Today’s market respects small and medium contact centers (SMCCs) by offering them affordable contact center functionality without an undue burden on their IT and support staff. There are plenty of alternatives to consider:
Hosted solution vendors enable companies to rent technology that vendors provision in the cloud. These solutions resonate for those trying to go far, fast, and with less demand on internal resources and budget. Most offer pay-as-you-go plans.- Suites for core contact center technology – whether hosted or premise-based – can deliver great bang for the buck. Some combinations address the core capabilities (ACD, IVR, CTI, multimedia). Performance tool suites offer WFM and QM as well as eLearning, VoC, analytics, and scorecards.
- Big enterprise/contact center vendors (such as Avaya, Cisco) offer “express” or otherwise labeled solutions targeted at the SMCC.
- Second tier (market share) vendors don’t have to dominate the market to be a good fit for the SMCC. Smaller players can often deliver bigger service.
- Distributors with a focus on SMCCs offer bundles of advanced contact center technology by combining offerings from a variety of vendors with their own solutions.
For the small to medium center within a larger enterprise, VoIP supports delivery of contact center solutions that serve many sites with a single platform. VoIP also provides a means to manage peaks and valleys in the center’s traffic. Home agents, front line staff at other locations, and “on call” agents can bolster capacity when the center gets slammed. And the center’s resources can serve others when underutilized.
When it’s time to assess technology requirements, SMCCs must identify the business problems they are trying to solve and determine what technology they truly need. Start by examining the current environment to see what’s already in place and explore options for driving more value out of it. Consider the extent to which technology can be shared with other groups within the organization.
Here is a short list of considerations when sizing up options for new technology investment:
- Size: Number of seats, centers
- Maturity: Novice/fledgling center vs. long history/advanced center
- Technical Resources: Technology, staff, expertise, experience
- Financial Resources: Budget, business case requirements
- Risk Tolerance: Willing/able to try new things vs. use only proven/mainstream solutions
Download Let’s Get Small (or Medium) for further insights.