According to a recent Gartner report, “…wide-scale adoption of VoIP by mission-critical mainstream call centers will occur in 2005–2006, and because migration to VoIP takes time, the planning should begin now.” IP contact centers have arrived. VoIP solutions are an efficient, effective way to facilitate multi-channel customer interactions across an enterprise-wide network — and if properly assessed, planned, implemented, and operated, converged IP contact centers can yield substantial cost savings and significant architectural flexibility to address strategic business imperatives. In this panel discussion, the presenters will explore the essential steps to creating a converged IP contact center that supports business requirements.

Come hear a group of industry leaders debate and discuss the relative merits of their IP Contact Center solutions and the overall state of the IP Contact Center industry. This double session promises to be a lively, engaging look at what the industry leaders have to say about their products and their competition. This unique opportunity enables interested parties to get live information directly from the “horses’ mouths” as attendees will be given an opportunity to ask the panel their own insightful questions. Past shootouts have covered topics as diverse as the benefits of transitioning to IP in the contact center, offshoring, remote agent strategies, and more.

Some suggest that offshoring is the best answer for corporate America’s cost reduction. And the call center continues to be a major business unit that is offshored to benefit from labor cost savings available in other countries. However, leading industry analysts estimate that 80% of those companies who chose to offshore call centers to control costs will fail to do so. Others believe that the practice of outsourcing contact centers is a viable one, when considering reducing operating costs, educational qualifications, work ethic, service-oriented workforce, scalability, 24/7 coverage, and more. This session will be an interesting look at both sides of the argument: To outsource or not to outsource? That is indeed the question.

This session will present a real-world case study of IP Contact Center deployment by the Dallas Cowboys organization. Come hear how this NFL team is taking advantage of IP contact center technology to facilitate efficiency, cost savings, and more. If you’re sitting on the bench in regards to deciding to implement IP in your contact center, you can’t miss this opportunity to get in the game and learn from the pros. Bring your questions!