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Know If the Outsourcer Is OutsourcingIf you are outsourcing your call center what you don't want is your outsourcer to outsource to someone else. This takes away your chance to control the situation. Learn what signs to look for to tell if your outsourcer is using an outsourcer! Outsourcing
is a competitive business and providing services with aggressive pricing is always
a critical factor in winning business. All companies look for methods to reduce
their costs and outsourcers are no exception. To maintain their aggressive
stance, outsourcers are following trends in the computer industry and using
services in the cloud. Cloud
services are a by-product of the dot-com era. These services started as simple
applications that could be shared over the Internet and have matured to
challenge traditional client-server applications. An example is Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) software. CRM is now offered in the cloud and
referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS). SaaS CRM has also
spawned a number of companies that are adjuncts or directly interface with
their solution. Infrastructure
as a Service (IaaS) is
such as adjunct. IaaS offers in-cloud infrastructures such as ACDs (telephone
switches), intelligently routing calls, outbound dialers, and voice and screen
recordings. As a result, complete solutions for outsourcing inbound or outbound
calls are available for a monthly fee. Thus,
it is essential to know if your potential outsourcer is outsourcing their technology. If they are,
you will need to know to how to evaluate their capabilities. A vital question
is, "If your outsourcer is using
SaaS or IaaS, what value do they provide?" The
answer is dependent on how each outsourcing company integrates cloud computing
into the services being offered to you. As in any approach, there are benefits
and deficiencies of this technology. Your evaluation must determine if they
meet your operational and technological goals and objectives. Here are some
items to consider. First,
can the outsourcer demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of the cloud
computing solution being offered to you? The methods of the outsourcer may be
presented as transparent to their operation and, indeed, your focus should be
how your customers are treated and the effectiveness of the call center. Still,
it is important to understand the technologies being used to fully evaluate the
potential outsourcer. Second,
has the outsourcer added value to their cloud computing solution? Platform
as a Service (PaaS) enables creation of value-added software to the
solutions IaaS and SaaS offer. For
example, using PaaS, the IaaS may log their transactions in the SaaS database. Another PaaS example is the integration of
an IaaS user interfaces with a SaaS user interface. Hence, entering data to one
user interface seamlessly enters the data into both solution databases. SaaS
and IaaS are typically offered over the Internet. Thus it is dependent on
factors outside the control of the outsourcer. To overcome that issue,
outsourcers with longstanding SaaS and IaaS vendor relationships may have
implemented their own private network cloud. The private cloud ensures
connectivity is being properly managed, especially when voice over internet
protocols (VoIP) or session Internet protocols (SIP) has been integrated. Third,
if the potential outsourcer is using both SaaS and IaaS, what is the
relationship between the companies? Many SaaS CRM vendors have developed a PaaS
application-programming interface (API). Fourth,
is there a level of redundancy from the SaaS and IaaS vendors? Your potential
outsourcer will be dependent on an infrastructure framework outside their
control. Be sure your potential outsourcer can provide the details of the SaaS
and IaaS vendor's business continuity plan. Finally,
if your outsourcer is using SaaS CRM or an IaaS vendor with your data or access
to your data, stipulate who is responsible for the integrity and security of
the data. While
these issues may appear as negative aspects of using cloud computing, there are
also advantages. Data and business processes are not the domains of any
outsourcer. As a result © 2011 Geoffrey Best. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHORThis
excerpt, courtesy of Editor Laura Lowell, is Rule 32 from "42 Rules for Outsourcing Your Call Center by
Geoffrey A. Best". Geoffrey
A. Best has worked with call centers for over 20 years. His experience has provided him with insight
into the systems and methods that companies use to operate their call centers
and service their customers. You can learn more about Geoffrey and
purchase the book at http://42rules.com/book/42-rules-for-outsourcing-your-call-center/
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