For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Next-Generation Contact Centers

Solutions To Keep Pace With Your Customers

by Elizabeth Herrell, November 11, 2009

Contact center customer support needs to evolve to better serve customers who no longer rely on one venue for receiving information but instead engage multiple sources. In addition to checking a company's Web site and its brochures, many customers research . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Unified Communications Vendor Selection Criteria

Many Categories Of Products Make Vendor Selection Challenging

by Elizabeth Herrell, November 6, 2009

Unlike most commercial software applications that have a preset number of features, unified communications (UC) provides a software framework for linking multiple discrete applications on a common platform. UC integrates enterprise mobility, conferencing, . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Twelve Criteria For Contact Center Outsourcers

Questions Companies Need to Ask When Engaging A Contact Center Outsourcer

by Elizabeth Herrell, September 10, 2009

Many companies consider outsourcing their contact center or customer service centers to improve operational efficiencies and to increase customer satisfaction. However, many decision-makers know little about potential contact center outsourcers, and they . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Contact Center Purchase Plans And Trends In 2009

Positive Growth For Software And Services For Core Operations

by Elizabeth Herrell, August 13, 2009

Major software investments in existing contact centers will grow at 40% in 2009 according to Forrester's recent survey of contact center decision-makers. However, new licenses for agents' positions will experience only modest growth, as expansion plans . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Get A Good Start With Unified Communications

Upfront Planning Ensures A More Effective Deployment

by Elizabeth Herrell, August 12, 2009

While many businesses express high interest in deploying unified communications (UC), they often struggle to advance their plans. They face challenges developing their UC business case and getting the executive attention and commitment for UC upgrades. . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Premise-Based IVR/Voice Portals, Q2 2009

Genesys Leads, With Avaya And Cisco Systems Closely Following

by Elizabeth Herrell, June 17, 2009

In Forrester's 52-criteria evaluation of IVR/voice portal premise-based offerings, we found that Genesys, Avaya, Cisco Systems, and Nortel Networks lead the pack. These vendors deliver innovative solutions with advanced capabilities on their end-to-end . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Network-Based IVR/Voice Portals, Q2 2009

Tellme And Nuance Are Leaders, With Verizon And Voxeo Close Behind As Strong Performers

by Elizabeth Herrell, June 15, 2009

In Forrester's 53-criteria evaluation of network services providers for IVR/voice portal (VP) vendors, we found that Tellme and Nuance lead the pack with their all-inclusive platform support for advanced capabilities and innovative solutions. Verizon . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Inquiry Spotlight: UC IVR And IP Contact Centers, Q2 2009

by Elizabeth Herrell, April 23, 2009

The landscape for unified communications (UC), interactive voice response (IVR), and Internet protocol (IP) contact centers is talked about constantly. Forrester answered the inquiries of numerous end users from February 2008 to February 2009 on these . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Ten Steps For Reducing Contact Center Expenses

Slow Economy Necessitates You Take A Close Look At Contact Center Costs

by Elizabeth Herrell, March 13, 2009

During an economic slowdown, customer service managers need to take a close look at their contact center operations to find ways to reduce costs while maintaining high levels of customer support. Too often, customer service managers continue with established . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Proactive Outbound Notification Saves Money

And Provides A New Level Of Personalized Services To Customers

by Elizabeth Herrell, February 18, 2009

Proactive customer communications reduce costs for incoming calls by sending outbound messages of interest to customers to the device of their choice. Unlike automated robo messages that intrude rather than inform, proactive notification messages identify . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Which UC Vendor Offers The Best Value Proposition?

Look For Vendors That Best Align With Your Business Goals

by Elizabeth Herrell, January 7, 2009

Selection of a unified communications (UC) vendor requires organizations to look closely at each provider's approach to market and value proposition. All leading UC vendors offer diverse portfolios, which lets organizations compare UC solutions and decide . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Take A Close Look At UC Applications

How Vendors Compare On Integrated Messaging, Collaboration, And Presence

by Elizabeth Herrell, January 6, 2009

A major concern for organizations planning unified communications (UC) projects is how to justify their cost during times of budget constraints. By fully understanding the capabilities of UC applications, IT managers can better determine how these applications . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Evaluating UC Vendors On Key Applications

How Vendors Stack Up On Voice/Desktop Call Control, Mobility, And Conferencing

by Elizabeth Herrell, December 22, 2008

Organizations considering unified communications (UC) solutions often find the vendor landscape overwhelming. During an economic slowdown it's more important than ever to invest in solutions that mirror the short-term and long-term goals of your company. . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Are Home Agents Right For Your Contact Center?

Challenges And Benefits Of Supporting Work-At-Home Agents

by Elizabeth Herrell, November 19, 2008

Faced with tight budgets, customer experience managers struggle to provide high-value customer support while also lowering operating costs. Many organizations are taking a closer look at employing home contact center agents to determine if the risks are . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Will Presence Change How Business Communicates?

by Elizabeth Herrell, September 8, 2008

Presence is a key application supported on unified communications (UC) platforms and has the potential to fundamentally change how business manages workplace communications. UC connects multiple applications with a single user interface and enriches the . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

2008 Contact Center Technology Trends

by Elizabeth Herrell, August 13, 2008

In 2008, contact centers are leaning toward an increased emphasis on self-service and applications that provide greater insight into customer experience. Organizations are also considering how to support their customers more proactively and reach beyond . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Criteria For Evaluating Speech Analytics

Vendor Selection And Key Benefits For Customer Insight

by Elizabeth Herrell, August 5, 2008

Speech analytics is becoming an important business tool that allows organizations to mine customers' conversations and better understand their attitudes and needs. Improved audio mining technology enables you to respond quickly to your customers and gather . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Inquiry Insights: Contact Center Technologies,Q3 2008

by Elizabeth Herrell, July 17, 2008

From January 2007 to April 2008, Forrester's IT infrastructure and operations (I&O) team fielded 3,246 inquiries on a myriad of topics; 350 of those dealt with the key I&O themes in enterprise communications, including contact centers. As contact . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Unified Communications Adoption Plans

UC Is Growing, But Deployments Require Internal Teamwork

by Elizabeth Herrell, June 30, 2008

Unified communications (UC) solutions are gaining momentum in enterprises today due to their ability to improve business processes and employee communications. Forrester's 2008 survey of enterprise unified communications decision-makers indicates that . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Innovative Speech Apps Deliver Value

New Uses For Speech Improve Customer Support

by Elizabeth Herrell, June 5, 2008

Speech applications provide an opportunity to deliver higher value support by offering customers more options when interacting with companies. Speech applications also reduce high staffing expenses by directing more callers to complete self-service transactions. . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Top Trends Shaping Enterprise Communications

How To Plan For The Next Five Years

by Elizabeth Herrell, May 13, 2008

Enterprise voice communications are undergoing significant changes. While IP telephony adoption has reached the mainstream, unified communications (UC) is transforming the market by offering new capabilities that facilitate business communications and . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Speech Analytics Helps Improve Contact Center Process And Quality: An EarthLink Case Study

by Elizabeth Herrell, Christine E. Atwood, April 4, 2008

As a customer-centric business with outsourced contact centers around the world, EarthLink was challenged with maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction and interaction quality across all of its centers, improving agent productivity while reducing . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Success Factors For Unified Communications

Trends And Best Practices For Maximizing UC Investments

by Elizabeth Herrell, March 21, 2008

Unified communications (UC) is a transformative technology that provides organizations with a richer communication environment and that has the ability to improve core business processes. UC integrates multimodal communications, such as IP telephony (IPT), . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

CTI Contact Center Applications Migrate To SIP

SIP Offers Superior Multimodal Support, But Most Prefer A Hybrid Approach

by Elizabeth Herrell, March 20, 2008

Easing and improving customer communication across a variety of channels should be on any organization's list of IT priorities. Customer support organizations that plan to support real-time multimodal customer communications are evaluating new channels . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

How To Select A Contact Center Outsourcer

Evaluate Both The Outsourcer's Market Position And Vertical Experience

by Elizabeth Herrell, March 18, 2008

If you're selecting a contact center outsourcer, you'll need to look much deeper than a vendor's ability to provide customer support services. Consider a business partner with experience and understanding of the critical customer-care issues in your industry. . . .