Many invest in the notion that CCaaS is now the norm. Yet, this is not the case.
Just 29.5 percent of global organizations have switched to CCaaS, as per a 2023 Metrigy study.
More surprisingly, almost half of those businesses (48.2 percent) are considering shifting CCaaS platform providers by 2024.
These statistics may not paint the prettiest picture. However, they shine a light on an often suppressed narrative: the cloud can underwhelm.
CCaaS Transformation Troubles
CCaaS migrations don’t always go to plan. For instance, cumbersome data loads, unforeseen regulatory quagmires, and features that lag what the contact center had on-premise – typically relating to voice – can all present problems.
The result is that rapid public cloud transformation projects sometimes miss the mark.
Nevertheless, most still see CCaaS as the future. After all, heightened scalability, ease of integration, and rapid speed of innovation make for a compelling argument.
As an example of the latter, prominent contact center provider Avaya released 50+ CCaaS innovations in Q4 alone last year – taking advantage of the cloud-native foundation of its Avaya Experience Platform solution.
Given these attractive advantages, many more businesses will transition to CCaaS. Yet, most remain wary of risking customer, employee, and business outcomes.
The Need for a More Cautious Approach
As the aforementioned study suggests, 70+ percent of businesses have yet to switch to CCaaS. Many of these are large enterprises. Such businesses are typically more cautious and would prefer a gradual CCaaS transition.
After all, they have sunk significant sums of money into customizing their legacy contact center environments, creating a complex patchwork quilt of on-premise systems.
At one point, this ecosystem enabled CX innovation. Now, it holds businesses back. Meanwhile, the thought of replicating that environment in the cloud – or getting somewhere close – is daunting.
Of course, service leaders could start from scratch. Yet, they are often averse to tearing out that technology and replacing it, especially when off-the-shelf alternatives are hard to come by.
Thankfully, there is another option with Avaya’s contact center playbook.
Avaya’s Three-Pronged Contact Center Strategy
Unlike many market rivals, Avaya doesn’t force a single public cloud CCaaS platform upon customers.
Instead, it has developed three go-to-market CCaaS propositions. These are: Premises-based (includes Aura and Elite), Cloud (includes Avaya Cloud Office and Experience Platform), and Hybrid.
The hybrid option offers a framework that allows businesses to migrate at their own speed.
Indeed, Avaya connects elements of the cloud with the existing on-premise environment – creating a customized offering that leverages the best of both worlds.
Digging deeper into this approach during a recent interview, Tim Sherwood, Vice President, Solutions & Technology Operations at Avaya, added:
“We’re supplementing this approach with services that either Avaya or our partners provide to help in the transformation of planning, designing, and – ultimately – migrating at the pace clients are looking for, from their current situation to the end-state experience.”
For instance, a company can utilize the cloud for digital channels, connect those with its legacy voice architecture, and optimize the omnichannel contact center. It may then add further services – such as conversational AI – as the customer experience matures.
This example exemplifies Avaya’s “innovation without disruption” strategy.
Innovation Without Disruption
Avaya’s “innovation without disruption” approach to CCaaS transformation is capturing the attention of its deep legacy base.
Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst at ZK Research, picked up on this warm reception in a recent UC Today interview. He stated:
“Avaya customers I’ve talked to say it’s very easy to work on top of Avaya’s contact center, use APIs to customize the product, and do lots of innovative things – like contextual routing. You can’t do with an off-the-shelf product in a way that’s tailored to your organization.”
The approach also allows businesses to keep sensitive data loads on-premise to meet data compliance regulations. Meanwhile, contact centers can cling to their customized legacy tools, which they can migrate once an equally powerful SaaS alternative becomes available.
Finally, this phased CCaaS transition gives IT teams the necessary time to adjust to the steep learning curve that the cloud brings. After all, learning about microservices, new integration techniques, and all the AI possibilities that come with the cloud is a long journey.
The good news for Avaya’s customers is that the vendor will hold their hand throughout.
Avaya: The Vendor That Does CCaaS Differently
“We’ve been on a journey for the past six months, streamlining our product roadmap and organizing ourselves around our roadmap,” said Sherwood.
Now, Avaya is ready to deliver.
Instead of forcing different businesses down the same CCaaS migration path, the vendor presents three routes to avoid square peg round hole transformations.
To learn more about its pioneering approach, visit: Avaya.
Alternatively, if you’d like to hear from end-users that have embraced Avaya’s innovation without disruption mantra, register for the upcoming Avaya Engage event.