Lync in the Contact Center: Sans Question MarkLync in the Contact Center: Sans Question Mark
From an internal help desk to a full multi-channel contact center, contact center applications are beginning to be deployed with Microsoft Lync.
February 23, 2012
From an internal help desk to a full multi-channel contact center, contact center applications are beginning to be deployed with Microsoft Lync.
Last month I wrote here that Lync was only slowly beginning to make its way into the contact center. As if spurred by my lack of enthusiasm, in the past couple of weeks two of the handful of vendors with contact center solutions that work with Lync have issued press releases on deployments.
January 31st, in conjunction with the announcement that Zeacom Communications Center (ZCC) for Lync was generally available, the company announced its first reference customer. Spotless Group, headquartered in Australia, having installed Microsoft Lync for 600 head office staff, has implemented ZCC for the company's payroll helpdesk.
Spotless reports that it piloted and moved its ZCC-powered contact center from the company's old PBX to Lync in less than four weeks. Spotless had already been using Zeacom's contact center solution on its legacy PBX; ZCC is often deployed with Avaya and NEC systems. After the Lync environment was stabilized for UC users, Spotless was able to move the application from the old PBX to the Lync environment.
While ZCC for Lync has only just gone GA, Zeacom has been introducing beta versions of the solution to partners (and their customers) around the world for almost a year. From their home base in New Zealand, to Australia, the UK and the US, Zeacom is working with both existing and new Microsoft-centric distributors.
Today Aspect announced that Golfbreaks.com, a UK-based travel company, has chosen the company's Unified IP and workforce optimization solutions to be deployed with Microsoft Lync and Dynamics CRM. Aspect will work with a Dell project team to integrated its applications on top of Dell servers. Routing of voice calls using Aspect technology has already gone live at Golfbreaks, with CRM, web chat, voice, email, call recording and blended interaction for agents handling multiple channels, due to go live later this summer.
Notice that Dell will be working with Aspect on the Golfbreaks.com implementation. A new relationship between Dell and Aspect was also announced today. Aspect solutions are available immediately as part of Dell’s Unified Communications portfolio world-wide.
From an internal help desk to a full multi-channel contact center, contact center applications are beginning to be deployed with Microsoft Lync. Note that both of these implementations are outside the U.S., one in APAC and one in EMEA. It doesn't seem to be a coincidence.
