The outbreak of COVID-19 has contact centers across all vertical markets dealing with increased call volumes, necessity transitioning to quarantined environments, and declining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). While most customers were prepared to tolerate the resultant slower service levels, their patience is unlikely to last much longer in this pandemic. And social distancing requirements mean that most on-premises contact centers will have to continue operating with fewer agents.
With customer demands and market conditions are driving an increase in cloud-based solutions, cloud contact center can offer significant financial benefits to an organisation. Unlike on-premise, cloud-based virtual call centers have been able to continue operating as before. Since agents and supervisors access the call center solution using a Web browser, all they require to continue servicing customers is only with stable Internet connection and a laptop.
Follow our five steps to successfully move your contact center to the cloud:
1. Clearly define your business drivers
This may sound obvious, but it is amazing how many businesses start to evaluate new technology platforms simply because their current platform is out of life/ maintenance contract. Cloud will be mentioned and suddenly the discussion will be stuck in evaluating vendors only on cost and features rather than defining what the business needs the technology to deliver.
2. The benefit of real-time control of your contact center
One of the most unique and least understood benefits of cloud contact center applications is the ability for the people that run the contact center to control the technology directly via a secure web browser (which can be accessed from any device).
The real-time control means there is no need to send requests for adding agents, changing IVR flows or campaign scripts to internal IT teams or expensive third-party vendors. Instead, Contact Center Managers can make all the changes themselves – within minutes – through an easy to use web interface. This direct control not only saves time and money, but it means that businesses can scale their operations in real-time to cope with unexpected peaks in demand. So, no customer should ever hear a busy signal and all calls will be managed in real-time.
3. Rapid technology innovation
A widely unrecognised benefit of cloud software is its ability to deliver continued innovation. Whilst traditional on-premise solutions can go months, even years without upgrades, cloud contact solutions will include the implementation of a regular stream of technology innovation.
4. Consider a phased hybrid cloud model
Cloud is not the right solution for all Contact Centers. Contact Centers with no need for rapid changes, real-time control, usage-based pricing or scalability can sometimes be better off sticking with traditional on-premise technology.
But it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing migration. Certain elements of any business may have a greater need for Cloud. Many of Telkomtelstra’s clients who are powered by this technology run 50-150 seats of Cloud Contact Center software in parallel with a more traditional technology solution.
5. What are the risks of staying on the current system?
By its very nature, any Cloud Contact Center business case will focus on the risks of change and migration. But a successful business case will also examine the opportunity costs and risks of not migrating to a new technology platform. Don’t wait for an incident or disaster to force the change. Key elements that should be considered include:
- What’s the full future cost of the existing technology?
- Does the existing technology meet all our future needs?
- Will our competitors gain a competitive edge through Cloud?
To find out how you can successfully move to the cloud, contact Telkomtelstra today
*This blog taken and adjusted from our partner, ipSCAPE material