Build Vs Buy Contact Centre
Karen has over 18 years’ experience in IT, committed to delivering solutions and services to enable organisations to be more productive in the workplace.
She is passionate about rugby and outdoor activities such as hiking and biking and also spends a lot of time in the gym, participating in spin classes.
Favourite quote: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” -Benjamin Franklin
Build Vs Buy Contact Centre
When an organisation is looking to implement a new contact centre (CC) application, there is always a tough decision to build a solution or buy an off the shelf package?
Building your own solution requires dev-ops resource, but the end result is that you get more control over the features, functionality, and usability of the solution, which can deliver real operational benefits.
Out of the box requires IT resources to deploy and support, but the features and functionality already exist within the application, and compromises may need to be made to adapt working practices to fit.
An out of the box solution can be more cost-effective as there is no development investment required, and it is quicker to deploy. However, what are the capabilities and costs of adapting the solution over time. Once you have committed to a vendor, could you become beholden to them and trapped in the platform. Below is a quick table of the advantages and disadvantages of the buy route.
Advantages
- Quick implementation
- More cost-effective in the short term
- You can try before you buy
- The application comes with support documentation and training
- Vendors are specialists in their field, allows your organisation to focus on the core business activity
Disadvantages
- Expensive in the long-term
- Limited flexibility- processes may have to change
- Paying for features that are not used
- Difficult to make any changes
Building a CC solution looks like an expensive option at the beginning, but in the long term, the organisation will benefit from the investment by providing their team with a tailored application that has been developed with the knowledge of the business needs and is industry-specific, which in turn will increase productivity and provide a competitive advantage.
Technology has revolutionised the way that developers are able to build CC solutions, providing access to sophisticated platforms and tools that are used as building blocks to enable them to build applications at speed and with flexibility.
Advantages
- The application is built to your business specification
- Flexible approach in comparison to an out of the box application
- The application that is built using turnkey technology and secure, resilient platform
- Better quality of maintenance, support quality and ability to make changes quickly
- Gives a competitive advantage
Disadvantages
- Expensive in the short term, investment in development resource
- Requires specialist developer knowledge
- A strict documentation policy is required
The build v buy discussion is a positive quandary to have in an organisation, it means that the team are thinking about the processes within the business and what will be the best outcome to be more productive and profitable.
What will you do buy or build?
