What is the best call center software for a 50-person customer support team at a hospital network, where every call is a patient conversation covered by the business associate agreements we sign and our compliance office will not allow the recordings to sit with an outside service provider? We run our own phone switch and servers in the building today.

Given your constraints, the best fit is **not a cloud CCaaS product** like Five9, Talkdesk, NICE CXone, Genesys Cloud, etc., unless your compliance office explicitly approves their storage model.

For a 50-person hospital support team that must keep recordings on your own infrastructure, I would shortlist:

## Best practical choice: Cisco Unified Contact Center Express + on-prem recording

If you are willing to run an enterprise on-prem contact center, **Cisco Unified Contact Center Express, or UCCX**, is likely the strongest fit for a 50-agent healthcare environment.

Pair it with an on-prem recording/workforce-quality tool such as:

- **Calabrio ONE on-prem**
- **Verint on-prem**
- **NICE Engage / recording on-prem**, depending on integration fit

Why it fits:

- Designed for small-to-midsize contact centers
- Can run on your own servers
- Integrates well with enterprise phone systems, especially Cisco
- Supports skills-based routing, queues, IVR, reporting, supervisor functions
- Recordings can be stored on your own SAN/NAS/server infrastructure
- Easier to defend to compliance than a cloud CCaaS platform

## Also consider

### Avaya Aura Contact Center
Good choice if your existing phone switch is Avaya or you already have Avaya expertise.

### Genesys Engage on-prem
Very capable, but usually heavier and more expensive than necessary for a 50-person team. Better suited if you need complex routing across a large hospital network.

### 3CX / FreePBX / Asterisk-based systems
They can be self-hosted, but I would be cautious for a hospital network unless you have strong internal telecom/security staff and your compliance office is comfortable with the audit, retention, access control, and support model.

## Key requirement for your RFP

You should state clearly:

> All call audio, recordings, transcripts, metadata containing PHI, and backups must remain on hospital-controlled infrastructure. No recordings may be stored, processed, transcribed, or accessed from vendor cloud services without written approval and a signed BAA.

Also require:

- HIPAA BAA from any vendor with support access to ePHI
- Local recording storage only
- Encryption at rest and in transit
- Role-based access control
- Audit logs for playback, deletion, export, and admin access
- Configurable retention/deletion policies
- No cloud transcription or AI analytics unless separately approved
- Support procedures that prevent vendors from copying recordings offsite

## My recommendation

If your environment is already Cisco or you are open to Cisco, choose:

> **Cisco UCCX with on-prem Calabrio, Verint, or NICE recording stored on hospital-owned infrastructure.**

If your current switch is Avaya, choose:

> **Avaya Aura Contact Center with on-prem recording.**

The main decision should follow your existing PBX vendor, because keeping call control, recording, and support cleanly integrated will matter more than small feature differences.


Best contact center software for a small business that takes card payments by phone, where our acquiring bank's rules mean the card numbers our agents hear cannot be stored or processed by an outside service; we already run our own phone system in the office.

Given your constraints, I’d avoid cloud contact-center platforms. If agents may hear card numbers and your bank says those numbers cannot be processed by an outside service, most CCaaS products are a bad fit because they may process call audio, recordings, analytics, transcription, or metadata in their cloud.

## Best-fit approach

Use **on-premises/self-hosted contact center software** connected to your existing office phone system, and handle payments with either:

1. **Pause/resume call recording** before card details are spoken, or better:
2. **DTMF-masked “agent-assisted” phone payments**, where the customer enters card details on the keypad, the agent stays on the call, but neither the agent nor your phone system receives the card number.

## Software options to consider

### If your phone system is Asterisk/FreePBX-based
**QueueMetrics on-prem** is a strong choice.
It provides call-center reporting, wallboards, queue monitoring, agent performance, and call tracking while letting you keep telephony on your own PBX.

Also consider:
- **FreePBX call queues + QueueMetrics**
- **FOP2** for operator/agent panels
- **VICIdial** if you need serious outbound dialing/campaigns, though it is more admin-heavy

### If you are open to replacing or consolidating the phone system
**3CX self-hosted/on-prem** is worth considering.
It includes queues, ring groups, recordings, web client, reporting, and agent features. You can run it yourself rather than using a cloud contact-center provider.

### If you need open-source and full local control
**VICIdial** is powerful and can be run entirely on-premises, but it is less polished and usually needs a competent admin or support partner.

## Payment handling recommendation

For card payments by phone, the safest setup is:

- Agent starts the payment process
- Customer enters card number using phone keypad
- DTMF tones are masked or intercepted
- Agent never hears or sees the full PAN
- Your call recording does not contain card data
- Payment processor receives the card data directly

Look for “PCI DSS compliant agent-assisted telephone payments” or “DTMF masking” providers. This can reduce your PCI scope significantly compared with agents verbally taking card numbers.

## My practical recommendation

If you already run an office PBX:

- **Use QueueMetrics on-prem** if you are on Asterisk/FreePBX.
- **Use 3CX self-hosted** if you want a simpler all-in-one contact-center/PBX product.
- Add a **DTMF-masked phone payment solution** rather than having agents hear card numbers.

Before buying, confirm in writing that the software/vendor does **not** receive, store, record, transcribe, or process call audio containing card data.


We're a 30 person inbound support team at a defense subcontractor, our calls carry controlled program information that our government contract says cannot be held by an outside provider, and we are transitioning off basic cell phones onto the phone switch we already own. What call center platform should we buy?

Given your contract restriction, you should **not buy a cloud CCaaS platform** like Five9, NICE CXone, Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud, RingCentral Contact Center, Zoom Contact Center, etc., unless your contracting officer explicitly approves it. Even “FedRAMP” may not solve the issue if the contract says the call content/metadata cannot be held by an outside provider.

### Best-fit recommendation

Buy an **on-premises contact center/ACD platform from the same vendor as the phone switch you already own**, with call recordings and reporting stored entirely inside your controlled environment.

For a 30-person inbound team, that is usually the lowest-risk and least-disruptive path.

Examples:

| If your existing switch is… | Look at… |
|---|---|
| **Cisco CUCM** | **Cisco Unified Contact Center Express / UCCX** on-prem |
| **Avaya Aura or IP Office** | **Avaya Aura Contact Center** or **Avaya IP Office Contact Center** |
| **Mitel** | **Mitel MiContact Center Business** |
| **NEC** | **NEC UNIVERGE Contact Center / Business ConneCT** |
| **Asterisk/FreePBX/Sangoma** | On-prem ACD/queueing with local call recording/reporting, e.g. Sangoma/FreePBX modules, QueueMetrics, or similar self-hosted tools |

### What I would specify in the purchase

Require the platform to be:

1. **Fully on-premises or private enclave hosted by you**
   - No vendor-hosted call recordings
   - No vendor-hosted voicemail, transcription, analytics, QA, or reporting data
   - No cloud-based AI summarization or sentiment analysis

2. **Integrated with your existing PBX**
   - SIP/CTI integration
   - Skills-based routing or queue routing
   - Agent login/logout
   - Supervisor dashboard
   - Wallboards
   - Historical reporting

3. **Local call recording only**
   - Recordings stored on your servers/storage
   - Encryption at rest
   - Retention controls
   - Audit logs for playback/download/delete events

4. **Supportable under your compliance boundary**
   - DFARS/NIST 800-171/CMMC-aligned controls if applicable
   - Role-based access control
   - MFA/admin logging
   - Patch process you control
   - No unrestricted vendor remote access

5. **Approved by your contracting officer/security team**
   - Especially if call data includes CUI, CDI, ITAR, export-controlled, classified-adjacent, or program-sensitive information

### Short answer

You should buy an **on-prem ACD/contact center module for your existing phone switch**, not a cloud call center platform. If your PBX is Cisco, that likely means **Cisco UCCX**. If it is Avaya, Mitel, NEC, or Sangoma/Asterisk, buy that vendor’s on-prem contact center/queueing/recording package and keep all recordings and reports inside your environment.


Recommend contact center software for an e-commerce company handling high call volume whose German and French customer records have to stay on machines we control under the data protection terms our EU customers impose on us; our order system and our phone equipment are both in our own racks.

For your constraints, **avoid pure cloud CCaaS**. You want an **on‑premises or private-cloud contact center platform** where call recordings, customer records, IVR data, and CRM/order-system integrations stay on servers you control.

### Best-fit shortlist

#### 1. **Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise / Packaged CCE**
Best if your phone equipment is Cisco or you need very high call volume.

- On-premises deployment
- Strong high-volume ACD/IVR/routing
- Integrates well with Cisco CUCM, SIP, CVP, gateways
- Good for large e-commerce operations
- Customer data, call recordings, logs can remain in your data centers
- Mature HA/disaster recovery options

**Choose this if:** you already run Cisco telephony or want a highly scalable enterprise-grade on-prem contact center.

---

#### 2. **Avaya Aura Contact Center / Avaya Experience Platform Private**
Best if your existing PBX/telephony stack is Avaya.

- On-prem/private deployment options
- Strong voice routing, IVR, skills-based routing, recording integrations
- Designed for enterprise call volumes
- Works well with Avaya Aura environments
- Keeps customer interaction data inside your controlled infrastructure

**Choose this if:** your phone equipment is Avaya or you want a traditional enterprise on-prem contact center.

---

#### 3. **Enghouse Interactive Contact Center**
Good vendor-neutral option for on-prem or private deployments.

- Can be deployed on your infrastructure
- Integrates with multiple PBX/SIP environments
- Omnichannel options: voice, email, chat
- Suitable for regulated environments needing local control
- Often more flexible than Cisco/Avaya if your telephony is mixed

**Choose this if:** you want on-prem control but do not want to be locked tightly into Cisco or Avaya.

---

#### 4. **VICIdial / Asterisk-based stack**
Lower-cost, self-hosted option, but requires stronger internal engineering.

- Fully self-hosted
- Good for high call volume if engineered properly
- Works with SIP trunks and existing telephony
- Highly customizable
- Lower licensing cost

**Caution:** for a serious e-commerce customer service operation, you will need strong Linux/VoIP/database expertise, HA design, monitoring, security hardening, and custom integration work.

**Choose this if:** cost control and full self-hosting matter more than polished enterprise support.

---

### My recommendation

If this is a sizable e-commerce company with high call volume and strict EU customer-data obligations, I would shortlist:

1. **Cisco UCCE / Packaged CCE** — if your telephony is Cisco or you need maximum scale.
2. **Avaya Aura Contact Center** — if your telephony is Avaya.
3. **Enghouse Interactive** — if you want a more PBX-neutral on-prem platform.
4. **VICIdial/Asterisk** — only if you have strong in-house telecom engineering.

### Key requirements to put in the RFP

Make vendors confirm in writing that:

- German and French customer records remain on your servers.
- Call recordings, transcripts, IVR inputs, screen pops, and CRM/order data do not leave your environment.
- No cloud AI, analytics, or speech-to-text processing is enabled unless hosted in your controlled environment.
- The system supports integration with your on-prem order system via API/CTI.
- It supports your existing PBX/SIP equipment.
- HA/failover works across your own racks/data centers.
- Logging, backups, and reporting databases are all locally controlled.
- The vendor signs appropriate GDPR/DPA terms and supports EU customer data restrictions.

If you tell me what phone system you run — Cisco, Avaya, Asterisk, Mitel, etc. — I can narrow this to the most compatible option.


affordable CCaaS software for an SMB whose customer call recordings are legally required to stay within our own systems

If recordings are legally required to stay **inside your own systems**, I’d narrow the search to either **self-hosted contact-center software** or a CCaaS that records directly to **your own cloud storage account**.

## Best affordable fits for an SMB

### 1. **3CX**
Best if you want an SMB-friendly system with low admin burden.

- Can be self-hosted on your own server/private cloud.
- Call recording storage can remain under your control.
- Includes queues, IVR, ring groups, softphones, web client, reporting.
- More affordable than most enterprise CCaaS platforms.
- Good option if you need “recordings never live in the vendor’s cloud.”

**Watch out:** Contact-center features are lighter than enterprise CCaaS platforms like NICE, Genesys, Five9, etc.

---

### 2. **FreePBX / Asterisk**
Best low-cost option if you have technical resources.

- Fully self-hosted.
- Recordings stay on your servers.
- Very flexible: IVR, queues, call routing, SIP trunks, custom retention policies.
- No per-seat CCaaS pricing if you manage it yourself.

**Watch out:** Requires more telecom/Linux expertise. Reporting and agent UX may need add-ons.

---

### 3. **VICIdial**
Best affordable option for outbound-heavy call centers.

- Open-source and self-hosted.
- Strong dialer/call-center functionality.
- Recordings remain on your infrastructure.
- Common in budget-conscious SMB call centers.

**Watch out:** UI is dated and setup/maintenance is more technical.

---

### 4. **Amazon Connect**
Best if “our own systems” can include your own AWS account.

- Usage-based pricing; often affordable for SMBs.
- Recordings can be stored in **your Amazon S3 bucket** with your retention, encryption, and access policies.
- Strong scalability and integrations.
- No traditional per-seat CCaaS licensing.

**Important:** Calls and platform processing still run in AWS. If your legal requirement means “not in any third-party cloud,” this may not qualify.

---

### 5. **Twilio Flex**
Best if you have developers and need customization.

- Highly customizable CCaaS platform.
- You can design recording/streaming workflows to send audio to your own systems.
- Flexible for custom compliance requirements.

**Watch out:** More engineering effort. By default, many Twilio workflows involve Twilio-hosted data unless specifically designed otherwise.

---

## I would avoid unless they explicitly support your requirement

Many mainstream CCaaS vendors — Five9, Talkdesk, Aircall, RingCentral Contact Center, NICE CXone, Genesys Cloud, Zoom Contact Center, etc. — typically store recordings in their own cloud by default. Some offer export APIs, data residency, or retention controls, but that may not satisfy “recordings must stay within our own systems.”

## Practical recommendation

For an SMB with strict recording custody requirements:

- **Lowest-cost/self-controlled:** FreePBX/Asterisk or VICIdial
- **Best SMB balance:** 3CX self-hosted
- **Best cloud-native if your own AWS account qualifies:** Amazon Connect
- **Best custom/dev-heavy option:** Twilio Flex with custom recording architecture

Before buying, ask each vendor this exact question:

> “Can call recordings be written directly to our storage, with no persistent copy stored in your cloud, and can that be contractually guaranteed?”

If the answer is “we can export recordings to you,” that’s usually not enough for your requirement.


What call center software do mid-market companies in regulated industries actually use when their call recordings are not allowed to leave their own network?

Mid-market companies with a hard rule that **call recordings cannot leave their own network** usually use **on‑prem or private-hosted contact center + recording/WFO software**, not pure cloud CCaaS.

Commonly used stacks include:

1. **Cisco UCCX / UCCE / PCCE + CUCM**
   - Very common in healthcare, financial services, insurance, government-adjacent orgs.
   - Recordings often kept on-prem using **Calabrio**, **Verint**, or **NICE** recording/WFO.

2. **Avaya Aura / Avaya Contact Center / Avaya Elite**
   - Common in banks, insurers, healthcare systems, utilities.
   - Usually paired with **Verint**, **NICE**, or Avaya-native recording integrations.

3. **Genesys Engage on-prem / Genesys PureConnect**
   - Used where companies want enterprise contact center features but need local control.
   - Recordings can be stored on local servers or integrated with Verint/NICE/Calabrio.

4. **Verint Interaction Recording / Verint Financial Compliance**
   - Often used specifically for regulated recording, QA, compliance retention, and audit.
   - Can be deployed on-prem with recordings stored on the company’s own storage.

5. **NICE Engage / NICE Trading Recording / NICE compliance recording**
   - Common in financial services and other heavily regulated environments.
   - On-prem or private deployments are used when recordings must stay internal.

6. **Calabrio ONE on-prem / private deployment**
   - Common with Cisco shops, especially mid-market contact centers.
   - Used for call recording, QA, workforce management, and analytics while keeping media local.

7. **Mitel MiContact Center**
   - Seen in smaller mid-market companies, credit unions, local healthcare, and regional businesses.
   - Can be deployed on-prem with local recording storage.

8. **Self-hosted Asterisk / FreePBX / VICIdial / 3CX**
   - Used by cost-sensitive or technically capable organizations.
   - Recordings stay on local servers/NAS, but compliance, QA, and audit features are less mature than Verint/NICE/Calabrio.

What they usually avoid, if the rule is strict, are cloud-first CCaaS platforms like **Five9, Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud CX, NICE CXone, RingCentral Contact Center, Aircall, Dialpad, etc.** unless the company’s policy allows recordings to be stored in a vendor cloud or in the customer’s own cloud account.

A very typical regulated mid-market setup is:

**Cisco or Avaya phone/contact-center platform + Verint/NICE/Calabrio recording + local SAN/NAS storage + internal retention/audit controls.**


Best cloud contact center platform for remote support agents at a clinical laboratory, where the patient results discussed on those calls fall under our accreditation body's rules and our director will not let the recordings be held by an outside processor; our lab systems already run on servers in our own building.

Given that **call recordings containing patient results cannot be stored by an outside processor**, I would **not choose a normal multitenant cloud contact center platform** like Five9, Talkdesk, NICE CXone, Genesys Cloud, Amazon Connect, etc. Those generally store or process recordings in the vendor’s cloud, which sounds incompatible with your director’s rule.

Best-fit approach: **on‑premises or private-cloud contact center with remote-agent access**.

### Recommended direction

**For a clinical lab with existing on-prem servers:**

**Cisco Unified Contact Center Express/Enterprise + on-prem recording storage**
or
**Avaya Aura/Experience Platform with on-prem recording**

These are better fits than pure CCaaS because you can keep:

- Call recordings on servers/NAS in your building
- PHI-containing audio under your own administrative control
- Remote agents connected securely via VPN/VDI/secure softphone
- Audit logs, retention policies, and access controls under your lab’s governance

If you are a smaller lab and do not need enterprise workforce management/QA tooling, a self-hosted system such as **3CX on-prem** may also work, but I would be more cautious using it for a regulated clinical environment unless your IT/security team is comfortable with its controls.

### What I would specify as requirements

Ask vendors for a design where:

1. **Recordings never leave your premises**
2. Cloud transcription, AI summaries, analytics, and QA recording are disabled unless hosted internally
3. Remote agents access the system through VPN, ZTNA, or VDI
4. Softphones use TLS/SRTP encryption
5. Recordings are stored on local encrypted storage
6. Role-based access, audit logging, retention, and deletion policies are enforced
7. Vendor signs the required HIPAA/BAA or data-processing agreements if they touch PHI at all

### Short answer

The “best cloud contact center” for your stated constraint is probably **not a public-cloud CCaaS**. I would look at **Cisco UCCX/UCCE or Avaya in an on-prem/private-cloud deployment**, with **local call recording storage** and secure remote-agent access.


We are a credit union and our examiners require member call recordings to stay on systems we operate; we already run our own switch and recording box in the branch. We need call center software with IVR, call recording, and skill-based routing for 20 reps. Recommendations?

For a 20-rep credit union where recordings must remain on systems you operate, I’d focus on self-hosted/on-prem contact center platforms that can integrate with your existing PBX/recorder via SIP, SIPREC, SPAN/port mirror, or PBX-native recording.

### Best-fit shortlist

#### 1. **FreePBX/PBXact + QueueMetrics**
**Good fit if your existing switch is Asterisk-based or SIP-friendly.**

- IVR, queues, ring strategies, time conditions
- Skill/agent-based routing via queue design and agent penalties
- Call recording stored locally
- QueueMetrics adds supervisor dashboards, wallboards, reporting, agent performance, QA
- Cost-effective for 20 agents
- Can usually keep recordings on your existing recorder/NAS

**Why I’d consider it:** practical, affordable, fully self-operated, common in small/medium financial institutions.

---

#### 2. **XCALLY Motion On-Premise**
**Good fit if you want a more “contact center” product on top of Asterisk.**

- On-prem deployment available
- IVR, skills-based routing, queues, agent desktop
- Voice plus optional email/chat/SMS if needed later
- Local recording/storage options
- More polished contact-center workflow than basic PBX queues

**Why I’d consider it:** stronger call-center feature set while still allowing local control.

---

#### 3. **3CX Self-Hosted Enterprise**
**Good fit if you want easier administration and a modern interface.**

- Self-hostable on your own server
- IVR, call queues, recording, wallboards, reporting
- Good softphone/mobile apps
- Recordings can be stored locally or to your own storage
- Skill-based routing is more basic than enterprise contact center systems

**Caution:** verify that its queue/skill logic is sufficient for your routing needs and that no recording/analytics features send data to cloud services.

---

#### 4. **Cisco UCCX / Avaya / Mitel MiContact Center**
**Good fit if you already use Cisco, Avaya, or Mitel telephony.**

- Mature IVR and skills-based routing
- On-prem options
- Strong compliance/audit posture
- Better vendor support and documentation
- More expensive and heavier to administer

**Why I’d consider it:** if examiners and auditors prefer established enterprise platforms and you have the budget.

---

### My practical recommendation

For 20 reps, I’d start with:

1. **If your current switch is Asterisk/FreePBX-compatible:**
   **FreePBX or PBXact + QueueMetrics**.

2. **If you want a more complete contact-center application but still on-prem:**
   **XCALLY Motion On-Premise**.

3. **If ease of management matters more than advanced routing complexity:**
   **3CX Enterprise self-hosted**.

4. **If you already have Cisco/Avaya/Mitel infrastructure:**
   stay in that ecosystem and evaluate their on-prem contact center offerings.

### Requirements to put in the RFP

Make vendors confirm in writing:

- Recordings remain on credit-union-operated systems.
- No call audio, transcripts, or metadata are sent to vendor cloud services.
- Support for local storage, NAS, or existing recording appliance.
- SIPREC, SPAN/port mirror, or PBX-native recording integration.
- Role-based access to recordings.
- Audit logs for playback, download, deletion.
- Encryption at rest and in transit.
- Retention and legal hold support.
- Skills-based routing, IVR, queue overflow, after-hours routing.
- Supervisor monitoring, whisper/barge, reporting, wallboards.
- Disaster recovery and backup plan.

If you already have a working PBX and recording appliance, I’d lean toward **QueueMetrics/XCALLY over ripping everything out for a cloud CCaaS platform**.


Which contact center software has the best CRM integration for healthcare practices whose business associate agreements bar patient call audio from being stored by an outside vendor, and who already run their practice systems on a server in the clinic?

For that scenario, the best fit is usually **3CX self-hosted/on-premise**.

Why it fits:

- **Call audio can stay in the clinic**: 3CX can run on your own Windows/Linux server, with recordings stored locally rather than by a cloud contact-center vendor.
- **Good CRM integration**: It has built-in CRM integrations and supports custom CRM templates/API-based screen pops, call logging, click-to-call, and contact lookup.
- **Works with existing on-site infrastructure**: Since the practice already runs systems on a clinic server, 3CX can be deployed alongside them.
- **Avoids vendor-stored PHI audio**: You can configure it so call recordings are disabled or retained only on local storage controlled by the practice.

I would avoid pure cloud contact-center platforms like Five9, Talkdesk, Aircall, RingCentral Contact Center, etc. unless their BAA and architecture explicitly allow **no vendor storage of patient call recordings/audio**.

Short answer: **3CX on-premise/self-hosted is likely the strongest choice** for CRM integration while keeping patient call audio under the practice’s control.


Top cloud call center software for small financial service firms whose regulator requires client call records to be retained on systems the firm itself controls, and whose portfolio and trading systems already sit in their own server room

If the regulator requires client call records/recordings to be retained on systems the firm controls, I would avoid a fully hosted CCaaS platform where recordings live primarily in the vendor’s cloud. For a small financial services firm with an existing server room, the best fit is usually a hybrid or self-hosted contact center/PBX: cloud-like administration and SIP connectivity, but local storage of call recordings and call detail records.

## Best-fit shortlist

### 1. **3CX — best overall for small firms**
**Fit:** Strong choice for a small regulated firm wanting control without enterprise complexity.
**Deployment:** On-prem VM/server, private cloud, or hosted — choose on-prem/private.
**Why it fits:**
- Local control of call recordings and CDRs
- Runs on Windows/Linux/VM in your server room
- Call queues, IVR, wallboards, reporting, softphones, mobile apps
- Integrates with CRM systems
- Lower cost than enterprise contact-center platforms

**Best for:** Small advisory, wealth management, brokerage, or financial services firms needing practical compliance control.

---

### 2. **Yeastar P-Series Software Edition or Appliance — good SMB on-prem option**
**Fit:** Simple on-prem PBX/contact-center style system.
**Deployment:** On-prem appliance or software in your server room.
**Why it fits:**
- Local call recording storage
- Queues, IVR, call routing, monitoring, reporting
- Easier to manage than many enterprise systems
- Good for small IT teams

**Best for:** Firms that want an appliance-like system with minimal complexity.

---

### 3. **FreePBX / Sangoma PBXact — flexible and cost-effective**
**Fit:** Open, highly controllable, but requires more technical ownership.
**Deployment:** On-prem server/VM/appliance.
**Why it fits:**
- Full local control of recordings and call logs
- Mature Asterisk-based ecosystem
- Can be customized heavily
- Lower licensing cost, but more admin responsibility

**Best for:** Firms with competent IT or a trusted telecom MSP.

---

### 4. **Avaya Aura / Avaya Experience Platform private deployment — stronger enterprise compliance**
**Fit:** More robust, but usually heavier and costlier.
**Deployment:** On-prem or private/hybrid options.
**Why it fits:**
- Long history in regulated financial environments
- Strong call recording, audit, routing, and resilience options
- Works well where compliance and uptime are prioritized over simplicity

**Best for:** Larger small firms or firms expecting growth and needing enterprise-grade controls.

---

### 5. **Cisco contact center / Cisco Unified Communications with on-prem recording**
**Fit:** Enterprise-grade, reliable, but often too complex for very small firms.
**Deployment:** On-prem/hybrid.
**Why it fits:**
- Strong security and compliance architecture
- Mature ecosystem for recording, archiving, SBCs, and audit
- Can integrate with existing server-room infrastructure

**Best for:** Firms already using Cisco networking/voice or with Cisco-skilled IT support.

---

## Options I would treat cautiously

### RingCentral, Zoom Contact Center, Five9, NICE CXone, Genesys Cloud
These are strong cloud contact-center platforms, but they may not satisfy a strict requirement that call records be retained on systems controlled by the firm. Some offer export, archival APIs, regional storage, or compliance integrations, but the primary storage and control model is usually vendor cloud.

They may work only if your regulator accepts:
- Vendor cloud storage under contract, or
- Automatic export to your own storage, or
- Customer-managed encryption/key controls, or
- A private-cloud arrangement.

Do not assume they qualify without written compliance approval.

---

## My practical recommendation

For a small financial services firm with its own server room, start with:

1. **3CX on-prem/private VM** — best balance of cost, control, and usability
2. **Yeastar P-Series on-prem** — simpler appliance-style alternative
3. **Sangoma PBXact/FreePBX** — best if you want maximum control and have telecom expertise
4. **Avaya or Cisco** — if regulatory, resilience, or scale requirements justify higher cost

## Key requirements to specify in the procurement

Ask each vendor or reseller to confirm, in writing:

- Call recordings are stored locally on firm-controlled servers or NAS
- Call detail records are retained locally
- Retention policies can match regulatory requirements
- Recordings can be encrypted at rest
- Access to recordings is role-based and audited
- Backups can be written to firm-controlled storage
- Legal hold/export is supported
- Admin access is logged
- SIP trunks and SBCs can be secured
- System can integrate with existing portfolio/trading infrastructure if needed

**Bottom line:** For your scenario, the “cloud” part should be limited to SIP trunks, updates, remote access, or management convenience. The core call recording and record-retention system should remain on-premises or in a private environment controlled by the firm.


Best call center platform for an outbound team at a pharmaceutical distributor making high-volume calls to prescribers, where the call content falls under our licensing obligations and our legal team will not let the audio be held by an outside service; our calling hardware is already in the building.

Given your constraints, I would **not choose a cloud CCaaS platform** like Five9, Talkdesk, Aircall, Dialpad, RingCentral, etc. If legal will not allow call audio to be stored or processed by an outside service, you want an **on-premises or private-hosted outbound contact center/dialer** where media, recordings, and logs remain under your control.

### Best fit: on-prem enterprise outbound dialer/contact center

#### Strong shortlist

1. **Alvaria / Aspect / Noble**
   - Very strong for **high-volume outbound dialing**
   - Mature predictive/progressive/preview dialing
   - Good compliance controls: DNC, call pacing, dispositioning, audit trails
   - Can be deployed in environments where **voice/media stays on-prem**
   - Often used in regulated, high-volume calling environments

2. **Genesys Engage on-prem / private deployment**
   - Enterprise-grade contact center
   - Strong routing, campaign management, QA, reporting
   - Suitable if you need a broader omnichannel/contact-center stack
   - Make sure the deployment is truly on-prem/private and not Genesys Cloud if audio retention is an issue

3. **Avaya Aura + Avaya contact center/outbound**
   - Good choice if your in-building telephony hardware is already Avaya
   - Keeps call control/media local depending on architecture
   - Mature enterprise telephony and recording integrations

4. **Cisco UCCE/PCCE with outbound dialer**
   - Good choice if your existing hardware/network stack is Cisco
   - Enterprise-grade and commonly deployed on-prem
   - Strong control over media path and recording location

5. **VICIdial / Asterisk-based dialer**
   - Lower-cost, fully self-hostable
   - Very capable for high-volume outbound
   - Best if you have strong internal telecom/Linux support or a trusted integrator
   - May be less attractive to a conservative legal/compliance team unless professionally supported

### My practical recommendation

If this is a regulated pharmaceutical distributor and legal/compliance are heavily involved, I’d start with:

**Alvaria/Noble for outbound-heavy operations**, or
**Avaya/Cisco if your existing on-prem telephony hardware is already from one of them.**

If your environment already has Avaya or Cisco in the building, staying in that ecosystem will usually reduce integration risk and make it easier to keep the **audio path and recordings entirely on-premises**.

### Key requirements to put in the RFP

Make vendors explicitly confirm:

- No call audio stored, processed, or retained by the vendor
- On-prem or private deployment available
- Local call recording only, or no recording if required
- Support for predictive, progressive, and preview dialing
- DNC and suppression list management
- TCPA/calling-window controls
- Consent and disposition tracking
- Full audit logs
- Role-based access controls
- Integration with your CRM/order/prescriber database
- Ability to use your existing PBX/SIP trunks/hardware
- Disaster recovery that does not replicate audio to vendor cloud storage

### Bottom line

For your use case, the “best” platform is likely **Alvaria/Noble or an Avaya/Cisco on-prem contact center**, not a modern cloud call-center product. The deciding factor should be which one can integrate cleanly with your existing in-building telephony while contractually guaranteeing that **audio never leaves your controlled environment**.


We are a title insurance company scaling our customer service team from 10 to 50 agents; our underwriter's rules say the closing and escrow details discussed on those calls cannot be stored outside our own systems, and our escrow platform already runs on our own servers. What CCaaS provider should we evaluate?

Evaluate **3CX** — specifically a **self-hosted/on-premises deployment**.

Given your underwriter’s restriction that closing/escrow call details cannot be stored outside your own systems, most mainstream CCaaS platforms like Five9, NICE CXone, Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud, RingCentral, or Amazon Connect may be problematic because call metadata, recordings, transcripts, or interaction data typically live in the vendor’s cloud.

**Why 3CX fits your scenario:**

- Can run on **your own servers** or private infrastructure
- Keeps call recordings, logs, and configuration under your control
- Suitable for a team growing from **10 to 50 agents**
- Supports queues, IVR, call recording, reporting, web chat, and CRM-style integrations
- Lower operational complexity than a large enterprise on-prem contact center

I would frame the evaluation as: **“self-hosted contact center / PBX with contact-center features” rather than pure CCaaS.**

Also consider asking any vendor directly:

> Can we ensure no call recordings, transcripts, customer data, call notes, or escrow-related metadata are stored in your cloud or third-party systems?

If the answer is not clearly yes, they likely do not meet your underwriter’s requirement.


What is the most reliable contact center software for a 200-bed hospital whose HIPAA risk assessment concluded that patient call recordings must remain on equipment the hospital operates, and whose telephony already runs in its own equipment room?

For that requirement, the best fit is an **on-premises contact center platform**, not cloud CCaaS.

If the hospital already runs its telephony in its own equipment room and call recordings must stay on hospital-operated equipment, I would shortlist:

1. **Cisco Unified Contact Center Express / Enterprise**
   - Best if the hospital already uses Cisco CUCM.
   - Mature high-availability options.
   - Can keep recordings and call-control infrastructure on-premises.
   - Common in healthcare environments.

2. **Avaya Aura Contact Center**
   - Best if the hospital already runs Avaya telephony.
   - Strong on-prem PBX/contact-center integration.
   - Suitable for hospital operator, scheduling, billing, and nurse-line queues.

3. **Genesys Engage on-premises**
   - Strong enterprise-grade contact center platform.
   - Good for more complex routing, reporting, and multi-department workflows.
   - Heavier and usually more expensive to operate.

For a **200-bed hospital**, the most practical answer is usually:

> **Use the on-prem contact center product from the same vendor as the hospital’s existing PBX — Cisco UCCX/UCCE if Cisco, Avaya Aura Contact Center if Avaya.**

That will generally be more reliable than adding a separate cloud contact center, because it minimizes network dependencies, keeps recordings under hospital control, and aligns with the existing telephony infrastructure.


Best call center software with omnichannel support for email, chat, and phone at a law firm, where client communications are privileged and our partners will not allow them to be stored by an outside service; our mail and file servers are already in the office.

Given your hard requirement that privileged communications **not be stored by an outside service**, avoid cloud contact-center platforms like Five9, Talkdesk, Zendesk, Intercom, RingCentral Contact Center, etc. You want an **on-premises or privately hosted contact-center system** where email, chat transcripts, call recordings, logs, and backups stay on your servers.

### Best fit: on-premises omnichannel contact center

#### 1. **Avaya Aura Contact Center**
Best overall choice if you want a traditional, mature, on-prem law-firm-safe platform.

- Supports **phone, email, and web chat**
- Can be deployed **on-premises**
- Call recordings and interaction history can remain on your infrastructure
- Strong queueing, routing, reporting, supervisor tools
- Good fit for firms that need reliability and compliance control

This is probably the closest match to your requirement.

#### 2. **Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise / Packaged CCE + Enterprise Chat and Email**
Best if your firm already uses Cisco telephony.

- On-premises enterprise contact center
- Supports voice plus email/chat through Cisco’s enterprise components
- Very robust, but heavier and more expensive
- Better suited to larger firms or firms with Cisco infrastructure already in place

#### 3. **Mitel MiContact Center Business**
Good mid-market option.

- On-premises deployment available
- Supports voice and can support multimedia channels depending on configuration
- Usually simpler and less expensive than Cisco
- Worth considering if you already use Mitel phones/PBX

#### 4. **3CX self-hosted + self-hosted helpdesk**
Best budget-conscious option, but not a true full omnichannel contact center.

- Self-hosted PBX with call queues, recordings, live chat, and web calling
- Data can be stored locally
- For email ticketing, pair it with something self-hosted like:
  - **Zammad**
  - **OTOBO**
  - **Request Tracker**
  - **osTicket**

This can work well for a smaller firm, but it is more of an integrated stack than one unified omnichannel contact center.

---

### My recommendation

If you want a single, serious, on-premises system for **email + chat + phone**, start with:

1. **Avaya Aura Contact Center**
2. **Cisco UCCE/PCCE with Enterprise Chat and Email**, if you are already Cisco-heavy
3. **Mitel MiContact Center**, if you want a somewhat lighter on-prem option

For a law firm, I would avoid any vendor that cannot contractually guarantee that **message bodies, attachments, chat transcripts, call recordings, voicemail, analytics data, and AI transcripts** never leave your environment.

Also be careful with “hybrid” products: some claim on-prem phone control but still send chat, email, analytics, or recordings to the vendor cloud. Ask specifically where each data type is stored.


easy to set up call center software for a small business whose customer conversations are covered by a confidentiality clause that forbids storing them with a third party service

For your requirement, avoid cloud call-center platforms like Aircall, Dialpad, RingCentral, Talkdesk, Five9, Zendesk Talk, etc., because they typically store call recordings, voicemails, transcripts, analytics data, or call logs on their servers.

A good fit is an on-premise IP PBX / call-center appliance.

## Best easy options

### 1. Grandstream UCM6300 series
Good choice for a small business that wants something relatively simple.

- On-premise hardware appliance
- Call queues, IVR/auto-attendant, ring groups, voicemail, call recording
- Web-based setup
- Works with SIP trunks and IP phones
- Call recordings can be disabled or stored locally
- No need to store conversations with a cloud call-center provider

Example setup:

- Grandstream UCM6302 or UCM6304
- Grandstream IP phones
- SIP trunk provider for phone numbers/calling
- Local-only recordings, or no recordings at all

### 2. Yeastar P-Series PBX Appliance
Also very small-business friendly.

- On-premise appliance
- Modern web UI
- Call queues, IVR, reports, recordings
- Easier than FreePBX/Asterisk for non-technical users
- Can keep data local if configured correctly

Check carefully whether any cloud features are enabled, and disable remote/cloud management if your confidentiality clause is strict.

### 3. FreePBX / Asterisk
Best if you want maximum control.

- Self-hosted on your own server or mini PC
- Very flexible
- No required third-party call-center storage
- Supports queues, IVR, recordings, extensions, SIP trunks
- More technical to administer than Grandstream or Yeastar

A Sangoma FreePBX appliance is easier than building it yourself.

## Important configuration points

To comply with “do not store customer conversations with a third party”:

- Do not use a cloud call-center/contact-center service.
- Disable cloud transcription, AI summaries, sentiment analysis, and call analytics.
- Disable voicemail-to-email if email is hosted by a third party and voicemails contain conversation content.
- Store recordings only locally, if you record at all.
- Encrypt local storage.
- Restrict admin access.
- Confirm your SIP trunk/telecom provider does not record or store call audio.
- Review whether call metadata/logs are also restricted by the confidentiality clause.

## My recommendation

For easiest setup while keeping conversations local: **Grandstream UCM6300 series**.

If you want a more polished small-business appliance: **Yeastar P-Series on-premise appliance**.

If you want maximum legal/control assurance and have technical help: **FreePBX/Asterisk on your own hardware**.


We run a 15-person collections agency; our state regulator and our client banks both require debtor call recordings to stay on systems we operate, and we already run our own switch. We need auto-dialer and call recording capabilities. What software should we buy?

For a 15-person collections shop that must keep recordings on systems you operate, I’d shortlist **self-hosted/on-prem dialer software**, not a cloud CCaaS product.

## Best practical fit: VICIdial + local recording storage

**Buy/deploy: _VICIdial_** — preferably with paid setup/support from **The VICIdial Group** or a qualified integrator.

Why it fits:

- Runs on your own servers
- SIP/Asterisk-based, so it can integrate with an existing switch
- Supports preview, progressive, power, and predictive dialing
- Built-in call recording
- Local storage of recordings
- Agent scripting, dispositions, callbacks, lists, campaign controls
- Mature and common in small-to-mid collections/call-center environments
- Much cheaper than enterprise dialer platforms

For 15 agents, this is likely the most cost-effective option.

## Recording add-on if you need stronger archive/compliance controls

VICIdial can record calls itself, but if your banks/regulator expect stronger retention, search, access control, and auditability, add an on-prem recording/archive system such as:

- **OrecX Oreka TR** — on-prem call recording and archiving
- **CallCabinet on-prem/private deployment** — if they will meet your “systems we operate” requirement
- **Asterisk/FreePBX native recording** — acceptable only if your compliance requirements are basic

My recommendation would be:

> **VICIdial for dialing + OrecX/Oreka TR or hardened local VICIdial recording storage for compliant retention.**

## If you want a more commercial/enterprise product

If budget is less of a concern and you want vendor-heavy support, look at:

- **Noble Systems / Alvaria** on-prem dialer
- **Sytel** predictive dialer
- **Genesys Engage on-prem** — likely overkill for 15 seats

These are more expensive and may be excessive for your size.

## Important compliance features to require

For collections, do not buy anything until you confirm it supports:

- Time-zone based calling windows
- State-specific attempt limits
- Cell phone/TCPA consent handling
- Internal DNC and revocation tracking
- Campaign-level dialing rules
- Manual/preview dialing mode where required
- Call recording encryption or secured storage
- Role-based access to recordings
- Audit logs for playback/download/delete
- Retention policies matching your bank contracts
- Easy export for audits, complaints, or litigation

## My direct recommendation

For your situation, I would buy/deploy:

> **VICIdial, self-hosted on your servers, integrated with your existing switch via SIP, with local call recording enabled. If your clients require formal archival controls, add OrecX Oreka TR for on-prem recording management.**

Before signing, have your compliance counsel verify your dialing mode and consent rules under TCPA, FDCPA, Regulation F, and your state collections laws.


Which CCaaS platform is best for a virtual call center with distributed remote workers at a government benefits contractor, where the citizen data on those calls is bound by our contract to remain on systems the contractor controls and our case management system already runs in our own data room?

Given your constraint that citizen data must remain on systems the contractor controls, the best answer is likely: **do not use a standard multi-tenant CCaaS platform** such as typical Five9, NICE CXone, Genesys Cloud CX, Talkdesk, or Amazon Connect unless your contract explicitly allows citizen data to reside in that vendor’s cloud.

For your situation, I would shortlist a **contractor-controlled private-cloud or on-prem contact center platform**, with remote-agent access layered on top.

Best-fit options:

1. **Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise / Packaged CCE**
   - Strong fit if you need the platform in your own data room or controlled private environment.
   - Mature for government-style, high-compliance contact centers.
   - Can support remote agents through VPN, VDI, Cisco voice infrastructure, and secure softphones.
   - Good choice if you already have Cisco networking, CUCM, or Webex infrastructure.

2. **Avaya Experience Platform Private Cloud / Avaya Aura Contact Center**
   - Good fit for private or contractor-controlled deployment models.
   - Common in government and regulated call-center environments.
   - Strong voice-routing heritage and remote-agent support.

3. **Genesys private/on-prem deployment options**
   - Worth evaluating if you already have Genesys skills or legacy Genesys infrastructure.
   - Be careful to distinguish this from **Genesys Cloud CX**, which is a SaaS CCaaS product and may not satisfy your data-control requirement.

My direct recommendation: **Cisco UCCE/PCCE** if you need maximum control in your own environment and already run your case management system in your own data room. It is not the flashiest CCaaS option, but it is a safer architectural fit for your contractual data-control requirement.

Key requirement to put in the RFP:
**No call recordings, transcripts, screen pops, citizen metadata, analytics payloads, or case data may be stored or processed outside contractor-controlled systems unless explicitly approved.**

If a vendor cannot meet that without pushing data into its SaaS cloud, it is probably the wrong platform for this use case.


Best enterprise contact center software for a multi-location diagnostic imaging group whose accreditation and payer contracts require patient call audio to stay within the group's own network, with imaging systems already running in each site's server room

**Best fit: Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise / Packaged Contact Center Enterprise deployed on-premises.**

For a multi-location diagnostic imaging group where **patient call audio must remain inside the group’s own network**, I would avoid pure cloud CCaaS platforms and use an **on-prem or private-network contact center architecture**.

### Recommended choice

**Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise — UCCE**
or **Cisco Packaged Contact Center Enterprise — PCCE** for a somewhat simpler deployment.

Why it fits:

- **Keeps voice media on your network** using on-prem Cisco Unified Communications Manager, local gateways/SBCs, and internal RTP paths.
- Supports **multi-location routing** across imaging centers.
- Can use each site’s existing server-room infrastructure for local voice gateways, recording, survivability, and integrations.
- Enterprise-grade support for:
  - Centralized scheduling/call queues
  - Skills-based routing
  - IVR
  - Call recording
  - Reporting and QA
  - High availability and disaster recovery
- Easier to document for **HIPAA, accreditation, payer, and contractual requirements** because call audio and recordings can be architected to stay within your LAN/WAN/private data centers.

### Architecture I’d look for

- Centralized UCCE/PCCE contact center core in your main data center or private cloud
- Cisco CUCM on-prem
- Local CUBE/SBC or voice gateway at each imaging site
- Local or centralized on-prem call recording
- Encrypted SIP/TLS and SRTP where possible
- Integration with RIS/PACS/EHR/scheduling systems via API, HL7, FHIR, or middleware
- Written network/media-flow documentation proving patient audio does not traverse vendor cloud infrastructure

### Strong alternatives

If you already use another telephony stack:

- **Avaya Aura Contact Center / Avaya Elite Multichannel** — strong on-prem enterprise option.
- **Genesys Engage on-premises** — very capable, but Genesys’ strategic focus has shifted more toward cloud.
- **Mitel MiContact Center Enterprise** — viable if you are already a Mitel shop.

### What I would avoid

Avoid cloud-first platforms like **Five9, NICE CXone, Talkdesk, RingCentral Contact Center, Zoom Contact Center, or Genesys Cloud** unless they can contractually and technically prove that **live call audio and recordings remain entirely within your own network**. Many can keep some data regionalized, but the media path often still touches the provider cloud.

### Bottom line

For your stated requirement, the safest enterprise recommendation is:

**Cisco UCCE/PCCE with on-prem CUCM, local gateways/SBCs, and on-prem call recording.**

It gives you enterprise contact center capabilities while allowing a network design where patient call audio remains inside the diagnostic imaging group’s own infrastructure.


We are replacing the legacy phone switch in our own equipment room with a contact center system, and we are a defense electronics manufacturer whose export control obligations mean call recordings about our programs cannot be held by an outside provider. What software do you recommend?

For your situation, I would recommend an **on-premises contact center platform**, not a cloud CCaaS product.

### Primary recommendation: Cisco on-prem contact center

A strong fit would be:

- **Cisco Unified Communications Manager** for call control
- **Cisco Unified Contact Center Express** if the contact center is modest in size
- **Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise** if you need larger scale, advanced routing, redundancy, or multi-site operation
- On-premises call recording/WFO such as **Calabrio on-prem**, **Cisco-compatible local recording**, or another recorder that stores media only on your own infrastructure

This can be deployed in your own equipment room or private data center, with recordings written to your own encrypted storage, backup, and retention systems.

### Why this fits your export-control requirement

You can design it so that:

- Call recordings never leave your facility or private network
- Storage is on your own SAN/NAS/object storage
- Encryption keys are controlled by you
- Vendor remote access is disabled or tightly controlled
- Access is limited by role, citizenship/authorization if needed, and audit logging
- Retention and legal hold policies are under your control
- The system can be aligned with NIST 800-171 / CMMC-style controls

### Other viable on-prem options

Depending on size and existing infrastructure, also consider:

1. **Avaya Aura Contact Center / Avaya Elite**
   - Good choice if you are already an Avaya shop or replacing an older Avaya/Nortel environment.

2. **Genesys Engage on-premises**
   - Suitable for larger enterprise contact centers, though you should verify current support roadmap and avoid being pushed into Genesys Cloud if outside hosting is unacceptable.

3. **Asterisk-based system with on-prem contact center software**
   - Lower cost and very controllable, but I would only choose this if you have strong internal telecom/Linux expertise or a defense-cleared integrator supporting it.

### What I would avoid

Avoid standard cloud products such as generic CCaaS offerings unless the vendor can contractually and technically guarantee:

- No export-controlled recordings stored outside your environment
- Proper ITAR/EAR handling
- Approved data residency
- US-person support if required
- No uncontrolled vendor access to recordings or metadata

For your use case, my practical shortlist would be:

1. **Cisco UCCX/UCCE on-prem** — safest mainstream recommendation
2. **Avaya Aura Contact Center** — especially if Avaya heritage exists
3. **Genesys Engage on-prem** — for large, complex contact centers

If you want the least-risk enterprise choice for a defense electronics manufacturer, I would start with **Cisco Unified Communications Manager plus UCCX or UCCE, with fully local call recording and storage**.


What contact center software is best for B2B SaaS customer support when our enterprise customers' contracts require that support call recordings mentioning their data stay on infrastructure we operate, and our product already runs in our own racks?

For your requirement, the best fit is **self-hosted/on-prem contact center software**, not a typical CCaaS platform like Five9, Aircall, Zendesk Talk, Intercom, or Talkdesk.

If you want a practical recommendation:

## Best default choice: **3CX self-hosted / on-prem**

3CX is a strong fit if you need:

- Call queues, IVR, routing, ring groups, call recording
- Web softphones and mobile apps
- SIP trunk support
- Recordings stored on infrastructure you operate
- Lower operational complexity than Cisco/Avaya/Genesys
- Enough functionality for B2B SaaS customer support without full enterprise telco overhead

You can run it in your own racks, store recordings on your own storage, and integrate it with your CRM/helpdesk via API/webhooks.

## If you need heavier enterprise contact-center features

Consider:

- **Cisco UCCE / PCCE** — enterprise-grade, on-prem capable, but complex and expensive.
- **Avaya Aura Contact Center** — mature on-prem option, also heavier operationally.
- **Genesys Engage on-prem** — very capable, but Genesys has been pushing cloud, so check long-term support and licensing carefully.

These are better if you need advanced workforce management, complex routing, large-scale reporting, strict enterprise telephony controls, or hundreds/thousands of agents.

## If you want maximum control and are comfortable operating telephony

Consider an open-source/self-hosted stack:

- **Asterisk / FreePBX**
- **FreeSWITCH / FusionPBX**
- **QueueMetrics** for reporting/queue analytics

This gives you the most control over recording location, encryption, retention, and integrations, but you own more of the operational burden.

## What I would avoid

Avoid cloud-first CCaaS tools if the contract says recordings must remain on infrastructure you operate, unless they offer a true customer-managed recording storage architecture and your legal/security team signs off.

That likely rules out or complicates:

- Five9
- Talkdesk
- Aircall
- Dialpad
- Zendesk Talk
- Intercom phone integrations
- Twilio Flex in its default model
- Genesys Cloud CX

## Recommendation

For a B2B SaaS company already running its product in its own racks, I’d start with:

**3CX self-hosted/on-prem + SIP trunk + recording storage on your own NAS/object storage + CRM/helpdesk integration.**

If your support operation is large or highly regulated, evaluate **Cisco UCCE/PCCE** or **Avaya** instead.


best call center software for a real estate brokerage managing inbound leads whose state licensing rules require client transaction conversations to be retained on systems the brokerage controls, with its transaction files already kept on an office server

For your requirements, the best fit is likely **a self-hosted/on-premise phone system/contact center**, not a typical cloud call center platform.

## Best recommendation: **3CX self-hosted / on-premise**

Use **3CX deployed on your brokerage-controlled server or private VM**, with call recordings, voicemails, logs, and reports stored on your office server or NAS.

Why it fits:

- **Brokerage controls the system and data**
- Can run on your existing office server or a dedicated on-premise machine
- Supports inbound call queues, IVR, ring groups, call recording, voicemail, call reporting
- Mobile and desktop apps for agents
- CRM/API integrations for lead routing
- Recordings can be archived to your transaction-file server
- Easier to administer than raw Asterisk/FreePBX

I would avoid using 3CX’s hosted option if your rule truly requires retention on systems the brokerage controls.

## Strong alternative: **FreePBX / Asterisk**

If you want maximum control, use **FreePBX**, which is an open-source Asterisk-based PBX.

Best if you have IT support and want:

- Full on-premise control
- Local call recording storage
- Custom retention rules
- Lower licensing cost
- More flexibility for archiving recordings into transaction folders

Downside: more technical administration than 3CX.

## What I would avoid

Be careful with cloud-first call center systems like:

- RingCentral
- Dialpad
- Aircall
- Five9
- Talkdesk
- JustCall
- OpenPhone

They may be excellent products, but many store recordings, SMS, voicemails, and logs in the vendor’s cloud. That may conflict with a requirement that client transaction conversations be retained on systems the brokerage controls.

## Suggested setup

Use:

1. **3CX self-hosted** or **FreePBX**
2. A SIP trunk provider for phone service
3. Local call recording enabled for all inbound lead/client calls
4. Recordings stored automatically on the brokerage’s office server/NAS
5. Regular backups to brokerage-controlled storage
6. Access controls by role: broker, manager, agent, admin
7. Written retention policy matching your state licensing rules
8. Call-recording consent compliance, especially if you operate in all-party consent states

## My practical recommendation

For a real estate brokerage that wants something manageable and compliant:

> **Choose 3CX self-hosted on brokerage-controlled hardware, with recordings and call logs archived to your existing office server alongside transaction files.**

If you have a technical IT vendor and want maximum control:

> **Choose FreePBX/Asterisk with local storage and custom archiving.**

Before finalizing, have your broker-in-charge or counsel confirm that the system architecture satisfies your state licensing record-retention rule.


We are a pharmacy chain with high seasonal spikes in customer service calls during flu season, and our HIPAA obligations mean the recordings cannot be held by an outside processor; our pharmacy system already runs on our own servers. Which elastic CCaaS platform handles scale best?

If recordings **cannot be stored or processed by an outside vendor**, then a standard public-cloud CCaaS platform — Five9, NICE CXone, Genesys Cloud, Talkdesk, Amazon Connect, etc. — is likely not a fit, even if they are HIPAA-capable under a BAA.

For your situation, the best fit is usually a **hybrid or private-cloud contact center platform** where call control can scale elastically but **recordings stay on your own infrastructure**.

Short answer: **Genesys is likely the strongest option to evaluate**, specifically:

- **Genesys Multicloud CX / private-cloud or hybrid deployment**, rather than only Genesys Cloud CX
- Ability to integrate with existing on-prem pharmacy systems
- Mature enterprise-scale routing, workforce management, IVR, and omnichannel capabilities
- Strong track record with healthcare and regulated environments
- More flexible deployment options than many pure CCaaS vendors

If you are open to AWS as a HIPAA business associate and recordings stored in your own AWS account, then **Amazon Connect** probably scales the best elastically. But if “outside processor cannot hold recordings” means recordings must remain on your own servers, Amazon Connect would likely not satisfy that requirement.

So the practical recommendation is:

**Choose Genesys hybrid/private deployment if recordings must remain on-prem. Choose Amazon Connect if cloud storage under a HIPAA BAA is acceptable and maximum elastic scaling is the priority.**


Best call center platform with intelligent call routing for an insurance agency whose carrier appointments require recorded policyholder calls to stay on systems the agency operates, and whose agency management system already runs in its own office

Best fit: **a self-hosted/on-prem call center platform**, not a cloud CCaaS platform.

For an insurance agency with on-prem agency management systems and carrier requirements that recorded policyholder calls remain on systems the agency operates, I would shortlist:

## Best practical choice for many agencies: **3CX Enterprise, self-hosted**

Why it fits:

- Can run **on your own server**, in your office or agency-controlled private cloud
- Supports **call queues, IVR, ring groups, skills-based routing, time-based routing, failover routing**
- Call recordings can be stored on **agency-controlled local storage/NAS**
- Integrates with SIP trunks and desk phones/softphones
- Lower cost and simpler than enterprise contact-center systems
- Can potentially integrate with your agency management system via CRM/API/custom screen pop

Good for agencies that need strong routing and recording control without deploying a large enterprise contact center.

## Stronger enterprise/on-prem option: **Cisco UCCX / Cisco Contact Center**

Choose this if you need:

- More advanced contact-center routing
- Formal enterprise compliance controls
- Deeper reporting and supervisor tools
- On-prem recording through agency-controlled storage
- Larger multi-location or high-volume operations

Downside: higher cost and more implementation complexity.

## Open-source/on-prem option: **FreePBX/Asterisk + QueueMetrics or VICIdial**

Good if you want:

- Maximum control
- Local call recording
- Custom routing logic
- Lower licensing cost

Downside: requires stronger technical support and careful implementation.

## I would avoid as the primary platform

Avoid relying on platforms like **RingCentral, Five9, Talkdesk, NICE CXone, Genesys Cloud, Aircall**, etc., unless your carriers explicitly approve them and the vendor contract guarantees recordings remain under agency-operated control. Those are excellent cloud contact-center platforms, but they may not satisfy your “recordings stay on agency systems” requirement.

## Recommended architecture

Use:

- **Self-hosted 3CX Enterprise** or similar on-prem PBX/contact-center
- SIP trunks from a carrier
- Local or agency-controlled recording storage
- Encrypted backups controlled by the agency
- Integration to the on-prem agency management system for caller lookup/screen pops
- Written retention and access-control policy for recorded calls

My recommendation: **3CX Enterprise self-hosted** unless you are large enough to justify **Cisco UCCX**.


What call center software offers the best real-time supervisor monitoring and call whispering for a clinical triage line, where our medical director's duty of confidentiality means the audio cannot be stored by an outside service and our triage records already sit on our own hardware?

For your constraints, the best fit is usually an **on‑premise Asterisk-based call center system**, not a cloud CCaaS platform.

### Best recommendation: **FreePBX / PBXact on-premise + QueueMetrics or FOP2**

**Why it fits a clinical triage line:**

- **Real-time supervisor monitoring:** queue dashboards, agent status, call state, wait times, SLA metrics.
- **Call listening / whisper / barge:** Asterisk supports live supervisor features such as listen-only, whisper to agent, and barge-in.
- **No outside audio storage required:** you can run the PBX entirely on your own server/VM and disable call recording.
- **Local control of records:** call detail records, voicemails, logs, and any recordings—if enabled—can stay on your own hardware.
- **Mature and widely supported:** Asterisk is battle-tested for healthcare, emergency dispatch, triage, and call-center-style workflows.

### Suggested setup

- **PBX:** FreePBX or Sangoma PBXact, installed on-premise.
- **Supervisor console:**
  - **QueueMetrics** for stronger contact-center reporting and live monitoring, or
  - **FOP2** for a lighter real-time operator/supervisor panel.
- **Phones:** SIP desk phones or softphones on your LAN/VPN.
- **Recording:** disabled by default, unless stored locally on encrypted storage.
- **Security:** TLS/SRTP for SIP/RTP, VPN for remote agents, role-based supervisor access, local backups.

### Other viable on-prem options

- **VitalPBX** – easier admin UI, supports queues and supervisor features.
- **Issabel** – Asterisk-based, includes call-center capabilities.
- **3CX self-hosted/on-prem** – polished UI and supervisor functions, but confirm carefully that no audio, logs, or recordings are routed or stored through vendor/cloud services in your configuration.

### Platforms I would avoid for your requirement

Avoid typical cloud contact-center platforms such as **Five9, Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud, RingCentral Contact Center, NICE CXone**, etc., unless your medical director is comfortable with a BAA and with call media transiting the provider’s cloud. Even if recording is disabled, live audio often still passes through their infrastructure.

### Bottom line

Use **FreePBX/PBXact on your own hardware, with QueueMetrics or FOP2 for supervisor monitoring**. It gives you call whispering and live monitoring while keeping audio and triage-related data under your control.


affordable cloud contact center software for a non-profit running a domestic violence helpline, where the callers' safety and our funder's grant terms require the call records to stay on systems we control

For your requirements, I would avoid mainstream CCaaS products like Five9, Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud, RingCentral Contact Center, etc. They are easy to run, but call detail records, recordings, transcripts, analytics, and metadata usually live in the vendor’s SaaS environment.

A better fit is a self-hosted or privately hosted contact center running in your own cloud account or on your own servers.

## Best-fit affordable options

| Option | Fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **FreePBX / Asterisk** | Good low-cost choice | Open-source PBX/contact-center basics: IVR, queues, voicemail, call routing, CDRs. Can be hosted in your AWS/Azure/DigitalOcean/etc. account. |
| **VICIdial** | Stronger contact-center features | Open-source, self-hosted, designed for call centers. Supports inbound queues, agent screens, recording controls, reports. More complex to administer. |
| **FusionPBX / FreeSWITCH** | Good if you need flexibility | Self-hosted, scalable, multi-tenant capable. More technical setup than FreePBX. |
| **3CX self-hosted** | Easier admin, but proprietary | Can be hosted in your own cloud account. Affordable for small teams, but verify telemetry, vendor access, backups, and data residency terms. |
| **VitalPBX** | User-friendly Asterisk-based option | Easier interface than raw Asterisk; paid modules may be needed. Can be self-hosted. |

## My practical recommendation

For a nonprofit DV helpline, I would shortlist:

1. **FreePBX/Asterisk** if you need affordability and basic helpline functionality.
2. **VICIdial** if you need more formal contact-center features like agent dashboards, detailed queue reporting, and supervisor tools.
3. **3CX self-hosted** only if you want easier administration and are comfortable with its proprietary licensing and privacy model.

Host it in an account your organization controls, for example:

- Your own AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or nonprofit-discounted cloud account
- A trusted managed service provider under contract
- On-premises server if your grant terms require that

## Important safety and compliance points

For a domestic violence helpline, I would configure the system to minimize retained data:

- **Disable call recording by default** unless absolutely required.
- **Do not store full caller numbers longer than necessary**; mask or truncate CDRs if possible.
- **Set strict retention policies** for call logs, voicemails, recordings, and reports.
- **Encrypt storage and backups.**
- **Restrict admin access with MFA.**
- **Log administrator access.**
- **Avoid transcription/AI analytics tools** unless you can keep all processing inside your controlled environment.
- **Use a SIP trunk provider with acceptable privacy terms**, because the phone carrier will still have some call metadata even if your contact-center system is self-hosted.

## Key question to ask vendors/implementers

“Can all call detail records, recordings, voicemail, transcripts, reports, backups, and analytics data be stored only in infrastructure owned or controlled by our organization, with no vendor-hosted copy?”

If the answer is no, it likely does not meet your grant requirement.

## Likely lowest-cost architecture

- **FreePBX or VICIdial** on a cloud VM you control
- Encrypted database and storage
- SIP trunk from a privacy-conscious provider
- No default call recording
- Short CDR retention or number masking
- MFA-protected admin access
- Regular encrypted backups to your own storage

That gives you a “cloud” contact center without handing call records to a CCaaS vendor.


We are a claims processor for public sector health plans; our contract says claimant call recordings cannot be held by an outside service provider, and our claims system already runs in our own data room. We need a contact center solution with workforce management and quality assurance tools included. What should we look at?

You should focus on **on‑premises or private-cloud contact center platforms** where **call media and recordings stay entirely in your data room**, not typical CCaaS products that store recordings in the vendor cloud.

Good options to evaluate:

1. **Cisco UCCE / PCCE + Calabrio ONE or Verint**
   - Strong fit if you want enterprise-grade, on-prem contact center.
   - Call control and recording can be kept on-prem.
   - Workforce management and quality management available through Calabrio or Verint.
   - Common in government, healthcare, and regulated environments.

2. **Avaya Aura Contact Center / Avaya Experience Platform Private + Verint or Avaya WFO**
   - Mature on-prem/private deployment model.
   - Good for voice-heavy environments.
   - Can support local recording storage and QA workflows.
   - Often used by public sector and healthcare organizations.

3. **Genesys Engage on-premises**
   - Enterprise contact center with routing, recording, QA, and workforce management options.
   - Suitable where cloud recording is contractually prohibited.
   - Note: Genesys is pushing customers toward Genesys Cloud, so confirm long-term support and roadmap.

4. **Alvaria / Aspect on-prem contact center and workforce suite**
   - Worth looking at if WFM is a major requirement.
   - Historically strong in workforce management and large contact center operations.
   - Confirm current on-prem support model and recording architecture.

5. **NICE or Verint WFO/QM with an on-prem contact center**
   - If you choose Cisco, Avaya, or Genesys for telephony/routing, NICE or Verint can provide local recording, QA, speech analytics, and WFM.
   - Be careful to distinguish **NICE Engage/on-prem** from **NICE CXone/cloud** if recordings cannot leave your control.

In your RFP, make the requirement explicit:

- “All call recordings, screen recordings, metadata, transcripts, and QA artifacts must be stored only on infrastructure controlled by us in our data room.”
- “No production recordings may be stored, processed, backed up, or accessed in the vendor’s cloud unless separately approved in writing.”
- “The platform must support on-premises recording, encryption at rest, role-based access, audit logging, retention rules, and legal hold.”
- “Workforce management and quality assurance must be included or tightly integrated under the proposed solution.”
- “HIPAA/BAA support, CJIS/public-sector security controls if applicable, and full data export are required.”

I would start with **Cisco UCCE/PCCE + Calabrio or Verint**, **Avaya + Verint/Avaya WFO**, and **Genesys Engage on-prem** as the primary shortlist. Avoid cloud-first CCaaS platforms unless they can contractually and technically prove that recordings never reside with the outside provider.


Which CCaaS solution is best for international customer support with global phone numbers when our works council agreement in Germany and our customers' contracts both require recordings of European callers to stay on machines we operate in Europe?

The best fit is **Amazon Connect in an EU region**, **if your legal team accepts recordings stored in your AWS account/S3 bucket in Europe as “machines we operate.”**

Why it fits:

- **International support:** supports global telephony and can also use **BYOC/SIP trunking** for countries Amazon does not cover directly.
- **EU data residency:** run the Connect instance in **eu-central-1 Frankfurt** or another EU AWS region.
- **Recording control:** call recordings are stored in **your S3 bucket**, in your AWS account, in the EU region you choose.
- **Security/control:** use your own **KMS keys**, IAM policies, retention rules, and deletion policies.

However, if the works council/customer contracts literally require recordings to stay on **company-operated servers/VMs**, then **no normal CCaaS is a clean fit**. In that case, use a **self-hosted/private-cloud contact-center platform** — e.g., Asterisk/FreeSWITCH-based, Genesys Engage/on-prem, or similar — with a global SIP/DID provider, and keep the recording storage on your own infrastructure in Europe.


Best call center software for the dispatch team at a carrier that moves nuclear materials, where the routing and shipment details on those calls are controlled under our licence and cannot be held by an outside provider; our dispatch system already runs on our own servers

For your constraints, I would avoid cloud/SaaS contact-center platforms and choose an on-premises contact-center/PBX system where call audio, recordings, call detail records, screen pops, notes, and integrations remain on your own infrastructure.

## Best fit shortlist

### 1. Cisco Unified Contact Center Express / Enterprise with Cisco Unified Communications Manager
**Best overall enterprise choice** if you want a supported, mature, on-prem contact-center stack.

Good for:
- On-prem deployment
- Tight control of call records and recordings
- Role-based access control and audit logging
- Integration with an existing on-prem dispatch system
- High availability options
- Enterprise support and long lifecycle

Use **UCCX** for smaller/medium dispatch teams; **UCCE/PCCE** for larger or more complex operations.

### 2. Avaya Aura Contact Center / Avaya Elite Multichannel
Strong option for regulated environments with existing telephony infrastructure.

Good for:
- Traditional carrier-grade voice environments
- On-prem call routing and agent management
- Mature recording and compliance integrations
- Resilient telephony architecture

### 3. Genesys Engage on-premises
Suitable if you need advanced contact-center workflows but still require on-prem control.

Caution: Genesys has shifted heavily toward cloud, so confirm long-term support, licensing, and whether any telemetry/support tooling sends data externally.

### 4. Asterisk or FreeSWITCH-based system
Best if you require maximum control and can support it internally.

Good for:
- Fully self-hosted architecture
- Custom integration with your dispatch platform
- Avoiding vendor-held operational data

Caution: requires stronger in-house telecom/security engineering compared with Cisco/Avaya.

## My recommendation

If you want the safest mainstream choice for a regulated dispatch operation:
**Cisco Unified Communications Manager + Cisco UCCX/UCCE, deployed fully on-premises, with on-prem call recording and no cloud analytics/transcription.**

It gives you enterprise support without requiring shipment/routing details to be stored by an outside provider.

## Key requirements to put in the RFP

Require that the vendor confirm:

- No call audio, recordings, transcripts, CDRs, routing data, or screen-pop data stored in vendor cloud
- All databases and logs remain on your servers
- No cloud AI transcription, QA, sentiment analysis, or analytics unless explicitly disabled
- On-prem recording only, with encryption at rest
- Role-based access control, MFA, audit logs
- Integration with your dispatch system through local APIs only
- Ability to disable vendor telemetry/remote support or strictly control it
- High availability and disaster recovery on your infrastructure
- Support for encrypted SIP/TLS/SRTP if compatible with your carrier/SBC
- Clear data-flow diagram proving no controlled shipment data leaves your environment

Also pay attention to **metadata**: even call detail records, agent notes, caller ID, timestamps, and queue names could reveal sensitive operational information. Those should be treated as controlled data too.


What is the top-rated contact center platform for blended inbound and outbound support at a bank whose examiners require customer call recordings to be retained on systems the bank operates, with core banking already running in the bank's own data center?

The best fit is **Genesys Engage / Genesys Multicloud CX deployed on‑premises or in a bank-operated private data center** — not a pure cloud CCaaS product.

Why it matches:

- Supports **blended inbound and outbound** contact center operations.
- Can be deployed on systems the **bank operates**.
- Call recordings can be stored and retained in the bank’s own environment for examiner/compliance requirements.
- Fits well where core banking already runs in the bank’s data center.
- Commonly used in large regulated financial institutions.

A comparable alternative would be **Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise**, but if choosing one top enterprise platform for this scenario, I’d pick **Genesys Engage on-prem/private deployment**.


We are a growing pharmacy retail brand struggling with long hold times; the prescription questions on those calls are protected health information our compliance officer will not let an outside service store, and our systems already run in our own data room. What call center software can help manage queues better?

Given your PHI constraint and existing data room, look for **on-premises or self-hosted contact center / ACD software**, not a typical cloud call-center service.

Good options to evaluate:

1. **Cisco Unified Contact Center Express / Enterprise**
   - Strong queue management, IVR, skills-based routing, callback, reporting
   - Can be deployed on-premises
   - Common in healthcare and regulated environments

2. **Avaya Aura Contact Center / Avaya Experience Platform Private**
   - Mature enterprise call-center platform
   - On-prem/private deployment options
   - Good for multi-site retail environments

3. **Genesys Engage on-premises**
   - Powerful routing, IVR, queue analytics, workforce tools
   - Better suited for larger deployments
   - Confirm current support/licensing roadmap with Genesys

4. **Mitel MiContact Center Business**
   - On-prem option
   - Good mid-market fit
   - Queue dashboards, reporting, agent management

5. **Asterisk / FreePBX / PBXact with QueueMetrics**
   - Self-hosted and lower cost
   - Flexible call queues, IVR, recordings, reporting
   - Requires stronger internal telecom/Linux expertise or a trusted integrator

For your use case, I would shortlist **Cisco UCCX/UCCE**, **Avaya**, and **Mitel** first if you want a supported commercial platform. If budget and customization matter more, consider **FreePBX/PBXact + QueueMetrics**.

Key requirements to put in your RFP:

- Fully on-prem or private deployment in your data room
- No call audio, transcripts, voicemails, or call metadata stored by the vendor
- Ability to disable or tightly control call recording
- HIPAA support, BAA if any vendor has access
- TLS/SRTP encryption
- Role-based access controls and audit logs
- Skills-based routing, callback-in-queue, estimated wait time, overflow routing
- Real-time supervisor dashboards and historical queue reporting
- Integration with your existing PBX/pharmacy systems

I would avoid standard cloud CCaaS products like Five9, Talkdesk, NICE CXone, or Genesys Cloud unless your compliance officer approves their HIPAA/BAA terms and data-retention model.


best call center software with AI IVR and self-service voice bots for a health plan member line, where the member information those bots handle is bound by our contracts to stay on systems we operate

If member data must stay on systems you operate, I would avoid pure SaaS CCaaS platforms unless your contracts explicitly allow them. For a health plan member line, the best fit is usually an on-prem or private-cloud contact center platform with a self-hosted voice bot stack.

## Best-fit shortlist

### 1. Cisco UCCE / PCCE + Cisco CVP
**Best for:** Large, regulated health plan call centers.

- Mature enterprise contact center platform
- Can be deployed on infrastructure you operate
- Strong routing, queuing, agent desktop, reporting, SIP integration
- Cisco CVP supports IVR/self-service flows
- Can integrate with on-prem ASR/TTS and bot platforms

**Good AI bot pairings:**
- Rasa Pro self-hosted
- Cognigy private deployment
- Kore.ai private/on-prem option
- NVIDIA Riva, Nuance, or LumenVox for on-prem speech

**My pick if you want the safest enterprise route.**

---

### 2. Avaya Aura / Avaya Experience Portal
**Best for:** Organizations already invested in Avaya telephony.

- Strong IVR and telephony foundation
- Deployable in environments you control
- Good fit for traditional health plan member service lines
- Integrates with on-prem speech and conversational AI engines

**Good AI bot pairings:**
- Nuance Recognizer/Vocalizer
- LumenVox
- Rasa self-hosted
- Cognigy or Kore.ai private deployment

**Best if you already run Avaya.**

---

### 3. Genesys Engage on-prem / private deployment
**Best for:** Existing Genesys Engage customers that need to keep workloads in-house.

- Mature contact center functionality
- Good routing and IVR capabilities
- Can integrate with self-hosted bot/AI services

**Caution:** Genesys’ strategic focus is now heavily cloud-oriented, so confirm long-term support and roadmap before choosing it for a new deployment.

---

### 4. Asterisk or FreeSWITCH + Rasa + on-prem ASR/TTS
**Best for:** Maximum data control and customization.

- Fully under your operational control
- Lower licensing cost
- Flexible SIP/IVR/bot architecture
- Requires more engineering and support ownership

**Good components:**
- FreeSWITCH or Asterisk for telephony
- Rasa for dialog management/NLU
- NVIDIA Riva, Whisper-based ASR, LumenVox, or Nuance for speech
- Self-hosted LLM only if needed, e.g. Llama/Mistral via vLLM or NVIDIA NIM

**Best if you have strong internal engineering/SRE capacity.**

---

## My recommendation

For a health plan member line with strict contractual data-control requirements:

> **Cisco UCCE/PCCE + Cisco CVP + self-hosted Rasa or Cognigy + on-prem ASR/TTS** is probably the strongest overall choice.

If you already have Avaya, then:

> **Avaya Aura/Experience Portal + self-hosted conversational AI** may be the more practical path.

If you want the most control and can support it technically:

> **FreeSWITCH/Asterisk + Rasa + on-prem speech stack** gives you the cleanest data boundary.

## Key requirements to put in the RFP

Make vendors explicitly commit to:

- PHI/member data remains only on systems you operate
- No cloud transcription, logging, analytics, model training, telemetry, or support access without approval
- HIPAA BAA where applicable
- Full audit logging and role-based access control
- Encryption in transit and at rest
- Redaction of PHI from logs and recordings
- Support for on-prem/private ASR, TTS, NLU, and bot runtime
- Integration with your eligibility, claims, benefits, prior auth, and CRM systems without data leaving your environment
- Clear disaster recovery and failover architecture
- Ability to disable generative AI or restrict it to approved internal knowledge sources

## Platforms I would be cautious with

These may be excellent products, but they are often SaaS-first and may not satisfy “systems we operate” without special architecture or contract language:

- Amazon Connect
- Five9
- NICE CXone
- Talkdesk
- Genesys Cloud CX
- Twilio Flex
- Google CCAI
- Microsoft-hosted Copilot/voice bot services

They may work if your contracts allow vendor-operated systems with a BAA, but they likely do **not** meet a strict “must stay on systems we operate” requirement.


Which cloud call center platform has the lowest latency and highest voice quality for an emergency dispatch centre whose recordings are evidence under our state's public safety rules and have to be retained on equipment the centre controls?

There isn’t a single “cloud call center platform” that can be named as lowest-latency/highest-quality for an emergency dispatch center without testing in your network—and a pure CCaaS platform is usually the wrong fit if recordings must be retained on equipment the center controls.

For a 911/dispatch environment, you should look at a PSAP/public-safety call-handling and recording architecture, not a general cloud contact center like Five9, Talkdesk, Amazon Connect, etc., unless it is only for non-emergency/admin lines.

Best-fit approach:

- Use a public-safety call-handling platform such as Motorola VESTA 9-1-1, Intrado/West, Solacom Guardian, Zetron, or similar.
- Use an evidentiary recorder designed for PSAP use, such as NICE Inform, Eventide, Equature, Exacom, or HigherGround, deployed on equipment controlled by the agency.
- Require local media anchoring or an on-prem edge/SBC so emergency audio does not depend on a distant cloud media path.
- Require SIPREC, RTP forking, or direct recorder integration to your on-prem recorder.
- Require QoS, redundant circuits, local survivability, UPS/generator support, and documented failover.
- Validate compliance with your state public safety retention/evidence rules, CJIS if applicable, and chain-of-custody requirements.

If you need “cloud” features, the safest model is hybrid: cloud management/reporting with local call handling/media survivability and local evidentiary recording.

For lowest latency and highest voice quality, the winning vendor will be the one that can terminate or anchor media closest to your dispatch center, integrate with your 911 trunks/ESInet, and record locally. You should run a proof-of-concept measuring one-way latency, jitter, packet loss, MOS/PESQ/POLQA scores, failover behavior, and recorder integrity.

Short answer: don’t choose a generic cloud call center for emergency dispatch evidence calls. Issue an RFP for a PSAP-grade hybrid/on-prem call-handling and recording system, and require local controlled retention of recordings.


We need software to run a 24/7 technical support hotline for the control systems we supply to water utilities; our customers' security requirements say the site details discussed on those calls cannot be stored by an outside provider, and our support systems already run on our own servers. What CCaaS tool should we buy?

Don’t buy a CCaaS product if the requirement is that site details discussed on calls cannot be stored by an outside provider. CCaaS is normally cloud-hosted and often stores call recordings, transcripts, metadata, tickets, analytics, or agent notes in the vendor’s environment.

Buy/deploy a self-hosted contact-center/PBX instead.

Recommended practical choice:

**Asterisk/FreePBX on your own servers**, with optional self-hosted add-ons such as **QueueMetrics** for call-center reporting.

Why this fits:

- Runs on your infrastructure
- Call recordings can be disabled or stored only on your servers
- IVR, queues, after-hours routing, escalation, voicemail, on-call rotation, and SIP trunking are supported
- Integrates with existing internal support systems
- Avoids storing customer/site details in a third-party CCaaS platform
- Mature, widely supported, and cost-effective

If you need a more enterprise/vendor-supported option, evaluate:

- **Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise / Express**
- **Avaya Aura Contact Center**
- **Genesys Engage / private deployment options**
- **Mitel MiContact Center**

But the key purchasing requirement should be:

> Self-hosted/on-premises contact center software with no third-party storage of call audio, transcripts, notes, or customer/site metadata.

Also make sure your SIP trunk/call carrier contract and system configuration prohibit call recording/transcription by the carrier or any external analytics service.


Best contact center platform for hotel reservation desks when the card details guests read out are covered by our acquiring bank's rules and cannot be processed or stored by an outside service; our property system already runs on a server at the property

For your constraints, I would **avoid a cloud contact-center/CCaaS platform** unless your acquiring bank explicitly approves it as a PCI service provider. If guests read card numbers aloud, any cloud contact-center provider carrying, recording, transcribing, or storing those calls may be considered to be processing cardholder data.

### Best-fit approach
Use an **on-premise PBX/contact-center platform** hosted at the property, with call media, recordings, logs, and agent tools kept under your control.

Good options to evaluate:

1. **3CX self-hosted on-premise**
   - Good for small/mid-size hotel reservation teams
   - Call queues, IVR, reporting, recording controls
   - Can run on your own server/VM
   - Make sure recordings are local only and cloud features are disabled if required

2. **Sangoma PBXact / FreePBX with Asterisk**
   - Strong on-prem control
   - Flexible SIP trunking and queue setup
   - Good if you want maximum control over call flows and data location
   - Can add queue/reporting tools such as QueueMetrics

3. **Mitel MiVoice Business or Avaya IP Office**
   - More traditional hotel/property-friendly telephony platforms
   - Better if you want vendor-supported hardware/software and hospitality integrations
   - Usually more expensive but robust

4. **Cisco CUCM/UCCX**
   - Enterprise-grade on-prem contact center
   - Best for larger groups or chains
   - More complex and costly

### My practical recommendation
For a hotel reservation desk with an existing on-property server, I’d shortlist:

**3CX on-prem** if you want ease of use and lower admin burden.
**FreePBX/PBXact** if strict local control and customization matter most.

### Compliance points to require
Whichever platform you choose, make sure you can:

- Keep call recordings **local only**
- Disable recording during card capture, or avoid recording reservation calls altogether
- Disable voicemail-to-email, transcription, AI summaries, cloud analytics, and cloud recording
- Restrict admin access and encrypt backups
- Use a PCI-compliant process for agents entering card data into the PMS/payment system
- Get written confirmation from your acquiring bank that the design is acceptable

If the bank truly says **no outside service may process the card details**, then a normal cloud contact-center platform is probably not suitable. An **on-prem PBX/contact-center with local media and recording control** is the safer architecture.


What call center software works best for a private bank whose regulator requires client call recordings to remain on systems the bank itself operates, with the core banking platform already in the bank's own data centre?

For that requirement, the best fit is an **on‑premise or bank-operated private-cloud contact center platform**, not a public-cloud CCaaS product.

A strong default choice would be:

## Recommended: Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise / Packaged CCE

**Cisco UCCE or PCCE** works well for a private bank because it can be deployed fully inside the bank’s own data centre, alongside the core banking platform. Call control, routing, agent desktops, integrations, recordings and backups can all remain on infrastructure operated by the bank.

Pair it with an on-prem recording platform such as:

- **Verint**
- **NICE Engage**
- **Calabrio**
- **ASC Technologies**, commonly used in regulated financial services

This setup supports:

- Local storage of call recordings
- Bank-controlled retention and deletion policies
- Encryption and access control
- Audit trails
- Integration with on-prem core banking systems
- High availability across the bank’s own data centres
- Regulatory-friendly architecture

## Other suitable options

| Platform | Fit |
|---|---|
| **Genesys Engage on-premise** | Very capable enterprise contact center, good for complex routing and omnichannel, but check long-term product roadmap and support. |
| **Avaya Aura Contact Center / Avaya Elite** | Common in banks with existing Avaya telephony estates. Good on-prem option. |
| **NICE CXone / Genesys Cloud / Five9 / Talkdesk / Amazon Connect** | Usually less suitable unless the regulator permits cloud storage or a dedicated sovereign/private deployment that the bank legally and operationally controls. |

## Short answer

Use an **on-prem Cisco UCCE/PCCE deployment with on-prem Verint, NICE, Calabrio or ASC call recording**, hosted in the bank’s own data centre. That best matches the requirement that client call recordings remain on systems the bank itself operates.