Preparing for an interview over the phone is primarily a mental exercise, and something that is easy to prepare for. It is the second impression that you will make on a hiring decision maker - the first impression was obviously made for you by your resume and cover letter, and must have been positive, or you would not have this interview appointment. That being the case, it is worth while to prepare for it and be ready to put your best foot forward.

Step one in getting yourself mentally prepared is to rehearse. Practice in front of the mirror, or with a friend or your spouse listening to you, asking questions and playing the part of the interviewer. Make a list of questions you expect the interviewer to ask and have good answers prepared, but have them on the top of your head in general and not memorized. Memorized answers can sound canned and not real, and will not help you. You need to appear genuine and real.

Step two is preparing and practicing two or three ideas that you want to get across to the interviewer as to why you are the right person for this job. If you are having trouble thinking of ideas, read your resume again. Look for the key points, qualifications or accomplishments you have written, and be ready to discuss them.

Step three is to think of what you can do for the company. The hiring manager really doesn’t care why you would like the job; he cares about how you can help his company if you are hired.

Step four is, on the morning of the interview get dressed. Wear the same clothes when you are on the phone that you would wear if you were in front of the interviewer in person. Dress for success and your attitude will reflect it. Dress in your pajamas or an old sweat shirt and your attitude may reflect that as well.

Step five is to smile. Smiles are contagious, even if they can’t be seen. Good salesmen know this and practice smiling on the phone. There is something in your voice and attitude that is conveyed when you smile, and the person on the other end of the phone can sense it. There is truth in the old saying, “Smile and the world smiles with you.” It is basic human nature.

Step six is to speak clearly and enunciate. Use a good quality phone, a land line not a cordless. If at all possible do not use a cellular phone for the interview. Crackling noises are distractions and bad cell sites, leading to dropped calls, are a negative. You only want positives during your phone interview.

Step seven is the interview itself. Relax, be yourself and do your best. When it is over remember to thank the interviewer for his or her time, and offer to provide any other information they might need to make a decision. Be professional and you may well be rewarded with a job.

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VoIP has become extremely popular with the general public. TV and online adverts, news and paper headlines have aired this new technology heavily recently, furthering its overall success. If somehow you’ve managed to miss all this hype surrounding this recent computer related communications revolution the abreviation VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol or Voice over IP. This technology enables the user to talk with a phone/microphone over the world wide web connection.

Normal phone bills can be minimised by using VoIP since it boasts extremely low rates, considerably lower than conventional telephone, whether the calls being made are local or to the other side of the world. Large corporations are taking advantage of this fact massively by installing the necessary software and equipment, loosing the old requirement for traditional conference calls, many faxes etc, whilst incorporating such media tools as streaming video applications. The recent explosion in VoIP use has hidden the fact that this technology has been around for many years waiting to become economically viable.

In terms of families now wanting to give this exciting new improvement on phone communication a go, mostly this concept is a full gone conclusion people are going stir crazy about it. Do they believe all the hype about how it will hugely improve their everyday lives? Is this technology really as impressive, reliable and affordable as is often touted by the sales pitchers? Any unanswered questions alongside possibilities you may not have realised yet are provided here in this article aimed at furthering your understanding of this new VoIP technology. Once you’ve read everything here you may be more inclined to get out there and purchase then test run this communications system.

Initially an internet connection to your residence must be present! This connection must be a high speed one, any of the following varieties i.e. satellite, cable or DSL, not 56K dial up. VoIP can only function properly and transform into your new calling station by following this important advice. Quality loss is just far too significant when attempting to use slower connections such as 56K dial ups. These now fairly antiquated connections simply don’t have the speed or capacity required to transfer calls digitally. If DSL happens to be your choice of broadband service, and you’re hoping to replace your existing phone service with VoIP, a company known as SpeakEasy has just recently created a VoIP product that does’nt require any already installed phone line.

The second most important requirement is a ‘gateway’, needing to be connected between your ethernet modem and computer. Your phone line needs to be plugged into this VoIP gateway to then enable calling to be high quality, unhindered by any potential computer problems that may occur. Many computers have a variety of momentary unpredictable problems, e.g. slow memory or crashes which could significantly reduce quality calling time.

Adapters are available so that VoIP can fit any phone, old/ existing or new. Typically the promoters of VoIP provide sell adapters to reduce the time you may spend shopping around for one. Albeit a great money saving plan, not buying a new phone will probably mean you miss out on the next big VoIP move, video usage in combination with VoIP on phones, a trend that looks set to blow up everywhere. A company known as Packet8 VoIP sells a great video phone in addition to their usual services.

Phone services that have VoIP included typically contain the whole range of great offers and gadgets the current phone services provide. Details cover such aspects as three way calling, voice messaging, your own VoIP telephone number and call waiting.

Key aspects associated with this brazen new feature-full phone technology that you should be aware of are that local 911 emergency coverage exists. This feature may come as an additional extra charge on top of the basic package, hitting your wallet on a monthly basis. Don’t commit to a calling contract until you have ironed out all the costs associated with what ever deal you choose.

Lastly, remember that electricity is the fuel your VoIP system uses and the occasional power cut will unfortunately put a stop to its functioning, momentarily. This is the one small aspect that traditional phone calls don’t have to contend with, due in part to them containing their own small power supplies.

When thinking about obtaining VoIP first consult http://www.voipinternetphonecenter.com/Technology-Your-Business-A-Beneficial-Relationship.php for a huge variety of information e.g. voip for small business.

In recent years, more and more companies are deciding to engage the services of call centers that can provide them with answering services. This is because companies are now realizing that doing so can provide them with a number of benefits that can help them increase sales and expand their businesses. However, there are companies who are looking for something more with regard to the answering service that they get, including things that can give them an advantage over other companies that also use call centers. One of these includes getting multi-lingual answering services, which can give businesses access to a wider market, not only in the United States but also in the international market. Given this, call centers are now making it a point to hire multi-lingual call center agents to help them provide this kind of service to their clients.

Multilingual Call Center Agents

Given the demand for call center agents who speak different languages, most agents now try to learn a new language because, apart from being armed with a new skill, bilingual call center agents are also paid more. However, learning a new language can be very challenging given the time and effort that people need to put in for them to master a new language. However, there are a number of steps that people can take to help them learn a new language apart from the exercises they do during class. One of these is to use flashcards, which can help people familiarize themselves with the words of a new language better given that flashcards show not only the word but also what it represents.

Another helpful step is to read materials that use the new language. Doing so can help a person learn how sentences are structured and how words are used in the language. Other ways that can make learning a new language easier include listening to audio tapes that teach the new language, listening to Internet radio in the new language, having daily contact with a native speaker of the language, and writing to pen pals from countries that speak the language they are trying to learn.

Given the demand for bilingual call center agents, agents who would take the time to learn a new language are assured of good employment opportunities. However, learning a new language can be very difficult, which makes it necessary for people who are trying to learn a new language to use different methods that can help them master a new language.

Network service providers such as Orange, Three mobile, T mobile, Virgin and Vodafone offer a multitude of mobile phone deals. These deals can be either contract mobile phone deals or they could also be in the form of pay-as-you-go options in the use of mobile phones.

These cheap mobile phone deals have played a major role in bringing mobile phones closer to people from different economic and social strata. The fact that most people in today’s world are able to use some of the latest mobiles can be attributed to the availability of these cheap mobile phone deals.

What makes these deals even more interesting is the fact that they are devised on some of the latest and most sought after mobile phone handsets. A mobile phone user may want to use a third-generation mobile phone from Nokia. All that he has to do is to browse through the online mobile phone shops and select a specific handset. He can then browse through the various tariff plans featured on the handset of his choice. The next step for him is to assess his needs, requirements and financial capabilities and select a mobile phone tariff plan that maximizes the same.

The deals are “best” as they are devised on the latest handsets. The monthly line rentals are affordable. The deals come with additional benefits such as free gifts in the form of free mobile phone insurance, free cash back offers and free line rentals for pre-specified periods of time. Many a times, the handsets on which these contract mobile phone deals are devised are offered absolutely free as integral part of such offers.

To conclude, we can say that the availability of many such best mobile phone deals has ushered in an era of cheap mobile phones. And the availability of some of the best handsets at industry leading prices has motivated people from all age groups and diverse sections of society to invest in mobile phone handsets of their own. Consequently, the use of mobile phones has become more prevalent; students, housewives, working professionals, busy executives, stay-at-home mothers are all using the latest models of mobiles for keeping in touch. The cheap mobile phone deals have paved in the way for a better and more comprehensive use of the ubiquitous mobile phone.

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Before plunging into VoIP head first, it’s important that businesses understand just what they are “talking” about when they begin looking at VoIP technology for their call center operations. Understanding these subtleties will ensure proper planning and appropriate decisons. The first key is to realize that “VoIP” is the basic term where cost alone seems to be the driving incentive. But IP Telephony is so much more. Unlike VoIP lite, IP telephony is not simply about cost savings. The benefits of IP Telephony to call center operations include rich applications, enabling mobility, increased productivity, and enhanced business continuity.

DEFINITIONS

VoIP is the basic transport of voice in a packet form on an IP-based data network. It is the transmission of telephony over a data network and offers little in the way of features and functionality. IP Telephony uses VoIP but is a software application suite offering rich feature applications. These often-modular applications lend themselves to cost-effective integration with other applications that share the IP network. Voice and Data Convergence may be defined as the integration of voice and data applications in a common environment. Of particular significance is the integration of communications applications with key business applications. The latter are usually tied to business processes, which are central to an organization’s operations.

IP telephony lends itself to contact centres for the ease of integration with sophisticated multimedia applications as well as computer telephony integration, intelligent call routing and distributed or virtual contact centre applications. The merging of voice and data applications, such as Unified Messaging, is perhaps indicative of where IP telephony as a voice-based application leaves off and convergence starts.

Voice and data convergence may be construed as the coming together of voice and data in a common environment. This simplistic definition belies the significance of convergence. The reality is that converging voice and data enables the integration of voice communications applications (such as teleconferencing and speech access) with key business applications (such as sales force automation and supply chain management). These business applications are predicated on business processes that are the lifeblood of most organizations. By marrying these applications on any network and on any device, the door is opened to deriving new levels of business value.

THE PROMISE OF VoIP

In recent years the number of companies looking to up grade their call center infrastructure via implementation of VoIP technology has grown dramatically. Merging voice and data on a single network and deploying an IP-based contact center platform allows companies to route calls to home and satellite offices more efficiently. This approach is delivering on the promise of helping companies grow their business, apply productivity enhancing applications, and expand call center operations easily and cost effectively. Scaling for growth to new remote service centers is a smooth transition as each is treated as an add-on node to the existing IP network.

Companies can add remote staff to call center queues when needed and can retain key employees by letting them work from home. The entire process can utilize one application to manage all media for routing and reporting across agent locations. An additional benefit is the ability to deliver business applications over this new network when necessary.

Potential hurdles to implementing pure VoIP include preparing the network with switch and router upgrades, replacing all the desktop phones, and upgrading adjunct systems such as voice mail. These are not insurmountable issues and can either be accomplished all at oce (shotgun) or in a phased in approach. However it is accomplished the business benefits far outweigh any initial challenges.

It’s safe to say that the great migration to the IP contact center is well underway. While there are many approaches, vendors and users agree that the decision is not driven by the technology, but rather by business applications that the technology enables. While companies may appear to take very different paths to VoIP, each is able to make the right decision for their current and future business needs from a myriad of solution options.

THE MIGRATION TO VoIP

In general, however, the migration is happening very slowly. Art Schoeller, an analyst at The Yankee Group, says, “The move to IP in the contact center is inevitable but not imminent. The transition from TDM to IP, catalyzed by Cisco, is much like the transition from analog to digital systems, which was catalyzed by Rolm. Like that transition over 20 years ago, this transition will take time. And this one is more complex.”

Where this transition seems to have found it’s lead is among smaller business entities. Most IP contact center installations have occurred in small to midsize businesses (SMB). Many of these SMBs use home agents and remote offices. SMBs tend to be more willing than larger companies to take risks, many are growing, and they are reaping the benefits of flexibility and agility. Seeing this untapped potential larger businesses are begining to follow suite albeit at a somewhat slower pace…..so far.

As of now there are fewer large installations in place, and they are generally multisite, often with overseas positions (including outsourcers). The major system vendors such as Avaya, Cisco, and Nortel all say they have pure IP installations of 2,000 seats or more. That’s impressive…and it works. It won’t be long before the pace and numbers of installations among larger companies grows significantly. They won’t long be able to deny the benefits offered and the potential positive impact on process and cost efficiencies.

“The industries making radical changes are the ones who are suffering the most pain from economic and market forces, such as teleservices [outsourcers], airlines, telecom and high-tech companies,” says Lawrence Byrd, a convergence strategist at Avaya. “These companies are seeking substantial cost savings from infrastructure consolidation, for example reducing 30 separate [automatic call distributors] to one or two, moving away from the complex and expensive network routing architectures of the 1990s, and intelligently routing the right customer to the right agent, wherever they are.”

“These companies understand that they must make more significant investments in network optimization, as well as changes to their business processes and how they manage their people. But they are willing to do so for the payback offered. IP telephony in the contact center is the technology enabler for such transformation,” he says.

THE TRENDS FOR VoIP

Today, many of the large call center installations - those exceeding 200 seats - are hybrid solutions, some sites are TDM, some are IP. Companies use IP trunking between sites and IP to some desktops, for example, at new sites or sites where the switch has been upgraded. The traditional PBX can serve as a gateway, converting between TDM and IP.

Businesses with multiple locations are turning autonomous sites into satellite sites, significantly reducing the numbers of servers, applications and licenses required for functions such as routing, reporting, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI), quality monitoring and workforce management.

Another trend is higher adoption rates in Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific. North America is generally slower to adopt IP contact center technologies because of more conservative and risk-averse decision-makers, and more large installed systems. However, of Cisco’s 1,500 installations worldwide for example, approximately half are in North America.

Yet another trend is for companies to adopt VoIP in the enterprise first and then in the contact center. Gartner analyst Bern Elliot says IP system sales already have overtaken TDM system sales for corporations, but “IP adoption in the call center will lag.” Elliot predicts that traditional TDM-based call centers will remain the dominant architecture for new system sales in North American until mid-2006. IP-based call center systems comprise approximately 10% of new system sales today.

LEASONS LEARNED

Businesses leery of IP contact centers typically express concerns about security, quality, reliability and scalability. Early implementers say they faced challenges, primarily with quality of service, but they used assessment, configuration, testing and monitoring to successfully address those issues. However, the rule of thumb is that if you’ve done what you need to do for your network for other applications, running phones on IP is not a leap of faith.

Many early implementers say voice is more secure and more reliable over IP than it was in a TDM world, and the enhancements to their networks for voice also have benefited their data applications. For example, many clearly saw the potential benefits for growth, flexibility and disaster recovery.

When a significant disaster occurs and a business must trigger its disaster-recovery plan, it is a relief to easily be able to add seats at other sites and reroute calls quickly, with no effect on service. It is also reassuring when system continuity enables the following of the rigorous security processes applied to all other applications for your voice and call center applications.

Many companies have found that TDM is just too expensive for what they want to do. Often they’ll discover that a pure IP solution offers their company lower total cost of ownership than TDM, with additional savings over time by avoiding proprietary hardware. Frequently they’ll also see benefits from virtual operations across sites and CTI in hours instead of months. Also seen have been savings on wiring, moves, adds and changes, and networking of remote locations, while buying flexibility for the future including multimedia enhancements.

THE FUTURE

The breakthrough in adoption of IP in the contact center will occur as more companies share evidence that it is low risk, it works, and there are quantifiable business benefits. Any initial trepidation will soon disappear as companies recognize that VoIP is a technology that’s right for them…..and whose time has come for the call center industry.

Tip….for assistance in finding just the right fit in a VoIP solution for your call center operation take advantage of the FREE consulatative services at Business-VoIP-Solution.com.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including DS3-Bandwidth.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.