Future of Contact Center in the Cloud

The last several years have illustrated a shift in thinking when it comes to communications. Enterprises and SMBs alike are realizing the power of the cloud, and migration is a major movement at the moment. Furthermore, as we all know, the contact center requires communications solutions up to the task – you only get one chance to make a first impression – and recent research illustrated how this customer service hub is due for a cloud makeover.

Recently, 8x8 joined forces with the CCNG Contact Center & Customer Care Industry Professional Network to create the report “Cloud Contact Centers Gaining Share,” which echoes the positive forecast the IDC laid out for the space in August – putting the overall contact center market at nearly $10 billion by 2020.

Points made prominent in the report include the notion that three quarters of companies believe in the cloud, as 21 percent of respondents noted plans to migrate in the next year, 28 percent have partially transitioned and 25 percent of contact centers are completely in the cloud.

“The adoption of cloud-based communications and contact centers are key to the future of work, especially with an increasingly mobile, global and remote workforce,” explained Enzo Signore, CMO, 8x8.

There are four primary reasons for the cloud contact center transition: cost savings, scalability, business continuity and the support of remote agents. The remote workforce has a growing presence, with more than half of respondents stating that there is accommodation for remote agents on their team, while management, technology and accessibility issues popped up as the three major hurdles. The cloud is a way to overcome these pitfalls.

Another area of interest that jumped out for me was the use of analytics. Data drives informed decisions to provide some level of predictability to behavior and the bottom line. Many know this to be true, but the vast majority of contact center managers noted the use of spreadsheets and notes and 44 percent stated the use of informal discussions to measure and improve agent performance.

 Signore continued, “However, to usher in today’s new era of business communications and collaboration, organizations must also be willing to fully integrate powerful new technologies like quality management and analytics. This will enable companies to enhance agent performance, staffing efficiency and customer service while also controlling costs.”

The cloud was once a murky proposition, but today its capability can no longer be denied. The ability to deliver exceptional reliability, vast tools and real-time insight make migration a step in the right direction. 

Edited by Alicia Young