Outsourcers turn to IP contact centers

Outsourcers, particularly offshore outsourcers, are deploying IP contact centers to help them grow quickly and cost effectively.

TransWorks, a leading provider of outsourcing services from India, had 400 seats 15 months ago and now has 1,650 seats. The company plans to add another 400 to 800 seats this year. TransWorks migrated from a TDM switch to a Cisco IP contact center.

According to CEO Prakash Gurbaxani, the company purchased a platform that works today and that will provide the infrastructure it will need down the road. The vision includes growth into additional call centers and countries, including an aggregating network based in the U.S. that will route calls anywhere in the world.

Amicus, a leading U.K. outsourcer for multichannel customer contact and fulfillment, launched its service 18 months ago. During the planning stages, the company knew its choice of technology platform would be key to achieving its goals and knew it had to deliver a low-cost service that would compete against the typical U.K.-based outsourcer, and India-based centers.

The company selected an IP-based system from Avaya to handle inbound and outbound calling, logging and quality monitoring and other applications. By going with IP, Amicus reduced the cost of wiring in its historic building. Twenty of its 130 agents are remote, with that number expected to rise to 50 later this year.

The company also is testing wireless positions, using USB headsets connected to laptops within homes and eventually at hot spots.

Charles Burns, sales and marketing director, recommends going with one vendor, which he says was a major factor in avoiding serious technical problems. Future plans include putting agents in India or other locations for labor savings, while using the solid technical and support infrastructure it built in the U.K.

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