Finding Your Call Center Software Cinderella
It’s that time of the year.
Those of us who watch college basketball or are sports fans in general get to witness one of the greatest sporting events of the year…The NCAA Basketball Tournament. Every sport has a national championship process, but this one is inherently different from the others that capture national attention. Hundreds of teams across the country have a legitimate path to The Dance. No one is automatically excluded due to an easy conference schedule or a single bad loss. Win your conference tournament, and you’re in. 6 wins away from victory, regardless of name recognition or superstar players.
Certainly, the tournament tends to be dominated by perennial favorites. Schools like Duke and Kentucky have established themselves as basketball powerhouses and are almost always considered legitimate contenders for the title. There are schools that make strong showings for several years and then fail to make the tournament for several years after. And of course, there are the underdogs that are given a chance to shine, and frequently do. Each year has its share of unlikely victors, of Cinderella stories that capture the hearts of the nation regardless of the damage they do our office bracket pools.
This is mirrored in the call center software industry. Several large organizations almost always find themselves in the mix as companies evaluate vendors, and they deserve to be in that conversation the same way the big basketball schools have earned their seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Large marketing budgets and established leadership positions in the industry keep them at the top of most lists. There are tech companies who once held those leadership roles in the past and still show up for consideration occasionally but are not the sure things they once were. Then there are the upstarts – the 16th seeds, if you will – that have put in the work and have earned their way into the discussion.
When UMBC knocked off #1 seed Virginia in the opening round last year, we were reminded that sometimes a lesser-known contender can outperform the big guys. UMBC had the goods and the drive to earn their place in the next round, and this is frequently true of the smaller software providers. Loyola-Chicago made it to the Final Four as an 11 seed, causing many to speculate they had been underestimated due at least in part to lack of name recognition. They may not have had the press, but they had the talent. This is true of so many middle market cloud call center software providers as well. They can match or surpass the larger companies (often at a significant cost savings) but they aren’t always given the opportunity because their names aren’t as recognizable.
Just as in March Madness, the contact center technology industry is full of all different kinds of companies that range from the well-known to the unknown, but given the right circumstances anyone can win a game.
The thing that often separates a good team from a great team is not just individual talent but the ability to cohesively work together towards a win. I love the game of basketball because even the most talented team can be defeated by disciplined, team-oriented playing. Coaches matter, talent matters, but in the end the team that comes together every time they step on the court is typically the one that wins. Likewise, these smaller software companies often find themselves fighting an uphill battle and have learned that the best weapon is exceptional quality from top to bottom.
Who doesn’t love a Cinderella story?
If you need some help on your brackets, I recommend picking a 5-12 upset or two and watching plenty of ESPN commentary in preparation. If you need help finding the right cloud contact center software that fits your needs, then contact us immediately. We’ll make sure your next technology selection is a slam dunk.