Much attention has been given to how a quality contact center experience can dramatically generate loyalty. Or, perhaps more accurately, how a poor customer service experience can erode loyalty. Whichever way you choose to look at it, the bottom line is that businesses must ensure their contact centers are appropriately equipped to provide first class service. IP-based communications is one way for contact centers to increase their effectiveness — just as IP
communications can improve processes at any business.
Certainly, the proliferation of SIP-based IP PBXs and endpoints has sharpened the focus on SIP-based telephony, including in the contact center space. It also has created an increase in the demand for SIP
Trunking services, which provide connectivity between SIP calls. Indeed, if you attended InGate’s SIP Trunking Workshop at January’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO in Ft. Lauderdale, you are keenly aware of the exposure SIP Trunking
has received of late — it was an SRO (Standing Room Only) affair.
The next logical step, it would seem, is to introduce SIP Trunking into the contact center environment, to further enhance the communications capabilities of customer service reps.
Aspect Software, which focuses solely on the contact center space, has reached the same conclusion, and has successfully completed interoperability testing of its contact center products with BandTel’s SIP Trunking solution. In fact, Aspect has been incorporating SIP connectivity into its solution set for some time, and has now taken the next step to providing end-to-end SIP connectivity, having seen the positive impact it can have on its clients’ businesses.
Recognizing the efficiencies that could be realized by introducing the ability to route calls directly to its contact center products, Aspect sought out the expertise of BandTel (News - Alert) to provide a compatible solution. Now, BandTel’s solution has been proven to work with all of Aspect’s SIP-enabled products. According to Aspect, interoperability with BandTel’s solution is the next step in bringing technology to its contact center customers, allowing them to increase their efficiency and improve their customers’ overall experience. In addition, SIP Trunking helps lower the cost of long distance calls, while providing improved call quality and fewer dropped connections — made possible largely through BandTel’s partnerships with many of the nation’s leading communications services providers (like XO Communications, Global Touch Telecom, Level 3, Qwest (News - Alert), Verizon Business, and others).
“BandTel is clearly at the forefront of recognizing the significant impact that SIP can bring to organizations and this interoperability offers numerous possibilities for companies that are looking to gradually or quickly move to a VoIP
infrastructure in their contact center,” said Gary Barnett, chief technology officer at Aspect Software (News - Alert).
Erik Linask is Associate Editor of INTERNET TELEPHONY, IMS Magazine, and SIP Magazine. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert), he was Managing Editor at Global Custodian, an international securities services publication. To see more of his articles, please visit Erik Linask’s columnist page.
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