‘What is old is new again’ goes the saying. A decade-plus ago direct marketers such as cataloger JC Penney were offering contact centers as services to boost revenues, increasing the ROI from their existing solutions.

 

Now, according a story by Eric Engleman, senior technology staff writer for Seattle, Wash.-based TechFlash and the Puget Sound Business Journal, hometown online marketing giant Amazon.com apparently is following in the same footsteps, but going to the next level, hosting its SIP/VoIP-enabled platform.

 

Engleman cite a new job listing for Manager- Customer Service Telecom Team out of the company’s Seattle HQ. The tipoff to him is this line, taken from the ad: “Join us to help take our solution to the next level, making it available to organizations outside of Amazon.”

 

If so, then other contact center hosted providers, BPO firms, and on-premise hardware and software suppliers have reason to be concerned. Amazon.com (News - Alert) has developed a solid, proven platform backed by an excellent reputation for service that most people are familiar with. CNNMoney.com reported that Amazon.com “had the happiest customers this holiday season, according to a survey from ForeSee Results. Amazon.com beat out Netflix and QVC in having the highest customer satisfaction from shoppers.

 

Here is the ad, Job ID: 109036, verbatim:

 

“Overview:

 

We are seeking experienced VOIP/SIP engineers to help us support and develop Amazon's internally developed Call Center Platform.  Our solution currently powers all of Amazon's call centers, supporting thousands of concurrent customer calls, and tens of thousands of agents.  Our technology is compelling, as it solves a common problem in a novel way -- and it is unique in the industry.  Join us to help take our solution to the next level, making it available to organizations outside of Amazon.

 

We are looking for someone to contribute to our vision.  Evaluate open-source and commercial components for their ability to run reliably in the cloud.  Liaise with internal customers and external partners to accurately gather requirements, and translate these business needs into workable technology solutions.  Foster collaboration and technical alignment between teams.  Work on all phases of the solution -- from analysis and design through implementation and support.  Develop and extend expertise in specialized VOIP hardware and software systems, SIP protocols, as well as standard Internet building blocks such as Internet routing, Internet naming, and Internet security.  Create the tools and training which will enable support engineers to come up to speed quickly on our system.  As a team, we actively brainstorm, analyze and discuss creative solutions to hard problems.  In this position you will lead projects that yield visible and measurable change to our system.

 

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

* Must have experience working with VOIP and SIP components.

* Must have experience troubleshooting carrier and various connectivity issues.

* Must have excellent IP networking fundamentals.

* Most have excellent communication and documentation skills.

* A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science (or comparable experience) with 5 years of industry experience.

* Strong UNIX/Linux skills, experience in building source code to run on various OS flavors.

* Excellent troubleshooting skills.

* Ability to code / script in Java, Perl, Ruby or Python.  C or C++ experience is desirable.

 

This is a technical leadership position.  Technicians and engineers worldwide will look to you for mentorship, guidance, and solutions to complex problems.  Your peers will be systems, network and software engineers working to make our Telephony Platform more capable, scalable, reliable and efficient. The ability to build productive relationships with colleagues at remote sites around the world will make you successful in this role, as will patience and a sense of humor. Members of this team participate in a moderate on call support rotation. We are looking for the best of the best, so please expect a rigorous technical interview process.”

 

(There’s a new rail rapid transit line that just opened from Sea-Tac Airport to downtown Seattle…)

 

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