What to Look for in a CCaaS Platform

Cliff Cibelli at Vonage explores what a cloud-based CCaaS (Contact Centre as a Service) is and the top 10 factors to consider in your research.

Providing quality customer service is critical for business success. In fact, the Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report 2024 uncovered the impact of negative experiences on the bottom line – 74% of customers are likely to take their business elsewhere after a bad experience, and 46% only need one or two negative experiences before they leave.

A feature-rich cloud-based contact centre can help you deliver quality experiences and boost engagement, as long as you select the right platform for your business.

What Is a Cloud-Based Contact Centre?

Put simply, contact centres revolve around agents helping customers. Contact centre agents are often the first point of contact with customers, providing them with information to solve issues and with answers to questions.

A cloud-based contact centre (CCaaS) allows agents to connect with customers across channels like voice calls, chat, text messaging, and social media. It also brings advanced features like artificial intelligence (AI) and data capabilities to each customer interaction, resulting in quality service and experiences.

Finding a CCaaS platform with the right features for your business takes time and careful consideration.

Top 10 Factors to Look For

Let’s look at 10 key aspects to focus on when evaluating cloud-based CCaaS platforms for your business.

Features

Evaluate the features offered by CCaaS platforms and ensure they align with your business requirements. Common features include omnichannel support (voice, email, chat, social media), IVR (Interactive Voice Response), call routing, analytics, workforce management, and more.

Customization and Flexibility

Every business has unique needs and workflows. Choose a CCaaS platform that allows for customization to adapt to your specific requirements.

This could include custom reporting, scripting, or industry/vertical applications from third parties that help run your business.

Artificial Intelligence

How does AI provide enhanced capabilities to the CCaaS Platform? AI technology is becoming widely adopted – according to our Global Customer Engagement Report 2024, nearly 80% of customers have recently used some AI tools, such as AI-assisted messaging.

AI-powered assist capabilities can help provide more consistent and better interactions, while allowing for better use of resources.

Integrations

Evaluate a CCaaS platform’s ability to integrate with your existing systems, such as CRM software and workforce management tools.

Seamless integrations can streamline workflows and improve efficiency. Make sure the platform allows an agent to access a single pane of glass with a 360-degree view of customers and relevant, available data.

Scalability

Can the platform scale with your business as it grows? Whether you have a small team now and anticipate expansion or you’re already a larger organization, scalability is crucial.

Reliability and Uptime

Look for a CCaaS platform with a track record of high reliability and uptime. Downtime can be costly for businesses, so choose a provider with robust infrastructure and redundancy measures.

Future Roadmap and Innovation

Assess the provider’s commitment to innovation and their future roadmap. You’ll want a platform that stays updated with the latest technology trends and can support your evolving business needs over time.

Ease of Use and Deployment

A user-friendly interface and straightforward deployment process can save time and resources during setup and training stages. Look for platforms with intuitive interfaces and functionality that maximizes agent resources.

Security and Compliance

Ensure that the platform you select complies with relevant security standards and regulations, especially if you handle sensitive customer data.

Look for features like encryption, access controls, and compliance certifications, e.g., General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and payment card industry (PCI).

Cost and Pricing Model

Understand the pricing structure of CCaaS platform candidates. Is it based on usage, number of agents, or features? Does the platform allow for seasonal or business fluctuations?

By considering these 10 factors and conducting thorough research, you can choose a cloud-based CX platform that aligns with your organization’s goals and requirements.

This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of Vonage – View the Original Article

For more information about Vonage - visit the Vonage Website

Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.

Author: Vonage
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson