Avaya recently introduced its Agent for Chrome (AFC), a call center agent that runs on Chromebook devices. It eliminates the need to install phones and gives employees the flexibility of working remotely or at an Avaya-configured site.
AFC works with Avaya’s Aura Call Center Elite systems that run either on-premises or in the cloud. Aura is a management solution that helps run the call center. It can route calls based on factors like the agent’s availability, workload or skill set. Aura also supports email, chat, SMS and social media as contact channels and has several reporting tools to track performance.
With AFC, it’s possible to make phone calls three different ways. You can make calls on-premises from an Aura workstation. Another way is to use either a mobile or landline phone setup through Aura and controlled by the agent using AFC on a Chromebook. The last method is to use AFC either remotely or on-premises with a Chromebook and headset using WebRTC technology.
Call centers have a lot of flexibility using AFC that they would not have with other solutions. Since it runs from a Chromebook, AFC does not require additional software to install and can be running in a matter of minutes.
This makes it great for environments where call volume can spike, such as a business that is seasonal by nature. It would also be useful for businesses influenced by sudden events, like insurance companies handling claims after a violent storm strikes a community.
Many things make AFC and other solutions based on Chrome and Chromebook compelling. Companies risk a lot when they issue laptop PCs to employees out in the field. The information stored on these devices could sink some companies if they were to fall into the wrong hands. All of these devices have to get periodic software and hardware upgrades which has a cost, as well as the labor costs from performing the installations.
These problems would not exist with Chromebooks, since there is no disk storage full of sensitive information on them. Whether or not Chrome-based solutions will enjoy market success in the long run remains to be seen, but they have a lot of advantages for companies with a more mobile workforce.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
