How Service Providers Can Enter Large Contact Center Conversation
How Service Providers Can Enter Large Contact Center Conversation by UCStrategies Guest Contributor
In a September 2013 Ovum Research report, “The Ovum Decision Matrix: Selecting a Multichannel Cloud Contact Center Vendor,” the research firm addresses the evolving contact center competitive landscape that, in its opinion, is shifting from a cost-driven market to decision making based on the benefits of the Cloud. Ovum hints that any vendor eyeing the contact center market must meet enterprise demand for advanced hosted contact center services, features and functionality, such as unified communications (UC) services, voice-enabled IVR and speech analytics.
Historically, many service providers with hosted contact center offerings have ceded the large enterprise market to pure-play cloud providers that have beat a steady drum arguing that traditional service provider offerings cannot deliver advanced contact center capabilities. While this argument previously held some merit, service providers today are increasingly empowered to compete aggressively in this market. Their position of strength is driven by several factors, including developments in hosted contact center platforms, technology and applications.
To capitalize on the hosted enterprise contact center market opportunity, service providers should consider several key strategies and assets that can be leveraged.
Ensure UC Services Seamlessly Integrate
While enterprises are eager to weave UC services into their contact center, the more complex and costly the integration, the less appealing the offering will be. While some enterprise contact centers have transitioned to a cloud environment, many are still saddled with aging and cumbersome legacy systems (PBXs, IVRs, etc.) – heavy investments that enterprises are loath to toss aside. For that reason, integration of UC must be mindful of leveraging these investments to minimize sunk costs and maximize the productivity benefits UC can deliver.
Through seamless UC integration – as well as the mobility enabled by a hosted solution – users can transition between different environments (home, office, remote). At the same time, enterprises can ensure a more consistent customer experience and benefit from more effective management of customer-agent interactions. A complete, integrated UC offering eliminates the need for enterprises to try and integrate disparate platforms such as call recording, CRM, screen pops, outbound dialers, etc. on their own. Enterprises can now benefit from the integration of best-of-breed solutions without the costs and complexity associated with having to integrate them internally or pay a systems integrator to do their heavy lifting.
Enable Multichannel Experience
Exposing agents in large contact center environments to integrated multichannel communications is a step that highlights the potential of UC, given that agents have established a level of comfort and expertise with these services. Enterprises recognize that individuals desire to interact with customer support through multiple channels, whether it is voice, video, web chat, click to dial/call back, email or social media. Service providers must deliver a multichannel contact center solution that supports an integrated end-user experience for both the customer and the agent, along with the ability to effectively route and analyze activity across all channels.
Today, it is difficult to have a conversation about the multichannel contact center without referencing WebRTC, and the ability of this emerging standard to enable voice, video and, progressively, real-time UC services, using only a browser. In a 2013 survey of service providers and application developers by Dialogic, approximately 87% of survey respondents stated WebRTC would have a significant impact on their product roadmaps, which would then, theoretically, influence an enterprise’s WebRTC adoption plans. The survey respondents also rank contact centers among the top applications that would be most affected by WebRTC.
WebRTC represents a unifying component of the multichannel communications experience, just as the browser transformed the way people access the Internet. WebRTC extends the benefits of unified communications beyond the boundaries of the enterprise – which is highly relevant to organizations operating contact centers and in shaping the role technology will play in their customer service strategy going forward.
Leverage Trusted Brand
An enterprise’s network of large contact centers is a critical component of their business. These contact centers serve as a primary touch point to existing and prospective customers, and for that reason, some enterprises may not feel comfortable handing over its migration to a small, niche cloud and/or SaaS player. Many enterprises already have a trusted relationship with their service provider, and recognize that based on their past performance, the provider can be relied on for critical business processes.
The previously referenced Ovum Research report discusses how upstart pure-play cloud vendors “…are providing more competition and forcing all participants to differentiate based on features, price, expertise, and services.” For this reason, strength of brand comes into play as a unique and differentiating asset for service providers to leverage.
One way that service providers can build on an existing enterprise customer relationship is delivering a level of simplicity and cost savings by bundling contact center services with broadband and telephony services. Enterprises can have it all integrated in a single bill with a single point of contact to ensure that issues and service level agreements can be easily addressed.
Must Be Scalable
Service providers must deliver a solution flexible and scalable enough to support any automatic call distributor (ACD) or contact center environment – whether it is small workgroups or a high-volume contact center with thousands of agents. Historically, service providers have been limited to offering a Centrex-type service with some basic ACD functionality that lacked sophistication, scalability, flexibility and reliability. This was largely due to the fact that the platforms for scalable, multi-tenant service were not available to them. This has changed: service providers can now leverage carrier-class platforms that scale to support millions of users, deliver sophisticated features and functionality required for today’s contact center, and drive down upfront capital costs significantly.
Embrace Openness
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) should not shy away from open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that can be used to deliver an enhanced vision for unified communications that includes service integration with other contact center applications. Service providers should leverage standards-based interfaces for integration with third party applications that can enhance the contact center agent and customer experience, as well as increase the volume of users and spur innovation at a scale that could not occur organically.
The large enterprise contact center market presents opportunities for service providers that, in the past, they have been reluctant to pursue. Service providers that effectively leverage their assets, differentiators, and advanced communications and UC services to deliver hosted contact center services to the enterprise are well positioned relative to pure-play cloud providers.
Leslie Ferry is vice president, marketing at BroadSoft.