We live in an increasingly digital world, and today’s consumers are more technologically savvy than ever. As attention spans shorten and people become increasingly accustomed to quick answers and speedy solutions, companies that cannot provide these things are losing their competitive edge – and their customers along with it.
Single-channel customer service is already a relic of the past, and many customers no longer have the patience for sitting in phone queues or waiting for an email reply. When they have a problem, they want a solution fast, and they want the most convenient and efficient way to get it.
What is CCaaS, and how does it optimize customer service?
Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) is a cloud-based call center software delivery platform that enables customer service teams to provide a holistic omnichannel experience. CCaaS has become an ideal service solution for most companies, as there is ample evidence that today’s customers expect omnichannel service. In fact, according to research by Microsoft, nearly half of consumers use between 3 – 5 different customer service channels.
A unified and scalable communications solution
With a CCaaS solution, you can tie in all forms of communication in one comprehensive, unified platform. Your contact center agents (both human and automated) can respond to customer requests via an IM app embedded on the company website, a Facebook or LinkedIn message, a Tweet, an email, a text message, or a phone call.
And whichever communication channel is utilized, all of the customer information needed to provide exceptional service is instantly available in one centralized, easily accessible location. Performance tracking and other workforce management features are also conveniently built in to aid managers and administrators.
CCaaS also scales quickly and easily, so when your business grows, or you experience a period of unusually high demand, you don’t need to worry about customers being left hanging. A continuous improvement approach for your communications systems and processes can also be implemented seamlessly.
Fully customizable – with all the features you need
With CCaaS, you purchase only the technologies you need, including services from multiple providers if desired. This versatility reduces the cost of IT support and maintenance. The cloud is also more flexible than traditional on-premise solutions, enabling work to be performed from any location via a browser and internet connection.
The numerous features available with a CCaaS solution include:
- Smart call routing and classification to connect the customer with the best agent fast
- Intelligent virtual agents that can automatically respond to many customer inquiries
- Convenient browser-based administration for easy configuration and maintenance
- Easily add new channels or integrations to customize your system to fit your needs.
- Call scripting and recording to ensure that customers receive high-quality service.
- Analytics and reporting features built-in for continuous oversight and improvement.
What should you consider before moving forward?
Switching to CCaaS could have many benefits for your organization, but the project should be planned with care, as with any significant transition. Here are some important factors to consider when looking to implement CCaaS in your contact center.
- Get clear on your project goals. Clarify the business objectives for your unified cloud contact center, and use those objectives to set specific goals and requirements and determine feature priorities. From there, you can map out more precisely what sort of scope and timeline you’ll be looking at for the entire project.
- Evaluate the expected cost savings. Identify which hardware, software, and services you’ll be able to reduce or replace when you implement CCaaS. Also, consider what expenses will be involved with the transition and your available budget. Check the expiration dates on current contracts and any applicable early termination fees.
- Assess your network readiness. Do you have a multi-route SD-WAN network already in place, connecting all of your locations? Does your network have adequate bandwidth and configuration to support a cloud or multi-cloud solution and sophisticated voice applications?
- Determine what level of expertise will be required. Transitioning your contact center to CCaaS will require expert knowledge of the associated processes, technologies, and vendors. Many companies don’t have this type of expertise in-house and will most successfully partner with a consultant.
Find out what CCaaS can do for your organization.
CornerStone’s team of CCaaS experts has the knowledge and experience to help you design and implement the best solution for your business. Contact us to learn more about how you can enjoy a smooth transition to a unified cloud contact center.
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