UCaaS, or Unified Communications as a Service, has come a long way in recent years. Considered by many to be the ultimate communication solution, UCaaS provides companies with a synchronized environment for managing business interactions and enabling collaboration.
Many of the most innovative tools today offer everything from video conferencing services to file and screen sharing, messaging apps, and reporting tools. As the cloud landscape evolved, several UCaaS platforms have become increasingly flexible, allowing users to implement add-ons, plugins, and integrations to expand their functionality.
With these tools, users can even embed basic contact center features into the platforms they’re already using, such as auto-attendants and routing systems. But how do you know when is it time to upgrade from a UCaaS solution with contact center capabilities to a full CCaaS service?
The Transition from UCaaS to CCaaS
For some smaller companies, using a UCaaS tool to manage internal conversations between colleagues and external interactions with customers may make sense.
Modern, flexible platforms like Microsoft Teams come with add-ons and integrations, allowing companies to manage service requests and monitor conversations in the environment employees already use as a central work hub.
Using such a UCaaS solution as a system for handling customer queries prevents businesses from having to invest in additional technology and training.
Moreover, utilizing the native contact center capabilities within a UCaaS solution can also reduce complexity in the workplace, giving team members fewer tools to manage and monitor each day.
However, a separate CCaaS platform is much more feature-rich, and service operations may find themselves craving many additional capabilities when attempting to maximize customer, employee, and business outcomes.
As Ben Booth, CEO of MaxContact, notes:
“It’s becoming more and more apparent that ‘informal contact centres’ – such as support desk or customer service departments within businesses – that typically haven’t seen themselves as such would benefit from the fast moving technology advancements seen in CCaaS platforms.”
On that note, here are the top signs a company needs to migrate to a CCaaS system.
1. It’s Time to Transform the Customer Experience
While UCaaS solutions may be able to provide access to essential tools for managing customer queries, they can rarely give businesses the answers they need to deliver a truly unforgettable experience. A comprehensive CCaaS platform allows companies to take their approach to CX to the next level.
The right platform will deliver an omnichannel environment where agents can easily monitor conversations and connect with customers on the platform of their choice. This ensures customers can access a consistent experience across everything from social media, to live chat and email.
CCaaS solutions also have advanced solutions designed to streamline the customer experience and reduce complexity. They can offer innovative routing tools, which automatically ensure customers are connected to the right agent to resolve their concerns, as well as integrations with CRM systems to ensure agents can personalize service to the needs of each customer.
2. Employee Experience Is Suffering
On the surface, using a UCaaS system as a tool for customer experience benefits employee experience. It means team members don’t have to use as many tools to complete tasks in their day-to-day workflow. However, with limited contact center functionality, UCaaS tools can lead to more significant frustrations and problems for employees.
With an omnichannel CCaaS platform, agents can still access an easy-to-use environment for managing customer service, which can even integrate with their existing collaboration tools. However, they’ll also benefit from access to valuable tools for boosting productivity and efficiency. The right CCaaS solution may include tools like automatic dialers to help outbound agents connect with customers faster.
Solutions can also include artificial intelligence and conversational AI , which help to guide agents through customer conversations and assist them with resolving problems. Moreover, these solutions can often integrate with other solutions that enhance the employee experience, such as workforce management, engagement tools, and project management apps.
3. Access to Business Intelligence Is Limited
Although some UCaaS tools will include analytical and reporting tools, they often focus on collecting metrics relevant to employee engagement and performance. CCaaS solutions allow companies to tap into a broader range of KPIs and pinpoint real growth opportunities.
Innovative solutions come with real-time and historical reporting tools, instantly capturing information and presenting it to agents. They can track the number of abandoned calls daily, provide insights into customer sentiment, emotion and intent with AI voice analysis, and even monitor patterns and changes in customer requests.
CCaaS solutions can collect information which may then be used to deliver training and guidance to employees, ensuring they can accomplish their goals. The ideal CCaaS solution opens up the data flow that lets businesses get the most out of their customer service strategy.
“Data is paramount in any business now,” adds Booth. “Unlocking the value of that data will reap rewards for any business.”
“For example, speech analytics allows you to identify the reasons customers call, and provides you with the data resolution inevitably improve our client’s customer experience and our staff’s.”
4. Compliance Is at Risk
UCaaS solutions generally have tools to preserve privacy, security, and compliance. But managing customer service queries and sales comes with its own set of challenges to consider. A simple UCaaS solution may need suitable systems to assist businesses with compliantly recording calls and managing data.
Some solutions may store data in a way that isn’t compliant with high-level regulations and guidelines set for specific industries. Certain tools may also be unable to collect the correct information for auditing purposes. In many cases, UCaaS solutions also won’t be able to offer companies a PCI-compliant way to manage transactions over the phone without additional plugins and add-ons.
Upgrading to a comprehensive CCaaS solution can help to reduce the risks businesses face when connecting with customers by ensuring every interaction is compliant and secured.
5. Evolution Is Crucial
Finally, the right CCaaS solution provides companies with a flexible way to upgrade, scale, and transform their CX strategy whenever they choose. While UCaaS solutions are generally limited in the contact center functionalities they can provide, CCaaS platforms are explicitly designed to address customer service and sales challenges.
Innovative platforms are constantly updating and evolving to suit new market trends and expectations. Plus, they provide companies with a convenient way to implement new tools and technologies with a couple of clicks.
Through the right CCaaS solution, companies can ensure they can maintain their competitive edge by taking advantage of new and emerging technologies, such as AI, automation, and even new self-service strategies with conversational and generative AI.
Ready to evolve from UCaaS to CCaaS? If so, visit: www.maxcontact.com
