If there’s anything certain in the call center today, it’s that unpredictability is the name of the game.

Forecasting models aren’t able to address sudden and unforeseen changes, such as the 2020 pandemic and its resulting impact. The ability to scale is the key to always meeting customer expectations for seamless, fast, and helpful customer service interactions.

You have a few options for scaling your call center, but what’s the best way to do so?

Adding more agents is often the first option. But hiring is expensive, slow, Introduction and challenging, especially during labor shortages. There are three other options for scaling:

• Hire a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider
• Implement an interactive voice response (IVR) system
• Deploy voice artificial intelligence (AI)

All three methods have a place in call centers and come with their unique advantages and disadvantages. In this guide, you’ll learn how BPO, voice AI, and IVRs differ and understand how to make the right decision for your contact center — and ultimately, your customer experience.