OnState Launches "Total Solution" Offering for Customer Contact Center for Skype
OnState Communications have been evolving their Skype-based on-demand call center offering over the past year. Launched a year ago to provide basic voice contact, they added an "open" chat capability last summer. As a result call center agents could communicate with prospective or current customers via Skype, PSTN and/or chat sessions (and could escalate chat sessions to a voice session). However, as they built their customer base, they found three new requirements:
- a need to provide customers a full service call center launch in terms of setting up Skype accounts and acquiring any Skype-related hardware such as Skype phones and/or headsets
- toll-free number call-in for customers responding to OnState's clients' broadcast or print media campaigns, and
- local dial-in numbers for Canadian clients who could not obtain SkypeIn numbers
Yesterday OnState launched their total solution for OnState clients that provides one-stop shopping to not only acquire the core call center services but also offer:
- Skype account setup and management
- US and international coverage in over 30 countries;
- Skype-compatible hardware (phones, headsets, etc.)
- PayPal™ easy-payment plans for all call center needs
- accessibility to advanced customer contact management solutions;
- voice, video, and business chat capabilities;
- reduced operational costs at industry redefining prices;
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Web integration including click-to-call, automatic call-back, and online chat
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streamlined customer communications; and
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improved customer management.
“Our new storefront actually creates a new business model – the on-demand, pay-as-you go call center,” explained Pat Kelly, CEO and cofounder of OnState Communications. “We offer one-stop shopping that spans toll-free telephone numbers, advanced call center capabilities and accessories, and Skype-compatible products,” continued Kelly. “Within minutes rather than days or weeks, businesses can launch a call center or customer contact management solution that delivers end-to-end customer service – all from a single site.”
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The integration of Skype services and offerings with the OnState CallCenter for Skype gives businesses a single, unified source for customer service at an industry-redefining price. Unlike traditional call center solutions where businesses contract and manage any number of vendors including network, hardware, system, and software providers, OnState CallCenter customers have a single point of contact for all call center and contact management. “OnState customers eliminate the complexities and costs of dealing with multiple technology providers,” said Pat Kelly, CEO and cofounder of OnState Communications.
OnState's evolution represents another entrepreneurial, co-operative effort between Skype and its partners to provide a disruptive offering that results in both a less expensive and more effective business process incorporating Skype infrastructure and Skype API's. Whereas previously call centers typically required a minimum six figure investment for the required hardware, OnState's solution provides the same or even additional functionality for $30 per agent per month with no subscription required. By providing this end-to-end one-stop offering, they simply make implementation of their solution a quicker exercise that also saves their clients associated implementation overhead costs.
Previous posts:
- Memo to Skype CEO Candidates: An Interview That Nails What Skype Can Be. OnState CEO Pat Kelly interviewed by AuctionBytes Ina Steiner.
- A Primer for Skype's Direction - Skype's Extras Gallery and Developer Partner Program
- Getting the Story Right: Whose Call Center for Skype Was Introduced?
