INDIANAPOLIS--BenchmarkPortal, a national research firm specializing in contact center best practices, published its survey results last month showing contact center preferences for “all-in-one” (or “unified”) versus “multi-point” communications systems.
Among the key survey findings, the report showed that all-in-one systems were preferred over multi-point systems based on their ability to support additional applications with virtually no modification or integration issues, and for their ability to lower administrative costs by reducing support staff by a full 25 percent.
“Our findings show that, in general, all-in-one communications systems contain the same core ‘best-of-breed’ applications required by contact centers as their multi-point counterparts, and that they come with the advantages of fewer interfaces, lower support requirements, simplified management, and easier access to performance data across applications,” said BenchmarkPortal research analyst, Bruce Belfiore.
Additional survey results showed that the majority of CTO and IT departments are inclined toward, or favor, all-in-one systems over multi-point systems, and that the former have become more attractive over time.
Also uncovered by the survey were key contact center technology trends, which showed post call surveys, Web chat, and multimedia queuing as the most likely applications to be deployed over the next 12 months.
The BenchmarkPortal survey, sponsored by global business communications software developer, Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq:ININ), was conducted via the Web by polling the research firm’s contact center performance database -- the world’s largest with more than 25,000 global members representing 43 different industry sectors. Of these, BenchmarkPortal identified 249 that fit the profile by number of agents and having deployed either, an all-in-one system, or a multi-point system, with the total sample size representing both types of systems about equally.
BenchmarkPortal’s Web-based survey, which received a 26 percent response rate, was also supplemented by several in-depth phone interviews and on-site visits.
Systems composed of products or applications acquired from third-party vendors, despite being marketed as single “all-in-one,” “unified,” or “suite” solutions, were qualified as multi-point systems due to their multi-box architectures.
“Interactive Intelligence is a true all-in-one solutions provider that has been a leader in this space for more than a decade through constant innovation and improvement,” said Dr. Jon Anton, adjunct professor at Purdue University’s Center for Customer-Driven Quality, and co-researcher for this survey.
“We value BenchmarkPortal’s research as an objective way to gain insight into the benefits, challenges, and differences our architectural approach offers compared to multi-point solutions,” said Joseph A. Staples, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Interactive Intelligence. “We believe the contact center market as a whole has witnessed a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests increasing advantages of open, single-platform, software systems, however, these survey results reveal detailed metrics that underline and give meaning to this trend, and not from vendors or industry ‘experts,’ but from the people that count – the end-users.”
To view the complete survey results, visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=232662756594.
About BenchmarkPortal
BenchmarkPortal is the custodian of the Purdue Research Foundation database of contact center performance metrics, the largest such database in the world. The data is collected in conjunction with the Center for Customer-Driven Quality™ at Purdue University. In 2005, BenchmarkPortal received U.S. Patent #6,877,034 for its unique methodology of call center performance evaluation through metric gap analysis. BenchmarkPortal provides industry reports, and professional services for contact centers in the areas of operational metrics, customer satisfaction measurement, and agent satisfaction measurement. For more information about BenchmarkPortal, call +1 805.614.0123, extension 50, or visit our Web site at: http://www.BenchmarkPortal.com.
About Interactive Intelligence
Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq:ININ) is a global provider of business communications software and services for contact center automation and enterprise IP telephony. The company was founded in 1994 and has more than 2,500 customers worldwide. Recent awards include the 2006 Network World 200, CRM Magazine’s 2006 Rising Star Excellence Award, Network Computing Magazine’s 2006 Well-Connected Award, and Software Magazine’s 2006 Top 500 Global Software and Services Companies. Interactive Intelligence employs approximately 500 people and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company has five global corporate offices, with additional sales offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +1 317.872.3000 or
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