Variable costs, ease of use, system functionality and embedded compliance features are advantages of a truly hosted solution
MAYS LANDING, N.J., Aug. 19, 2009 — As Global Connect, the leading provider of hosted dialing and communication services, marks its tenth year of service to the collection industry, the company continues to find new and innovative ways to assist client partners in driving revenue and increasing profits. With nearly 100 employees, offices across the nation, the ability to deliver millions of calls per hour, and more than 550 clients in the credit and collection industry, Global Connect offers features that maximize system functionality, compliance, and ultimately, results.
"Many companies claim to operate a hosted environment, when they in essence carry many of the characteristics of a non-hosted environment," explained Darrin Bird, Executive Vice President of Global Connect. "Variable costs, ease of use, system functionality and embedded compliance features are advantages of a truly hosted solution, and if an agency's dialing and communication system cannot provide those advantages, the agency is not receiving maximum benefits, and the owners may not even realize it."
In a recent comparison for a large multioffice collection agency, Global Connect re-crafted the antiquated calling strategy and rigid technology provided by a competitor and was able to triple the agency's talk-offs. "Within a matter of minutes of the Global Connect team's arrival on site, the collection floor lit up with phone calls," remarked the agency's Director of Operations.
Global Connect has found several ways in which other dialing and communication systems may be hindering productivity and efficiency:
(1) Ease of set-up – Many of the "hosted dialer in a box" companies require set-up times of ten to fifteen days or more. A truly hosted robust solution should require only hours, not days, of set-up time.
(2) Extra charges – Once the system is established, many agencies find themselves paying monthly minimums and additional charges for functionality and features that should be included automatically in a truly hosted solution. For agency owners who work in a variable-revenue operating environment, with inventory levels dipping and pricing pressure on the contingency side, the advantage to a truly hosted dialing solution is that it also allows for a variable cost model to fit their business needs. Minimums and other extra expenses defeat the purpose of partnering with a hosted dialing company. A truly hosted dialing solution should be transparent in all reporting and pricing.
(3) Inflexibility – Another advantage to a truly hosted dialing solution is the ability to develop customized solutions to meet a client's needs. Many agencies are dealing with inflexible "boxed" systems forced to fit every client, and as a result, functionality suffers. For instance, Global Connect recently released the latest version of its agent portal, which allows for screen pops, enhanced reporting for individual agents, and more advanced predictive pacing. The company also released an Automated Call Distributor that does not require an agent to log in separately, hence, not monopolizing the agent's phone line while running Global Connect's hosted dialing solution.
(4) Compliance Issues – Now, more than ever, agencies require flexibility and functionality from their systems in order to comply with call regulations. When the economy suffers, lawsuits and debtor complaints tend to rise, and with a truly hosted dialing solution, requests from clients dealing with compliance issues can be addressed promptly and easily. Based on recent requests from clients, Global Connect has released the following new compliance features:
- Enhanced Phone Number Scrub – Along with the company's permanent Do-Not Call List (DNC), this feature functions, in effect, as a temporary DNC, allowing clients to add and delete temporary numbers while never having to touch the permanent DNC.
- Call Attempt Counter – In response to increased regulation and scrutiny of the number of calls made to a debtor, Global Connect has developed a feature that will allow a client to configure campaigns to exclude a particular number from the call lists once it has reached the maximum number of call attempts within a given time frame.
- Open Ended Recall Intervals – This feature allows clients to more dynamically select the recall intervals for specific times of day.
- E-Mail Alerts – Although this feature has been available for some time, many clients are now finding a greater need to set certain call parameter alerts. For example, when on-hold or transfer times reach a certain point, or when debtor hang-ups reach a maximum threshold, an e-mail will notify agency personnel.
These new compliance features are just the latest in a long list of robust features designed to help collections industry clients remain both competitive and compliant. In the fall of 2008, Global Connect unveiled a variety of new features, including Agent Connect, Screen Pop Connect, Hello Connect, Email Connect and SMS Connect. "Each and every day, our team is pushing the envelope on the technology front," commented Darrin Bird. "We are continually receiving feedback from our product development group and our clients, and we make it a priority to develop the new features and functionalities our clients request."
By switching to Global Connect's hosted dialing solutions, agencies can increase agency productivity while avoiding unnecessary charges and preventing compliance issues. They also gain the benefit of ten years of VoIP experience. "When other vendors are telling clients how to run champion challenger comparisons and re-branding features that have been available in the hosted dialing environment for years, Global Connect is busy working with its client partners to deliver best in class customer care, real innovation, and return on investment," said Craig Bird, Chief Executive of Officer of Global Connect. "We're continually evolving, developing new features and hosted dialing platforms that allow clients to increase productivity and remain compliant, and we do this while charging no up-front fees, set-up costs or monthly minimum fees. We're committed to offering our clients the best of a hosted solution."
About Global Connect
In 2009, Global Connect, the industry's leading provider of hosted dialing and communication services, marks its tenth year of service to the credit and collection industry. The company continues to find new and innovative ways to assist client partners in driving revenue and increasing profits. With nearly 100 employees, offices across the nation, the ability to deliver millions of calls per hour, and more than 550 clients in the credit and collection industry, Global Connect offers features that maximize system functionality, compliance, and ultimately, results.
Global Connect is a privately held company with corporate offices in Mays Landing, New Jersey. It supports ten regional sales and service offices located throughout the United States with Data Centers in Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. For more information on Global Connect, please call 1-888-421-4151 or visit http://www.gc1.com in the United States or http://www.gc1.ca in Canada.
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