Since its debut in 1999, Call Center Demo and Conference in Orlando has been a springtime tradition. Yet our most recent show this past May was notable for a number of firsts.

This was the first show where we unveiled our new name, International Customer Management Institute (ICMI), a membership organization that not only publishes this magazine, but also offers a wide selection of events, publications, training courses and consulting services.

More than ever, this show featured a diverse combination of products and services in the exhibit hall. In announcing Best of Show awards, we are, for the first time, using a different approach than we have in the past. Unlike at previous conferences, where we have focused almost exclusively on what's new, this year's Best of Show awards from Orlando highlight tools and services that we expect call centers will depend on for the long term.

CINCOM'S SYNCHRONY CENTRAL

Call centers have begun to devote more attention to simplifying agents' desktops. But the more call center managers continue to broaden their oversight of how their companies assist customers, the more managers need to streamline what they view on their desktops, too.

Enter Cincom's (Cincinnati, OH) Synchrony Central software, which we first saw in Orlando. The software lets call center managers use a Web browser to gain access to historical reports, real-time data feeds, routing rules, workflows and knowledge bases. Although Synchrony Central can cull information from a variety of sources, managers only need to use this one tool to view the information.

E-GLUE'S E-GLUE DIRECT

Hoboken, NJ-based e-Glue Business Technologies introduced e- Glue Direct last year; the software presents agents with pop-up boxes that show them how to complete various tasks, like entering customers' records, and that track how long it takes agents to complete certain processes, like documenting the outcomes of calls or closing out trouble tickets. What's more, the software lets agents share the same data among multiple desktop tools.

We like how e-Glue Direct smoothly incorporates pop-up boxes that prompt agents about how to get the most out of the desktop tools they depend on. We're also impressed with e-Glue Direct's intuitive interface, which makes it easy for call center managers to set up rules that determine the right circumstances to assist agents.

One of the most intriguing enhancements e-Glue has launched, and which earned a Product of the Year award this year, is e-Glue Direct for Quality. In addition to advising agents about how to use desktop tools, e-Glue's software gives agents feedback about any type of work they do. As long as your call center evaluates this work, e-Glue Direct for Quality can advise agents on how to do it better.

EMPIRIX'S ONESIGHT FOR CALL RECORDER ASSURANCE

Empirix (Bedford, MA) has long distinguished itself as a leading developer of equipment and software that test how many calls a company can handle, as well as whether a company accurately conveys data associated with these calls.

For call centers, Empirix provides its OneSight suite to test phone switches, interactive voice response (IVR) systems and software that generates screen pops. In Orlando, we had our first look at software from Empirix that extends OneSight's purview to include call monitoring systems.

Empirix's OneSight for Call Recorder Assurance lets IT managers and their call center colleagues track whether a call monitoring system records, stores and archives calls properly. OneSight for Call Recorder Assurance, which works with call monitoring systems from etalk, NICE Systems, Verint Systems and Witness Systems, also enables you to gauge the sound quality of recordings.

LIMRA'S INTERNATIONAL'S JOBMATCH

In too many call centers, supervisors receive promotions from the ranks of agents without regard to their leadership abilities. They're often thrown into their jobs with minimal training or development of their management skills.

That is why we were impressed with LIMRA's (Windsor, CT) JobMatch assessment software, which helps call centers identify future supervisors and team leaders. This tool also evaluates a prospective leader's potential for success in a management position, as well as opportunities for future development.

SIVOX'S REALCALL FULL IMMERSION SIMULATION TRAINING

What we liked most about Sivox Technologies' (Florham Park, NJ) training tool, RealCall Full Immersion Simulation Training, was its ability to recognize the tone of an agent's voice.

Example: The person who conducted the demo of the software, and who played the role of an agent during a simulated conversation with an irate customer, read a scripted response to the customer verbatim, but spoke with a flat tone of voice. In addition to pointing out that the agent's tone suggested indifference to the customer, the simulation tool offered suggestions for acknowledging the customer's feelings.

Empathy isn't necessarily an attribute that all people develop, and computers are far from perfect at evaluating an individual's tone of voice. Yet we were pleased to encounter a training tool that helps make agents aware of the words they say, and of the impact of how they convey these words.

UNICOR'S CALL CENTER SERVICES

One of the most interesting vendors on the show floor in Orlando was UNICOR (Washington, DC), the federal prison system call center outsourcer.

The premise of UNICOR is that putting convicts to work keeps them busy and prepares them for gainful employment after their sentences.

The Federal Prison Industries work program was started in 1934 during the Roosevelt administration. Today, prisoners make office furniture, bind books, retrofit government vehicles and do data entry and conversion, among other jobs.

The call center outsourcing program is relatively new to UNICOR. Agents tend to be minimum and medium-security prisoners; most are women. Having prisoners handle inbound directory assistance overflow calls, for example, has been very successful, according to the outsourcer.

To safeguard customers' personal information, UNICOR gathers the information through an IVR system. The agents aren't allowed to make calls to private citizens. What's more, the program makes efforts not to compete with American workers for jobs.

Like the call center industry it is part of, UNICOR continues to be both controversial and innovative. For its unique approach to outsourcing, UNICOR earns a Best of Show award.