Community-backed software to read on-screen text
Open source came to the rescue again, with the deployment of software called JAWS (Job Access with Speech). The software provides speech and Braille output for most of the popular applications on the system. Further, it runs in the background as a driver and reads out the text wherever the cursor hovers.
“The people here can use their voices to operate the systems. So to fulfil their requirements, we deployed JAWS software and started giving them the training to operate the system with their voice. The training helped them make calls using the open source solution and get the feedback from the customers,” said Amsa K.
The Asttecs team additionally installed NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) and Vicidial to help the call centre agents easily perform their operations. While NVDA offers an open source screen reader for Windows, Vicidial works as an outbound predictive dialler.
To enable smooth functioning of the call centre, Asttecs customised Vicidial and modified its shortcut commands. This was possible since the software was open source.
The development team used the open source code to deploy multiple screen modifications. Some of the preset fields were eliminated to make the interface simple for the agents. Additionally, the dialler was enabled with some unique key combinations. These tweaks would have been quite difficult to do on proprietary software.
Currently, the call centre is successfully running business processes for Vodafone, such as conducting the sales of post-paid SIM cards.
“We are fully satisfied with the performance of the agents at Thriveni. They are more motivated and keen to achieve their targets, compared to their counterparts in call centres where candidates with no disability are employed,” said a team leader for the Vodafone call centre at the Thriveni Foundation.
The call centre currently has 42 agents. Thriveni Foundation is aiming to expand the number—without switching to some new solutions. So that’s the power of open source.