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Hosted Services
By Peter DeHaan
April 2005
Using
a hosted service is essentially renting software and accessing it over the
Internet. For a hosted service, the
software resides in a central server at the provider's location, which users
access via the Internet. With a
hosted service, call centers do not need to concern themselves about software
updates, database backups, system maintenance, buying and licensing software, or
purchasing additional hardware.
There
are four main reasons to consider using a hosted service:
1)
to
try-it-before-you-buy-it,
2)
to offer a
new service with an upfront investment;
3)
to preserve
capital; and
4)
for
occasionally used applications.
If
your call center has a need that fits one of these categories, here are some key
vendors to consider:
Almond Hill Enterprises
125
Chaparral Court
Suite 100
Anaheim
Hills, CA 92808
www.turboschedule.com
888-398-6100
cs@turboschedule.com
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TurboSchedule:
Web-based, agent assisted appointment scheduling tool
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TurboLite:
Web-based calendar for client self-scheduling via the Internet
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TurboBlended:
Combines TurboSchedule and TurboLite
Alston
Tascom
www.Alstontascom.com
info@Alstontascom.com
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Appointments
On Call:
Web-based appointment scheduling
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Hosted
IVR:
Interactive Voice Response
-
Hosted
Web/database application:
Web-based incident reporting and case management
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AENS
notifications:
mass alert notification
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Emergence
Hosted Agent Station:
complete telemessaging system
Amcom
Software, Inc.
www.amcomsoft.com
800-852-8935
e.Notify™:
sends automated notifications
Amtelco
4800 Curtin Drive
McFarland,
WI
53558
http://callcenter.amtelco.com
Contact:
Jim
Becker
jim@amtelco.com
800-356-9148
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Hosted
IVR:
Interactive Voice Response
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eCreator:
Web-based agent scripting
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R.E.D.
Alert:
disaster and emergency contact solution
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eConferenceLink:
Web-based conferencing solution
Creative
Entropy Inc.
www.SqueezeMeIn.com
Shane@SqueezeMeIn.com
870-895-3952
Telescan
www.telescan.net
800-770-7662
Renting
Versus Buying
Consider
the analogy of renting an apartment versus buying a house.
When you rent an apartment, you have a low initial cost (such as a
security deposit or one or two month's rent), no long-term commitment
(month-to-month or a short-term lease), and flexibility (as your space
requirements change you simply get a larger or smaller apartment).
Contrast
this to buying a house. With a house
you have a greater initial cost (the down payment), a long-term commitment (a
30-year mortgage), and inflexibility (you can't easily move or add space).
In the same way, a hosted service, like renting, has a low initial cost,
no long-term commitment, and is highly flexible as your needs and usage level
change.
The
arguments against using a hosted service also parallel the apartment versus home
ownership debate. The downsides of
apartments are that you pay rent as long as you live there, you do not build
equity (that is, ownership), and you are often limited with what you can do to
it or with it. The advantages of
home ownership are that once it is paid for, there are no more mortgage payments
to make, you have much more freedom to make changes to the house, and it is an
investment.
Just
as there are times when it is appropriate or advantageous to rent, so it is with
using a hosted service. Conversely,
other conditions make buying the right and wise decision.
Hosted
IVR
By Chuck Raudonis
Speech recognition has such unique
challenges that it's prudent to choose a development partner for your first
application, especially considering the many different technologies available
and the potential obstacles you may encounter while developing the initial
system. Speech technology is more
complex than Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) and there is an up-front
investment, which leads some to consider a hosted solution.
Hosting allows you to cost-effectively offer customers a speech solution
without the need to build up your own speech technology team.
A hosted provider maintains the hardware and software, ensures the latest
speech software releases are being used, and continually monitors and supports
your application. Plus, you only pay
for what you use.
You should reasonably expect your
development and hosting partner to have documented expertise in the following
three areas:
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Speech
recognition IVR,
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Integrating
speech recognition applications with back-end systems and a live contact center,
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Specific
customer service needs of your product of service.
Chuck
Raudonis is Vice President, ICT Global Interactive of ICT Group, Inc., a
provider of interactive voice response, call center, and back-office business
process outsourcing solutions with operations in eight countries.
Chuck can be reached at craudonis@ictgroup.com.
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