The build vs. buy decision is a crucial choice faced by contact centers as they seek to enhance customer experience and optimize their operations. This decision involves determining whether to develop a custom solution in-house or purchase an existing one from a vendor. In this Q&A, Praveen Ravela, CTO at AMC Technology explains the nuances of the build vs. buy dilemma specifically within the realm of contact centers. By examining the pros and cons of each approach and providing valuable insights, we aim to assist contact center leaders in making informed decisions that drive success in their operations.
Q: What does Build vs. Buy mean to you?
Ravela: To me, Build vs. Buy is more than just deciding whether to build or purchase a solution. When it comes to contact centers, organizations are deciding between “build and maintain” versus “buy and integrate.” It’s not just about the upfront cost, but also the cost of maintenance and ongoing development.
Q: Why is Build vs. Buy such a critical decision for organizations?
Ravela: Contact Centers are traditionally cost centers, so saving and maximizing resources is critical for organizations. The decision to Build vs. Buy is a strategic one and should take into account factors such as the organization’s available resources, the problem they are trying to solve, and the cost.
Q: In what situation would an organization benefit from buying a solution?
Ravela: There are situations where buying a solution makes sense, such as when there are off-the-shelf proven integrations available. This can speed up time-to-market and allow the contact center to focus its resources on its core differentiators. Other situations where buying a solution might be beneficial include too many requests overwhelming the internal team, avoiding trial and error, and not having the competency for strategic product management or software development.
Q: In what situation would an organization benefit from building a solution?
Ravela: Building a solution can be beneficial when the integration is specific to the contact center business and a third-party would not be able to build an integration without involving the internal team.
Q: If an organization decides to build a solution, why would they still bring in DaVinci?
Ravela: We have customers who have built one-off integrations resulting in spaghetti code [Typically, spaghetti code occurs when multiple developers work on a project over months or years, continuing to add and change code and software scope with optimizing existing programming infrastructure] over time, to a point where every change request takes them six months to rollout. In these cases, they have adopted our DaVinci platform and were very successful building solutions on it. The platform provides a flexible and scalable solution that can be customized to meet the specific needs of each organization, while also leveraging the expertise and experience of a trusted vendor. This allows organizations to build and maintain solutions without sacrificing time or resources.
As the contact center industry continues to grow, companies are faced with the challenge of choosing between building or buying solutions. While there are pros and cons to both approaches, it’s clear that solutions like DaVinci can help organizations find the right balance. By providing a customizable and scalable platform, DaVinci can help companies enhance their customer experience while also meeting their unique business requirements.
