It wasn’t that long ago when running call center software in-house was the de facto standard. The platforms were a big investment because you had to maintain the software yourself, requiring an ongoing investment both in people and hardware. Market leaders like Avaya and Cisco dominated the market until the late 2000s when call center technology hit an inflection point. Now, these systems are moving to primarily cloud-based environments, where call center agents can install an app and access the call center system in the cloud – now known as Call Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS).
Connected agents solve problems faster with CCaaS
Just how far has hosted call center technology come? Today’s CCaaS solutions offer features not available in earlier-generation models and their analytics capabilities are a game-changer. The platforms now support multi-channel communication letting agents field questions using customer’s preferred channels and devices – mobile, text, live chat, email, and voice calls. These advancements are leading to better experiences for agents and for customers. That’s because CCaaS makes the dream of having connected agents possible! By giving agents access to all critical information they need – including access to third-party apps with screen pop capabilities- on a single screen, reps spend less time toggling between different data sources to find answers. Combine these capabilities with collaboration, screen sharing, and video conference capabilities and your employees can raise the bar in respect to the customer experience they can deliver.
‘You wouldn’t drive your car without a dashboard, why drive your business without one!
Cloud-based call center software allows your business to manage effectively with real-time call analytics and statistics that provide a meaningful date on how your employees are taking care of your customers. The real-time and historical reports help your business analyze the data to improve performance. Combine these reports with real-time supervisor capabilities like call monitor, call record, whisper and barge, and your business will have all the tools necessary to improve your customer’s experience with your organization.
Making the switch to CCaaS
Ready to make the switch CCaaS? While the benefits are clear, the path to the right cloud-based call center system isn’t always. Larger enterprises often have dedicated call center teams, as well as teams for their IT infrastructure, customer success, and customer experience. SMBs, on the other hand, don’t often have this luxury. Instead, they often benefit from having a trusted managed service provider to evaluate options and provide solutions to help their business. Let’s review the top recommendations for CCaaS success.
- Start with requirements – Most CCaaS solutions today include features like intelligent routing, screen pop, voice, text and chat processing along with a host of other options. Before paying for functionality that’s not needed, talk to department managers and agents about what functionality will be most useful. Don’t assume standard features are what will work for every business. If neither internal teams nor customer requirements reflect a need, it may not bring ROI.
- Identify top priorities – Finding the right platform requires a business to first understand how groups are using the contact center and what they wish to achieve with the new solution. Is agent productivity a priority? Or cost savings? Look for solutions with complete all-in-one functionality and detailed analytics and supervisor capabilities including call recording and quality management. If your company uses multiple third-party or other custom applications, be sure to choose an open platform with programmable APIs for simple integrations.
- Make a 3, 6, and 9-month plan – You may have done your requirements homework and found the perfect CCaaS solution. However, it doesn’t mean customers are on your same timeline for adoption. Set realistic expectations and check-in on usage at 3,6, and 9-month intervals. It’s critical teams document specific goals and metrics for each milestone so that leaders can demonstrate results. It may require running campaigns announcing new features in your blogs, emails, and newsletters. Or, it may include a survey collecting feedback about the new contact center options available. Offering an incentive for completing a survey, can go a long way in launching a new service. If that doesn’t work it may require making adjustments and turning off certain functionality until there’s a need.
Don’t stop at go-live
Smart technology partners can uncover CCaaS requirements to ensure the software’s product capabilities and platform strategy aligns with the organization’s goals. It’s especially crucial with CCaaS because, yes, it’s a technology decision, but the call center also touches so many different parts of the business. Crexendo can guide you every step of the way – from requirements gathering and planning, to go-live. We’ll also suggest operational improvements to optimize your CCaaS solution, giving you more value at every stage. Don’t wait, contact us today!
