Eight keys for building a sucessful IP contact center.
1. Understand the business drivers. IP in the contact center is a business decision, not a technology decision. Don’t lose sight of that.
2. Conduct a network assessment, and make upgrades so your network is rock solid. Quality of service is critical. Some companies might need to upgrade to the latest versions and releases of routers and switches. Many establish a separate virtual LAN for voice. Ensure adequate power on the Ethernet network, and test it. Spend more time preparing and testing your remote sites. Network assessments are prerequisites for most vendors that might offer them directly, through partners or as an option for companies to self-assess.
3. Include testing initially and as an ongoing practice. Test VoIP quality and monitor as your network changes. Continually test for network vulnerabilities as you do for your data applications.
4. Take your time. Choose your migration approach, applications, infrastructure platforms and partners wisely.
5. Involve a cross-functional team in the planning and implementation, including call center professionals. These applications are so important that this can’t be a purely technology-driven event.
6. Keep it (relatively) simple. Minimize the number of vendors, the complexity of your network and the number of technology platforms. Your network will be easier and less expensive to maintain, manage and support.
7. Don’t be cheap. Make the necessary investments in redundancy, capacity, network testing, resource training and piloting.
8. Be involved. Expect to be an active, hands-on participant. Choose your vendor carefully and pick one that understands VoIP, but don’t just rely on it. Build an internal team that understands the network and applications well.
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