.jpg?sfvrsn=18732b88_1)
Is there anything customers dread more than calling a contact center? The endless menus and extensive waiting times are only made worse when their call is constantly forwarded between departments until they can reach the one agent who can actually help them.
Contact center agents don't always enjoy the experience either, as they must deal with a constant influx of angry customers and often lack the tools they need to help the callers properly. There's a reason contact centers have such a high turnover rate.
Except…that doesn't have to be the case anymore.
Contact center technology has advanced significantly over the years, which has improved the contact center experience for agents and customers alike by providing more robust tools, better ease of use, and enhanced assistance on every call. Another plus? It's cost-effective.
So, let's look at the essentials for today's contact centers and what you need to know about cloud solutions:
What Are Cloud Contact Centers and How Do They Save Businesses Money?
A cloud contact center (CCaaS, or "Contact Center as a Service") is not a physical, on-premises system. Instead, the contact center is hosted in the cloud, and agents can access all the contact center capabilities from virtually any device with an internet connection.
One of the major benefits of a cloud contact center is that because it's cloud-based, organizations can use it without needing to invest in hardware or ongoing maintenance, which saves money in the long run. The organization pays a recurring monthly fee—which will vary based on the provider and the features they include but is typically a set monthly amount—rather than an upfront investment, turning the contact center from a capital expenditure (CapEx) into an operating expense (OpEx).
While there are implementation fees upfront, and too many add-ons and optional features can cause the price for a contact center solution to increase, CCaaS tends to be a more cost-effective option overall. A cloud consulting partner (such as us!) can present vendor options and customized demos to ensure your system is appropriate and you're only buying what you need.
The Benefits of Cloud Contact Centers
Why are businesses switching from on-premises contact centers to CCaaS? There are plenty of benefits to cloud solutions, including:
- Accessibility from Anywhere: Cloud contact centers allow agents to work from anywhere and on any device, whether in the office, at home, or on the go. The mobility and accessibility of a cloud solution make it an appealing option.
- Scalability: CCaaS solutions are easy to scale up and down as needed. Companies can add new seats simply by purchasing additional licenses and remove them just as easily, should they no longer be required, so they only pay for the seats they need.
- Easier Maintenance: Since there is no physical hardware onsite and providers handle upkeep like security patches and system upgrades, cloud contact centers are less labor-intensive, and they free up your IT department to concentrate their energy on other matters.
- Reliability: Most cloud contact center providers have multiple data centers to provide backups and redundancies should anything unfortunate (like a natural disaster or power outage) happen. This increases reliability and uptime since there's always a backup in place.
- Integrations: Cloud contact centers also typically offer integrations with popular CRMs, communication platforms, and third-party apps so that agents can access the tools they're used to within the contact center.
Contact Center Capabilities to Consider
As contact center technology continues to advance, new features and capabilities continue to arise, providing more benefits to organizations. Designed to help agents aid callers and improve the customer experience while making life easier for staff and improving the contact center's overall efficiency, they include:
AI, Chatbots, and Self-Service
As artificial intelligence technologies develop, they're being integrated into contact center environments in several ways. For callers, artificial intelligence can improve self-service options, such as chatbots, so customers can get the help they need without speaking with an agent. For agents, AI assistance can provide real-time insights and guidance, such as automatically identifying questions and providing answers during a call or gaining insight into how callers feel through sentiment analysis.
Personalization
Today's customers expect a personalized support experience beyond simply providing good service. Agents can tailor the contact center experience to each customer based on their history with the company and any past interactions. A more personalized experience leads to better results and happier customers.
Workforce Optimization
Contact centers often struggle with employee retention, so they need to ensure agents are empowered and equipped to do their jobs well. Workforce optimization helps address this by assisting with proper staffing and agent scheduling. Managers can use workforce optimization to support their teams with invaluable guidance and training (essential for remote agents), helping improve employee satisfaction and productivity so everyone benefits.
Omnichannel Contact Centers
Contact centers aren't just call centers anymore. Customers expect to be able to reach support through email, social media, SMS messaging, chat, and more. Omnichannel contact centers enable customers to receive support through the channels they prefer and are most comfortable with, while agents can provide a continuity of history for a more personalized experience regardless of medium.
Analytics
Analytics are vital to ensuring contact centers are running smoothly and customers are satisfied. Contact center analytics can identify a contact center's busiest times, recurring issues, overall customer satisfaction, and more. Analytics can also help managers see agents' strengths and where they need more training so that no one is falling behind and everyone is properly prepared to assist customers.
What to Remember
Contact centers are essential for helping customers, so it's important that businesses invest in their contact center solutions. Cloud contact centers provide a wide array of tools and features to help agents assist customers efficiently and from anywhere.
If you're looking for a new contact center solution, it's time to take your customer support to the cloud. You'll find that your agents will be able to work more efficiently from anywhere, your customers will be happier, and you'll gain new insights into your contact center and teams.
Do you want to learn more about cloud contact centers, or are you ready to move to the cloud and need help finding the best vendor for your needs? Contact us; we'll help you find the perfect solution for your business.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like: