeopardize day-to-day call center operations.

• Modular architecture enables users to grow in size or functionality and to buy only thosefeatures/applications they need, when they need them.

• Migration path provides hardware and software investment protection for organizations that transitionfrom circuit-switched to IP-based environments.

• The HiPath ProCenter Suites are available in six languages: U.S. English, Spanish, French, German,Italian and Brazilian Portuguese.

Limitations

• Increasing the per-site busy hour call attempts (BHCA) rating of 12,000 for a HiPath ProCenter Suitecontact center requires that additional network nodes be equipped with stand-alone PBX systems,such as the Hicom 300.

• While non-Siemens platforms and releases of older Siemens systems are supported, HiPathProCenter Suites are mainly targeted for use with the latest releases of Siemens Hicom and HiPathswitching platforms.

• Contact centers with less than a total of 20 agents may not find HiPath ProCenter Standard orAdvanced Suite solutions to be cost-effective.

Recommended Gartner Research

Gartner Call and Contact Centers: Comparison Columns, DPRO-89875

Insight

From a capabilities standpoint, the latest version of Siemens HiPath ProCenter Suites does not includeany major enhancements. However, Siemens continues to improve the product’s performance andreliability. As a result, HiPath Procenter Suites remains an extremely modular and comprehensive contactcenter offer that should appeal to organizations using Siemens’ Hicom and HiPath series PBX systems.

siemens hipath procenter suites - ross school of … 4000, hipath 3000 (v4.0) and hipath 5000...

Documents