UCaaS, or Unified Communications as a Service, has come a long way in recent years. Considered by many to be the ultimate communication solution, UCaaS provides companies with a synchronized environment for managing business interactions and enabling collaboration.
Many of the most innovative tools today offer everything from video conferencing services to file and screen sharing, messaging apps, and reporting tools. As the cloud landscape evolved, several UCaaS platforms have become increasingly flexible, allowing users to implement add-ons, plugins, and integrations to expand their functionality.
With these tools, users can even embed basic contact center features into the platforms they’re already using, such as auto-attendants and routing systems. But how do you know when is it time to upgrade from a UCaaS solution with contact center capabilities to a full CCaaS service?
The Transition from UCaaS to CCaaS
For some smaller companies, using a UCaaS tool to manage internal conversations between colleagues and external interactions with customers may make sense.
Modern, flexible platforms like Microsoft Teams come with add-ons and integrations, allowing companies to manage service requests and monitor conversations in the environment employees already use as a central work hub.
Using such a UCaaS solution as a system for handling customer queries prevents businesses from having to invest in additional technology and training.
Moreover, utilizing the native contact center capabilities within a UCaaS solution can also reduce complexity in the workplace, giving team members fewer tools to manage and monitor each day.
However, a separate CCaaS platform is much more feature-rich, and service operations may find themselves craving many additional capabilities when attempting to maximize customer, employee, and business outcomes.
As Ben Booth, CEO of MaxContact, notes:
“It’s becoming more and more apparent that ‘informal contact centres’ – such as support desk or customer service departments within businesses - that typically haven’t seen themselves as such would benefit from the fast moving technology advancements seen in CCaaS platforms.”
On that note, here are the top signs a company needs to migrate to a CCaaS system.
1. It’s Time to Transform the Customer Experience
While UCaaS solutions may be able to provide access to essential tools for managing customer queries, they can rarely give businesses the answers they need to deliver a truly unforgettable experience. A comprehensive CCaaS platform allows companies to take their approach to CX to the next level.
The right platform will deliver an omnichannel environment where agents can easily monitor conversations and connect with customers on the platform of their choice. This ensures customers can access a consistent experience across everything from social media, to live chat and email.
CCaaS solutions also have advanced solutions designed to streamline the customer experience and reduce complexity. They can offer innovative routing tools, which automatically ensure customers are connected to the right agent to resolve their concerns, as well as integrations with CRM systems to ensure agents can personalize service to the needs of each customer.
2. Employee Experience Is Suffering
On the surface, using a UCaaS system as a tool for customer experience benefits employee experience. It means team members don’t have to use as many tools to complete tasks in their day-to-day workflow. However, with limited contact center functionality, UCaaS tools can lead to more significant frustrations and problems for employees.