Open Source and IP Telephony: Myth Busters, Best Practices and Real Life Application in the Contact CenterKelly Duerr, Senior Product ManagerTom Chamberlain, Director Business Process Marketing

AgendaMyths about open sourceBest practices for leveraging open source softwareApplications in the Contact Center

Open Source ConceptOpen-source software is software that is built and enhanced through public collaboration.

It is free and it gives the user access to the source code.

Open Source AdvantagesEconomics lower costs to try and implement

Free market analogy:Minimal central planningCommunity of self-interested developersNecessity is the mother of inventionFeatures and fixes follow community (market) needs

Quick time to market, short development cycle

User Transparency results in quick fixes to problemsGiven enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow (E. Raymond)

Open Standards

If supporting company dies, software lives on

Separating the Myths from the Realities of Open Source softwareMyth or RealityOpen Source projects are chaotic environments, loosely managed by hackers

The facts areOpen Source is another means of developing software

Separating the Myths from the Realities of Open Source softwareMyth or RealityOpen source projects are free

The facts are..Open source projects are not free

Separating the Myths from the Realities of Open Source softwareMyth or RealityOpen source applications are not secureThe facts areCount the eyes

Separating the Myths from the Realities of Open Source softwareMyth or RealityFinding support is a problem for open source projects

The fact isSupport contracts is one of the key means of generating revenue

Separating the Myths from the Realities of Open Source softwareMyth or RealityThe only driver of open source adoption is cost

The fact isCost is a factorFlexibilityControl

Separating the Myths from the Realities of Open Source softwareMyth or RealityOpen source projects typically lack documentation

The fact isFormal Documentation can be an issueOn the other hand

Open Source Telephony is Changing the Way Customers Think About Contact Centers

Drivers of IP Adoption in the Contact Center Very dynamic processes and practicesVery consistent processes and practices

Choosing the Appropriate Voice Transport

VoIP Investment IndicatorsBusiness will invest its scarce resources, in areas which generate the greatest return (value)PBX technology has become a commodity (Multiple suppliers of essentially the same product)Flexible, cost effective infrastructure alternatives exist in the form of Open Source IP PBXsOpen Source IP PBX is changing the way customers think about investing in the contact center

Disruptive Technologies Have Been Beneficial to the Contact Center

FIRST ACDAutomated customer service and incoming sales

FIRST WFMAgent forecasting and scheduling

FIRST DIALERAutomated collections and telemarketing

FIRST CTI IMPLEMENTATIONIntegrated data and telephony

FIRST VIRTUAL OUTBOUNDBusiness ContinuityFIRST UNIFIED ARCHITECTUREReduced Complexity

PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATIONIntegrated WFM and KPIs199619811973198019832000

Open Source IP PBXs Have Gathered MomentumOver 2,500 Asterisk downloads per dayEstimated over 1 million Asterisk installationsCompetitive replacementsSupport by major corporations

Common Characteristics in Each of These Disruptive EventsBigger,Better,Faster,Lower Cost

Contact Center Myths and Realities

What Do World Class Contact Centers Really Need to Be Successful? Myths?

Customers Want a Totally Open Flexible SolutionCustomers Want a Really Powerful Application Programming InterfaceAsterisk Can Solve Any IP PBX Business ProblemAsterisk Is Free

The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact Centers Customers Want a Totally Open Flexible Solution

And no wonder!Inflexible infrastructureSlow to reactCostly implementationSpecialized expertise

The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact CentersFlexibility is not enoughConsumer emphasis on agent empathy and advocacy skillsLeverage automation and standards to deliver a consistent customer experienceMinimal delays and agent empowerment tools improve efficiencyReality: Customers need a standard feature set the optimizes customer contact

Myth Busters: The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact CentersCustomers Want a Really Powerful Application Programming Interface

And why shouldnt they?Long lead timesComplexityBusiness ContinuityExtensibility

Myth Busters: The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact CentersPowerful can be dangerousTechnology solutions must be predictableTime to market critical to stay competitiveChange management and repeatability Reality: Customers Need to Bring Products and Services to Market Quickly While Maintaining Solution Stability

Myth Busters: The Role of Open Source IP PBXs in World Class Contact CentersAsterisk Can Solve Any IP PBX Business Problem Can you be more specific?Many PBX features are seldom usedProprietary solutions are expensiveLack flexible alternatives

Myth Busters: The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact CentersMust leverage existing investments where appropriateTarget common components and vendor neutral standards (SIP)Tie innovation to tangible business goalsIncrease investment in features that drive customer satisfactionReality: Customers Need Solutions that Integrate Well With Legacy Business Environment

Myth Busters: The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact CentersIt is Free! Is it really free?

Getting the technology setupManaging the technologyRepeatability

Myth Busters: The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact CentersOur customers business depends on it!Validated solutions with zero downtimeTraining and ongoing support criticalUtilize rapid/agile development to speed time to marketReality: Customers Expect Products that Are Enterprise Ready and Fully Supported

Bottom Line

Myth Busters: The Role of Asterisk in World Class Contact CentersRealities PBX functionality has become a commodityOpen Source IP PBX is another beneficial disruptive technologyOpen Source IP PBX provides businesses control and flexibility at a reduced costIts about having the ability to chooseOpen Source IP PBXs can change the way you think

Myth Busters: The Role of Open Source IP PBX in World Class Contact CentersAsterisk helps world-class contact centers utilize open source telephony to balance consumer demands with the realities of the bottom line.Differentiate products and services to drive customer loyaltyDeliver basic reliable telephony at a cost-effective priceAddress gaps in consumer satisfaction vs. key interaction criterionConsistently deliver consumers to knowledgeable empowered agents

Myth Busters: The Role of Asterisk in World Class Contact CentersKelly Duerr, Senior Product ManagerTom Chamberlain, Director Business Process Marketing

The open source community has learned that this rapid evolutionary process produces better software than the traditional closed model, in which only a very few programmers can see the source and everybody else must blindly use an opaque block of bits.

The open-source model has a lot to offer the business world. It's a way to build open standards as actual software, rather than paper documents. It's a way that many companies and individuals can collaborate on a product that none of them could achieve alone. It's the rapid bug-fixes and the changes that the user asks for, done to the user's own schedule.A way to build open standards as actual software, rather than paper documents. Open-source software is peer-reviewed software; it is more reliable than closed, proprietary software. Mature open-source code is as bulletproof as software ever gets.The open-source model also means increased security; because code is in the public view it will be exposed to extreme scrutiny, with problems being found and fixed instead of being kept secret until the wrong person discovers them. And last but not least, it's a way that the little guys can get together and have a good chance at beating a monopoly.

The open source community has learned that this rapid evolutionary process produces better software than the traditional closed model, in which only a very few programmers can see the source and everybody else must blindly use an opaque block of bits.

The open-source model has a lot to offer the business world. It's a way to build open standards as actual software, rather than paper documents. It's a way that many companies and individuals can collaborate on a product that none of them could achieve alone. It's the rapid bug-fixes and the changes that the user asks for, done to the user's own schedule.A way to build open standards as actual software, rather than paper documents. Open-source software is peer-reviewed software; it is more reliable than closed, proprietary software. Mature open-source code is as bulletproof as software ever gets.The open-source model also means increased security; because code is in the public view it will be exposed to extreme scrutiny, with problems being found and fixed instead of being kept secret until the wrong person discovers them. And last but not least, it's a way that the little guys can get together and have a good chance at beating a monopoly.