The primary differentiator between brands and their customers comes from the customer support experience. Technology providers and third-party companies like InterVision work together to build a customized suite of communication and analytical tools called Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).
CCaaS allows your team to help customers regardless of the channel they arrive on. This increases omnichannel engagement and boosts customer satisfaction.
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Easily Scalable
Imagine a customer contacting your brand via social media or website for help. Your brand might have a chatbot that walks him through a series of questions to identify his problem and asks him to email a support team.
CCaaS enables businesses to scale quickly and easily. It removes the upfront hardware startup costs and overreliance on in-house IT teams, which are common with non-cloud solutions. Instead, a CCaaS provider takes responsibility for deploying and maintaining the infrastructure, and companies pay only for what they need. This model also removes the sunk cost of proprietary hardware that depreciates over time and requires frequent upgrades. In addition, a CCaaS vendor offers multiple deployment models that allow companies to adjust their infrastructure as needed. Many companies rent infrastructure with a CCaaS provider rather than own their assets, while others take advantage of hybrid models that combine owned and rented equipment.
Lastly, most CCaaS vendors offer workforce management (WFM) and quality management (QM) features, either built-in or through an integration partner. These capabilities can save time and money by allowing companies to integrate their customer service processes with other business functions, such as sales or HR.
Reduced Costs
CCaaS solutions provide:
- Pay-as-you-go pricing.
- Eliminating upfront investment.
- Capital expenditure.
- Ongoing hardware maintenance costs.
It also offers an option to upgrade to new technology without repurchasing hardware and incurring additional fees. This allows businesses to save money by streamlining processes and eliminating unnecessary expenses contributing to high operating costs.
Recruiting, hiring, and training a new agent takes significant time and money. Additionally, a high agent turnover rate increases labor costs and lowers productivity as agents are constantly training in replacement roles. Boosting morale by providing a positive work environment, motivating agents with rewards and recognition, and offering incentives to perform well can improve productivity and reduce costs relative to output.
Using a contact center platform can help cut costs by automatically routing calls to the best agent to resolve customer issues. This helps reduce first-call resolution rates and average handle time and improves CSAT while freeing up live agents to assist with more complicated queries or make outbound calls to upsell and cross-sell customers. Automated processes, desktop automation, and Artificial Intelligence can save teams a lot of time by taking on routine tasks that can be monotonous for agents. They can also decrease project timelines, reduce the risk of errors in data collection, and eliminate manual entry requirements for employees.
Easily Automated
A CCaaS solution eliminates the need for hardware to store data and makes it accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. It also protects confidential files from online threats and provides backups. Using a CCaaS service also allows companies to avoid paying for redundant infrastructure, saving thousands of dollars in startup costs.
A centralized system that provides unified communications and contact center services streamlines employee workflows, improving productivity and efficiency. This type of software also enables teams to collaborate across different geographic locations and time zones. Finding a provider that offers flexible scheduling options and a customizable user interface is important. Automated systems can quickly assess incoming calls and direct them to digital or self-service channels where appropriate. This minimizes customer wait times, reduces the risk of human error in data collection, and speeds up project timelines. CCaaS software can provide self-support tools like virtual assistants and chatbots to assist customers with their questions. These features can also help to improve first contact resolution (FCR), which is often a key business KPI that companies track and strive to improve. Some CCaaS solutions include business process automation and artificial intelligence to reduce labor and improve efficiencies.
Higher Customer Satisfaction
Providing efficient and responsive customer support helps organizations build brand loyalty and create customers for life. Streamlining communication across multiple channels and automating processes boosts the overall customer experience. CCaaS platforms incorporate tools like business process automation and Artificial Intelligence to reduce repetitive work for team members. These features also eliminate human error risks and accelerate project timelines.
Enhanced customer satisfaction means customers stay loyal to brands and are more likely to recommend them to friends. CCaaS systems provide omnichannel communication by integrating multiple customer touchpoints into one platform. This includes voice, email, text, live chat, and social media. The system enables agents to use a single contact database and customer information and provides features that simplify communication, like call recording, automated greetings, and natural language processing. When a customer connects with an agent, CCaaS software immediately presents the appropriate data to help the agent resolve their query quickly. It also supports omnichannel routing with tools that enable agents to redirect customers to different communication channels.
