Call center growth over the past several years has been directly dependant on hosted solutions. Because these solutions do not require the addition of hardware in correlation to the addition of workers, they offer customer service operations a unique way to continue expansion while saving on overhead. Hosted solutions also offer a central call queue independent of physical agent location means call handling can be optimized regardless of agent locations, opening up a new avenue for home based services.

Deploying a hosted call center carries a number of advantages over premised based alternatives. Operational expenditures are reduces by eliminating the need to upgrade and maintain location based hardware. Savings are also inherent in the initial purchase of the solution, as server racks and rooms are unneeded in this setup. A hosted model provides outsourced engineering and network management support, eliminating the need for staffing operational positions. Hosted solutions also avoid charges associated with general platform updates which are executed on behalf of all platform tenants.

As already discussed here, the flexibility the hosted option offers is a desirable attribute for any customer service office that intends to keep growing. Because agents can be located anywhere, you can have a limitless supply on demand if and when volume peaks arise. A product that can so easily be modified to fit the demand of an operation in a channel capacity is just as important as one that can do so for staffing.

Hosted options have become the preferred method for many smaller call centers because of these benefits, but the advantages are also evident in larger corporate environments. Wherever money is tight and the need to grow is still essential to success a hosted solution can make a huge difference in a customer service strategy.

Chris DiMarco is a Web Editor for TMCnet. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert) Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves