My work focuses on contact center operations and technology, including workforce management, forecasting, staffing, scheduling, service levels and the economics of running a contact center.

I created Contact Center Zone to help contact center leaders evaluate technology against their operational requirements, using research and evidence about the available options.

Why I Built Contact Center Zone

Choosing contact center software means comparing more than features. Agent count, call volume, average handle time, service-level requirements, workforce management, CRM environment, channels, implementation needs and budget can all affect which platform fits an operation.

Contact Center Zone starts with the operation and its requirements, then considers which technology may fit.

My Areas of Expertise

My coverage includes contact center operations and technology, with a focus on:

• Contact center software and CCaaS
• Workforce management (WFM), forecasting, capacity planning, staffing and scheduling
• Erlang, service levels, average handle time (AHT) and operational metrics
• Contact center analytics, quality management and coaching
• AI customer service, voice agents, conversational AI and agent assist
• AI quality assurance, forecasting and workforce management
• CRM integrations, omnichannel customer service and customer support software
• Technology selection, pricing, total cost and ROI

How I Evaluate Technology

A feature list alone does not show whether a platform fits a contact center. Evaluation should also consider operational requirements and the evidence available for each product.

• Capabilities: What functions does the platform offer?
• Operations: Which workflows and requirements does it support?
• Workforce management: What forecasting, staffing and scheduling functions are available?
• AI: What AI functions are offered, and what evidence shows how they perform?
• Integrations: Which CRM, helpdesk and other integrations are available?
• Cost: What are the listed prices, included items and potential cost factors as the operation grows?
• Implementation: What information is available about deployment, configuration and ongoing administration?
• Fit: Which requirements or operating conditions does the available evidence address?

Independent Research and Testing

Reviews and comparisons can examine software capabilities, pricing, integrations, usability, AI functions, workforce management, operational fit and implementation information. Each review should explain the evidence and criteria used.

No platform is best for every operation. The aim is to help contact center leaders compare options against their requirements.

Start by defining what the operation needs before choosing software.

From Operations to Technology

Contact center technology decisions should account for call center operations and workforce management. Forecasting, staffing, scheduling, service levels and agent capacity connect software requirements with cost, customer experience and operational performance.

Begin with the contact center's requirements, then compare them with what each vendor's technology offers.

What You Can Expect From Contact Center Zone

Contact Center Zone covers:

• Software reviews and comparisons
• Vendor alternatives
• Pricing and cost analysis
• Contact center technology research
• AI and WFM
• Buyer guides and software-selection resources
• Calculators and tools
• Original research and data, when available

The aim is to help contact center professionals compare technology options against their operational requirements.