For a variety of reasons, today’s contact centers need to record many of the transactions that go on between agents and customers, and even internally between agents/agents and agents/managers. Regulations, policies and efficiency all dictate the necessity of recording.

 

When deciding which contact center recording solution to choose, organizations may start by scratching their heads. The right solution will, of course, strike a good balance between features and robustness and value/ROI. Several key factors should be considered during the selection process.

 

One of those factors is, of course, the cost of the solution. This doesn’t just mean the upfront expense of purchasing software and hardware needed to run it; it also should include a long-term evaluation of upkeep and training. An overly complex system that requires a lot of training likely won’t fit the bill. Neither will a solution that requires large investment in hardware.

 

Once it’s determined that a particular solution is within restraints of the organization’s budget, the next thing to consider is how flexible the offering is. It may very well fill the needs of the organization today, but what happens when regulations or policies change? Is the solution flexible enough to keep up with the changing contact center landscape? Does the vendor take a proactive approach to development?

 

Another factor is how easy or complex the contact center recording solution is to administer. It should feature centralized administration tools that are intuitive for someone familiar with desktop computer applications and the Web.

 

Finally, you should consider whether the contact center recording solution under scrutiny fits within the organization’s virtual call center strategy. To stay competitive, many organizations are now using virtual call centers with home-based agents. If this is currently in practice at your organization, or you think there is any chance it might be a future initiative, consider how well the contact center recording solution will fit into those plans.