According to Markets and Markets, the contact center industry continues to grow—the global contact center market is expected to increase from its 2020 mark of $24.1 billion to $75.5 billion in 2026. Driving this growth is the growing use of cloud-based and virtual contact center solutions, like contact center software, to achieve better business continuity.
The rise of virtual contact center software options
While most contact center software applications were originally limited to on-premises products, businesses can now consider cloud/virtual Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) options. These solutions can provide all the economic and operational benefits of cloud computing, including simple setup and management as well as the ability to:
- Scale easily based on business needs
- Partner with industry-leading experts
- Access innovative technology
The Markets and Markets research also revealed that the growth of contact center software and technology is driven by organizations wanting to deliver "enhanced experiences." Indeed, the report notes "contact center solutions are becoming a strategic solution and, in many instances, can be considered a brand's face." By investing in the right solutions, they can gain several key ingredients of a great customer experience at the same time:
- Faster connections and intelligent routing: Instead of waiting on hold, customers can be connected more quickly to get the answers or assistance they need. If they require specific expertise, they can be routed to the member of the customer service team best trained to help them. And if they don't want to reach out by phone, the same software can allow them to use their preferred communications channel.
- Personalization: Agents, meanwhile, can gain access to critical information about the customers they're helping. This includes account profiles, past purchases or the history of previous service interactions. Having the right data can help agents reduce handle time and increase the number of first-call resolutions and other critical metrics.
- Better data: The best contact center software can also provide business leaders with greater visibility into the performance of their agents, as well as identify common trends and patterns in customer challenges. This allows for a more data-driven approach to developing customer experience programs and policies that boost customer retention and long-term revenue growth.
Five steps for successfully choosing contact center software
Whether you're leading a project to source a new contact center platform or are part of the selection committee, the following steps should inform your decision-making about how to best make use of virtual contact center solutions.
1. Consider your needs and requirements
Even if your current contact center tools don't provide a complete picture of your customer service performance today, use whatever data you have available to determine your business goals. Some of the possible inputs here might be call volumes, the results of any Voice of the Customer (VoC) surveys you've conducted and even focus-group interviews with your agents. Third-party research can also serve as a helpful benchmark. In its recent 2022 Digital-First Customer Experience Survey, for instance, Omdia found that live phone support demands have increased among 72% of organizations.
The same study highlighted common challenges firms are having with contact center data. For example, 42% said they could not personalize interactions in real time, and 41% could not identify the same customer across different channels and devices. These could become the use cases and objectives you use to find the best platform for your needs.
2. Look for the capacity to integrate with CRM and help desk tools
Sales reps closing deals may represent an earlier point in the customer journey, but that doesn't mean the details of what happened should be forgotten after a purchase has been made.
When customers reach out for support and contact center agents have no context from the sales team, the experience risks becoming disjointed and unsatisfactory. Bringing customer relationship management (CRM) data directly into customer service tools, like help desk applications, helps avoid those scenarios. Aim to find solutions that have these integrations pre-built, rather than tasking your IT department or developer team with them.
3. Workforce management
No one wants to lose an experienced contact center agent, and business leaders are becoming more conscious about creating an environment where they can bring their best selves to work. In fact, a survey of contact center leaders conducted by Unisphere Media and CRM Media found 44% believe their employee experience is an urgent concern and an area in need of improvement.
This is where contact center software that includes workforce management (WFM) features can help. Companies can use WFM to ensure they're staffing the optimal number of agents to meet customer demand, while agents enjoy more accurate and up-to-date schedules.
Don't forget that a new CCaaS platform will represent some kind of learning curve for your team. Ask about the typical level of training required and any advice on how to accelerate adoption among agents.
4. Consider security
Customers put their trust in companies when they hand over their personal information. This can range from names and addresses to credit card numbers and beyond. The critical nature of this data makes contact centers a strategic asset for organizations—and a possible target for cyber criminals.
According to the most recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), external actors are four times more likely to cause a breach, and roughly 4 in 5 breaches are attributed to organized crime. The report also showed financial gain was the No. 1 motive for the majority of data breaches.
Talk to your potential CCaaS providers about the kind of data protection features that are part of the solution, or any related managed services that can strengthen your defenses.
5. Ease of adopting new innovations
Contact center functionality is ever-evolving based on what the technology industry learns about the needs of businesses and their customers. Companies that choose to deploy Contact Center as a Service options can be more flexible, in that they can easily tap into new innovations without involving their IT department.
Much like they add security patches or other updates through the cloud, Contact Center as a Service solutions streamline the adoption of emerging customer experience tools as they become available.
IDC has predicted Contact Center as a Service offerings will make it easier to add new service channels and integrate advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to deliver stronger customer experiences overall.1
Position your contact center for a successful future
The ultimate barometer of contact center technology success is how well it allows you to serve your customers. As you deploy your contact center software of choice, you'll want to ensure you're conducting an ongoing analysis of its impact on key metrics. Some of the most common ones are customer satisfaction (CSAT), customer effort score (CES) and net promoter score (NPS).
Don't limit yourself to the numbers, though. Try to see the customer journey through their eyes, and conduct a periodic qualitative assessment as well. A Broadridge study found that 87% of customers believe it's important to have a simple way to interact with companies across all channels, and 77% would spend more money on a company that provides a good customer experience.
To truly achieve success, combine the products you invest in with insight and expertise from trusted advisors. A managed services provider with a proven track record in deploying contact center tools and applications will make a big difference in rising above the competition.
Learn more about how Verizon can improve your ability to give customers what they need.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.
1 IDC, Contact Center Deployments Move to the Cloud: How a Distributed Architecture Delivers a Superior Customer Experience, Doc #AP46313921, August, 2021.