Multi-channel Access
"The development of true multi-channel communications is a competitive imperative, and the IP Telephony value proposition for contact centers is just as fundamental." - IDC
Customers love the convenience of new interaction channels such as email and chat. Increasingly, they use multiple communication vehicles to complete a single transaction. To ensure service quality and take advantage of the cost savings associated with new non-voice channels, the contact center must provide a consistent, compelling, and seamless experience across every one of them.
IDC now defines the "complete customer care environment" to include: interactive self-service, Web chat, Web conferencing, instant messaging (agent to agent, customer to agent), and co-browsing.
Older PBX and ACD hardware-based technology cannot integrate all these contact channels. Utilizing IP-based applications,
however, streamlines and routes all incoming contacts over a single, unified system. This reduces IT complexity and cost.
"The convergence of voice and data, enabled by IP, holds the promise of substantial enrichment of the customer interaction process. The current complexity in contact center environments can all be handled much more easily and cost-effectively with the implementation of IP-based infrastructure models." - IDC