Telecom
Improving Efficiency of Telecom Contact Centres
The nature of service delivery by telecommunications operators whether voice or data is a system that allows service providers to install or set up telecommunications equipment at a particular location far from its operational base and deliver service to people within that coverage area.
What this means is that a Telephone or Internet Service Provider that is base in Lagos with its major transmission equipment installed in Lagos can give service to a location such as Abuja or Benin by simply installing another transmission equipment and trans-receiver station that will transmit calls from the sundry location to the major switch at Lagos.
Subscribers to the service in Abuja or Benin as the case may be will enjoy the service without having to see the people rendering the service but agents not directly employed by the service provider as well as their equipment. The question that arises is how can this subscriber reach out to the service provider when he or she has issues with the service? Such issues as recharging of phones, where recharge card numbers have been scratched off, SIM card issues among others. These issues are addressed through contact to the service providers’ call centre located mostly at major towns or at the operational base of the operator depending on the coverage of the operator as well as the technology in use especially for Internet Service Providers.
A call centre is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing, clientele, product services, and debt collection are also made. In addition to a call centre, collective handling of letters, faxes, live chat, and e-mails at one location is known as a contact centre.
A call centre is often operated through an extensive open workspace for call centre agents, with work stations that include a computer for each agent, a telephone set/headset connected to a telecom switch, and one or more supervisor stations. It can be independently operated or networked with additional centres, often linked to a corporate computer network, including mainframes, microcomputers and LANs. Increasingly, the voice and data pathways into the centre are linked through a set of new technologies called computer telephony integration (CTI).
Most major businesses use call centres to interact with their customers. Examples include utility companies, mail order catalog retailers, and customer support for computer hardware and software. Some businesses even service internal functions through call centres. Examples of this include help desks, retail financial support, and sales support.
Call centres are different from customer care centre, as the later refers to an office designated for physical resolution of issues associated with service provision.
Call centre technology is subject to improvements and innovations. Some of these technologies include speech recognition and speech synthesis software to allow computers to handle first level of customer support, text mining and natural language processing to allow better customer handling, agent training by automatic mining of best practices from past interactions, and many other technologies to improve agent productivity and customer satisfaction. Automatic lead selection or lead stearing is also intended to improve efficiencies, both for inbound and outbound campaigns, whereby inbound calls are intended to quickly land with the appropriate agent to handle the task, while minimising wait times and long lists of irrelevant options for people calling in, as well as for outbound calls, where lead selection allows management to designate what type of leads go to which agent based on factors including skill, socio-economic factors and past performance. The concept of the Universal Queue standardises the processing of communications across multiple technologies such as fax, phone, and email.
Few years ago some telecommunications service providers advertised none existence call centre numbers this was quickly addressed by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). But today, the issue is no longer none existence of call centre, but inadequate facility at call centres to be able to take inquires and respond to such inquires. The inability of telecommunications service providers to address issues associated with their service through contact centres led to NCC providing its own contact centres that will interface with subscribers and operators.
Mrs. Lola Emakporie, director, Consumer Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said that the establishment of contact centre by the commission has became necessary in view of several complaint by telecom consumers of lustre attitude of service providers in addressing subscribers complaint about their service.
She added that calls to NCC contact centre is going to be toll-free and on 0800CALLNCC, with multi-lingual dedicated agents in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages.
The contact centre is to be operated on behalf of the commission by Interra Networks that will handle phone calls and emails from the 43 million (and growing) subscriber base on range of issues, but will be primarily focused on resolving any disputes between the consumer and their service providers. The NCC will use Interras’ Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services to get "closer" to the Nigerian consumer.
Through their outsourcing service provider, Apherion Outsourcing, Interra provides a host of BPO services which include – Contact Centre Services, Document Management Services, Human Resource management & Payroll Processing and Data Entry & Processing.
Service providers call centres have experienced changes since 2002, then Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operators were running the centre by themselves and provided enough staff to take calls though then subscribers were not as it is today. Then, callers to these centres were meant to talk to human beings and did not wait for a long time before they are answered. As subscribers of the operators increases the number of calls coming to their contact centres increased, and they found out that operating the call centres requires huge investment in human resource and in an attempt to operate a cost effective call centre, as well as to reduce what they classified as oaks call- calls that instead of presenting their problems seek for an interaction with lady recipient on the call centre, that some operators introduced Interactive Voice Response system at their call centres.
Interactive voice response (IVR), is a technology that allows a computer to detect voice and keypad inputs. IVR technology is used extensively in telecommunications, but is also being introduced into Automobile systems for handsfree operation. IVR system can respond with pre-recorded or dynamically generated audio to further direct users on how to proceed. IVR systems can be used to control almost any function where the interface can be broken down into a series of simple menu choices. In telecommunications IVR systems generally scale well to handle large call volumes.
It has become more common in industries that have recently entered the telecom industry to refer to an Automated Attendant as an IVR. This means that when discussing an IVR application, it is important to ensure that the person you are talking to understands the term to mean the same thing as you do. Generally-speaking, those with a traditional telecom background are more likely to refer to an Automated Attendant and IVR as separate things, whereas those from an Emerging Telephony or VoIP background are more likely to use the term IVR to define any kind of telephony menu, even the most basic Automated Attendant.
Call centers use IVR systems to identify and segment callers. The ability to identify customers allows the ability to tailor services according to the customer profile. It also allows the option of choosing automated services. Information can be fed to the caller allowing choices such as: wait in the queue, choose an automated service, or request a callback. (At a suitable time and telephone number) The use of Computer Telephone Integration (CTI) will allow the IVR system to look up the CLI (Calling Line ID) on a network database and identify the caller. This is currently accurate for about 80% of inbound calls. In the cases where CLI is withheld or unavailable, the caller can be asked to identify themselves by other methods such as a PIN or password. The use of DNIS will ensure that the correct application and language is executed by the IVR system.
IVR is often criticized as being unhelpful and difficult to use due to poor design and lack of appreciation of the caller’s needs. Some callers object to providing voice response to an automated system and prefer speaking with a human respondent. A properly designed IVR application should provide the caller’s needs promptly and with a minimum of complexity.
It is against this backdrop that telecom subscribers in the country are agitating to the use of IVR as they are expecting human beings to attend to them and not machines. In view of all these challenges, the question is how can telecommunications service providers improve on the efficiency of their call centre in order to meet NCC standard on it?
To this end, what readily comes to mind is outsourcing of the service to different company other than the operator. This initiative is presently being done by MTN while Zain is planning to embrace it as well. Some MTN and Zain subscribers are consistently complaining about IVR in almost all Telecom Consumer parliament organized by NCC, saying that they are being frustrated by machine answering them without eventually resolving the issues.
Industry watches that spoke to Nigeria CommuniccationsWeek are of the view that outsourcing is not a bad initiative as well as IVR by the companies that operate these call centre but that they should try and reduce the use of machine by giving caller the option of either talking to human or machine for those that are not well educated as to follow IVR considering the level of literacy in our society.
Open Access Fabric (OAfabric), Africa-led interconnection platform is now live and operational in both Nigeria (OADC Lagos) and the DRC (OADC Texaf – Kinshasa), providing businesses with the ability to overcome many of the structural barriers that have long held back digital transformation across the region.
Open Access Data Centres (OADC), Africa’s truly open-access and carrier-neutral data centre operator, said for too long, organisations have faced real constraints, including:
- Limited access to international and local content
- High internet transit costs
- Latency and inconsistent network performance
- Gaps in local infrastructure such as colocation space, power and cooling
- Costly compute environments, bandwidth and cloud services
- Security, data sovereignty and regulatory complexity
OAfabric’s next-generation, open-access and collaborative digital platform is purpose-built to solve these challenges. Instead of just adding more infrastructure, it transforms how businesses, cloud platforms and content providers interconnect. It simplifies and accelerates digital exchange by removing the complexity, delays and fragmentation that have long hindered growth.
For example, if you struggle to deliver consistent user experiences due to unreliable or expensive international routes, OAfabric will enable direct, low-latency on-ramp peering with global and local cloud and content providers, helping to reduce transit costs and improve performance.
If regulatory challenges or data sovereignty concerns are restricting cloud adoption in your sector, OAfabric offers compliant interconnection pathways that keep your data local, secure and under your control.
If the lack of local digital ecosystems is restricting your ability to scale or launch services, OAfabric offers a solution. It creates open, carrier-neutral environments where networks, content providers, cloud platforms and enterprises can interconnect quickly and affordably, making market expansion faster and more efficient.
“We designed OAfabric around the real challenges African businesses face,” said Dr Ayotunde Coker, Chief Executive Officer of OADC. “It is about solving problems – reducing the cost to compute, improving performance, unlocking access to cloud and content, and creating an environment where companies can scale with confidence while accelerating time to market.”
OAfabric empowers businesses to overcome long-standing digital limitations, replacing complexity with simplicity, cost with value and fragmentation with integration.
Whether you are a telco seeking more resilient regional interconnection, an enterprise facing latency and performance challenges, or a cloud platform in need of trusted, scalable access into African markets, OAfabric makes what was once difficult, expensive or out of reach now possible.
“OAfabric is not just infrastructure; it represents a shift in what is possible for Africa’s digital economy,” added Dr Coker. “By removing barriers and enabling seamless, high-performance peering between key ecosystems, including local and global Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), content providers, cloud platforms and enterprises, it provides the frictionless interconnection needed to access digital services more efficiently.”
Looking ahead, OAfabric will deliver enhanced access to cloud ecosystems and international content. Expansion into new African markets is also planned to extend the platform’s reach and boost digital growth across the continent.
The network upgrade recently borne by telecommunications giant Globacom has been met with praise from subscribers across Nigeria, who report significant improvement in voice call quality, data speed, and overall service reliability
Mr. Godwin Oghardandukun Oteoritse from Ogbomosho noted that the availability of Gloworld outlet in the city has made accessing services easier. “Voice calls are now better while data speed is faster”, he said. Olarije Balogun, another Ogbomosho resident, also confirmed the network’s stability and faster data.
Similarly, Esther Atanze from Asokoro added that she has noticed drastic improvement in the network’s performance. She commended Glo’s management for responding effectively to subscriber’s needs. Mary John from Kubwa also pointed out that Glo has always been her main line.
“Recently, I noticed that the network has greatly improved; I no longer have complaints from my friends and family when we call one another. And even browsing has become very smooth. I make video calls and it goes smoothly too. Keep up the good job, Glo,” she said.
In Lagos island, Mr Sani Sunday remains a delighted customer. He characterize the services as both steady and reliable for both calls and internet use. “I use Glo every day on my phone — it works very well for calls,” he said, rating the network’s stability 10 out of 10. He also lauded the improvement in internet performance, noting that Glo has become his preferred network for browsing.
Likewise, Mr Leke Okufuna, a United states-based entrepreneur who owns a farm in Omi Adio, near Ibadan, said he recently purchased four Glo lines to power a closed-circuit television system .”I tried other networks but found that Glo has the strongest data coverage in the area. I plan to buy one terabyte of data to power my cctv for the year because I’m pleased with the Glo network,” he explained.
Victoria Island resident, Mr. James Aondofa, says his decade- long relationship with Globacom continues to make staying connected easy and reliable, which he says continues to exceed expectations.
Having used the Glo network for over a decade, Mr. Aondofa recently completed a SIM swap (welcome back) process, which, according to him, significantly improved his experience. “Since I did a welcome back on my line, I’ve enjoyed lower call rates, and that has made me love making calls even more,” he said.
While addressing the network’s stability, Mr. Aondofa applauded Glo’s performance. “For calls, it’s perfect. For browsing, it has been excellent — I really enjoy it,” he remarked.
He further recognised Glo’s wide coverage and dependable service, stating, “Glo is truly everywhere. I’ve used almost every network in Nigeria, but after being let down by others, I moved all my internet services to Glo. It’s been excellent since then.”
In Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Paul Ije from Abuloma described the improvement as remarkable. “The Glo network has really improved. The signal strength is noticeably stronger, allowing me to stay connected without frustrating interruptions. Call quality has also improved significantly, with clearer conversations and far fewer dropped calls. Additionally, the internet speed is better than ever, making browsing, streaming, and downloading smooth and quick”.
The story is the same in Benin, Edo state, where Emmanuel Omondiale from Airport Road, Patrick Osayimwewho resides at 2nd Ugbor, GRA, and Umelo Iyobosa from Sapele road all confirmed that Glo network has received a significant boast, resulting in greater satisfaction with both voice and data services.
Stephanie Ifeatu, a resident of Costain area, Lagos Mainland, depends on Glo for her everyday communication needs. Describing her experience, she said delightfully, “I’ve enjoyed using the network for both calls and browsing,”
Sharing his experience in Mpape, Abuja, Biodun Ibrahim, praised the upgrade, saying, “Lately, I realized there has been a great improvement on the network. Now, it is super good, data is fast and voice is perfect. I advise Nigerians to start using Glo network because it is the best today in terms of quality of experience on the network”.
These positive feedbacks reflect the success of Glo’s on going investment in infrastructure aimed at enhancing customer experience nationwide.
Google today announced the launch of AI Mode in Search for users in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, introducing a new era of AI-powered search that is more intuitive, comprehensive, and helpful. AI Mode helps users tackle complex, multi-part questions with more intuitive responses, multimodal inputs, and deeper ways to explore topics.
AI Mode transforms how people interact with Search by allowing them to ask nuanced and exploratory questions that would previously require multiple searches. Powered by a custom version of Google’s latest Gemini 2.5 model, AI Mode brings advanced reasoning and context understanding to Search.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring AI Mode to our users in the region,” said Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Google Africa. “We know that people in this region are curious and have complex questions about everything from planning a trip to understanding a new concept. With AI Mode, Google is reimagining the Search experience. Users will not only find the information they need more easily but will also be empowered to explore a wider range of content from across the web.”
AI Mode is especially useful for longer, more detailed queries. A key feature of AI Mode is its advanced reasoning, which uses a query fan-out technique to break down a user’s question into subtopics and simultaneously search a multitude of queries on their behalf. This allows for a deeper dive into the web, uncovering hyper-relevant content. Furthermore, AI Mode is designed to be truly multimodal, allowing users to interact in the most natural way for them, whether through text, voice, or even images.
Simply tapping the microphone icon or uploading a photo allows users to ask questions using their voice or camera. A core principle of AI Mode is to help users find the best of the web. The AI-powered response includes prominent links to web sources, expanding the types of questions people can ask and opening up new opportunities for content discovery.
Google remains committed to supporting the open web and ensuring that its AI-powered features are rooted in its core quality and ranking systems. With AI Mode, web links are prominently displayed, ensuring users can easily click through to discover more. Data from AI Overviews shows that AI-powered results lead users to visit a greater diversity of websites and spend more time engaging with them. While AI Mode aims to provide a reliable AI-powered response, in cases where confidence is not high, the system will default to a set of traditional web search results.
AI Mode will begin rolling out today and will appear as a tab on the Search results page and within the Google app for Android and iOS.
OAfabric Goes Live in Nigeria, DRC, Redefines African Interconnectivity
FCCPC Bars Digital Loan Firm from Forcing Services on Residents
Vitel Wireless, First MVNO Begins SIM Distribution
Glo Subscribers Applaud Network Upgrade
Banigbe, T2 CEO says Nigeria’s Growth Hinges on Learning, Innovation, and Afrocentric Content
Telecom2 days agoFG Scraps 5 Percent Telecom Excise Duty Under New Tax Law
News2 days agoNACCIMA, TETFund Forge Alliance to Boost Innovation, Skills, Economic Growth
News2 days agoWinners Emerge in the PalmPay, Glo Campaign
General News2 days agoIHS Nigeria, Osun State partner to transform technical education
E-Financial2 days agoFlutterwave, iPaylinks Partner on Africa–Asia Payments
Telecom2 days agoRoqqu, SiBAN Unite to Drive Blockchain Innovation Across Nigeria
General News2 days agoHow Poor Public Power Supply Stalls Digital Adoption- Ekeh
General News2 days agoFG Hails Moniepoint’s Role in Showcasing Northeast’s Agricultural Resilience Through Digital Innovation