If you are looking to set up or update your customer services and contact centre, you may have come across the idea of a ‘Cloud Contact Centre’, which promises to be the future of customer communications.
As a cloud contact centre claims to boost the productivity of your internal and external communications, let us explore what makes this solution so beneficial to businesses.
What is a Cloud Contact Centre?
A cloud contact centre is a cloud-hosted comprehensive suite of tools, applications and services for organisations that require multiple communications channels. In other words, it is a central point from which all inbound and outbound customer communications can be dealt with.
This includes features such as voice, email, social media, web connectivity, phone calls, messaging, call routing, agent management and analytics. Put simply, a cloud contact centre is a contact centre which is handled over the internet.
So, what are the advantages of employing a cloud contact centre rather than the traditional alternatives?
Benefits of a Cloud Contact Centre
1. Customers and clients can use their preferred means of communication
Customers can contact your business over the phone, email, instant messenger chat, or whatever they prefer. You can then move the query over to a different form of communication if it requires any follow up.
For example, if a client asks a complicated question over the phone, you no longer need to panic! Data can be logged about the phone call so that the agent can research the answer to the query, or transfer it to the relevant department, and respond via email.
2. Better time management for contact center agents
Cloud contact centres allow for the enabling of automated processes such as auto attendants or chatbots. An estimated 77% of businesses use artificial intelligence chatbots to gather initial information about a case before handing off to an agent, and 78% use them for self-service in simple scenarios. This takes the pressure off contact centre agents, allowing for better time management.
3. Efficiency of resolutions
Calls and emails can easily be routed, redirected, or forwarded to the department most appropriate to answer queries. This makes sure that customers and clients get their problems resolved quickly and efficiently.
4. Geographical flexibility
If you have followed the lead of large companies such as HSBC and JP Morgan, who have moved thousands of call centre agents to permanent working from home contracts, then a cloud contact centre is essential. This is because it is hosted through the cloud, allowing for complete geographical flexibility.
5. Can be deployed instantly
Another benefit of hosting the service through the internet is that it can be deployed instantly with little overheads. There is no need to install any additional hardware or infrastructure. A cloud contact centre software can be accessed through any computer, laptop, or smartphone that has access to the internet.
6. It really can boost productivity!
In conclusion, a cloud contact centre really can boost productivity in many ways. Agents will have more efficiency in their time management, queries can be handled with ease, and both clients and agents can benefit from complete flexibility, contributing towards more productive communications.
