January 1998 Oki Technical Review 160 Vol.

63

Special Issue on Financial Systems: UDC [681.327.13 : 621.395.72] : 336.717.1

System for Telephone Banking Services
“Telephone - Dynamics”
Teruo MAKINO*, Tadahiro KANEMARU**

Abstract
“Telephone - Dynamics” is a call center system for financial institutions based on CTI technology. With this system we
implemented 24 hour/365 day operation by using a highly reliable platform, and also implemented flexible and advanced
system functions by software control. Installing this system makes it possible for financial institutions to create new
customer contacts (delivery channels) utilizing the telephone, a highly convenient media. Efficient operation by
centralized telephone answering can also be implemented.

1. Introduction 2. Outline and Features of System

As financial liberalization progresses, new and conve- 2.1 Outline

nient customer contacts (delivery channels) that can
meet diversified customer needs are demanded. Most
current banking services are provided through branch
offices and ATMs, which requires a customer physically
going to a bank or ATM location. Using banking ser-
vices anytime, anywhere and by anyone has not yet been
fully implemented. Given this situation, systems for
telephone banking services are gathering heated atten-
tion. With such systems, customers can access banking
services using telephones, removing the requirement of
going to a bank.
Inquiries from customers have been accepted at dif-
ferent locations, such as branch offices, but with the
telephone banking services systems, financial institu-
tions can receive and process all telephone inquiries
from customers by telephone at a call loan center. The
aim of financial institutions is to make their business
more efficient, providing immediate services, as well as
to acquire new customers by implementing effective
service for inquiries.
Therefore, the functions demanded for these systems
are to control an incoming call efficiently and strategi-
cally, and to effectively provide information on the
customer to the Customer Service Representative (here-
after CSR) who accepted the call.
This paper introduces “Telephone - Dynamics”. This
is a system for telephone banking services jointly devel-
oped by Oki and Telephony Corp. Ltd., who has been
achieving success in providing integrated telemarketing
consulting services to financial institutions.
* System Development Section -3, System Development Department - 1,
Financial System Division, System Business Group
** System Engineering Team -1, E-commerce System Engineering Department,
Financial System Division, System Business Group
This system not only efficiently distributes telephone calls
from customers, but also automatically identifies the cus-
tomer of the call by “Interactive Voice Response” (hereafter
IVR) without the assistance of CSR. This implements
highly secure customer services over the telephone.
This system is a client/server system that interlocks with
Oki’s PBX Discovery 2000. The banking services of this
system are providing information and product guidance,
consulting, claim handling, as well as services for indi-
vidual customers that include collation of balances and
transfers of funds.
To utilize the functions of PBX to the maximum, new
software that supports the CTI (Computer Telephony
Integration) link interface was developed to run on the
server. With this software, incoming calls are automatically
distributed to the most appropriate CSR according to the
content of the call and the attribute of the customer.
If the “originating telephone-number display service” is
used, which began trial service in parts of Japan in January
1997, customer information sent from the database on the
server is displayed on screen as soon as the call is connected
to CSR. This will implement precise handling based on
more detailed customer data.
2.2 Features
This system has the following features.
1. Flexible incoming call control by software
Telephone control, including Automatic Call Distri-
bution (hereafter ACD) based on the CSR group, is
completely performed by software on the server. This
makes such settings as flow control, queue control
and grouping flexible, and also makes desk-free cor-
respondence possible, which means that CSR is not
confined to one location.

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 System for Telephone Banking Services “Telephone - Dynamics”

2. Construction of integrated call loan center system

Client Server
The software-based PBX control function, the IVR con-
trol function, and the business application function are Microsoft WindowsNT*3 Non Stop Kernel*1
integrated on the server. As a result, the statistical informa-
Pathway*1 Non Stop SQL*1
tion required to manage the system can be managed and
tabulated by integrating telephone logs (speech time, etc.),

Dynamic SQL server

Customer Information retrieval AP

Tabulation AP

Fund Transfer AP
PACE/T
IVR logs (number of calls by menu, etc.), and business logs Fund

TCP/IP

TCP/IP
SPV CSR CSR
transfer
(content of inquiries, etc.). AP
AP AP Server
CSR
Server

3. Excellent scalability
Since the super parallel sever “Himalaya *1 series” made
by Tandem Computers Japan is used for the server,
processors and magnetic disks can be flexibly expanded,
so that performance can be improved according to
requirements.
BETEX-ESP*2
Virtual Phone
*1 Himalaya,Pathway, Non Stop Kernel, Non Stop SQL are trademarks of Tandem Computers,
Ltd. *2 BETEX-ESP is a trademark of Vicorp, Ltd. *3 Microsoft and WindowsNT are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the USA and other countries.

Oki’s PBX has a consistent architecture, from me-
dium capacity to large capacity circuits, and is based on
a building block method, which makes package-based
additions or unit-based additions quite easy. As a con-
sequence, this system can easily support various num-
bers of circuits.
4. Implementation of highly reliable system
The PBX and CTI link interface (LAN) have a duplex
configuration. If one system fails, the other system takes
over without a hit. Hardware and software on the server
operate non-stop. In this way a highly reliable systemthat
can operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, can be
constructed.
3. Outline of Functions
3.1 System Configuration
Figure 1 shows the hardware configuration, and Figure 2
shows the software configuration.
3.2 Call Control
A call coming in from the central office line trunk is
transferred to IVR, and advanced distribution processing is
Figure 2: Software structure
performed by voice flow. In advanced distribution process-
ing, the service menu is determined according to the PB
signal input by the customer. Information on the contrac-
tor number and account number is also acquired. If the
customer selected an unmanned service from the service
menu, the service is completely processed by IVR. Other-
wise the call is returned to the server, and PACE/T routes
the call intelligently.
PACE/T provides the CTI link function to control the Dis-
covery 2000 and to the telephone control function to distribute
calls intelligently. PACE/T has the following functions.
• A uniform call distribution function to evenly dis-
tribute incoming calls among agents
• A reception grouping function to group agents by
service and by skill for efficient call reception
• A queuing function to hold overflow traffic for a
specified time
• A skill-group-based routing function to group agent
skills and to route calls
• A database routing function to route calls according
to the customer database
• A desk-free function that frees operators from
being bound to specific extension numbers

3.3 Applications
Interactive 1. Virtual phone
INS 1500 etc. Voice Tandem Himalaya*1 A virtual phone is installed on the client, and has the
Response Server
(IVR) following functions.
Discovery • Pop-up function to display customer information
2000
PBX CSR CSR SPV
when a call comes in. With this function, the operator
can make a flexible response based on the displayed
Digital Digital Digital customer information.
extension extension extension
• Pickup function
• Hold function
*1 Tandem Himalaya is a trademark of Tandem Computers, Ltd.
• Operation continuing function when operator leaves

*1. Himalaya, Pathway, Non Stop Kernel, and Non Stop SQL are trademarks of Tandem
Figure 1: Hardware Structure Computers, Ltd.

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 January 1998 Oki Technical Review 160 Vol. 63

• Transfer function
Along with call transfer, the screen that is displayed at
the transfer source client can be transferred, which
makes for an easy transfer of processing.
• Call disconnect function
2. Fund transfer reception application
This application provides paying in and transfer re-
ception functions based on the pre-registering func-
tion. A system with high security can be implemented
because IVR verifies the customer’s identity and ci-
phers the identification number.
3. Collation application
This application provides the account system colla-
tion function for the collation of balances and trans-
fers of funds. If the account system host system is
connected, unmanned collation can be supported.
4. Consultation and inquiry application
This application supports non-routine business, such
as consultations for loans. With this application, a
script display function is provided so that uniform
service can be provided to customers without de-
pending on the skill of CSR. Scripts are designed
such that flexible maintenance is possible at the su-
pervisor (hereafter SPV) terminal.
5. Cross sale support function
When a customer calls, the cross sale support func-
tion recommends products that are appropriate for
that customer. This function organically combines
with the call history and marketing databases of the
outbound system and the information on balances of
deposits and savings in the account system, and sup-
ports strategic and effective sales.
6. Information collection function
Information collected by this function, such as per-
sonal data, is returned to the marketing database.
7. Management function
SPV supervises the CSR operation status in real-time,
which makes operation efficient. The statistics function
has been reinforced with tabulation of received calls by
operators and tabulation of received calls by services.
Figure 3 shows a list of the functions of the CSR
and the SPV terminal.
4. Conclusion
This paper introduced a system to implement a new deliv-
ery channel utilizing telephones, a common media. The
installation of this system allows financial institutions to:
• Make business efficient because processing of received
calls is centralized,
• Improve services for customers,
• Implement cross sales by effectively providing infor-
mation
Our future challenges are:
1. Linking with other delivery channels (e.g. Internet
banking using PCs, FAX services)

CSR Terminal SPV Terminal

Call Functions Call center managing functions

Operation initiating (log on) function Received call tabulation function
Call receiving function Business processing tabulation function by CSR
Disconnect and hold function Tabualtion function by business
Call reject function Call receiving status analyzing function
Call back registering function Refund information for branch office output function
Automatic dialing function CSR call receiving status list display function
Collating functions Information request management function
Customer information retrieval function Registering functions
Customer attribute information display function Telephone circuit registering function
Sale history function CSR registering function
Fund transfer service functions Operation pattern registering function
Fund transfer service related functions
Paying in and transfer function
Time transaction receiving function Detailed verification function
Business support functions Transaction detail preparation function
Information request receiving function
External transfer function
Internal transfer function
Transfer function to IVR
Marketing information collecting functions
Call result input function
Customer information maintenance registering function
Complaints handling registering function
Privacy information registering function

Figure 3: List of terminal’s functions

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 System for Telephone Banking Services “Telephone - Dynamics”

2. Organic integration with outbound (telemarketing) Oki intends to continuously provide systems that
systems implement various delivery channels for the financial
3. Linking with conventional host systems industry, where competition is escalating.