“It is well documented that an Internet-based lifestyle is driving customer behavior, and expectations, and that success in today’s economy requires increased responsiveness to those expectations.”

Hard to argue with that. And to better understand that, TMC (News - Alert) offered a recent Webinar exploring the fact that as the front-line to customers, call centers are being tasked to deliver more; to be better.

The Webinar, titled “The End of On-Premise Call Center Software,” is available for free. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Many enterprises, Webinar officials said, are still using technology in their call centers that was introduced prior to the Internet consumer revolution. This Webinar examines the real-world technology evolution that will actually help call centers deliver success, and finally answers the question – How do I do that?

Presenting was Troy Bryant, the Dialer Administrator at Vivint with responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the dialer as well as maintaining an efficient call center environment. Prior to joining Vivint, he worked for Prosper, and he has worked with business icons like Robert Kiyosaki and David Bach.

Bryant hit good points on how to be a more informed buyer -- research the market. And that’s not just a Google (News - Alert) search, talk to your peers -- “I’m a firm believer in talking to the soldiers in the trenches,” he noted. Talk to trade associations.

After you do that, evaluate the vendor, by studying proposals, maybe arranging an on-site visit if it’s feasible, and don’t be afraid to pilot. “If you’re torn between one company and another, ask to test a pilot edition. Then after your decision is made, implement the full product.”

Also presenting was Todd Eby, VP Professional Services with Five9 (News - Alert). With over 15 years of call center consulting experience, he has a wealth of industry knowledge and best practices, some of which he shared in the Webinar.

And as far as evaluating products goes, Eby advised, “Really look at what you get for your money. For the price of a seat, you should be looking at ‘Do I get inbound call routing? Do I get IVR? Do I get a dialer and customizable reporting?”