Information Technology | Economical IT » A Guide to Purchasing Contact Center Software, Contact Center Software Project Review

A Guide to Purchasing Contact Center Software Contact Center Software Project Review Purpose: Determine the requirements that the contact center and our user community need to have in a contact center problem management software application. Questions to Consider: • • • • • • • • Date: What are our requirements for this product? Have all stakeholders been asked what requirements they need in the product? Whose requirements are more important; the contact center staff or the endusers? What is the difference in cost between developing software in-house and purchasing it from a vendor? What is the difference in implementation time between a purchased product and one developed in-house? What is the difference in obtaining product updates between an in-house product and a purchased product? What is the difference in memory & network bandwidth requirements between an in-house product and a purchased product? What is the difference in product administration time between

an in-house product and a purchased product? With a nod to David Letterman, there are 10 Things to Consider When Considering Contact Center Software Packages: 10) What is the vendor’s reputation? What references are they willing to provide? The product already exists, so you want to talk people already using it. 9) Does the vendor have an understanding of how contact centers work and what they need in a software package? Developers don’t always have this understanding and explaining it to them can take time, and time is money. 8) Almost every contact center software package in the world can be purchased in modules. You can add and delete modules based upon your business needs and budget. What modules do you need? Are your requirements, “nice to have” or “must have?” There is a difference & you must be clear in your own mind what the differences are. What are you willing to spend? What are you capable of spending? 7) Contact center software packages, can be easily

customized to meet your support operations unique needs. How much time, effort & money are you willing to spend of customization? Do you want a “plug & play” system? Verify how the vendor is defining P & P capability. 6) The product you purchase will have voluminous documentation that is both technical and end-user in oriented. It may even have CBT disks available and will certainly have on-site as well as off-site training programs available to train your staff. Does the vendor charge for these services or do they come with the software? Obtain references on these professional services and the training as well. 5) Ask for examples of this documentation and visit the vendor’s references whenever possible. Speak with more then one person on the vendor’s reference list and insist that the vendor provide the names of at least three people that you can speak with. 4) You will have access to patches, updates, user groups, updated documentation, and technical support

when it is released and when you need it. Determine how often these items are upgraded. Patch management is expensive, time consuming, and frequently problematic; be clear about schedules and technical support for patches. 3) No matter how good the training, and no matter how great the documentation, sooner or later you will need to call the vendor’s technical support center. This need usually arises at the worst possible time and inevitably involves a customer problem. How good is the vendor’s technical support? Do they offer different levels of support? Do the hours of operation for the vendor’s support department match your organization’s hours of operation? Ask specific questions about Average Speed of Answer, First-Call Resolution Rate, email support, chat support and ALL associated costs. Ask about escalation times and the vendor’s willingness to negotiate a Service Level Agreement. The terms of the contract are not the same as the terms of the SLA Insist that they

define response, resolution and escalation times. 2) Updates. A purchased product is continually updated, debugged and readied for your immediate use, supposedly. Discuss the updates and patches with the vendor’s references and “dig for dirt.” Do you like what they tell you, or the answers you receive “diplomatic?” 1) Is the product user friendly, efficient to use, effective and will it produce an acceptable ROI? Does your staff like it? Will the vendor provide you with a trial copy for evaluation purposes? Remember the Value of Technical Support One of the most important, least understood and poorly appreciated aspects of purchasing a contact center software package is the wealth of technical support that you get when you buy from a vendor. If you choose wisely you will have a vendor with good technical support that is accessible 24/7 via phone, fax, email and chat. Part of the criteria you use to evaluate your software should be a through reference check that includes not

only product reliability, but, technical support. Whatever product you purchase, remember to consider the quality of the vendor’s technical support; you’ll need it sooner or later so plan for the inevitably of its use. Keep in mind that the vendor’s support department will have one hundreds time the experience with their product that you and your staff will have and all of that information will be sitting patiently in a knowledge base system just waiting to be accessed. Make sure you get the answers to the following questions: • • Are technical problems solved in real time or will you have to wait for a return phone call or email? Is support via online chat available? If you have to call, what is the average wait time on the phone? • • • • • Can technical support be accessed 24/7? Is the support free? It should be, at least up to a specific number of calls or for a certain period of time. If you are charged, is it per call or per a number of calls? Is the

vendor’s knowledge base system available via the Web? Does the vendor hold user group meetings for its customers? How many of these services will you be able to avail yourself of if you develop contact center software in-house? Tools Evaluation Matrix Use the matrix on the next page to analyze the tools you are considering purchasing. Also review the checklist from About Software for BusinessBuying Software Checklist, http://www.aboutsoftwareforbusinesscom/ a copy is provided below Good Luck! Kepner-Tregoe Tools Evaluation Matrix Rank on a scale of 1 to 4 Factor Vendor Stability Financial performance Stability References Product line Reputation Compatability With corporate standards With other installed systems With vendors vision of product future Product Functionality Hardware platform Hardware requirements Documentation Quality of support Training Performance Scalability (for future growth) Ease of use Degree of customization required Average transaction time Detailed

specification by product Problem management Problem description: summary, detail activity Clear problem history that is easy to access Problem classification levels Query & diagnostic features Common/prior problem lookup Key word searches Symptom related lookup Assignments, referrals, & escalation Automatic escalation via e-mail Cost Initial license Installation Training Support Maintenance Upgrade Importance Minimum Performance Vendor: Maximum Actual Performance Performance Welcome to About Software for Business, your guide to buying software. My name is Sandra Parker and I am the marketing manager for an Internet start-up company. Not so long ago I was put in the position of buying some management software for our newly founded company. Being relatively new to the purchasing side of software, I found that there wasnt ONE comprehensive resource for the newbie. The sites that I did find had limited information. After my experience, I decided to create a site that

included all the steps to buying software for business. It is my hope that this site will clear any confusion Feel free to print out the checklist below. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me at info@aboutsoftwareforbusiness.com Buying Software Checklist Use this handy checklist to make sure youve covered the steps to buying software for your business. Topic #1: Research What’s the reason for this software? Time management, organizational database, etc? What are the necessary features the software must have? What are optional features that could be useful? How much is in the budget for this software? Once you have your initial research done, make a list of the software titles that you found to be of interest. Now, go through that list one by one and answer each of the following questions for all of them. Topic #2: Cost Are there any rebates available? Will software increase profitability? Are you paying for other features that aren’t necessary? How much is

the actual software? How much are the individual licenses? (See Licensing below) Will you have to upgrade systems to meet hardware requirements? (See Compatibility below) Topic #3: Licensing How many users/computers do you need to license? Is it possible for people to double up? How long is the license good for? Forever, annually, monthly, etc? Topic #4: Compatibility What operating systems does the software run on? How much memory does it require to run? How much disk space is required? What speed processor is optimal? What operating systems are on the office computers? How much memory do they have? How big are the hard drives? What speed processors are they running? Do you have enough computers that meet requirements to install? Topic #5: Learning Curve Who needs to use this software? How difficult is it to use and grasp all the important features? How much will it cost to train employees? Will you have to outsource training? Are the time and resources available? Topic #6:

Scalability & Flexibility Can the software expand with your business? Are more licenses available for purchase? Are there plug-ins and/or add-ons that are available for purchase? Is there a hierarchy (basic, premium, deluxe) that you can upgrade to? Topic #7: Purchasing Software Online Will you download the software or have it mailed to you? Is the vendor certified? What do they charge for shipping and handling? Are you buying the full version or a demo? Is the order form securely encrypted? Can you order offline as well? Phone, fax, etc? Topic #8: Purchasing Software in Store Are you purchasing an old version and not the new one? What is the store’s return policy? Is the store offering any rebates? Topic #9: Upgrades Do you get free upgrades? Are the upgrades online or mailed to you? Do you get free patches? Topic #10: Technical Support Is help available by phone, e-mail, fax, or postal mail? Are your questions responded to in a timely manner? Can you access technical

support 24 hours a day? Is the support free? Or is it paid per increment of time? Or per question?