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at your service: Xaas
Compared to similar claims made dur-
ing the past few years, several factors
validate this assertion, not the least of
which is the steady acceptance of the
“as-a-service” delivery model.
Increasingly, however, the decision
to move from premises-based contact
center technology to cloud contact
center is less about the type and lo-
cation of the technology and more a
decision about how to provide the cus-
tomer a more connected and better
user experience. It is these customer
experience (CX) program goals that
will create a connection with and be-
come a key driver for increased cloud
contact center adoption in 2017.
Research from Forrester shows
the soundness of a corporate strategy
focused on keeping customers happy.
CX leaders grow revenue as much
as 25 percent more compared to
those organizations with a poor track
record. The contact center is a key
component to providing a connected
and contextual customer journey, and
a cloud contact center strategy allows
the contact center to be more flexible
in adopting technology and new func-
tionality that’s key to CX programs.
For starters, that’s because the con-
tact center as a service (CCaaS) model
provides the flexibility to better adapt to
changing business needs. After all, it’s
much easier to pilot new functionality
when the cloud provider already has it
on its platform and only requires a sim-
ple activation for sets of agents. This
allows contact center executives to see
what works before rolling it out to the
broader set of agents. Scalability of
the cloud also is important, as scaling
up/down and paying for what you use
is especially common in the contact
center space. The OPEX-based eco-
nomics of cloud contact center also is a
strong selling point for the C-suite, who
likewise will be interested in the CCaaS
model’s ability to allow for better plan-
ning and staffing decisions, in addition
to liberating in-house IT from contact
center operations.
All the while, there’s the underly-
ing theme of a new key driver which,
admittedly, includes all of the above
drivers. This new, all-encompassing
driver is successful customer experi-
ence initiatives. Here is why:
• It’s less about where the technol-
ogy sits and who maintains it and
more about your CX business
objectives. Companies are less
focused on the logistics of the
technology and more on how the
technology can improve CX;
• Legacy, on-premises technology
can be difficult and expensive,
leaving it unable to keep up with
the rapid pace of contact center
evolution. A service provider is a key
partner in speed to market and keep-
ing companies on pace with the latest
trends and requirements. After all, a
seamless user experience might re-
quire channels an infrastructure may
not already support;
• As technology and customer demands
quickly change, so does the technol-
ogy skill gap. A CSP is well suited to
closing the gap, both in technology
and operational skills; and
• It’s likely that a CX program involves
solutions that may be on-premises
and/or provided from another CSP,
such as a cloud-based CRM solu-
tion. This means integrations is key
and requires thoughtful planning.
Ultimately, the cloud is the answer to
a business’s CX objectives because of
its capabilities to drastically improve the
contact center’s customer experience. In
turn, customers will be looking to solution
partners not just as their vendor but as a
trusted source in executing their CX plan.
This partnership requires a business ap-
proach which, similar to the technology
you provide, is devoid of complexity and
enables agility – two inherent advantages
of cloud-based solutions.
o
Jacki Tessmer is vice
president of cloud & ser-
vice provider strategy for
Enghouse Interactive, a
global developer of con-
tact center and customer
interaction software
and services.
A
ll indications point to a dramatic
spike in 2017 of cloud contact
center adoption.
CCaaS
and the CX
Moving cloud contact center forward in 2017
By
Jacki
Tessmer
March - April, 2017
|
Channel
Vision
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