The “as a service” marketplace is changing the way that we access communication and collaboration solutions. Everything from your UC service to your contact centre strategy doesn’t have to be a substantial one-size-fits-all investment anymore. With as-a-service solutions, you can build the system that suits you.
Tollring, a market leading software developer offering intuitive solutions for data visualisation ensures that companies accessing the latest CCaaS opportunities know how to make the most out of their innovations. Offering data visualisation and business insights, Tollring gives companies an insight into the customer journey so that they can implement the tools best suited to their target market and contact centre agents.
I spoke to Carl Boraman, Director of Strategic Alliances at Tollring, to discuss his thoughts on the CCaaS marketplace. He told me what he believes this innovation means for PBX vendors, carriers, and service providers.
How Does the Industry Define CCaaS?
Contact Centre as a Service is a cloud-based solution to growing and optimising your contact centre stack. With CCaaS, you can access contact centre software with the agility and speed that suits your business, without breaking the bank.
Boraman noted that contact centres have always been a complicated consideration for most business leaders. “In the past, they used to be very expensive and specialist applications, reserved for only the biggest enterprise businesses. You had to be a large organisation so that you could afford a contact centre. The fantastic thing with the “anything as a service” marketplace is that the market is more open than it has ever been.”
CCaaS opportunities mean that small and mid-market companies now have access to the tools they need in a low-cost and easy-to-manage way. “Businesses can subscribe to small, proof-of-concept projects, and test out their omni-channel strategy before making huge investments.”
Is the Era of the Single Channel Contact Centre Over?
According to Carl, it’s a very exciting time for the contact centre space today. However, we’re amid a journey, not a sudden switchover. There’s still a place for voice and traditional contact centres in the age of CCaaS.
“Voice is still, and always will be at the heart of customer conversations”
“Companies who decide they need more than one channel to connect with their clients need to think carefully about the products they’re selling, and the conversations they’re having. For instance, if you’re selling complex products or dealing with a regulated market, I don’t think compliance can be fully managed through chatbots and social media.”
Boraman believes that different market segments will now begin to deploy CCaaS solutions more freely, some focusing on voice, and others concentrating on self-service and artificial intelligence. “The important thing to remember is that you’ll still need voice somewhere in your system. You wouldn’t deal with a complaint or client issue through a chatbot. No matter what, there’s still a place for the human-to-human connection in contact centres.”
How Will Companies Choose the Right CCaaS Strategy?
For organisations using CCaaS to implement omni-channel solutions, it will be crucial to develop the right strategy. “Bringing omni-channel into the contact centre isn’t as simple as it seems. Chatbots and AI sound interesting and sexy but getting ahead of customer experience isn’t just about embracing the latest thing. If you have a poorly managed chatbot, you’ll just end up creating customer dissatisfaction.”
Carl believes that new channels and ideas need to be brought into a business on a proof-of-concept basis. “That’s what CCaaS is so great for. You can make a small investment and test out new opportunities without any huge implementations.” With CCaaS, companies can roll in services slowly, gain feedback from customers, and learn as they go.
Increasingly, companies are looking for a way to make their contact centre as simple and intuitive as possible. CCaaS means that even smaller companies without a lot of finances to invest in their customer contact strategy can explore the latest opportunities. “It’s not just about bringing lots of channels in. It’s about committing to a journey so you can find out what kind of strategies you need.”
How Important is the Customer Journey to CCaaS?
Boraman told me that Tollring has been investing in integrations with various AI platforms so that they could deliver proof of concept strategies around chatbots and other contact centre solutions. According to him, chatbots are great, but they don’t give you a full insight into how you can improve the customer journey.
“Traditionally, if customers had a problem, they’d phone a support line. Now, they’ll go onto your social media page and tell everyone what you’ve done wrong. Taking advantage of CCaaS isn’t just about making sure you have chatbots online for your customers to talk to, you also need to figure out how you can reduce those customer complaints with the right channels.”
Tollring is well-known for its ability to deliver reporting, analytics, and insights for voice traffic. When companies embrace CCaaS, it’s crucial for them to have the same insights in each of the channels they decide to use.
“You need to make sure that you understand the customer journey so that you can make a real difference to their experience”
“Maybe your client makes a few initial inquiries through a chatbot, then goes into a co-browsing experience, and finally through to a voice call to close a sale. Those channels can’t exist in silos if you want CCaaS to work. The whole journey needs to be available to access and understand.”
What Opportunities Does CCaaS Give to Resellers and Providers in 2019?
According to Carl, as long as companies understand the journey they’re trying to supplement, there are plenty of opportunities out there for those embracing CCaaS. However, as an industry, “contact centre companies are responsible for making sure that customers derive real value from the latest technology.”
Boraman also noted that CCaaS is addressing the fact that every business – no matter its size, needs access to the right contact centre tools in today’s age of experience. “What we’re trying to do is get the most important features and solutions into an affordable package that anyone can access.”
“We want to help smaller companies embrace an omni-channel strategy that suits them”
