Call center software

	Taiwan's Chain Sea offers the e-Contact, which supports multiple log-in mode, customer degree classifi cation, WebCOM and Web Ap interface integration.

Customization, aftersales support established; developers readying for global market

Call center software developers in mainland China and Taiwan are expanding their product offerings from basic solutions to more advanced products supporting computer telephony integration (CTI) and customer relationship management (CRM). Product design and development focus has shifted from separate functions into call center management systems, covering planning, operations, quality assurance and reporting. Many of the developers in both supply markets are targeting developing economies and, as such, are providing future-ready solutions that can be adjusted to suit the current and future hardware specifications, operational scale and functional needs of customers.

Leading developers in both supply hubs have also launched own-brand total solutions to offer international enterprises competitive alternatives to branded solutions from other multinational call center companies. Many companies are boosting their customization and aftersales support capabilities to further boost their competitiveness.

Suppliers in Taiwan and mainland China are further harnessing their strengths in serving their respective local call center industries to foray into the international arena. A good number of suppliers come from hardware production background, although systems integrators (SIs) and boutique developer companies are also gaining traction in both supply markets.

Taiwan and mainland China combined have about 80 suppliers of call center software. Mainland China alone has 60 to 70 call center software suppliers, including 10 foreign-owned companies. Leading companies in the CTI line are Beijing Infobird Software Co. Ltd, Channelsoft Technology Co. Ltd and Beijing Synroute Information Technology Co. Ltd.

At present, call center software suppliers on the mainland are capable of a wide range of products, including CTO middleware, CRM software, call center management software and VoIP application software. These products are mostly applied in the finance, telecom, logistics, automotive, tourism, agriculture, aviation and government (labor and social security) sectors.

Taiwan's call center software supplier base includes four main groups: total solution providers, IP PBX suppliers, SIs and small-scale developers. There are five companies providing total CTI and CRM call center solutions. About five to 10 Taiwan manufacturers of IP PBX systems also develop software based on their own hardware. In the SI group, there are 10 to 20 companies that provide integrated services, but do not have their own software design capability. The number of small-scale software developers on the island is not tracked; these companies usually develop subcontracted modules and not entire call center software packages.

Taiwan's call center software suppliers have been focusing on the local Taiwan market, generating 60 to 80 percent of their revenue from the Taiwan market and only 20 to 40 percent from overseas clients. Most of these companies have developed customer bases in the SME, government, banking and telecom sectors. Many of them, however, have plans to expand their client base in 2008, targeting mainland China and South Asia.

Taiwan suppliers offer three main models of call center software solutions: products based solely on either PBX or IP PBX; products based on IP PBX or PBX, but requiring connection via IP PBX; and solutions based on either PBX or IP PBX, but requiring connection over a key telephone system (KTS).

Call center software based on IP PBX systems are regarded by many companies as more cost-effective than PBX-based call center software. Prices vary widely due to two key customer requirement variables: customized functions and setup scale. Roughly, however, a PBX-based solution with CTI and CRM function would be $30,300 per seat, and an IP PBX-based counterpart would be $18,180.

Most of Taiwan's CTI and CRM call center software solutions are based on Nortel M1 and Avaya PBX protocols. Software solutions usually feature multilog-in mode, customer degree separation, WebCOM and Web AP.The CTI platform requirements for call center solutions generally include Nortel Symposium Call Center Server (SCCS) 4.2 and 5.0, or Microsoft Windows Telephony API (TAPI) 3.0, Nexus CTMP Server 4.0 and CCT5.0

The OS requirements for call center solutions include over Windows 2000 Server + SP4 or over Windows 2000 Professional + SP4. The hardware requirements generally include CPUs higher than Pentium IV 1.3GHz, more than 512MB memory, Ethernet above 10Mbps/100Mbps and hard disk drive (HDD) with more than 40GB capacity. The software requirements include Microsoft SQL Server 2000 + SP3 and CTI Gateway v4.0

Chain Sea Information Integration Co. Ltd offers solutions using the first approach—software based on either PBX or on IP PBX systems.

IP PBX maker TeleSynergy Research Inc. provides software to support its systems. The company also makes PBX-based software that still requires connection via its IP PBX systems.

Hetronic Communications Inc., a new entrant, uses the third solution model in its software packages. Originally a call center headphone supplier, Hetronic began to provide CTO and CRM call center software solutions in mid-2007.

CTI technologies are at the core of modernized call centers in mainland China. Popular CTI middleware applications integrated in solutions from the area include coordination of call data between interactive voice response (IVR) and screen pop.

Call center software from mainland China are generally licensed and come with aftersales support. Suppliers usually distribute their products through agent companies or sell them directly to clients.

Although many developers are still prioritizing the fast-growing and more familiar domestic call center market, they are also exploring international growth, particularly in the Southeast Asia and Russia markets.

Looking forward, mainland China developers said that Emotional Recognition function will likely be adopted in new projects. Companies expect competition to get tougher this year, as switch providers and SIs jump onto the call center software bandwagon. Developers also expect customers' demands for function and service to tighten in the coming months.

Like prices of solutions from Taiwan, prices of solutions from mainland China vary greatly depending on project details and target applications. Infobird's CTI middleware have been widely used in the telecom, e-business, financial, postal, utilities and government sectors. In terms of CRM call center software, Beijing HollyCRM's HollyC6 has successfully entered the midrange and high-end markets in the mainland China call center software industry.

Moving forward, Internet call center and voice applications are the trends. Suppliers interviewed in this report said that a key trendsetter is Microsoft's Unified Communications (Microsoft UC) technology. The technology highlights its strengths in streamlining communications, building in protection and future readiness, increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

Another trend among Taiwan developers is to provide tools for customers to modify software processes without turning off the central system. Many suppliers are also focusing on human interface, customized software design and security enhancement.

Taiwan suppliers aim to bring their call center solutions to big enterprises with more than 500 employees. They are also setting their sights on taking a bigger slice of the global market, which is now dominated by multinational call center companies.

Currently, most Taiwan suppliers provide call center solutions for companies with less than 500 employees.