Reference Weltbild Publishing Group

Golive just in sufficient time to Christmas

Following the termination of the manufacturer service for the existing Avaya Business Call Center (BCC), at the end of 2010, the Weltbild Publishing Group decided to issue a tender for a new ACD system and for the operation of the TC systems.
"We were looking for a follow-up BCC solution, which would facilitate the continued use of our well established Integral 55 network and to thus keep the investment demands to a minimum. At the same time it was envisaged, that the new ACD would also be multisite and multivendor enabled, so that a further expansion would be possible," Weltbild project manager Ben Jergius summarises the specifications.
In its tender submission, IP Dynamics relied on the Voxtron Communication Center and initially received an order for the implementation of a Proof of Concept. The one-month test run was intended to test the interaction of the  Voxtron Communication Center with the Integral 55-Network of the Weltbild Publishing Group.
The linking to a productive Integral 55 took place at the beginning of 2011. IP connection and CTI switching ran smoothly right from the start. The results of the use cases were also successful. The final order was then placed.
In March 2011, IP Dynamics initially assumed the service for the operation of the existing Integral 55 telephone system network. This system is comprised of more than 2,500 ports in four systems, which are digitally and IP-linked in the locations Augsburg and Munich. IP Dynamics is responsible for the smooth operation, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and also performs all modifications, relocations and extensions.
From April 2011, the Voxtron Communication Center solution was installed to this telephone system network, in order to replace the Avaya-BCC. In consideration of the significance of the call centre to the business operations of the Weltbild Publishing Group, a system designed to ensure maximum availability is crucial. Weltbild IT therefore made a VMware ESX environment in the Weltbild data centre available for the operation of the platform.
IP Dynamics installed the central Voxtron components and the CTI server, as well as speech recognition and speech synthesis resources in the ESX environment. The central Voxtron components control the remote Voxtron Media Gateways, which are linked by IP to two Integral 55 systems, and which take over incoming calls from the Integral 55. All remote components are redundant by design.
The Voxtron Media Gateways also serve as platforms for a speech-portal-solution. Both speech synthesis (Text To Speech) and speech recognition are used for the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) features.
The specifications for implementation were developed in joint workshops. In this context, the requirements of Weltbild in respect of the real-time monitoring in the call centre turned out to be particularly complex. Through the use of the web-based real-time monitor it was however possible to meet all customer requirements. The real-time monitor, which is based on state-of-the-art web technology, displays call centre events in real-time. Furthermore, the simple configuration options provide the necessary flexibility for the individual definition and display of parameters for the operation of the call centre. Additionally, real-time statistics were implemented in accordance with special specifications, which give an accumulated view of the relevant working day service centre parameters. Thanks to the web technology, it is possible to set up the real-time monitoring at any work station.
In the course of the project, the connection of an IBM Mainframe System (Z-Series) was also implemented for the Weltbild Service Center. It is possible, in case of an incoming call, to control the input form in the mainframe terminal emulation right at the agent’s work station by means of the call data. It is thus possible to display the correct start screen depending on the dialled service number. Voxtron client and terminal emulation run in a Citrix environment.
And there will be more: Weltbild intends to roll out the SAP CRM in 2012. In this respect it is intended, that the Voxtron-ACD-System features will be available in the client interface of the SAP CRM Interaction Center. The connection via the SAP ICI interface has already been implemented and was successfully tested.

"With the Voxtron solution, IP Dynamics was not only able to deliver a design, which fully meets our requirements, but which also convinces in respect of the know-how in relation to the technical integration. Because of the competent and customer-oriented service throughout the full project lifecycle all budget targets and milestones were met", summarises a pleased Weltbild project manager, Ben Jergius.
The Go-live took place in stages for all service numbers even before the start of the Christmas business. Peak loads during the Christmas business were also no problem for the new system.

About the Weltbild Publishing Group

Weltbild/DBH (DBH Buch Handels GmbH & Co. KG) is one of the largest Internet, book and media trade companies in Europe. 6,400 employees achieve a turnover of approx. 1.657 billion euros (as of 30.06.2011). The group includes the strong brands Weltbild, Jokers, KIDOH and buecher.de
The bookstores Hugendubel, Weiland, Weltbild and Jokers are under the aegis of DBH, which is operated by Weltbild, together with the Hugendubel family. With a share of 18 percent in the popular books market (mail/Internet order and stationary), Weltbild/DBH is a market leader. Weltbild is one of the leading retail brands and takes second place in the Internet book business in German speaking countries.