• Hosted Call Center
• Articles

Ovum Outlines Criteria for Organizations Considering a Hosted Call Center

By Erin Harrison, Executive Editor, Cloud Computing

Given the number of contact center solutions on the market today, there are many factors organizations need to consider when deciding whether to move toward a hosted call center. Ovum (News - Alert) has developed three key selection criteria for organizations evaluating hosted call center solutions, which are the following:

1. Technology – Businesses need to identify all hardware, routing, applications and the existing personnel needed to manage the technology. Security, interoperability, reliability and scalability all

2. Vendor Positioning – Enterprises need to find a strategic partner that not only has a robust cloud offering but also understands their business, culture and philosophy. Enterprises should look at finding a solution that matches their strategic roadmap in customer service and customer experience

3. Customer sentiment – Enterprises are increasingly engaging with users of cloud contact center solutions to obtain a better picture of a specific vendor's cloud offering and to then make more informed decisions on their investments.

“The biggest challenge for organizations in the area of customer experience is the ability for customer care teams to collaborate effectively with teams they may not have worked with in the past, most notably marketing,” a recent Ovum whitepaper said. “Contact centers have traditionally worked in silos from other departments within the enterprise.”

The contact center is often the face of the enterprise for customers, therefore it is critical that businesses take a strategic approach to improving the performance, channel support, engagement and reporting and analytics that will support the needs of changing customer preferences, Ovum officials said. A hosted contact center can give businesses greater agility that will help them achieve these objectives.

In related news, Analyst firm Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert) has recognized Contact Solutions in an annual report examining the contact center market, TMCnet reported.

Specializing in providing cloud-based customer self-service solutions, Contact Solutions enables personalized customer self-service solutions for the call centers supporting companies across a variety of industries.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Austin 2012, happening now in Austin, TX.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.