A company may have to change its technical solution for many reasons, including the need for more advanced and customizable features. Whatever the driving force behind this transition, it is important to consider the technological advancements that have occurred in the contact center space in recent years. In that regard, Cloud Contact Center Solutions (CCaaS) are replacing old technologies and opening up new potential for organizations. These solutions are increasingly more than simply a tool for making and receiving calls, as they improve customer experience, agent experience, key performance indicators, and more.
This article will show you 12 telltale signs to upgrade your contact center software and 9 benefits you can acquire from this transition.
Why do you need to upgrade to a top cloud-based contact center software?
Many consumers and prospects want rapid, accurate replies. This is especially true in today’s market. Adapting to these expectations might be difficult for a small firm since they don’t have the right people or resources to handle these interactions. This can easily lead to discouragement.
In the past, businesses had to spend a lot of money and take up a lot of space to install call center technology — stations, computers, servers, etc. On top of that, improvements were a common source of extra, considerable costs.
Companies may now use Cloud Contact Center solutions without worrying about deployment and maintenance thanks to the power of the cloud. You will see the advantages of a cloud call center system immediately: scalability, cheaper costs, agility, and more.
But before we can talk about the advantages of the best cloud contact center solutions, you need to identify the red flags in your organization.
Why do you need a new contact center software?
As the contact center industry shifts towards becoming more dynamic after the pandemic, customer expectations are different. You might have noticed that your contact center solution is slowing you down.
2022 is a perfect opportunity to look at some warning signs that you’re not getting the best results from your call center technologies. And here are the telltales.
1 – Disparity among call center agents
Your software interface’s impact on agents is a great way to evaluate the contact center’s efficiency. Having the right contact center solutions may make a world of difference in agent performance. That is why you must let your agents use the best contact center software available. Your managers will notice an increase in productivity in all areas of their everyday job.
2 – No Real-time Reporting
If your present system’s reporting is difficult to utilize, with insufficient data, you’re missing out on helpful reporting capabilities that would allow you to operate more effectively in the future. Real-time data, dashboards, and better reporting are essential for evaluating agent performance and increasing customer experience and key performance indicators.
3 – Weak Call Tracking
When contacting your business, a customer’s primary motive is to obtain assistance right away. If you have old call center technology, clients may find themselves in a maze of uncertainty, having to explain their problems over and over again.
4 – Your software doesn’t have a back-up plan
When working with software, you must be prepared for mishaps. Even if you have the finest technology available, it might still fail. A good contact center solution should have a backup plan to guarantee that your business can manage customers during downtimes.
5 – Dissatisfied Customers and Agents
The customer experience suffers when employees are unhappy with technology and overwhelmed by the volume of calls. Long wait times and complicated phone directory systems leave clients with a bad image if they complain.
Automated call distribution (ACD) systems that use multi-media skills-based call distribution and Skill Group assignments can enhance the client experience. Automated call queue announcements can be played on hold during call peak periods.
6 – Absence of updated productivity tools
To keep your customers happy, you must make changes in your technology. Possibly, when you purchased your software, it was a good fit. As a result, your call center will need to make modifications and upgrades at some time in the future. Keeping your call center software up-to-date is essential if you want to keep up with the top industry trends and the competition.
7 – Problems with Compliance
Compliance rules are at the center of every customer interaction. Compliance is essential if you want to maintain your contact center lucrative. It will be difficult to grasp these compliance processes if your agents do not have access to software that helps them comply with rules.
8 – Social media and other Channels are not supported
Providing customer care via social media, webchat, and other communication channels is becoming widely popular. Companies are responding by changing their traditional call centers into omnichannel contact centers, which seamlessly and efficiently handle a variety of communication methods.
It’s possible that your present system doesn’t allow numerous channels if you’re going through this kind of shift. A call center software upgrade may be part of your plans to address some of these concerns.
9 – Contact center expenses are high
Many of the costs associated with traditional on-premise contact center systems, such as hardware, licenses that need to be updated frequently, specialized technical support employees, and high energy consumption, are pretty expensive. That cost can be heavily reduced with cloud contact center solutions.
10 – Handling too many platforms
As your contact center grows, you’ll need greater access to data across systems and platforms.
Think of this. What questions or queries do customers ask frequently when they call your business? Agents will need to search across your numerous platforms for the answer. So, instead of launching yet another window, your contact center technology should provide simple and centralized access to critical information. In order to better serve more consumers, you won’t need to hire more agents because of time-saving centralized integrations.
Real performance for a Contact Center stems from balancing human interaction with the appropriate sort of technology. Contact centers, in a way, may be viewed as living entities bursting with vitality, combining complicated technologies with the human touch.
In this SOCAP webinar, we discuss how to effectively maximize the contact center manager’s connection with technology to achieve organic growth and long-term success for incoming and outbound contact centers.
Watch and discover how to arrange the ideal supervisor dashboard and inbound and outbound contact center tips and tactics.
11 – Inability to produce customer key data
Your contact center’s value, KPIs, and customer satisfaction depend on your ability to share critical data among team agents and supervisors. And the way you accomplish this is by arranging your conversations into categories.
You’ll be ahead of your competitors if you choose a contact center solution that includes a ticketing solution. With modern technology, you can establish intents for all of your incoming demands and then categorize your interactions to acquire crucial insights and key data for your contact center.
After that, you’ll be able to utilize that information to assist other departments within your company in fixing problems with their goods or services and provide a better user experience for your customers.
12 – Lack of assistance from your contact center technology provider
The lack of assistance and expertise from your present vendor may also be a source of dissatisfaction.
Creating a contact center isn’t something you do once and then forget about. It must be constantly fed and cared for. This holds true for both the end-users and the IT team.
A sophisticated contact center platform offered via the cloud or Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) – enables updates and upgrades without requiring downtime or hefty costs.
If you have any questions or concerns, your vendor should be able to assist you and provide prompt and dependable customer care. If this doesn’t happen, your agents, supervisor, clients, and business overall will suffer.
What you should know about CCaaS migration
There are a few crucial factors to consider when migrating from an on-premise solution to a cloud contact center solution. Before changing your contact center solution, consider the following questions:
- What are the most important technological requirements?
- What are the reports, dashboards, and so on that need to be created?
- What are the assurances regarding compliance?
- What channels are in use now, how are they controlled, and how will they be handled in the future?
- Can remote work be managed?
- What is the level of assistance and expertise provided by your cloud provider?
We answer each of these questions and more in our ebook On-premise vs Cloud Contact Center Solution: Advantages and challenges.
9 Benefits of upgrading to a top cloud-based contact center solution
Contact centers that use a CCaaS solution can benefit from several different features. Here are nine advantages of utilizing a cloud contact center solution:
1 – Elevated agent productivity
All of the programs and features that an agent requires are consolidated on a single interface, including client information (previous conversations, customer history, purchases, applications…).
Because of the effectiveness of this method, they may also automate some repetitive operations. As a result, they may be more productive and complete their assignments without losing any information.
With these benefits, agents may establish a tailored and trustworthy connection with each consumer.
Furthermore, a CCaaS system enables greater flexibility. All they need is an Internet connection and a computer, smartphone, or tablet. This allows a remote work environment, for example.
2 – Improved interactions with clients
When customers can get in touch with their favorite brands at their convenience, it improves their opinion of that business.
Contact center agents may reply to inquiries through webchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, phone calls, and emails using a CCaaS solution. They get notifications via the app and can respond to a range of customer requests. Workflows that are more fluid and responsive are more efficient. Customers can also select the one that best suits their needs.
3 – A better experience for agents
This signifies that the system has become more automated, and the agent is no longer required to do the same activities repeatedly. They don’t have to waste time switching between programs and run the danger of forgetting anything. The CCaaS application makes it possible for agents to work from any device without manually installing each contact center software on a new device before they can begin working.
4 – Lower expenses
With a CCaaS solution, businesses can simply go through the software and get started right away with its use. Managing expensive hardware and licenses that must be updated on a regular basis is no longer necessary with this solution. Expenses are clearly stated, so there are no unpleasant surprises.
- When a piece of hardware or software becomes outdated, there is no need to replace it.
- Hardware and software are not required to be updated.
- Free of charge.
- No use for in-house technical support staff.
- Maintenance, software, support, and equipment all save a lot of money.
5 – Built-in scalability
Scalability has become a big issue for businesses. In today’s competitive market, customers’ expectations are at an all-time high. In the case of CCaaS, a corporation pays for what it needs and can change the plan at any moment.
6 – Data analysis and reporting in great detail
CCaaS solutions make it simple to collect and analyze customer information. Using this information, you may gain valuable insight into who your clients are and build profiles for each of your clients.
A CCaaS solution allows for the addition of customer data in real-time for everyone to access. It then provides for data analysis and tracking.
This data is critical for making the correct decisions at the appropriate time. It tells you who your clients are, what they buy, what their interests are, and what their history is.
This data may subsequently be used to customize exchanges and deliver targeted adverts and offers.
7 – A single solution that centralizes all your customer care efforts
CCaaS provide a single platform for managing all of your interactions with consumers.
Indeed, your CCaaS platform will allow you to access and manage all of your contact channels, including phone (landline or mobile), email, multiple message channels, contacts via your website, social networks, chat, and video. Regardless of how your customers like to communicate, you’ll be able to keep track of everything from a single dashboard.
8 – A seamless customer experience that generates more satisfaction and engagement
You’ll be able to manage your contact center’s peaks more easily and make client interactions more frictionless with this cross-channel customer relationship management system. Increased customer satisfaction and optimized customer service can only improve the customer experience. Finally, the advantages to your business might be numerous: lead creation, client retention, increased KPIs and metrics, etc.
9 – CCaaS providers customize your contact center solution
Contact centers as a service are so named because suppliers handle the creation and upkeep of your customer relationship management software. This provides you with access to a scalable, adaptable solution that is suited to your individual and industry requirements.
CCaaS can help businesses stay competitive in an ever-changing business market. Frank Wassenbergh (CCaaS Practice Leader & Managing Partner at Cloudlinxbelieves) says it has a bit of a learning curve for the contact center CCaaS management. From speech analytics to QA/QM and gamification, it all comes down to compatibility and the correct fit for the firm.
Are you ready to level-up your contact center technology?
Our goal at NobelBiz is to keep contact centers functioning while maintaining high-performance standards.
For more than 20 years, we have provided on-demand customer support and a consultative approach to the best technologies and voice telephony services in the contact center sector. That is why we are known as the promise keepers of the industry.
Our Cloud Contact Center Solution NobelBiz Omni+ offers a seamless customer experience across all communication channels. By allowing your agents to interact with your customers on their preferred communication channels (voice, webchat, email, SMS, and social media), you can anticipate their needs and crate CX excellence from the first interaction.
You can book a consultation with one of our experts who will help you:
- Get an honest assessment of your operations
- Identify technology and operations bottlenecks
- Get compliance assistance
- Get practical performance issue-solving advice
- Get a first high-level action plan
Abdelmounim Benharouga has always had a strong passion for writing and digital marketing. He started as a Digital Content Writer part of marketing department then moved to being Customer Success Manager for the African Region within the Nobelbiz team.