The pursuit of excellence is the driving force for every contact center, regardless of size. Then customers receive excellent service, customer satisfaction and loyalty improve and contact centers are successful. However, recent economic events and the overall volatility of the telecommunications manufacturing sector are now driving centers with outdated or non-upgradeable premises-based equipment toward a critical juncture: make significant new capital expenditures or risk customer-impacting declines in performance. For these contact centers, finding an affordable contact handling and workforce optimization solution is a top business priority.

Although premises-based equipment has been the de facto contact handling solution, it carries a high total cost of ownership (TCO). This high cost is created by up-front capital expenses, internal IT maintenance/support staff and frequent upgrades to support critical advances in contact handling and workforce optimization. Until recently, there has not been a viable alternative. However, cost concerns, the increasing trend towards at-home workers and vendor instability have all given rise to an alternative solution that is rapidly gaining widespread acceptance: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), also known as on-demand services. SaaS is now moving into the mainstream. For inbound call centers, SaaS solutions have the added benefit of integrating with existing on-premises equipment, providing enhanced features and functionality without requiring additional hardware expenditures.

The current state of the economy has started taking a toll on telecom/network equipment manufacturers. Take the Nortel Networks as an example – revisit what happened when they filed for bankruptcy. While the eventual impact of this shakeup is uncertain, one effect is clear: contact centers faced with maintaining and supporting an obsolete solution will rapidly reach a point of diminishing returns. To remain competitive, they must invest in a new solution.

Volatility among hardware vendors and pressure to adapt to changing economic conditions pose significant challenges for contact centers relying on obsolete premises-based contact handling systems. The primary challenges associated with outdated premises-based systems are the costs, both of maintenance and ultimately replacement; the inability to increase performance; and the loss of productivity.

While SaaS has been in use since the beginning of the century, it is only recently achieving widespread adoption. Reluctance to implement an on-demand solution in contact centers can be attributed to a number of factors:

• Concerns over security

• Questions about regulatory compliance

• Skepticism about stability and reliability

• Perceived lack of industry-specific customization

• Resistance from internal IT staff

SaaS eliminates the barrier to excellence created by outdated and non-upgradable premise-based solutions by providing a viable alternative to reduce costs while increasing performance. Because of this advantages, SaaS is well-positioned to overcome the challenge of obsolescence.

The challenging economy combined with volatility in the telecom/network equipment manufacturing sector is pushing inbound call center executives to look for alternatives to on-premise contact handling solutions. Proven SaaS contact handling solutions merit consideration by any executive trying to achieve the seemingly opposing goals of reducing costs and increasing performance. The right SaaS solution makes it possible for contact centers to eliminate barriers created by obsolete premises-based solutions, achieve excellence in customer service and continue business success.

Key areas of focus for leading corporations are Customer Experience (CX), Net Promoter Score (NPS), and cost reduction. CX and NPS results generally rely on contact center measures such as service level, customer satisfaction, and quality to evaluate service performance. Often, employee rewards or executive bonuses are linked to these results.

Recent advances in contact center technology involving strategic planning and big data applications enable organizations to understand how budgetary decisions impact CX and NPS results better. In addition, business requirements to manage these results must also extend beyond the contact center and incorporate the back-office operations.

For most organizations, the contact center is viewed as the central area of the business in which CX and NPS results are managed. However, a contact center is a dynamic multimedia environment that is complicated to understand. Many businesses lack the necessary strategic planning and budgeting tools for executives to recognize accurately how decisions made by departments outside the contact center will ultimately impact CX and NPS results, shareholder returns, and executive bonuses. Decisions made in areas such as HR, Finance, Training, Marketing, Product Development, or Operations can make a notable and collective impact.

Strategic planning solutions using big data technology are the key to giving clarity to your executive teams about how decisions made by all departments will impact service results for months or years in the future. Such solutions can provide the analytical methodology to quickly and accurately determine the best ways to achieve cost reductions and effectively manage service results concurrently.

In most mature organizations, there is a rigorous process for creating annual plans and budgets. However, the contact center, generally a multi-million dollar area of expense, most often is not systematically accounted due to limitations with common strategic planning and budgeting tools. Given the complexity in the center, combined with the enormous costs associated with poor CX and NPS results, this has become a major area of business focus.

Since the early days of data collection and analysis, organizations have collected and analyzed data for operational efficiency and business forecasting. This has created a symbiotic relationship between information and technology, and given rise to the term “big data.” However, that term has been extensively misunderstood, misinterpreted, or miscommunicated, particularly in relation to customer experience and contact centers.

Inbound call centers need smart technology that is designed to consolidate data from telephony, workforce management, payroll, email, chat, back office, and casework systems. Collected data can be organized, validated, and used effectively in analysis, budgeting, and reporting. This provides an agile and accurate planning tool that enables management to evaluate the customer experience impacts of various service strategies by using “what-if” scenarios.

Executives responsible for contact centers need the accuracy of information that GPS navigation systems provide to airplane pilots. After all, centers are like mega-million dollar planes that require fine control to maneuver. The more accurate the real-time analysis, the greater chance you have of landing successful Customer Experience (CX) and Net Promoter Score results.

With stakes so high, flying blind or relying on gut instinct is not acceptable. The key to navigating risk and optimizing performance is using contact center strategic planning and budgeting solutions leveraging big data technology. Doing so provides the fast and accurate information necessary to make informed decisions quickly and with business confidence.

It’s not a secret that small businesses have big communications needs. In today’s modern world, a phone system is a lifeline & a bridge to customers, suppliers and other key contacts. Like their larger competitors, small businesses need an IP PBX that is powerful, reliable, flexible, manageable and scalable. But for some small businesses, phone systems also need to be budget-friendly to implement and maintain and hassle-free in operations.

Until recently, this type of sophisticated communications solution – the IP PBX was available only to companies possessing the necessary financial resources to design and build a customized phone system. Due to the innovations, this technology is now available to even the starters and the emerging companies.

The Solution

IP PBX is a full-featured, software-based PBX system that includes auto attendant, screened-call forwarding, call queuing, music on hold, personalized greetings, flexible extensions and voice-mail boxes, multi-lingual voice prompts, and much more. It supports VoIP/SIP, Skype, and regular phone lines. It is ideal for businesses that handle many daily incoming calls.

This system also offers a flexible configuration and unlimited design capability which is quite intuitive to use. This Windows-based software uses VOIP technology to make and receive calls through your computer. One thing to take into consideration is the quality or reliability of your internet connection. The calls are delivered either through a VOIP channel, such as SIP or Skype, or through your regular phone lines. The software acts as a complete business phone system.

It can also save you with your manpower since it offers an auto attendant answer your incoming calls. When the caller calls your telephone number or hotline number, the system will automatically answer the call with a custom welcome message and a list of menu choices. Callers also have the option to press a key to listen to company’s information or get directions or office hours – convenience at its finest! If the queue is high, your callers wanting to talk to a representative will be put on music onhold thus lowering the chance of abandoned calls or angry customers venting out the moment you get in touch with them. It is also capable of sharing phone lines among extensions for outbound calls.

These features are all offered by Voicent’s IP PBX. It is a onetime purchase only – with no set-up fee, no monthly recurring fees and no usage limit.