gartner multisite contact centers

Publication Date:June 27, 2002

Research Brief

Multisite Contact Centers: Today and TomorrowAbstract: The multisite contact center findings from a Gartner Dataquest user study aresummarized, and include recommendations to end-user decision makers and vendors.

By Drew Kraus

Key Issue

How do enterprises select and implement voice communications and contact centerapplications, and how must vendors position themselves to be successful?

Recommendations

■ Enterprises considering implementing networked contact centers must weigh avariety of factors, including present and planned multisite applications, networkrouting methods and vendor offerings.

■ Contact center vendors must demonstrate a proficiency in multisite networks todefend their respective installed bases.

■ Enterprises considering opening additional contact centers must also weigh theoption of establishing centrally supported satellite contact centers.

■ Vendors wishing to fulfill clients' work-from-home needs must provide referenceaccounts and guidance for managing those agents.

2 Multisite Contact Centers: Today and Tomorrow

©2002 Gartner, Inc. June 27, 2002

IntroductionMultisite network routing methods have been a part of the contact centerlandscape for many years and are in widespread adoption today. Thereare a variety of network routing methods, not all of which are mutuallyexclusive. Some predominant routing methods include:

■ Interflow — In which calls are received and queued at one site, andother networked sites are periodically polled to determine if anappropriately skilled agent is available, in which case the "reserved" callis delivered to that agent

■ Interqueue — In which calls are received and queued at one site, and a"placeholder" is delivered to the appropriate queues at networked sites,such that the call is simultaneously queued at multiple sites. When anappropriately skilled agent becomes available at any site, that agent is"reserved" and the call is delivered to the agent. Internet Protocol (IP)-based networking typically follows this method.

■ Pre-routing — In which the call is intercepted by a Network ServicePoint (NSP) server in the public switched telephone network (PSTN)before it is delivered to a contact center site. The NSP then polls allnetworked sites and delivers the call to the most appropriate agent orqueue throughout the network.

■ In-Network routing — In which calls are received and queued in thenetwork, and delivered to the appropriate agent (either behind anautomatic call distribution [ACD] or based on skills definition stored inthe In-Network router) only after the agent becomes available, thusavoiding transmission charges while the call remains in queue

■ Satellite contact centers — In which one or more remote centers aredriven by queuing and routing logic being run at the main contactcenter site. These satellite centers may or may not be able to continueoperating if the connection to the main site is severed.

■ Work-from-home agents — In which agents can work in a location thatis physically separated from all other agents, but is logged into thecontact center and able to receive contacts and be monitored by thesame reporting functions as agents located at the main site

As part of a User Wants and Needs survey completed in the secondquarter of 2001, Gartner Dataquest asked respondents about their use ofmultisite contact center functionality and their current and planned use ofremote staff centers and work-from-home agents.

MethodologyIn March and April of 2001, Gartner Dataquest conducted a telephonesurvey of 112 contact center decision makers in North America regardingtheir present and future contact center infrastructure and decision-influencing criteria. The target population was divided to garner relatively

3


equal distribution between small sites (less than 400 PBX lines) vs. largesites (400 or more PBX lines).

Networking Questions and AnswersAs a part of the survey, respondents were asked whether their companyhad an ACD system at more than one location. Those respondentsindicating that they had multiple ACD systems in the enterprise wereasked whether the ACD systems at the remote location(s) were of the samebrand as the ACD at the local site, and whether calls can be automaticallytransferred to other locations or queued on more than one system.

Of the 112 valid survey responses, Gartner Dataquest concluded thefollowing:

■ Fifty-two percent indicated that they had ACD systems in two or morelocations, including 48 percent of small sites and 56 percent of largesites.

■ Of those with multiple ACD systems, 69 percent indicated that thesystems were of the same brand, including 67 percent of small sites and71 percent of large sites.

■ Of those indicating multiple ACD systems, 69 percent indicated thatcalls could either be automatically transferred between systems orqueued at multiple sites, including 77 percent of small sites and 61percent of large sites.

Respondents were also asked what percentage of agents presently eitherwork from home or in a satellite call center office supported by the localACD system. Respondents were further asked what their expectationswere for support of work-from-home agents or satellite call centerssupported by the local ACD system in two years.

Of the 112 valid survey responses, Gartner Dataquest concluded thefollowing:

■ Seventy-eight percent indicated that they did not support work-from-home agents or satellite contact centers, including 82 percent of smallsites and 72 percent of large sites.

■ Eleven percent indicated that between 1 percent and 10 percent of theiragents either work from home or in a satellite contact center, including11 percent of small sites and 12 percent of large sites.

■ Eight percent indicated that more than 10 percent of their agents eitherwork from home or in a satellite contact center, including 6 percent ofsmall sites and 10 percent of large sites.

■ Three percent indicated that they did not know.

Going forward, the same 112 respondents indicated that in the next twoyears:



■ Forty-six percent indicated that they did not support work-from-homeagents or satellite contact centers, including 52 percent of small sites and38 percent of large sites.

■ Twenty-three percent indicated that between 1 percent and 10 percent oftheir agents either work from home or in a satellite contact center,including 23 percent of small sites and 24 percent of large sites.

■ Twenty-one percent indicated that more than 10 percent of their agentseither work from home or in a satellite contact center, including 21percent of small sites and 20 percent of large sites.

■ Eleven percent indicated that they did not know.

Gartner Dataquest Perspective and RecommendationsMultisite networking (primarily ACD systems) is a well-accepted practicein contact centers, with a variety of existing and emerging routingmethods supporting this functionality. Enterprises consideringimplementing networked contact centers must weigh the advantages anddisadvantages of various networking methods. These companies shouldnote, however, that IP-based networking is poised to become thedominant networking method in the future because of its benefits ofsuperior routing, reporting, monitoring and administration capabilitieswhether supporting multisite networks, satellite centers or work-at-homeagents. These benefits result from the ability to support any agent with anIP connection as though they were located at the main site and to sharerouting schemes and reporting tools easily across multiple sites. IP-basednetworking can also lower transmission costs for multinational networks.However, while most contact center vendors offer some form of IP-basednetworking, many offerings are not fully developed and implementationof these networks has yet to reach mainstream adoption. Enterprisesconsidering some form of networked implementation should evaluate thereadiness of their existing networks to support these implementations andconsider initial technology trials.

Issues enterprises must consider in selecting a vendor and method formultisite networking include whether they have ACDs from multiplevendors in their contact center environment, what networking options areavailable from their vendors, and whether they want to bring anothervendor into the mix. Enterprises must also consider the extent to whichtheir needs include load balancing between sites, distributing skill groupsacross sites, or whether they are supporting a "follow the sun" strategy.Establishing a multisite road map early will help ensure that theappropriate options are available when needed. In addition toinvestigating the appropriate technology options, look for strong supportorganizations in all relevant territories from the competing vendors.Contact center vendors must constantly stay aware of their clients'multisite requirements as establishing a need for networked centers canhelp to keep competitors out of the installed base. Reference accounts willbe key to validating claims of multiregional support, especially whenselling through multiple, indirect channels.

5


With 54 percent of respondents indicating that they expect to have at leasta portion of their agents working from home or in satellite offices, the needto establish appropriate metrics and business practices (including agentmonitoring, training, motivation and compensation) will be critical toensuring successful implementations. Phased implementations includingtechnology and policy trials will help ensure that total cost of ownership(TCO), return on investment (ROI) and agent retention goals (amongothers) will be achieved.

Vendors wishing to fulfill clients' multisite needs must not only be readyto provide reference accounts, but also provide best-practicerecommendations for managing those centers and agents. The ability toarticulate a credible strategy for IP-based networking, including productand support issues, for installed base and new customers will be critical tovendors' long-term success.


This document has been published to the following Marketplace codes:

TELC-WW-DP-0189

For More Information...In North America and Latin America: +1-203-316-1111In Europe, the Middle East and Africa: +44-1784-268819In Asia/Pacific: +61-7-3405-2582In Japan: +81-3-3481-3670Worldwide via gartner.com: www.gartner.comEntire contents © 2002 Gartner, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in any form without priorwritten permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable.Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Gartner shall have noliability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. The readerassumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressedherein are subject to change without notice. 107500

gartner multisite contact centers

Technology