Today, we take on the question of what comes after VoIP. Or rather, we should say what comes after the application that comes after VoIP, because we believe that Unified Communications is already bundled with most VoIP services and premise-based solutions. Our short answer: the IP Contact Center.

Our really long answer: the premise-based or hosted voice and data communications system that includes intelligent, skills-based routing complete with an interactive voice response system (IVR) which provides standards-based integration with other mission-critical applications like a CRM system and / or with other mission-critical information like a customer accounts database.

Our rationale: the myriad of product and service announcements over the past six months, including:

* In June, Cisco announced agreement to acquire the Metreos Corporation and Audium Corporation in order to strengthen Cisco's “standards-based creation and integration tools...that are fully integrated across the enterprise IT infrastructure, enterprise applications, and enterprise contact centers.”

* Interactive Intelligence’s July announcement about a new software package that “adds ‘generic object routing to enable distributed contact centers and enterprises to more effectively route and process virtually any type of work task - from customer service trouble tickets and loan applications, to catalog orders and address updates.”

* Aastra Intecom’s July announcement of a “hosted Contact Center solution designed to meet the unique needs of colleges and universities.”

* In August, Sprint announced availability of the “Sprint Hosted Contact Center, powered by Avaya...as a fully managed, IP-based contact center solution.”

* NEC’s August announcement at VoiceCon about its eTHOS® Contact Center (eTHOS) offering includes an “open development platform that provides scalability and customization to meet...unique environments.”

* In August, Verizon announced addition of IP Tollfree and IP IVR services and new IP trunking options to its contact center services suite.

* The Intervoice September acquisition of Nuasis that brings the synergies of Intervoice strengths on “speech self-service” to the Nuasis strengths in “Internet-enabled customer contact software.”

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.