The market is awash with vendors promising users the earth and it pays to choose carefully.
Is upgrading your contact centre's digital infrastructure on the agenda for 2026? For scores of Australian businesses and organisations, the answer is yes.
For some, it's an overdue move that follows months and years of limping along with yesterday's technology – legacy on-premises software that doesn't enable agents to deliver responsive, multi-channel support to customers, suppliers and partners.
Others have twigged to the fact that their contact centre is much more than just an information hub. In the digital era, it's the beating heart of the organisation and their primary interface with the world.
Thus, an investment in systems and processes that enable agents to respond to and resolve enquiries quickly and well is an investment in customer experience – the X factor that, in today's times, can determine whether a business sinks or swims.
A decision that matters
Against that backdrop, choosing the right contact centre platform – one that harnesses the power of AI to supercharge productivity and support agents to deliver a superlative customer experience – is more than important. It's critical.
Chief among the factors to be considered when you go to market is how easily and well each of the various contact centre platforms you're evaluating will integrate with your existing ICT eco-system.
While it's rare to find a vendor these days that doesn't purport to have open architecture, some platforms may offer more native integrations, making them simpler and more cost effective to get up and running.
Understanding the importance of orchestration
Also, well worth investigating: exactly how seamlessly each vendor's data orchestration layer works. The reason this matters is because an AI-powered contact centre platform is only as good as the data it ingests.
If, like many organisations, your data is dispersed across multiple repositories – think chatbots, social media and your finance and CRM systems, to name a few – having an effective means of pulling it together is critical.
While vendors of AI-powered contact centre solutions may all claim to have this nailed, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. That's why it pays to demand hard evidence, in the form of case studies, reference sites and testimonials from businesses of similar size and scope to your own, about how the solutions you've shortlisted are working in situ.
Considering all the costs
And then there's the cost to consider. AI-powered contact centre platforms fall into the category of emerging technology and that means there's no common pricing model. Some vendors take a consumption-based approach while others charge on a per user basis.
That makes it tricky to compare like with like – and to ascertain exactly how much you might end up paying.
Looking into set-up and maintenance charges and mapping out the total cost of ownership for each of the solutions you're considering is your best chance of avoiding budget overruns and beef with your supplier over the bills down the track.
Avoiding implementation dramas
Unless it's a household name brand with an inhouse IT team numbering in the hundreds, there's a fair chance your organisation won't have the capacity for an inhouse deployment
If that's the case, you'll need a partner – a systems integrator that's invested in your success, and preferably one that can bring change management expertise as well as technical nous to the table.
That's why it makes sense to ensure any vendor you're thinking of working with is aligned with a clutch of well credentialled local partners that can manage the implementation and provide responsive support after your new platform goes live.
Seeking expert advice
Making the right procurement decision is far from straightforward, particularly if your organisation doesn't have a leader who understands the complexities of the contact centre environment.
Enlisting the assistance of independent specialists – contact centre consultants who have up-to-date knowledge of the market and can share insights into how other businesses are tackling the challenges of deploying AI-powered technology – can be a sensible move.
Drawing on their expertise will help you chart the right path forward for your organisation and ensure your investment in AI-powered contact centre software delivers positive outcomes and measurable value.
Investing in the infrastructure that will drive future growth
In today's times, a contact centre platform is much more just another solution to add to your tech stack. It's critical business infrastructure that will underpin your organisation's success in the years ahead. Investigating the options thoroughly will help you choose technology that meets your needs, now and into the future. If you're serious about maintaining profitability and growth, it's worth investing the time and resources necessary to get it right.
