The rationale behind using SIP for a contact center has multiple aspects. SIP is projected to provide the following: - Flat communication routing infrastructure based on standards:
- Making multi-site connectivity is much easier
- Supports distribution: Branch, Home Agents etc.
- Interoperable components: Phones, Gateways etc.
- Native support for multimedia/multimodal communications:
- Collapse voice, IM, video into single framework; easier to apply uniform policies across media.
- Consolidated multimedia/multimode clients for agents
- Broadband/3G-ready; supports customers connecting over IP
- Support for Presence and Events:
- SIP network enables easy propagation of presence events between components – end-points and applications
- Potentially provides a basis for simpler design of contact center policy engines
- Potentially provides a basis for richer services e.g. resident expert
- Easier integration of context with communication (CCI):
- Context (URLs or in-line data) can be transported with signaling for communication sessions – simplifies CTI
To show where SIP can simplify a call from a customer to a contact center, see the accompanying figure. In step 1, a call is placed from a customer to a contact center. This call may be from a simple telephone, or it may be from a voice+video phone such as a 3G cellphone in Europe or Asia. In either case, the call can be routed to a self-service system which prompts the caller via voice (and optionally via screen displays) for their desired routing choice, for their account number, PIN, and the like. Once that information is collected, if the customer has not been completed served by thee system, the call is then routed in step 2 to an agent who can help the customer. As part of the call transfer, during call set up, SIP permits the self-service system to directly communicate with the agent’s desktop computer to pass along any or all information collected up to this point. This is a significant simplification over current PBX/CTI approaches to screen pops. If in the course of the agent’s work with the caller, the agent may need the help of a supervisor. Step 3 shows the call being extended to a supervisor position, once again with all information collected by the self-service system and by the agent up to this point. This permits the supervisor to see the complete context of the call to this point. Finally, the caller may require the services of an expert in the company outside of the call center staff. In this case, Step 4 shows using presence based on SIP to determine which experts may be available, and then in Step 5 transferring the call outside of the contact center to an expert—once again using SIP to transmit all context information of the call up to this point to the resident expert.
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