Call Center Replacement Questions

[TomS]

I have a client that is looking to change out an Avaya PBX running their call center. They average 100 agents and seasonally run up to 400 agents. They are looking to retire the Avaya due to cost and maintenance issues. Their renewal costs are coming due.

Are there any recommendations from the forum as to a path to take for them. Can Asterisk/PiaF handle a call center reliably for this customer. The call center and the Internet are their lifeline.

Thanks in advance!
TomS

 

[TheShniz]

Answer: Yes, but you need to know what you're doing.

Call Centers have high line usage, so while you could squeeze 100 agents on a single box... with up to 400 and critical nature of the system, you're going to want multiple boxes without a doubt. There's alot of different ways you can do this... generally creating a cluster or distributed architecture.

If you are confident with the requirements and risk involved (meaning you believe you have the ability), I would highly suggest you take an investment and create a lab for yourself as a prototype. Not something you throw a new 'puter at, and bang it worx.

 

[wardmundy]

This is an excellent type of project for a hosted solution which can scale UP and DOWN depending upon seasonal requirements. We've never seen a dime of revenue from either of the two hosted providers so... you might want to call both of them, mention our referral and whining, and get quotes.

 

[kenn10]

Be careful when looking at replacing an Avaya system. The "Expert Agent Selection", complex vectoring, adjunct call routing, and a number of high level functions would be difficult if not impossible to replicate on an Asterisk box.

Make sure you know what you're getting into if you're replacing a complex call center. You need to understand ALL the features the client is utilizing and make sure they can be replicated on Asterisk or let the customer decide if they can do without the features.