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Contact Center Start-up: Tips for Getting Started on the Right Foot

by Geoff Mina, CEO, Connect First - January 7, 2015

Contact Center Start-up: Tips for Getting Started on the Right Foot

Geoff Mina, CEO of Connect First

If you have a contact center start-up or are just getting involved in the contact center industry, it’s important to get started on the right foot. After all, the contact center is one of the most important parts of the enterprise, as it is charged with both inbound and outbound customer communications. Customers will judge the efficiency of an organization based on how well this department performs.

An important first step is to invest in a cloud-based vendor. This will save you valuable contact center costs, as you will not have to invest in expensive on-premises equipment and you will receive a variety of tools and services to enhance the customer experience. But it’s important to remember that not all cloud-based contact center vendors are created equal. Here are some things to look for when selecting one:

Scalability is critical: It’s hard to say where your business will be several years down the road. So make sure you don’t pigeonhole yourself by signing on for upfront long-term licensing based on your expectations. A reputable cloud-based contact center vendor will offer you the ability to scale up during boom times and back down during times that are slower.

Look for security credentials: Preventing a data breach in your organization is a stressful responsibility without the added complication of trusting another company to manage your sensitive customer information. So make sure to look for ISO 27001 certification, as well as full compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

Agent training: Your goal is to minimize the time to value and hasten your agents’ ability to interact with potential customers. And this will be difficult if nobody knows how to use the cloud-based contact center software in which you’ve invested. So make sure that your cloud-based contact center vendor takes the time to ensure that everyone knows how to use the software. If they don’t, it could be a red flag about the level of commitment you will receive moving forward.

Data ownership: Make sure to scour your SLA before you sign it to verify that you retain ownership of your data. Also, clearly outline for what purposes the data can be used. The last thing you want is to find out that your cloud-based contact center vendor is selling your customer information to other companies.

Downtime responsibilities: Most cloud-based contact center vendors will guarantee almost 100 percent uptime. But make sure your SLA covers what happens when downtime does occur. Know how your organization will be affected during routine scheduled maintenance—and how often the company will perform this maintenance. Downtime is expensive, costing your business in two powerful areas of competitive differentiation: customer service and business acceleration.



 
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