When choosing call center software, businesses should be like drill sergeants. You know how drill sergeants in movies run their white-gloved fingers across surfaces to check for grime, or grill the recruits on their knowledge of military topics? This is the type of relentless focus businesses should direct towards their software selection process.
The equivalent of the white glove treatment takes place during the demonstration phase when vendors show how their software meets the organization's requirements. Chances are good that just about any respectable call center software product will meet 75-85% of a business's needs. But what about the other 15-25%? That's often where attention to detail is most crucial. Pull out those white gloves and do a thorough inspection!
As to grilling the vendors, that needs to be done, as well. Not only do organizations need to understand the call center software solution, but they also must find out more about their potential long-term partner. This may include asking tough questions about, for example, the vendor's financial health or how they will prioritize support requests.
Boot camp, where drill sergeants reign, is a very soldier-centered process. A main purpose of boot camp is to instill disciplined habits and teach fundamental skills so that the soldiers will fare well in battle.
Although not a life or death situation, there is also a very important group of people that should be firmly in the center of any call center software selection process - customers. Sure, operational and financial results are also important considerations, but it's really customer experience (CX) that should be star of the selection show. Get that right and the positive business results should follow.
An organization's customers won't even know what call center software they are using, but they'll certainly feel the effects. Choosing the right platform takes a drill sergeant's unabashed love for detail. Your customers will reward you for it.