"Developing a clear strategy for the use of voice over IP (VoIP) should be on every Customer Service Director's 'to-do' list for 2007. By the end of the year it will be too late."

VoIP functionality and usage is growing rapidly. If you doubt it, it's worth remembering that Skype now regularly has over 6m users on line at any one time. New functionality just available means Skype is available even without a computer-based internet connection. And of course...Skype is not alone.

I suspect we'll see significant penetration of VoIP usage to mainstream consumers this year. And with it will come a challenge to the whole idea of paying for network usage. If this happens, premium rate numbers will come under particular threat as consumers seek added value in the end product, rather than the means of accessing it.

Many contact centres are now using VoIP technologies internally. But they need to extend this to the consumer interface. Alongside this, they also need to work through the relevance of using the extended functionality VoIP offers. For example, could it be used to provide visual product demonstration linked to a voice call? Would online repair and maintenance be easier if the agent could 'show' as well as 'explain'?

Beyond this, the video capability of VoIP is improving all the time. But this brings further implications for contact centre agent recruitment, training and working environment.

There's a risk that all this adds up to little more than the latest techno-gimmick. To avoid that, start thinking about the issues sooner rather than later.

We offer some 'top-tips' for getting the most out of your contact centre operations in CallCentre Helper. Follow this link...