Demand for flexible, scalable, and innovative contact center solutions is rising. In a world of constant innovation, evolving customer expectations, and changing workplaces, companies rely on the cloud and CCaaS to ensure business continuity and growth.
Indeed, migrating to the cloud for contact center technology provides companies with a unique opportunity to unlock new levels of agility and flexibility in their CX strategy. It can provide companies with a much-needed edge in delivering exceptional service and even lead to new opportunities for sales and increased revenue.
As such, it is perhaps no surprise that revered CX analyst Sheila McGee-Smith pinpointed the acceleration of CCaaS deployments as her number-one prediction for 2023.
Unfortunately, taking the leap into the cloud is no stroll in the park. There are many cautions to keep top of mind – many of those relating to how the transition will impact the agent experience.
According to Gartner, 45 percent of contact center agents are avoiding adopting new technologies, preventing companies from taking advantage of the benefits CCaaS can offer.
With this in mind, business leaders must take the right steps to facilitate adoption.
1. Look for Features That Enhance Employee Experience
Today’s customer experience agents are overwhelmed by rising call volumes, increasingly complex technologies, and a vast selection of different software tools and apps.
Companies must demonstrate how the right CCaaS platform – with tight integrations - will benefit employees and encourage them to use new solutions.
As Ben Booth, CEO of MaxContact, says:
"Integrations to third-party solutions can significantly cut down on work and repetitive tasks for staff, making their workday more enjoyable and improving their overall experience."
Yet, rather than just highlighting the advantages of a CCaaS platform for customer experience, business leaders should outline the key benefits to employee experience, such as:
- Saved Time: Tools which boost workplace efficiencies, such as automated dialers, self-service solutions, and all-in-one unified inboxes for customer queries, save employees time. This means they’re less likely to feel stressed, rushed and overwhelmed at work.
- Improved Productivity: Highlight how the chosen CCaaS platform will help employees accomplish their professional and personal goals. Tools like all-in-one omnichannel contact center platforms will ensure employees can access all the resources needed to serve customers in one place, making them less likely to struggle with complex processes.
- Reduced Complexity: Demonstrate how the right CCaaS system will eliminate bottlenecks and common friction points for employees. For instance, an integration-friendly CCaaS platform can reduce the number of daily apps and tools team members use.
- Less Stress – Thanks to better integrations, contact centers can build better workflows, which may include desktop automation. By building these flows and showcasing how they save agents time, contact centers can achieve better buy-in.
2. Prioritize Ease of Use
Simplicity is critical to delivering an excellent employee experience. While staff members may be willing to undergo training to take advantage of tools that provide measurable benefits, most will seek a solution that’s easy to adopt and leverage. The more streamlined, accessible, and convenient the CCaaS platform is, the more agents will likely use it.
Consider testing the functionality of each CCaaS platform with a group of early adopters before rolling the technology out for the rest of the time.
Thankfully, many vendors make such testing simple. Booth adds:
“Many contact center software providers provide proof of concepts so you're able to test out the software before committing to a long-term contract, to make sure the platform is a good fit for your team.”
Determine whether the tool is easy to navigate, intuitive, and user-friendly. Ask whether employees from all sectors, including those working on different devices or in a mobile environment, can access the same simplicity.
Think about how different user groups may access the software and determine whether the solution can be customized to suit different needs. For instance, the CCaaS dashboard used by a supervisor or manager may need to feature various components of a solution used by an agent.