The rise of cloud technology and as-a-service solutions has been evident for some time. For years, companies have been moving to Unified Communications as a service, and cloud-based communication platforms for better flexibility and reduced costs. However, the rise of the pandemic in 2020 could mean that CCaaS becomes the only way forward for brands in 2021 and beyond.
In a short period, the COVID-19 outbreak changed everything we thought we knew about business and the consumer world. Suddenly, face-to-face interactions were a thing of the past, and companies needed to determine what true customer care looked like in a virtual environment.
What’s more, as offices and traditional contact centres began to shut down, companies had to invest in remote working strategies faster than ever. Before the pandemic, CCaaS, (Contact Centre as a Service), technology was at around 20% penetration. Now, without a cloud strategy in your company, you could find that you’re unable to ensure ongoing business continuity, and customer satisfaction.
The Value of CCaaS in Consistent CX
By 2022, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant tells us that CCaaS will be the preferred adoption model for around half of all contact centres. That means that in the space of just over 2 years, the penetration of CCaaS will have doubled – thanks primarily to the impact of the pandemic.
When CCaaS began making its way into the communication and customer engagement environment, it was an obvious next step for companies already investing in UCaaS and similar technologies. If you already have your internal communications strategy on the cloud, then it makes sense to make your contact centre cloud-based too.
Contact Centres as a Service promised agile companies the flexibility to update their services and increase their number of agents quickly and conveniently. The cloud is capable of scale at an incredible pace, and it’s easy to add new features and services to the mix with little initial investment. Yet, despite the benefits that CCaaS has to offer, many companies stuck with their legacy equipment.
Larger companies, and those with heavy investments in on-premises tools weren’t willing to make the switch to the cloud straight away. Unfortunately for those companies, the pandemic meant that CCaaS was no longer an option.
Without access to contact centre technology on the cloud, a business cannot continue to offer sales support and service when the office isn’t open. Teams need to be able to unlock the same functionality they get from the contact centre wherever they are. The cloud gives companies the tools they need to maintain business continuity no matter what happens in the wider world.
Companies can no longer afford to lag behind their competitors in the age of remote employees and digital transformation.
CCaaS Opens the Door to Flexible Growth
The most obvious benefit of CCaaS to arise from an assessment of corporate response to COVID-19, is that it allows for ongoing business continuity. You can run your contact centre anywhere with CCaaS and ensure remote employees can offer the same level of service.
However, CCaaS also has more to offer than protection. It can also be the key to growth and innovation in an age where consumers are becoming increasingly demanding. In times of crisis and uncertainty, like this, customers are looking for brands they can trust.
The amazing experiences that your company offers now will be the factors that keep your clients close to your company – even when the economy suffers. CCaaS gives businesses the freedom to adapt their CX strategy to suit changing customer expectations and needs instantly. With a cloud provider, you can implement everything from AI self-service to intelligent routing overnight.
CCaaS means that businesses can respond to problems rapidly too. For instance, if your helplines are jammed because no-one can talk to an agent in-person, you can use your CCaaS system to open up new avenues for customer support, like live chat. This improves your business reputation by showing customers that you’re willing to meet them on the platforms they prefer.
At the same time, because your CCaaS strategies will be aligned on a single cloud environment, you can maintain valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. Your agents can use their cloud interface to track conversations from chat, through to phone call and video, reducing the risk of misaligned and disjointed conversations.
CCaaS even gives companies the freedom to conveniently scale their number of agents up or down to suit changes in demand in the new digital environment. With a CCaaS environment where you can track customer levels, you can assign agents to different segments of your CX strategy in real-time.
Endless Opportunities
For years, companies have experimenting with the idea of contact centres in the cloud. Just like Unified Communications and other software solutions delivered as a service, CCaaS has a lot of value. The right solution can accelerate business growth, while reducing overheads and common expenses. A good CCaaS provider will even be able to assist companies in building a custom solution tailor-made to their needs.
Today’s cloud-based applications can easily integrate with other tools through SDKs and APIs. Companies could build the ultimate contact centre and customer experience strategy by aligning everything from CRM technology, to contact centre and workforce management tools. A single pane of glass environment would boost team efficiency, while allowing for better data collection for business decision making.
As customers continue to demand more from companies in a trying environment, CCaaS will give organisations the freedom they need to grow and adapt. CCaaS is the saviour of the modern contact centre, offering immediate access to flexible employees, and new methods of contacts. This is the technology that ensures business continuity in an unpredictable world and provides business leaders with the insights they need to make critical decisions.
Cloud and CCaaS is also the key to unlocking new opportunities and innovations as they emerge, from sentiment analysis, to biometric-based fraud protection. With CCaaS, you can take full advantage of the rapid momentum for innovation that the pandemic is creating. Don’t risk not being able to move at the same speed as your competitors, or your customers.
