Contact Centre Forecast: mostly cloudy, with rays of sunshine

Despite automation speeding through our everyday lives like a bullet train, human contact centres continue to play a fundamental role in customer service. And cloud is integral to maintaining and delivering the service effectively and efficiently.

Here are eight reasons why cloud contact centres have taken over:

1.    Internet of Things

Use of cloud technology to integrate endless devices is what creates the Internet of Things. Imagine a smart TV malfunctions and automatically logs a case to you as the manufacturer. Your agents can get straight to work organising replacement or repair and then get in touch with the customer to let them know their TV is broken! Customer service can expect to get a whole lot more proactive.

2. Cisco, Amazon and Salesforce

In 2021, there are few people arguing against cloud – it’s almost the de factor standard for the majority of contact centres. The move away from premise solutions started years ago with Cisco’s purchase of Broadsoft, followed by Amazon’s launch of Amazon Connect, and Salesforce deploying a local Australian solution.

3. Growth and Agility

The thriving startup scene has spawned a landscape of “cloud native” businesses with no legacy system “baggage”. Cloud is the norm for the new generation of entrepreneurs, in all aspects of their business including the contact centre. Cloud allows for rapid scalability, something every new business aspires to.

4. Automation in Cloud

People used to be concerned that Interactive Voice Response (IVR) was going to kill voice interactions – but this didn’t happen. What we see now is that customers call less frequently due to automation of simple queries through FAQs and chatbots, but calls are more complex and last longer on average.

5. Less Barriers to Entry

It is now less expensive to get into cloud than ever before. Traditionally, you had capex, infrastructure, long deployment times, and implementation and management resource costs which were a substantial impediment. Now you can start a business within minutes using free apps. Cloud has democratised technology, putting feature-rich systems affordably into the hands of businesses of all sizes.

6. Building Relationships in the Sky

With big data at our fingertips, we can predict how to solve customers’ problems before they even make contact. Contact centre agents are freed up to nurture deeper relationships with customers, leading to better retention and greater customer lifetime value.

7. Software as a Service (Saas)

SaaS is giving increased flexibility in where and how contact centre business is done. The ability to have remote working agents – and work-from-home agents – with zero infrastructure footprint in multiple locations can reduce costs and increase business productivity and agility. It also means that supervisors can monitor their agents in real-time, on any device – no matter where they are in the world.

8. More Omnichannel contact

Customers aren’t afraid of trying new ways to connect with organisations. Consumers have embraced chat, messaging, social media and video, making omnichannel capability an imperative for any customer-centric organisation.

Read more about cloud contact centre services.

Book a free cloud consultation

To guarantee a bright and sunny forecast for your business, good customer service is paramount. Cloud technology enables contact centres the ability to connect with customers like never before. Book a consultation to discuss your needs by emailing sales@matchboard.com.au.

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Last updated on: February 3, 2024