Platform or Point Solution: Which one is right for you?

When you have to make a change to your contact center, you’re faced with a lot of decisions. First off, you have to choose – do you build a custom solution or buy prepackaged software?

You might think that choosing to buy new software is the easiest path forward. But when you decide to buy new contact center software, you’re faced with an even larger decision – just what the heck are you supposed to buy, anyway?

There’re thousands of vendors selling even more thousands of products. From Gartner leaders to fledgling startups, each vendor promises that their solution will solve all your problems. How do you narrow down the field to make sure you’re getting what you need? One way is to decide: do you want a contact center platform or a point solution?

What’s the difference?

Simply put, a contact center platform is a large-scale solution that is designed to do many things, serve many people, and be rolled out quickly. A point solution is a piece of software that is designed to solve a single, specific problem.

Contact center platform: Your Base of Operations 

A contact center platform is a solution that handles everything: customer contacts, WFM, reporting, and more. This is your main contact center software. Think along the lines of Genesys, NICE CXone, or Talkdesk. These are solutions that provide basic (and advanced functionality to all your agents. When you buy a contact center platform, you’re essentially buying a new contact center.

These platform solutions are not as customizable but are typically managed by the vendor. This means that they take off a huge burden from your team: the vendor manages updates, helps with integrations, and leads you through implementation.

Who should buy a contact center platform?

Go for a contact center platform if…

• You have lots of problems you need to solve
• You want to re-design multiple facets of your contact center
• You have relatively straightforward demands
• You’re buying a solution that will be rolled out to all users, regardless of role

Point solution: The Perfect Fix for Your Biggest Problem

If a platform is a large base of operations, a point solution is a much smaller purchase. A point solution is typically a standalone piece of software that integrates with the tech stack. This software is designed to solve a specific problem. It might not offer global functionalities for all users, but it helps you refine and improve your contact center with an element of control.

Point solutions are great if you want to bolster a specific function (such as reporting, transcription, or WFM), but don’t want to drastically redesign your contact center. There are a lot of great solutions out there for nearly any problem. Unfortunately, they often come with a bit of higher demand on your team, as they may require more coding or work to integrate with your existing ecosystem.

Who should buy a point solution?

Start searching for a point solution if…

• You have one or two problems or inefficiencies in your contact center that are causing you a lot of grief
• You want to bolster a specific team or function of your contact center
• You can easily integrate new software into your contact center ecosystem
• You’re happy with your basic platform but wish it had a few extra bells and whistles

Choosing what you want to buy helps you find the best solution. 

If you’re still not sure what to buy, we can help. At CXponent, we’re experts at translating customer goals into technical solutions. We can help you choose between a handful of contact center platforms, or help you sift through the endless sands of point solution software.