• 1-3 years experience developing desktop, database server and web based applications using C# and Java
• Minimum of a Bachelors degree in CS, Engineering or a related field
• Working knowledge of network technologies, SQL, test automation tools and scripting languages
• Able to work effectively in a team environment
• Good communications skills in written and spoken English

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to hr@inovasolutions.com.

Join expert presenters, all of whom served on the negotiated rulemaking team that helped the Department of Education draft proposed regulations due to be released later in July, to discuss what your institution needs to do. Tools to help you comply will also be shared.

What you will learn

• Understand the requirements of the HEOA related to campus safety, including emergency notification and missing student protocols
• What to expect in the forthcoming proposed regulations from the Department of Education, and how you can impact the final rules
• Information on the compliance timeline and when you need to act
• How to develop appropriate fire safety policies and report fire statistics

To learn more or register for this webinar, visit the NACUBO site.

“We have made some exciting advances in our Cisco UCC Enterprise and Cisco UCC Express reporting solutions in the past year, and we are eager to share them with Cisco VARs and integrators,” said Inova Solutions CEO Tom Hubbard.  “The Cisco Virtual Partner Summit is a great opportunity for the Cisco community to come together without the expense or headache of leaving the office.”

The event, which is being held concurrently in Boston this week, will continue to be hosted in the online environment throughout the month of June. Inova Solutions representatives will be available live in our virtual booth every day for anyone who would like to visit and chat one-on-one with an expert in Cisco call center reporting and reselling. Those with a cisco.com login should check out our booth at https://www.ciscopartnerspace.com/VPSRedir/LaunchVPS.htm?IDI=B47473

“We are excited to connect with our customers and others interested in real-time communications,” said Inova Solutions CEO Tom Hubbard. “We are already actively sharing news and information of interest to the call center reporting and emergency notification industries.”

Inova Solutions encourages you to follow its twitter account at www.twitter.com/inova_solutions. If you don’t have a twitter accont, you can sign up for one free at www.twitter.com.

After years of lagging behind, government agencies are now expected to provide the same level of service as their private-sector counterparts. Can they catch up?”, asks Christopher Musico, Assistant Editor of CRM Magazine. Musico highlights what industry insiders have known for years – that government agencies are sometimes slow to adopt new technologies and processes that would help them provide the customer service that citizens have come to expect.

According to the 2008 Contact Center Satisfaction Index, government agencies scored lower than commercial industries in terms of customer satisfaction, with state and local agencies and Medicare/Medicaid contact centers ranking lowest. In their defense, government-run contact centers have to cope with miles of red tape that would make the private sector cringe. Since their operations are taxpayer-funded, they must justify every expense and often can’t afford to take risks. New technology investments must meet the strictest standard of ROI and overall effectiveness.

In addition, federal, state and local government agencies are dealing with the effects of the  economic crisis just like the rest of us. Many government budgets have been frozen or reduced, and contact center managers are being tasked with doing more with less. This often involves a reduced workforce that must handle higher call volumes from citizen customers dealing with unemployment and their own financial crises. Stress levels are on the rise, and it is more important than ever for agents to remain calm, in control, and equipped to deal with customer demand.

Bridge the Gap
The widening gap in customer satisfaction scores of public and private sector contact centers is a reversible trend. Even with limited resources, there are steps government contact centers can take that would make a big difference in their customer satisfaction scores.

First of all, contact centers need to make real-time data available to their workforce. If agents and supervisors can access important operational information as it happens, they are better equipped to do their jobs and meet customer needs.  For example, if agents know that queues are inundated with calls at a particular time, they can adjust their talk time to accommodate more callers, and apologize in advance for excessive wait times. When agents are able to self-manage, supervisors do not need to spend as much time directing agents’ efforts, and are free to perform other strategic duties. Inova Solutions has seen simple operational adjustments such as these lead to significant improvements in service levels and customer satisfaction, as well as reductions in operating costs.

Inova Solutions knows,from decades of experience working with contact centers in government agencies, how to improve service levels and other key performance indicators that impact customer satisfaction. Inova’s contact center middleware consolidates information from not only automatic call distributors, but also from virtually any data source in your center, including workforce management systems, internal databases and others. This important data is then streamed in real-time to those who need it – displayed on an LED wallboard, LCD flat screen monitor, web-based management dashboard, or directly on agents’ computer desktops.

Contact Inova Solutions today to learn how real-time data consolidation and reporting has helped countless contact centers in the public sector cut costs and improve customer service.

About Inova Solutions
Founded in 1984, Inova Solutions is a global provider of real-time visual communications that help inbound and outbound call centers, public transit systems, schools, manufacturers and others instantly communicate vital information. Inova specializes in middleware and software that aggregates and reports contact center data from multiple sources and relays the most relevant metrics to managers, agents and other constituents. This information can be displayed on LED displays, LCD digital signage, web-based dashboards and computer desktops. For details, visit www.inovasolutions.com/call-center-reporting.

You may already know all about Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology. You may be well-versed in the low power consumption, cost-effectiveness, and ease of installation for the hundreds of modern devices that utilize the technology. But for those not familiar with PoE (read “P-O-E,” not Poe as in Edgar Allen), allow me to review the basics.

What is Power over Ethernet, Anyway?
Power over Ethernet technology is a network standard that allows various devices, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) telephones, wireless LAN access points, clocks, and digital signs to receive both power and data over existing LAN cabling. In 2003, PoE became an international standard, called IEEE 802.3af, as an extension to existing Ethernet standards.

There is no need to modify your existing Ethernet switch equipment or cabling to support PoE. Simply add a midspan power injector in a switch room or endpoint to inject power into the twisted pair LAN cables. PoE is fully compatible with both powered and non-powered 10/100BaseT Ethernet devices, featuring a “discovery process” specifically designed to prevent damage to existing Ethernet equipment.

Since no AC outlets are needed to power devices, PoE offers significant time and installation cost savings. In fact, when Purdue University powered more than 1,000 access points with PoE power in 2003, they reportedly saved between $350 to $1,000 per access point by eliminating labor costs from contracting an electrician to run wiring for new AC outlets. For a large project such as Purdue’s, the savings amount tohundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions. That’s savings you can take to the bank (and maybe even earn you a promotion, or at least a congratulatory pat on the back).

PoE switches also allow for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) backup. This means that PoE devices may continue to operate even throughout a power failure. The same can not be said for old fashioned serial-powered devices. In that case, if the power goes out…so do the devices (hope those devices weren’t too important to your organization, and you don’t mind manually resetting them one-by-one).

The IEEE 802.3af standard imposes a power limit of 15.4 watts, enough to operate small devices such as clocks and digital signs without sacrificing LED brightness or device quality. This low power restriction ensures that PoE devices are “green” and energy-efficient in a world moving quickly in that direction.

Overcoming Sticker Shock
A common misconception among PoE clock purchasers is that the clocks found in department stores for home use are the same clocks used in a large organization or school system. Therefore, when the novice shopper sees the price tag of a clock powered by Ethernet, they usually suffer from momentary sticker shock. “You want me to pay a few hundred dollars for a clock?”

The difference is that battery-operated clocks use outdated technology and would be an extremely inefficient choice for a large organization. Imagine having to set every clock individually, monitor each one for battery replacements, manually adjust for Daylight Saving Time and continuously check for synchronization. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Serial (AC-powered) clocks are hardly a better alternative. You’d need to install an AC outlet at every clock location, which typically costs a few hundred dollars itself for installation and wiring. And at the end of the day, you still wouldn’t have a flexible infrastructure if the needs of the building change or if you want to add on other IP devices.

Now we arrive at the option that makes the most sense – Ethernet-powered clocks. PoE clocks receive both power and data from your organization’s network and are perfectly synchronized, even across disparate locations connected by the same network. Since PoE clocks require no AC outlet installation, you’ve saved a few hundred dollars right there. Suddenly the original price doesn’t seem so bad, does it?

Next Steps
Now that you’re aware of the benefits of Power over Ethernet technology and why it is the best choice for a synchronized clock system, you’ll likely need to get sign-off from management. Arm yourself with the following little facts about PoE clocks, and they can’t say no:

1. PoE clocks use minimal wattage, and are therefore “green” and energy-efficient.
2. We are already set up to utilize PoE, with our existing Ethernet infrastructure. There is no need to modify our switches or cabling. PoE won’t damage our existing equipment.
3. Clocks that get time updates from our own network will be completely synchronized. Synchronized time is crucial for security systems and efficient operations.
4. PoE allows for centralized UPS backup, which will allow the clocks and other Ethernet-powered devices to operate even through a power failure.
5. We can avoid the manual maintenance involved with battery-powered clocks, and the hefty installation costs involved with serial clocks. PoE clocks automatically update for Daylight Saving Time.
6. PoE devices are protected by the same measures that keep our network secure.
7. We can easily add additional clocks or other PoE devices to our network in the future. This would be a costly and cumbersome endeavor with serial-powered devices.

About Inova Solutions
Inova Solutions was the first provider of Power over Ethernet clocks in 2005. Since then, we’ve manufactured and sold over 10,000 analog and digital clocks to organizations around the globe – schools, universities, hospitals, corporations, government facilities and sports stadiums. Learn more at www.inovasolutions.com/network-clocks.

Inova Users To Meet Online and Share Best Practices In response to requests from customers like you, Inova Solutions will host regular online users forums, beginning in June. These free online events will bring together Inova users from various industries to discuss best practices and troubleshooting tips. The first session will focus on Broadcaster, Inova’s digital signage software. Current users of the system, as well as those interested in learning more about digital signage, are welcome to attend. Inova’s Training Specialist, Tara FitzPatrick, will be on hand to fill everyone in on the latest Broadcaster features and upgrades, as well as to answer questions. Stay tuned for specific details and registration information coming to your inbox soon! Back to top.

Enhanced Messaging for Inova’s Digital Signage Inova Solutions has just upgraded its digital signage solution — Inova Broadcaster — to include several new messaging capabilities. Administrators can now easily send scheduled or ad-hoc messages to the displays according to priority level or threshhold conditions. For example, rather than manually monitoring your service level and reacting to changing conditions as they happen, let Broadcaster do this for you! Now, you can configure Broadcaster to display custom messages on your views, based on pre-configured conditions. It’s as easy as setting your KPI threshold and typing in your message. Best of all, Broadcaster will monitor your KPI behind the scenes so you don’t have to! Talk to your Account Executive about upgrading your Broadcaster version to include this new feature. Back to top.

Challenges and Opportunities in Healthcare Contact Centers Inova Solutions recently published a brief paper discussing the unique challenges and opportunities for contact centers in the healthcare industry. Read an excerpt from the paper below, then feel free to download the full paper, no registration required. “The customer service arm of the United States healthcare industry has struggled in recent years to keep pace with rapid growth and change in the sector… As a result, customer service and helpdesk contact centers must cope with new challenges, including multiple technology systems and a wide array of constituents. Often, these systems and groups have limited means of internal communication, which ultimately affects an organization’s ability to serve its customers.” Keep reading. Back to top.

Inova’s Technology Branches Out Into Schools, Transit Did you know that Inova’s real-time reporting technology is at work outside of call centers? It’s true! The same hardware used for Inova’s call center reporting wallboards is in use at the Washington, D.C. Metro stations to inform commuters of train schedules and at Virginia Tech to communicate time and emergency messages to students and faculty. Inova also produces Power over Ethernet (PoE) clocks, currently in use at the New York Jets’ training facility and thousands of other locations around the globe. Inova Solutions is no longer just a call center company – we are truly a real-time information company. To learn more about Inova’s mass notification, transit, and synchronized time solutions, click here or email info@inovasolutions.com. Back to top.

Is there a topic you’d like covered? A different format you’d like to see? Then let us know.
Send your feedback and suggestions to info@inovasolutions.com.

www.inovasolutions.com/call-center-reporting

www.inovasolutions.co.uk