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Cosmocom, Inc.

Phone: 516- 851-0100 Web site: www.cosmocom.com

Pricing: Ten-seat starter system is $40,000, includes upgrades and support options.

Unofficially, "Universe" is actually CosmoCall 3.0. The new version features multimedia-on-hold, Microsoft NetMeeting 3.Ox integration, audio, video and text chat, MSMQ support, improved e-mail routing and more. This release impressed us with its installation process and well-designed administration and agent interfaces.

Installation

Installing the ACD server portion of Universe requires careful planning. Administrators need to make decisions about which components to install or not to install, whether to have multiple components on one server or whether to distribute the components, and what degree of customization they prefer. Also, configuring agents and groups is largely based on Windows' own profiles, which is efficient, but requires care and patience. Adding the "click here" button to your organization's Web site also requires meticulous attention to detail. Buttons can be primitive links or elaborate images, and while the actual behind-the-scenes coding doesn't require an expert Webmaster, the entire process should definitely receive input from the managers of your call center, Web site, MIS staff and telecom staff. We wouldn't call any part of the installation process difficult, though. It's just complicated, and should be handled by your more experienced people. Meanwhile, installing the agent software (and training the agents) is a task you can delegate to any competent MIS technician. Once NT Workstation is installed with NetMeeting, the service pack, the option pack and Outlook 98, the actual CosmoCall agent is a simple wizard installation. Add the Exchange and CosmoCall account information, and the agent machine is ready. (Note that every agent uses only a headset, and not a telephone. This way, all voice calls are handled the same.)

System requirements for installing Universe are lengthy, but not excessive. Recommended for a basic setup are Windows NT Server 4.0 for the ACD component, running Microsoft IIS version 4 with ASP support, a Dialogic voice board (we used a D/41ESQ for the Telephone Connection Server with 250 MB of disk space available, and Microsoft Exchange Server with CosmoCom's Message/E-mail Connection Server. The server components can be combined or distributed; at a minimum, the main ACD server requires 30 MB of disk space, 128 MB RAM, the latest NT service pack and a 233 MHz Pentium or newer, as well as SQL 7.0. Agents' systems require Windows NT Workstation 4.0, the latest service pack, a minimum of 166 MHz, 10 MB of disk space, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 with Service Pack 1 and NetMeeting 2.1 or newer (although 3.Ox is recommended), DirectX and Outlook 98, and a fullduplex headset, sound card and video camera. Minimum requirements for end users include a 486/66 PC with 16 MB RAM, Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 4.01 with Service Pack I or Netscape Navigator 3.x. However, we recommend installing the ACD and related servers on more up-to-date systems, for example, Pentium H 450s with at least 128 MB RAM. A nice touch is that the system includes copies of the NT and 9x option packs and service packs, as well as Internet Explorer 5, NetMeeting 3.01, Outlook 98 and viewers for Acrobat, PowerPoint and Word files.

Documentation

The documentation for Universe was still in an early beta form when we received it, but it provided a decent preview of what the final version would be like. There are several chapters, including administrator and agent installation, administrator and agent guides, configuration planning, reports, technical requirements, third-party software and a "what's new" section. From what we saw, the manual still needs a lot of work in its organization, but most major topics seem to be covered, and the conceptual and technical explanations are clear, making good use of screen captures. Another section uses a flow chart to explain sample installations, which will be a tremendous aid for both decision makers and installers.

Features

There are several pieces of Universe to examine. On the administration server(s), there is the "configurator" for setting up file locations, default call settings, etc. There is also the administration interface (Figure 1), where you configure settings for agents, groups, rules and messages, although this interface does not need to be open for the product to work because it's all based on Windows NT services. Also, there are the agent interface, the end user interface and the Web integration issues.

The "Configurator" is used to set up file locations, software parameters, etc. It is accessed through the Start menu, or through a Windows shortcut, but we'd like to see it also be accessible through the administration interface, explained below. Other than this minor flaw, we find this tool quite useful. Script options are set through five menu choices. "Call Center Information" sets the suite's IP address and name, plus the path to your script directory. "No Agents Action" sets the URL and message for callers to receive when they enter a hold queue. "Caller Information" configures the caller telephone type, caller URL, Web caller initial URL, caller message and name, caller queue, caller priority and required skills. "Web Configuration" sets the script directory, Web caller directory and window title, an option to always push URLs in a new window, .ASP and Java settings, the Java directory URL and the Java window dimensions in pixels. Finally, the "Optional Parameters" tab configures integration with other applications; up to five additional parameters can be set here. Parameter examples include customer identifications, shopping cart identifications, trouble tickets, order numbers, etc.

CosmoCall's administration program is for configuring groups, agent options and similar settings. It's on the simpler side, with smartly arranged menu choices, colorful icons and an uncrowded feel. Across the top, four menu choices include File, New, Delete and Help. Below this is an 11button toolbar, with button help, that accesses features like log in/log out, as well as "add new" buttons for agents, teams, skills, wrap-up/release codes, etc. The main window offers 10 options, which include:

- Personnel - Configures new agents, their groups and their skills,

- Groups - Agents grouped by topic of expertise or any other category,

- Teams - Groups of agents grouped for administrative purposes,

- Skills - For example, agents who help with troubleshooting, ordering, foreign language customers, etc.,

- Queues - For example, queues based on caller locations, reason for calling, priority, etc.,

- Events - This menu specifies which scripts to execute for particular events, and lists event descriptions,

- Scripts - Specifies script names, descriptions and locations,

- Release codes - Codes and descriptions for when agents are on breaks,

- Wrap-up codes - Call results codes and descriptions,

- Connection servers - Configures settings for telephone, message and Internet chat servers.

CosmoCall Universe's agent interface is concise and efficient. However, we urge system installers to provide agents with more powerful computers than are required, because there are several instances where the software refreshes the screen, and you don't want to make customers wait while agents stare at an hourglass.

There are numerous customization options for the agents to configure as they like. Half of these options are accessed through the File/Preferences menu, where agents will find four tabs. In the General tab, there is a pointer to a dictionary/spell checker file, which can work as agents type, as well as a feature to choose their own WAV file for telephony rings. Under the Chat Dialogue tab, agents can set their preferences for the fonts, sizes, styles and colors of the text chat interface. The Agent tab holds the settings for canned phrases (a library of commonly used phrases that the agent can push to the caller without having to retype every time), including. a path field to select your organization's own phrase file. Last, the Call Flow section includes settings for "On Ring" (auto-answer, bring agent to front, show received URL), "On Call Termination" (hide chat, ask for chat save, auto-save) and "On Pick-Up" (send customizable hello message). Other options in this tab include a toggle for "Ask before hang-up" and "Synchronize sent URL with caller." There is also a "reset to default" button, which works for all four tabs.