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Key points for designing an Omnichannel Contact Center

Updated: Apr 17, 2024

Key points to be considered,when designing an Omnichannel Contact center.


  1. Gather High-level Requirements.

  • Inbound Contact Centrer with self service & Conversational AI?

  • Outbound Contact Centre with an Auto Dialler & Agent transfer?

  • Blended CC Operations with Both Inbound & Outbound?

  • Digital Channels are required ( WebRTC, Webchat, WhatsApp/SMS, Social Media etc)?

  • Virtual Queuing & Call back Assist functionalities?

  • FFCR (Fast & First Call Resolution) & Customer Journey Displays?

  • Skill-based routing, Priority, Queuing, Predictive Routing

  • Single cloud for UC, CC, WFM, QM.

2. Current Pain Points/Issues in Customer Engagement platform?

  • Lack of Digital channels (Inbound & Outbound)?

  • Understand top five Customer concerns?

  • Understand CSR (Customer Service Representative/Agent) issues?

  • Not achieving organization Service Level?

  • Supervisor Issues/complaints?

  • Any Customer's Call Routing Issues (Voice/Chat/Email/SMS others)?

  • Availability issues?


3. Understand the client's approach & budget for technology investment?

  • OPEX Based/Fixed Monthly/Annually

  • Pay as you go/Consumption Model.

  • CAPEX Investment/Perpetual ownership of Licenses & Infrastructure.


4. Understand organization’s IT (Information Technology) strategy?

  • Infrastructure/Security Guidelines?

  • Inhouse Cloud/Virtual/DevOps IT team?

  • In-house development team?

  • Who can manage changes in IVR scripts, business flows etc?


5. What are High-level features required for Customer Engagement?

  • Voice Calls queuing & handling (Inbound/Outbound, Both)?

  • Virtual Queuing?

  • Call back Assist Functionality?

  • Web chat handling with Co-Browsing?

  • Emails Handling?

  • Social Media interactions?

  • Mobile App interactions handling?

  • SMS/WhatsApp inquiries handling?

  • Other Digital Channels (Apple Business Chat, Wechat, QQ, Snapchat, Viber)

  • Priority treatment Mobile callers.

  • CRM platform integration?

  • Knowledge base for agents

  • WFM, QM, Forcasting


6. Types of Automation Required?

  • Voice calls - Conversational AI (for self Service IVR)

  • Web Chat - Chat Bot

  • Email automation

  • SMS Bot

  • Fall back to Expert Agent.

7. Understand Self service (IVR functionality) required?

  • Inbound self service IVR menus (One level/ Two level/ Three levels)?

  • IVR Integration with Databases/Web Services/CRM Systems?

  • Need Conversational Artificial Analytics?

  • Call back Assist or Virtual Queuing?

  • Speech Biometrics?

  • Outbound Dialler capability with Expert Agent Transfer?

  • Post Call Surveys?


8. Requirement for Forecasting/Scheduling/Quality and Adherence?

  • Work Force management system (forecasting/planning/Scheduling)

  • Secure Voice Recording

  • Secure Voice & Screen Recording

  • Speech Analytics (Historical & Real Time), key word monitoring.

  • Sentimental analysis

9. How CSRs will operate?

  • Office Agents using Desktop ( windows/IoS).

  • Remote Agents. (Virtual (VDI), Mobile, Desktop, Hard-Phone)

  • Home Agents

  • Mobile Agents (Using Mobile App)

  • Outsourced Operations in a different Geographic Location.

  • Outsourced Quality/WFMS operations.


10. Geo Redundancy/Local Redundancy Required for Contact Center?

  • Rainy-day scenarios and Requirements?

  • Sites needing geo Redundancy.

  • Sites needing local Redundancy.

  • SBCs (Session Board controllers) & SIP Infrastructure (SIP Trunking/SIP Routing gateways) redundancy?

  • Agent/CSR Registrations back up?

  • System Management back up?

  • Active-active Trunking set up?

  • IVR/Self Services back up?

  • Chat Infrastructure back up?

  • Email Infrastructure back up?

11. Infrastructure deployment Options?

  • On-Prem – Hardware based Appliances/Own servers

  • Virtualized Options – VMware/Nutanix/Citrix/Hyper-V/Oracle/Others

  • Cloud Options – Public/Private/Hybrid

12. Calculating current Capacity & Sizing related requirements?

a. Trunks Sizing for CC ( Inbound & Outbound).

  • What is current traffic?

  • What is expected growth in next 1-3 years?

  • What is Busy Hour Traffic & AHT in busy hour?

  • If your IVR is Front ending the Agents, then how much % call completions in IVR?

  • Do you need Centralized SIP Trunks or SIP trunks at each site?

  • Do you need E1/T1 Trunks for business continuity in case of WAN outage?

b. Agents Sizing for CC.

  • Service levels?

  • Desired Agency Occupancy?

  • What is ACW (After Call work) duration in your operations?

  • Voice

  • Chat

  • Email

  • What is Agent working shift duration?

c. Mobile & Remote Agents

  • How many remote Agents?

  • Features required by Remote users.

  • How many Mobile Agents?

d. Overage Requirements (Trunking, Spare Capacity, slots, resources etc.)


13. Type of CC Agent Endpoints/Workspace/Phones Required

  • Secure Web Based Client (Agent work space) with integrated Voice & Digital Channels ( SMS, Chat, Social Media, Emails?

  • Thick Client with integrated Voice & Digital Channels (SMS, Chat, Social Media, Emails?

  • Web based Client with Soft Phone/Hard Phone (Remote Agents)

  • VDI Agents with End to End Encryption

14. Reporting Requirements

  • Historical/Real Time/Integrated Reports

  • Universal ACD Queue Status (All Digital Channels)

  • Digital Channel performance/comparison Reports

  • Detailed Navigation Reports (IVRs)

  • Agent Performance, Group Performance, Skill performance

  • Service level reports

  • Customer Journey Reports with Detailed analytics

  • After Call work, Quality Adherence, Sentimental Analysis Reports

  • Others


15. Most Important & Finally – To calculate RoI (Return on Investment) for Customer

  • Current CC Operational expenses?

  • Current CC Capital Expenses?

  • Current manpower expenses estimate?

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