If there is one thing you can count on in the software development business, it is that ‘change is inevitable, change is constant’, in both technology and market needs. Evidence of this can be seen in the number of legacy call center systems that are being sent to the scrapyard having reached end-of-life. The world has moved on; out with the old, in with the new!
So what is the best approach to managing sustainable software development and steering effectively in a constantly changing environment?
In a word: separation. Separate and isolate and modularise as much as possible, both between functional processing units as well as between processing and user interface (UI) modules.
The major reason for separating processing modules into discrete but interlinking functional units is that they can then easily and quickly be modified, or even removed and replaced. This could be for a number of reasons, e.g.
- Upgrade – as functionality is extended and efficiency increased, the user can take advantage of the latest version
- New technology – as technology changes, it can be quickly incorporated into new modules, completely replacing the old
This approach safeguards investment and avoids a visit to the scrapyard.
It is worth noting that in order for separate units to function properly, it is essential for all APIs to be clear, consistent, well defined and well documented.
An additional benefit of this is that the functionality for any set of modules could be provided either by a single or multiple vendors. Given the individuality and complexity of contact center topologies, this ability to integrate with other applications is essential.
Also worth noting is that the technology providing the functionality is irrelevant. Components could be built using C++, C#, Java, whatever.
With regard to user interface and application control, with the evolution of the web over recent years, the focus on standards has moved away from the installed application toward delivery via HTTP. This effectively means a combination of HTML and Javascript
Being able to deliver UI over the web brings a number of benefits. Firstly, it enables the back-end processing to be run from literally anywhere with an internet connection. Secondly, it means that the UI
- can be run on a thin client
- can be embedded within a 3rd party UI/ web page in an almost limitless number of ways
- look and feel can be changed (skinning)
- can be 3rd party branded
- is instantly replaceable
- is easy to manipulate and customise, because it uses standard technology
Just as society at large has moved beyond ‘just throw it away’ to ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, so software development has moved toward sustainability that will change with the times and adapt to market requirements. Beats a visit to the scrapyard, doesn’t it?
Note:
On reading the title of this blog, you may have thought ‘But there is no such thing as future-proof software development!’ You are probably right, but without heading in the general direction outlined here you may never even get close.
What We Offer
Sytel Limited develops and supplies Softdial Contact Center® (SCC) – multimedia, multichannel, fully blended cloud contact center solutions.
Available by subscription as CCaaS, fully managed and supported by Sytel, or for quick and easy deployment by partners and enterprise users.
All Sytel cloud components are secure, resilient and scale seamlessly from 10 agents to 10,000+, whether local, mobile or remote.
Flexible Contact Center Software
Softdial Contact Center™ – rich functionality, all-in-one, designed to deliver at scale
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Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)
CCaaS for subscribers – global service, with no upfront costs
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Contact Center Platform – CCaaS Partners
Build your own CCaaS business using the power and flexibility of Sytel software
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Contact Center Platform – Enterprise
High performance platform to drive contact center productivity – cloud, on-premise or hybrid
Blended Media Desktop
Fully customisable, multi-channel, multi-session workspace
Work Anywhere
Browser-based tools, no software installation required
Customise, Localise, White Label
Design all user interfaces to individual requirements
Integration via APIs
‘Swap out’ components and integrate with 3rd party apps
World Class Development
Continuous evolution pushing technical boundaries
Capabilities
Softdial Contact Center™ (SCC) is designed to be flexible, extensible and scalable, integrating with any legacy equipment, and meeting the most complex of requirements.
All Media Channels
Voice, chat, email, social, etc – fully integrated and blended
Agent Multi-Tasking
Work with multiple live contact sessions of any media channel
Dynamic Workforce Management
Optimise agent usage and balance workloads in real-time without human intervention, across all media channels
Predictive Dialing
Best-of-breed performance under compliance
Optimised Inbound Routing
Smart rules and ‘best-available’ decisions to drive great customer service
Agent Scripts
Help agents achieve and maintain excellence
Voice and Screen Recording
See and hear exactly how agents are interacting
Analytics and Data Feeds
Measure and evaluate performance at every level
IVR, Bots & Conversational AI
Design effective automated flows or integrate with 3rd party providers
Customer Journey Tracking
Stored customer contact history, to aid routing and add context to conversations
Modules
Drive operational efficiency, increase customer satisfaction & improve agent performance
Softdial One™
Highly flexible unified web UI for agents, supervisors and administrators
Softdial Scripter™
Create complex process flow scripts for agents, IVR, chatbots and other applications
Sytel AI Dialer™
Maximum predictive dialing performance, under any compliance rules
Softdial Pathfinder™
Precise routing rules for ‘best available’ connection
Softdial Media Server™
Core telephony functions to manage all inbound/outbound SIP calls
Softdial Reporter™ 5
Fully customisable performance stats, charts and reports, across all channels
Softdial Publisher™
Comprehensive data output to build your own reports
Softdial Recording Monitor™
Audio and screen recording of agent activity to ensure the highest standards
Softdial Campaign Manager™
Automation to optimise any outreach strategy
Softdial Repository™
Central storage and configuration of common resources
Sytel Global Compliance™
Flexible ‘no contact’ rules to protect contact center and consumer
Solutions
Performance and efficiency for a wide range of business applications
By Business Type
Enterprise
A full featured contact center software solution, designed for optimum performance at scale
Small/ Medium Business
Options for SMBs to subscribe to our full-featured cloud service managed and hosted by either one of our partners or by Sytel themselves
By Industry
Customer Service
Connect quickly to well equipped agents
Market Research
Best-of-breed predictive dialing with CATI integration
Debt Collection
Automated inbound/ outbound blending integrated with any debt management app
Sales & Telemarketing
Maximise agent productivity with best-of-breed predictive dialing
Healthcare
Secure, highly-configurable multichannel communications for excellence in patient care