Over the last fifteen years, organizations – large and small – have migrated to varying degrees to the Cloud. There are still many misconceptions about Cloud, Cloud security and associated costs. However, when delivered as a service, we’ve seen rapid adoption, due to the clear cost and benefits that SaaS, or Software as a Service, provides.
- Quick and simple implementations (sometimes as fast as 24 -48 hours)
- Scalability
- App management
- Predictable cost structure with no or little upfront CAPEX
- Software/hardware/platform upgrades handled remotely and built into the monthly cost structure
- Designed for easy end user adoption
Because of these benefits SaaS has expanded to include an alphabet soup of services ranging from Platform as a Service (PaaS) to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS), Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), and more. However, businesses have been slow to adopt Cloud technology for their contact centers, often citing these five myths as justification. This blog will examine and debunk the top five myths associated with Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).
Myth One: CCaaS requires “rip and replace” of the expensive legacy telephony systems currently in place. The most common misconception when it comes to CCaaS is that organizations must abandon their investment in existing contact centers to move to CCaaS. This is not the case. Modern cloud-based contact center services simply sit on top of existing infrastructure, retaining your original investment in equipment if desired. CCaaS can quickly be implemented – in as little as two days - to augment your existing investment and handle spikes in call volume.
Myth Two: I will lose functionality if I move to a Cloud Contact Center model. CCaaS from the right vendor is feature rich. One of the major advantages of CCaaS is its ability to scale – up or down – to meet call volume. CCaaS solutions easily integrate with multiple data sources, providing better customer insights. CCaaS provides for complex and custom routing rules for inbound and outbound calling, alerts, and more, that enable you to interact with customers in the channel of their choice including phone, SMS, email and more. Cloud Contact Centers provide training features and real-time monitoring and reporting for Managers to assist remote and dispersed agents.
Myth Three: The Cloud isn’t secure, and places customer information at risk. According to Gartner, cloud providers are better placed when it comes to security than many organizations themselves – outsourcing security makes sense. With centralized data storage, security is enhanced with CCaaS and most solutions meet compliance for regulated industries such as Finance and Healthcare including HIPAA compliance and SOC II compliance. Be sure to ask the vendor about their security, compliance and remediation policies, before signing up for CCaaS.
Myth Four: If I move to the Cloud, I lose the ability to customize my processes, routing rules, and reporting. The inherent flexibility of the cloud means that organizations can have increased control and customization of their contact center solutions. Satellite offices can manage and control their own locations, while sharing the same technology platform across the whole organization. Remote, dispersed agents can access the functionality that was available in on-premise contact centers while benefiting from centralized management and security. Pre-defined access rights ensure you employees only see what they need to see while management remains in control. CCaaS Solutions often provide the ability to create multichannel, customized routing rules, and with CCaaS you now can hire contact center agents nationwide – you are not limited to finding talent in areas of the US where real estate is less expensive.
Myth Five: CCaaS seem inexpensive, but there are hidden costs that make Cloud solutions more expensive long term. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) argument is an easy one to dispel because customers are only charged for the resources used. Unlike upgrading your current on premise contact centers or building out new ones, with CCaaS, there is often no up-front capital expenditure (CAPEX) or annual maintenance payments associated with on-premise equipment regardless of usage. Also, in traditional on-premise scenarios you are required to purchase licenses for maximum capacity which therefore results higher support and maintenance fees, not to mention the operational costs associated with keeping the lights on.
Summary: CCaaS or Contact Center as a Service is a mature Cloud offering that provides the functionality and security of a physical contact center with none of the operational or capital expenditure. The solutions are feature rich and enable you to quickly set up and train remote agents nationwide; you are no longer limited geographically when hiring the best talent. Your customers’ experience won’t change, and hopefully will improve with the multi-channel capabilities associated CCaaS.
