Analyzing a Cloud Contact Center: Where to Start

Original author: Matt Lautz
When something ceases to function, the contract expires, or the manufacturer stops supporting your equipment, the time comes to put communication problems on the cloud. Cloud solutions provide many advantages, such as greater flexibility for integration with technologies already used by you, the ability to easily adapt the process in the future, cost effectiveness and ease of use by both staff and customers.

If you decide to use the cloud, you should start with two important steps that will allow you to take a successful start and achieve a result that will meet your needs.

Cloud exploration. Step 1

The first important step is to create a team of key specialists in your organization who will be able to identify key tasks related to communications, explore various solutions and, ultimately, ensure the successful deployment of cloud technologies.

Each organization is unique, and the roles in it are different from each other, but in any case there should be a qualified team that will start with a comprehensive survey and complete the work by successfully deploying the system. It may seem tempting to create a large committee, but all you really need is a team of three.

In order to effectively fulfill this mission, your team must be well-versed in the current state of affairs, including existing equipment, software, emerging problems, competitive conditions, and take into account the strategic direction and future goals of your business. In addition, the team should have a holistic view of your company and industry, it should clearly represent the needs of those departments that are affected by the change.

In general, this team will determine the requirements and actions, evaluate how one or another supplier is able to satisfy these requirements, and ensure the successful implementation of the best solution in your organization.

Let's consider in more detail what each member of your team should bring.

The ideological leader.An ideological leader should have a general idea of ​​the task and be a representative of senior management, for example, the head of an IT department or an executive director. In addition to understanding the general strategic goals and objectives of the organization, an ideological leader must have power to ensure the implementation of decisions. This is not an easy job: it is important not only to involve the whole organization in the work, the ideological leader must have the will to conduct difficult negotiations, break ties with existing suppliers, and sometimes defend the best solutions (even if they are not popular).

Technical expert.A technical expert should not only have a detailed understanding of the information environment and communication systems, but also be aware of new technological alternatives. Usually this is an employee of the IT department, and he should be an unofficial expert in technical matters. The technical expert knows in detail the equipment, software, the location of the systems, the conditions of the contracts, general requirements and other information related to the operation of the contact center. He should also be able to evaluate the solutions proposed by partners.

Business analyst.A business analyst is a complement to a technical expert. He clearly understands the process of data movement. He is well aware of the organization’s business processes, and is well aware of how work processes affect staff and customers. A business analyst should be able to focus on weaknesses in business processes and provide recommendations leading to the elimination of deficiencies. An effective business analyst takes into account the interests of both customers and staff, and also understands how the contact center supports other areas, such as sales and accounting. He can be a manager of a contact center or a team and can be an ideal candidate to be a project manager, paying attention to the details and current status of the project.

Cloud exploration. Step 2

The team is ready, the plan for moving towards a result that meets the goals of both the company and the department is clear. For example, are you trying to direct your workflow in such a way as to save time? Or maybe you intend to increase customer satisfaction? Perhaps you want to increase the productivity of your operators by optimizing their work scenarios. Whatever your goals, be sure that there is a universal and uniform desire. A solid plan based on objective reality will allow you to monitor the progress of negotiations with suppliers and correctly evaluate the proposed solutions.

In the process of selecting a provider, consider a few initial questions:

Can you explain how your infrastructure works?
How do you control the performance and life of the equipment?
How does your support team work?
Does the solution you choose fit your business? What compliance standards do you support?
How do the specifications fit your needs?
Does the solution support scaling if your business expands?
Is it easy to add licenses?
Is it possible to integrate the solution with existing systems?
How difficult is the management and what tools are needed to manage the system?
How will you deploy and support?
Look for a durable, reliable solution, look for suppliers who can offer a plurality of solutions, then evaluate the key differences of each. By doing so, you will clearly imagine each decision, and which one will best meet the goals and objectives of your organization.

Suppliers who, at heart, have not realized your vital interests, may try to sell you ideas and technologies that do not meet your interests or have such an abundance of features that your budget cannot handle. But suppliers who sincerely want to see your success will honestly answer questions and adapt the proposed solutions in the direction leading to the prosperity of your business.

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