High Quality Voice over Offshore Call Center Telecom Links

Vocalcom, a leading provider of solutions for international call centers, has deployed RAD Data Communications’ Vmux-2100 voice trunking gateway to eliminate poor performance E1 lines between Paris and a Casablanca call center.

“Our previous equipment suffered performance degradation at every peak in traffic, and that created constant user dissatisfaction,” explains Anthony Dinis, Vocalcom’s Director of Strategy and Development. “Communications quality is of utmost importance in our operations, especially because poor voice transmission can make it difficult to understand the accent of a non-native French-speaking teleoperator,” he continues. The compression capabilities integrated into the Vmux-2100 meet Vocalcom’s strict requirements and standards by regenerating natural speech qualities.

“RAD perfected the Vmux to such an extent that the device generates the precise amount of background noise that is necessary to ensure the user’s auditory comfort on the line,” Dinis adds. This noise, moreover, is artificially generated at the trunk end point to save bandwidth. Given that a single E1 leased line between France and Morocco costs 17000 Euros per month, every single kilobyte that can be saved is valuable. While call centers are now being relocated offshore at a rapid pace, the cost of international telecom links can considerably erode expected savings. “The voice compression capability of the Vmux was the second argument in favor of choosing the RAD solution, since the savings in labor costs accrued by the offshore relocation of the call center cannot be compromised by higher than necessary transmission costs,” Dinis notes.

Working in tandem with Vocalcom, Connect Data, a RAD Data Communications distributor partner in France, installed a Vmux-2100 voice trunking gateway at each end of a single 2 Mbps international link, compressing each 64 kbps channel down to 4.7 kbps. The compressed voice allows the remaining bandwidth to be allocated to the transmission of data, including the user’s data records that appear on the teleoperator’s screen when a call is made to the center. While the maximum compression capability of the Vmux allows for up to 16 E1 lines to be multiplexed onto a single link, a total of eight E1 lines are compressed in this particular application. This saves Vocalcom a total of 16,800 Euro per month in leased line costs while still providing an option for potential expansion in the future.

“The Vmux-2100 units were fully installed within two hours, which illustrates the simplicity that characterizes the product’s day-to-day operations as well,” notes Ron Sapir, Senior Vmux Product Line Manager at RAD Data Communications. “The fact that the product pays for itself in less than one month testifies to its seamless operation and competitive pricing.”