If flexibility is important in call center activities software, Lindsay Paulsen, 2-1-1 Data Resource Manager for United Way of the Midlands, encourages you to check out the Screen Designer feature in IRis 4.0.  “We have seven call centers, each with their own special circumstances, and one database,” explains Paulsen.  “When we decided to consolidate into a single shared system with IRis, it was a great benefit to tell the Call Centers that they could keep their predefined custom fields.  Without the customization feature, we would have had trouble convincing everyone to come on board.”

IRis Screen Designer allows a user to customize nearly every screen in the system at any time, even during a call.  Deb Petty, Vice President, Sales/IRis Software Products for Bowman Systems, reports the client response to the Screen Designer has exceeded expectations.

“With the development of IRis 4.0, we knew we wanted to create a method where authorized users could easily customize the work flow throughout the system to exactly match the call center needs,” noted Petty.  “The Screen Designer is the user friendly customization tool we envisioned.  We view the flexibility it provides as one of the most beneficial components of the IRis software.  The beauty of the Screen Designer is that you don't need any programming experience to use it.  As long as you know how to click-and-drag, you can do it.  It really is that easy!”

As screens are modified, Petty said the custom fields are added to both the screen and to IRis Query so that collected data may be easily accessed for custom reporting and filtering of statistics, lists, trends and more.  The Client Services Screen can also be tailored for a specific group of users.  

Other IRis screens that may be customized with Screen Designer include:

• Contact Screen
• Call Screen
• Cases Screen
• Agency Screen
• Site Screen
• Site Service Details Screen

Screen Designer also allows the authorized users to:

• Add, edit, delete, and move fields within a module
• Build up to 20 screens within each module
• Control the placement/layout of the fields on each user screen
• Name and reorder the tabs on each screen
• Change the font name, size and color of fields and labels
• Define the tabbing order of the fields on each screen
• Populate list items for pop-up and standardized text fields

“The IRis Screen Designer is very slick,” added Paulsen.  “I had our Call Back Quality Control screen constructed with eight fields in a matter of minutes.  In a different scenario I quickly added a tab to the Call Record Screen for Special Projects.  The tab initially included two fields for a Thanksgiving Dinner program (a meal count and a delivery type.)  But the beauty of the screen was that it was all to itself.  If you weren't responsible for capturing Special Project data, it was inconspicuous.  It easily met my need and allowed us to report on captured statistics, without having to place an order for custom programming.”

Quality Control and Special Projects are only two ways the new feature is being tested and used to improve outcomes.  Call Centers across the country are using IRis Screen Designer for data collection forms, customer surveys, eligibility screening, follow ups, and more.

“I recently created a Suicide Risk Assessment screen for 2-1-1 Helpline,” said Keith Anderson, former IT Manager at Community Service Council, a blended 2-1-1 and Crisis Center in Tulsa, OK. “The Screen Designer feature is easy to understand.  The new drag-and-drop features are a significant upgrade from 3.0.”

Paulsen and other users are telling Bowman Systems that the ease, flexibility, and power of the Screen Designer in IRis 4.0 is being used to improve call center efficiency, and has even provided the opportunity for added income at some agencies.  In fact, many IRis customers are re-purposing their data and marketing themselves as not only a call center, but also as a data collection source based on the flexibility associated with this unique feature.

To download this story, click here.