When it comes to outfitting a call center, only the largest companies get to take a “best of breed” approach, choosing the most appropriate components from multiple suppliers, then hiring integrators to tie it all together. Small and medium-sized companies generally turn to full-service telecommunications resellers who offer complete call center systems from multiple manufacturers, or dedicated dealers who specialize in one manufacturer’s offerings.

These call center systems vendors typically carry integrated hardware and software packages since the call center software is dependent on the phone system hardware. In most cases, you’ll be pressured to upgrade your phone system to get access to the software features. Be prepared for this – either be open to a phone system upgrade, or be ready to stand your ground and only look for software that can work with your existing phone system.

Other providers offer call center systems that are independent of your phone hardware. This is almost always the case for hosted solutions, and some on-site vendors offer call center software that integrates with existing PBX systems or switches. If you go this route, make sure you know which vendor is responsible for integrating the separate systems.

While connecting to your phone system can be the tricky part, connecting to your existing databases is generally easier. The vendor you choose will analyze your situation and give you the specifics, but integration with SQL, Oracle, and other popular databases is usually straightforward.

Evaluating call center systems
Simply checking off features and specifications on a checklist won’t give you enough information, so most vendors will show you the software in action. Whether it’s in-person or via a web conference, a live demo will give you better sense of the software. Again, try to include someone from IT, the call center manager, and a “regular” agent in these demonstrations.

Online providers will sometimes give you a username and password to log in to a sample account. This gives you the freedom to evaluate the system on your own without a salesman looking over your shoulder.

If you're looking to slash costs while you add powerful new communications and call-support capabilities, look into open source solutions. For example, open source call center platforms based on the Asterisk open source PBX are now available from several different sources. Open source solutions can offer the full features of proprietary software at dramatically lower prices.