Change is often confronting. In the contact center, this often proves to be the case.
IT leaders have become accustomed to how processes work. Now, a CCaaS transformation threatens to change that harmony. The unfamiliarity breeds fear.
With this fear comes insecurity, as leaders worry that they will not understand all this new jargon, that they will lose their credibility.
As a result, some resist the change, cling to the same old path, and sabotage themselves.
Meanwhile, those that stay open to new ideas, concepts, and innovation can transform customer, agent, and business outcomes.
Keep an Open Mind
Successful implementation starts at the beginning of the shopping process, in the conceptualization of the idea, according to Erin Wilson, Former Director of Technical Marketing at Five9. She says:
“Having a wider perspective and not relying on a salesperson to tell you everything you need to know will help IT buyers avoid becoming too pigeon-holed and focused on individual components that do not mean a great deal in the grand scheme of things.”
Indeed, IT buyers are often adamant about one specific feature. Yet, dig deeper, and they do not necessarily need that. “There are a million ways to skin a cat,” says Wilson.
That is a common mistake: shopping to an RFP without wavering.
Yes, an RFP is often helpful. But it “should be a way to collect ideas in the spirit of what a company can bring, not just a series of features,” concludes Wilson.
Discover the Horror Stories Before You Experience Them
Early conversations with IT buyers are often tricky. “IT leaders sometimes approach contact centre deals with a vision that doesn’t accurately reflect the current cloud technology paradigm, and that causes tension during the evaluation process,” says Wilson.
These painful moments can be tricky. After all, people never want to feel trivial, especially when they’re there to ensure whatever the contact center buys is secure, compliant, and cost-effective.
As such, Wilson wrote a book, taking snippets of conversations she has had with customers and extracting valuable lessons for IT buyers. These stories help people learn from other people’s follies.
They span 18 years, with one excellent example including an IT manager that could have gone to jail for designing a solution without understanding all the compliance guidelines. Next, the company gets sued, and everyone is at panic stations.
Wilson gives buyers the bigger picture by drawing lessons from these cautionary tales. “The book addresses everything you didn’t know that you didn’t know – especially for the IT buyer that doesn’t live it every day,” she says.
“It allows them to become an expert in the room, alongside the people running the contact center. It bridges that divide.”
Build Your “Forever Home”
There is a lifecycle that comes with software purchases. It can become expensive and cumbersome for all parties involved.
As such, IT buyers should strive to create lasting relationships with vendors, which Wilson underlines with the motif of the “forever home” that runs through the book.
From “choosing the perfect plot of land” to “happily ever after”, it takes the reader on a journey throughout the contact center transformation. Wilson adds:
“Are you going to build a smart home with lots of AI, or is it utilitarian? The aim is to establish a clear strategy, so your work family has a nice place to live.”
Indeed, the book sets out a picture for tomorrow’s contact centers and plots a roadmap for IT buyers to follow that circumvents the bumpy terrain.
To learn more about the book and secure a copy, check it out on Goodreads.
