Cloud contact center as a service (CCaaS) is evolving through consolidation and innovation. The CCaaS model has allowed contact center business leaders to have access to features that only global enterprises could afford before. Just as SaaS and UCaaS have made enterprise grade applications accessible to any size business, CCaaS is doing that for contact center software. Analytics, reporting, call recording and workforce management are now available within the budgets of the small to medium-sized contact center thanks to the CCaaS model.
The as-a-service platform allows for low CAPEX and rapid deployment. This also means the business is using the most up-to-date platform without manual maintenance or added expense. These CCaaS platforms are integrating with CRM and other software to provide a clearer picture of the customer experience.
This explains why the marketplace is excited about CCaaS, but why should a partner give attention to CCaaS? Here are three reasons a partner should look at CCaaS.
- The M&A activity means that there are fewer, but larger, more stable vendors. This has lent itself to less price competition. The price per seat is higher than UC, which results in higher commissions for partners. It isn’t just about the money. CCaaS is the engine that is connected to other systems to deliver a favorable customer experience. It is a sticky sale
- Selling CCaaS is different from selling UCaaS. Contact center managers understand that this technology will be powering their department. In UCaaS, the PBX replacement isn’t normally seen as a data engine or technology to change the business. (It is, but it is rarely viewed that way.) Line of business managers who use the contact center technology – and the data it provides – to manage and operate their departments efficiently will be receptive to the new features and functions that CCaaS can deliver to the mid-market affordably.
- There are lots of distributors offering the bandwidth pipe or the SIP trunk. Your value as a channel partner is directly related to your ability to impact the business outcomes of your customers. The business world is going through a digital transformation. Partners that can bring technology to their customers that impact business – or that can help the business transform – will become valuable to their customers (and provide a big revenue stream for the partners).
Author Martin Tracey, is CEO of LANtelligence.
