How to Keep Your Contact Center Running During Times of Crisis

COVID-19 has impacted nearly every aspect of our daily lives, from changing the way we shop and interact with each other to the way we work. This pandemic has shut down schools, government offices, and businesses, as well as vital business departments like contact centers. This has forced companies to rethink their business structure and how they view remote employees. Few were prepared to send employees home while maintaining some semblance of business continuity.

The Quick Method to Getting Your Contact Center up and Running

Even when disaster prevents your contact center agents from using the office, it’s unlikely that stopping service altogether is a viable option. You need to continue your contact center operations to support customers while keeping your employees safe. One way to accomplish this is by moving your entire system to the cloud. But how can you do that without impacting customer experiences?

One option is leveraging your existing infrastructure and integrated functionality like IVR to intelligently route calls and provide self-service options for your customers. You can also use innovative solutions like WebRTC soft phones or remote station dial-out to forward your callers to a cloud solution that can queue calls and route to remote agents at home. This setup allows your employees to get up and running in a matter of days, and it keeps them safe. It will also provide you with the business continuity you need during times of crisis.

Remote numbers allow agents to use their own computers and phones to handle calls as if they were sitting at their desks in the contact center. Even if you don’t have a web-based client deployed, an IIS server and some set up may be all you need to get started.

Due to the higher costs of this setup, this type of remote configuration isn’t a permanent solution but is ideal when maintaining business continuity during a crisis. When implementing this solution, Genesys PureConnect is a great option to enable remote logins from a web browser and automatically route phone numbers.

Consider the Cloud for a Permanent Solution

While there are certainly strategies you can take to support a remote contact center workforce, the cloud may be the answer to a more sustainable, long-term solution. Cloud-based contact centers like Genesys Cloud equip businesses with a wide range of features and benefits, including remote access from anywhere in the world. Businesses moving to remote work on the cloud are also provided the necessary phone numbers, queues, and in-queue messaging needed to provide optimal customer and employee experiences. The cloud makes it easy to have employees log in to the system from their web browser and field any interaction with no impact to the customer.

Moving to the cloud is the only real way to ensure disaster recovery and business continuity without having to cobble together creative solutions every time there is a crisis.

Combine Short-Term Solutions with Long-Term Thinking

This time of uncertainty has made companies think seriously about problems that were only hypothetical in the past. Real solutions combine short-term fixes that keep your business viable with long-term strategies that keep you from fighting the same battles in the future. Leverage the power of the cloud to keep your organization working no matter where its people are located. If you’re looking for guidance on helping your contact center migrate to the cloud and managing remote worker connectivity, our team can help.

When faced with a crisis, it is important to remember that you don’t have to find answers alone. Avtex can help you maintain business as usual in a very unusual time. We have developed a four-phased approach to maintaining business continuity and CX excellence in the event of a crisis and can help you respond quickly and efficiently.