The Benefits of Performing a Contact Center Re-Design
by Becky Roemen
5 Common Mistakes When Migrating to a Cloud Contact Center
Migrating your contact center to the cloud offers several benefits, including increased flexibility, enhanced feature sets, reduced costs and more. And while moving your contact center to the cloud may seem daunting, there are a number of strategies you can employ to simplify this transition process and ensure optimal contact center performance post launch.
1. Think Incremental, Not Monumental
It’s natural for companies to want their cloud solution to do everything the legacy system can do right away. But variables like supervisor and agent preferences and product features will take time to smooth out.
The key is to start small. Perhaps with a few business units. This will give you time to test the system in a controlled manner and train team members along the way. During this time, it’s important not to overwhelm your team with an abundance of features. Start by familiarizing the team with the basics of the product and likely only a few communication channels, like voice and chat, introducing them to the different functions and features incrementally. Start progressively, aiming to grow to full capacity over a few months time.
2. Focus on Improvement, Not Replacement
Change can be scary. Especially for those involved with updating or replacing a core system. Help your team embrace change by acknowledging there will be a learning curve, while focusing on how they’ll benefit. Explaining how these new workflows and systems may seem challenging to adjust to, but will inevitably streamline and simplify their work, thereby reducing their stress and freeing up more time to do the work they most enjoy.
Learn how Avtex helped LifeGift navigate their contact center to the cloud
3. Leave Legacy Behind, Don’t Get Trapped
You’ve likely connected various software applications to your contact center over the years. It can be difficult to leave these familiar tools behind, especially if you’re still stuck in a commitment. Ultimately, you’ll save money and build faster ROI if you choose to fully replace these legacy features with a cloud solution. All-in-one cloud solutions offer a full set of features to cover all your contact center’s needs in a more effective way.
4. Look for All-in-One Solutions, Not “Best-of-Breed” Solutions
Many vendors offer a narrow feature set, like outbound dialing, but then need to pull in external products to complete their solution. The problem with this mixed approach is that you’ll be burdened with handling challenges or complications from multiple vendors, which often leads to finger pointing should an issue arise. Additionally, working with multiple providers requires separate administration, logins and reporting, further complicating your workflow. Choosing a complete solution allows for more streamlined onboarding, training, administration and supervisor reporting than using several “best-of-breed” solutions.
5. Choose Experience, Not Flashy Vaporware
There are hundreds of cloud contact center vendors insisting they have the best platform on the market. It's important to look past the slick interfaces and fancy features and find out how much experience they have in the contact center space.
The contact center is your number one communication channel with your customers, and it’s a key to retaining them. Look to find a partner who offers experience developing and deploying contact centers and back-office applications, as they will be more equipped to deliver a solution that meets your unique needs, versus providing a one-size-fits-all solution.
Avtex is experienced in helping our clients find and deploy the right contact center cloud solutions. Our team can help you analyze and design a solution that fits your needs and budget to you can continue to deliver exceptional experiences to your customers and staff.
