Inter-Active Technologies, a company that provides call centre and remote helpdesk services to its clients, relies on the performance of Telkom’s Metro LAN fibre connectivity.

The Internet enables business models that, until a few years ago, were all but impossible. The more capacity that is made available, the more the possibilities open up. That much is confirmed by Inter-Active Technologies, a company that provides call centre and remote helpdesk services to its clients thanks to the performance connectivity.

According to Michael Cross, divisional manager, IT and support services at Inter-Active technologies, in order to deliver effective services the company needs to connect with the networks of its clients. "An outsourced contact centre, where the agents are remotely from the premises of the client, is enabled through our ability to access relevant information from that client without delay. This allows contact centre agents to effectively service customers as they have the insight and data needed to solve their calls.”

Cross agrees that the connection between Inter-Active Technologies and its clients is a vital component of its business. "A high-speed, high-performance Internet connection allows for the exchange of voice, data and video communications. Prior to the availability of such links, the only option would be co-location  of the contact centre with the client’s business.”

Given the high priority placed on the connection, he says it is imperative that three major criteria are met. "The first is for predictability and reliability. The second is for performance, to ensure that the line doesn't limit communications. And the third is price.”

It is measured against these criteria that Telkom's Metro LAN has proven a winner for Inter-Active Technologies, says Cross. "Just as important as the technical specification, however, is the support and expertise which is a necessary component of high performance. That's something we also satisfied ourselves with when we opted to implement this connectivity solution.”

Powered by fibre-optics, Metro LAN provides intra- and inter-metro connectivity between sites, explains Telkom Business sales manager Portia Mathe. “It is aimed at medium and large, corporate, global and government enterprises that have the need for a network of unmanaged, high-bandwidth connections between branches," she says.

Provided as a single virtual connection, Metro LAN ensures privacy and security through VPN (virtual private networking) technology. Bandwidth available through this connection ranges from 4Mb to 1Gb, depending on specific requirements.

Because the deployment of this solution is no trivial exercise, Mathe says, Telkom conducted a complete feasibility study with the client to assess its suitability. “Understanding the business of our clients is the key to our successful consulting service and the implementation of appropriate technology to meet connectivity needs,” Mathe says.

Cross says Inter-Active Technologies has a redundant link in place via a wireless connection. “However, without the low-cost and substantial performance of the Telkom Metro LAN solution, our business model would likely look substantially different. Connectivity of this sort is a fundamental input for our company, so it has to be well priced, well supported and highly reliable.”


>>CONTACT DETAILS<<

Michael Cross
Inter-Active Technologies
Tel No: 011 767 4163
Mobile: 083 230 4519
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.inter-active.co.za


Troy Hector
Executive: Large Business Services Telkom
Tel: 012 680 7188
Fax: 012 680 7415
Cell: 082 564 4459
E-mail: mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.telkom.co.za