Call Center ACDs and the Common Cold

I was on the receiving end of a fairly vicious cold this week and I think I’ve almost got it beat. Let us hope! Winter can also go away as well.

This got me thinking about some of the most commons reasons why your call center ACD may be sick, or just behaving poorly. Here are a few big ones.

• Network connectivity – There are too many factors to list here as to why your network might be functioning in a non-optimal fashion. ISP issues, a sudden massive influx of calls, agents downloading torrents, etc, are certainly common reasons. Poor network performance most typically affects call quality and can impact the responsiveness of the agent workstations.
• DDoS attacks – These events can cause the first reason discussed, however, measures can be taken in order to prevent these from happening. Using firewall rules or a form of intrusion prevention software can keep these under control.
• Database overload – Some database operations are very expensive to run and require a large chunk of processing power. Running and executing these types of operations during production hours, even in low volume periods, can cause unwarranted stress on the system. It is generally advised that doing any type of major database activity be done outside of the center’s calling hours.
• Underpowered hardware – Using server hardware that does not meet the minimum recommended specifications is going to cause problems running the necessary software and processes for your center. Agent workstations also need to be able to handle the more recent versions of particular applications, like web browsers and softphones. An agent PC with 2GB of RAM is going to struggle to keep up with the demand.