BroadWorks ECCR Replacement: Upgrade Your Reporting Strategy

Insightful analytics and comprehensive reports are essential for running a successful business. Unfortunately, it’s easy to end up with gaps in your reporting strategy, particularly when the functionality of crucial pieces of technology changes.

For example, the most recent edition of the Cisco BroadWorks platform (Release 24.0) doesn’t include the advanced reporting functionality of the Enhanced Call Center Reporting (ECCR) service. Although many companies relied on this solution within the BroadWorks supervisor client, the ECCR was declared ‘end of sale’ in 2019.

While many organizations have continued to use the ECCR technology in previous versions of BroadWorks, updating to the latest version means you won’t have access to this tool for call center activity reporting.

What Is A Reporting Strategy?

A reporting strategy is a structured plan that defines how an organization collects, analyzes, and shares data to evaluate performance and achieve its goals. It outlines the processes, tools, and metrics used to create meaningful insights from raw data. A well-defined reporting strategy ensures that stakeholders have access to accurate, timely, and actionable information to drive decision-making.

Key Components Of A Reporting Strategy

Objectives

Clearly defined goals for what the reports aim to achieve.

Metrics

Specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with business goals.

Tools

The platforms and software used for data collection and reporting.

Frequency

The schedule for generating and sharing reports.

Audience

Identification of stakeholders who need the insights.

So, what can you do now?

We’ve put together the ultimate guide for service providers to ensure that you can access essential reporting features after updating your platform.

How To Create An Effective Reporting Strategy

Creating an effective reporting strategy involves careful planning and alignment with your organization’s goals. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure your reporting process delivers actionable insights:

Define Objectives

Start by identifying what you want to achieve with your reports. Are you measuring performance, tracking growth, or identifying problem areas? Clear objectives will guide the entire strategy.

Identify Key Metrics

Determine the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with your goals. For example, a sales team might focus on revenue growth and conversion rates, while a marketing team tracks website traffic and customer acquisition costs.

Choose The Right Tools

Select tools that suit your reporting needs, such as Google Analytics, Power BI, Tableau, or industry-specific platforms. Ensure the tools integrate well with your existing systems and provide automation features for efficiency.

Establish A Reporting Schedule

Decide how frequently reports will be generated—daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. The frequency should match the pace of decision-making in your organization.

Engage Stakeholders

Collaborate with your reports' end users to understand their needs. Ensure the reports provide the insights they need in a clear and actionable format.

Ensure Data Accuracy

Develop processes to validate and clean data before it’s included in reports. Accurate data builds trust and credibility in your reporting.

Focus On Visual Presentation

Use dashboards, charts, and visuals to make complex data easier to understand. Tools like Power BI and Tableau excel in creating intuitive visualizations.

Include Insights & Recommendations

Go beyond raw numbers. Highlight trends, anomalies, and actionable recommendations to help stakeholders make informed decisions.

Your Guide To A Real-Time Reporting Solution

While all users will be required to update to the latest version of Cisco BroadWorks, this also necessitates finding an alternative, real-time reporting solution to fill the gap left by ECCR.

Let’s take a look at some of the points to consider when searching for analytics software.

ECCR Comparative Functionality

The closer your replacement is in terms of functionality and feature options to ECCR, the easier the transition will be. Compare everything from the report types and customizations available to the metrics you can track to make sure your new analytics software has everything you need to maintain your current reporting strategy.

Real-Time Reporting

Feature parity is a minimum requirement, but why settle for “just as good” when you can have something even better? You’re already making the transition to new analytics software, so now is the perfect time to upgrade.

Consider the features ECCR didn’t offer your team, such as real-time reporting capabilities. The historical reports available in ECCR allowed customers to make broad assumptions about your company’s performance by looking at patterns and trends over a set period. Real-time reporting, on the other hand, offers detailed, highly accurate insight into what’s happening in your company at any given time.

By upgrading to software that offers real-time reports, you can make quicker decisions on how to respond to problems as they arise. Additionally, real-time performance indicators and benchmark reminders can be a great way to engage and motivate your teams for increased productivity.

Extended Insights

Access to real-time metrics is just one of the ways you can consider upgrading your analytics software as you transition away from ECCR. For instance, what if you could examine the performance of your teams in a host of environments, including the remote landscape? In the age of hybrid work, the ability to track employee productivity and communications metrics – such as the percentage of abandoned inbound calls or how many of your agents respond to calls immediately – in real-time can be a huge benefit.

A comprehensive reporting solution can also provide you with historical and real-time metrics for a more diverse, omnichannel environment. While ECCR was a helpful tool for producing voice call reports, the customer service landscape is diversifying rapidly. Today’s customers connect with businesses across a range of channels, including live chat, email, and video. Choosing an ECCR replacement that can examine all of these platforms is important for maintaining a deeper knowledge of your contact center.

Reliability, Accuracy & Support

Analytics and business metrics are essential assets for a business's success, so the accuracy of your reports should be a top priority. You need to be confident that your statistics are accurate and that your reports are reliable to make the right decisions.

Your new analytics software vendor should produce accurate reports and work with you to resolve any issues you might have. Your vendor's reliable support, including SLA results and technical expertise, will give you peace of mind when handling your data.

For guidance, check factors such as the vendor’s SLAs, responsiveness, platform downtime, and whether they offer access to online self-service resources. By learning the level of service and support your vendor can provide, you can determine the best company to forge a long-term relationship with.

Vendor Portfolio & Credibility

The start of any successful purchase often begins with the right research, which is another reason why reviewing the portfolio of the reporting vendor you’re considering working with is crucial. Are they a specialist in analytics? Do they have the right connections in the cloud communications network?

Gain answers to these questions by looking at accreditation, strategic alliances, and professional memberships to determine if this is a company you can trust. If the vendor offers a broad portfolio of solutions – aside from analytics and reporting – can you be sure the team has the right resources to manage multiple platforms? Verify that the vendor has the know-how required to deliver the quality of product and the level of support you need as your business evolves.

Pricing

While there’s more to choosing an excellent ECCR replacement than budget alone, pricing is always a significant factor in a business buying decision. Consider the licensing and billing model used by the vendor. Are there any annual, monthly, or one-off charges you need to think about? How does the pricing structure align with your business model? It’s also worth checking not just what the price is now but how often the vendor’s prices change.

Why Akixi Is The Ideal Partner For Your Reporting Solution

Migrating away from ECCR and into a new age of reporting can seem like a daunting prospect. Fortunately, with a little planning, you can find the right partner to help guide you through the process. With Akixi, you’ll get the expertise, guidance, and exceptional reporting functionality you need to compete in the modern business world.

Contact Akixi today to see how we can help you transform your reporting strategy.

Either contact your Akixi Business Development Manager directly, email us at sales@akixi.com, or call +44 (0)1293 853 060, and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.