Is now the time to migrate your contact center to a cloud-based Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)? Adding cloud calling to your contact center platforms can simplify team collaboration, support your mobile workforce, and elevate the customer experience.
However, with the vast array of providers, choosing the right one for your business can feel overwhelming. Read on to discover the top considerations for cloud calling and why Avaya may be the best choice for your needs. We’ll also explore how Avaya has options that allow you to migrate to the cloud at your own pace.
CCaaS benefits that impact customer and employee experience include:
- Cloud calling allows seamless communication across devices and locations no matter where employees work.
- Cloud-based contact centers give agents the power to elevate the customer experience from their desktops. They can quickly accommodate customer communication preferences and resolve inquiries.
- Migrating to a cloud-based contact center solution uses fewer on-site servers and hardware. You can save money with lower on-site operations and maintenance costs. Imagine reallocating those resources to fuel innovation and growth.
Elevate customer experience and employee engagement with Avaya Cloud Office and Avaya Experience Platform.
Communication breakdowns between contact centers and other departments have long been a customer service hurdle. Avaya helps solve this challenge with Avaya Cloud Office and Avaya Experience Platform, which connect your unified communications and contact center solutions.
This integration empowers agents to seamlessly collaborate with experts across the organization. The result? Faster problem-solving for customers and increased productivity for agents.
CCaaS considerations checklist
Here’s our checklist of what to look for in a CCaaS solution that will fit your current needs today and grow with you as business needs evolve.
Reliability
Your cloud-calling solution should have a robust network infrastructure with geographically distributed data centers to minimize downtime from localized outages. Look for providers with high uptime and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that guarantee a certain level of availability. Solutions with proactive monitoring systems that constantly check for network issues and potential problems are ideal. This helps you resolve issues before they impact customer service.
Call quality
Factors like call quality, low latency (delay), and limited jitter (variations in call quality) all contribute to a reliable cloud calling experience. Choose a provider that prioritizes call quality and has measures in place to minimize latency and jitter.
Call recording and archiving
Call recordings provide valuable insights and improve communication.
- Enhanced training and quality assurance: Recorded calls allow businesses to monitor agent interactions, identify areas for improvement, and provide targeted coaching for better customer service.
- Dispute resolution and record keeping: Recordings can provide information to address customer disputes or disagreements. They can also be valuable for legal or regulatory compliance purposes in certain industries.
- Improved customer experience: Recordings can be used to analyze customer interactions and identify trends. This data can help you improve the overall customer experience.
Scalability
Contact centers have busy and slow times. With CaaS, you can quickly scale the number of available agents based on the call volume. This will ensure that customers receive timely assistance, prevent long wait times, and improve overall satisfaction. In addition, you won’t have agents on call with anything to do, which saves money, too.
Seamless integration without customer impact
Transitioning to CCaaS should seamlessly integrate with your existing tech stack without disrupting daily operations and customer service. If you’re not ready to move entirely to the cloud, look for hybrid options.
Avaya lets you innovate without disruption
Reaching customers on their preferred channels is critical to engagement, but a full cloud leap might feel daunting. Avaya’s hybrid solutions offer a flexible path. Start by adding cloud features to your existing system, or dive in with a custom-built cloud environment. With Avaya, you can transition to the cloud at your own pace without disrupting customer service and your employee experience.
Data security and privacy
Ensure your business adheres to regulations regarding data privacy and security. Cloud-based communication systems store sensitive customer information, and compliance with regulations like HIPAA (for healthcare) protects your business and your customers from data breaches and misuse. Look for providers with strong encryption protocols for data transmission and storage, along with user authentication and access controls to prevent unauthorized access.
Encryption scrambles call data during transmission and storage, making it unreadable to unauthorized individuals. This protects sensitive customer information, such as credit card numbers or personal details discussed during calls.
NG911 compliance
Ensuring your cloud calling vendor offers Next-Generation (NG911) compliance is crucial for emergency response situations and saves lives. NG911 requires upgrades to the traditional 911 systems to help save lives.
Businesses who are non-compliant with new NG911 requirements risk endangering people in need of help, FCC fines, and potentially devasting civil liabilities.
Avaya goes beyond basic NG911 compliance to help save lives
Avaya SENTRY is a critical component within the Avaya cloud contact center solution. It ensures compliance with NG911 regulations by providing more precise location data during a 911 call. This can be lifesaving, mainly when callers cannot communicate their location verbally.
Additionally, Avaya worked with 911Inform to launch the Gateway, software designed to bridge the gap between old and new call technology. Lives are lost when legacy phone systems cannot transmit precise location details.
“We have to do better. Consider how easily a delivery driver can find me. Avaya is using that same technology to save lives and make a difference,” said Brandi Mauricio Hardman, Avaya. With 911Inform, we can invite police, fire, and ambulances into the emergency with digital mapping and geofencing. They can click a button and see a camera feed.
“Additionally, this solution is agnostic. Avaya software can be layered onto your on-prem solution if you’re not ready to fully migrate to the cloud.” Hardman added.
Avaya SENTRY is a critical component within the Avaya cloud contact center solution. It ensures compliance with NG911 regulations by providing more precise location data during a 911 call. This can be lifesaving, mainly when callers cannot communicate their location verbally.
Additionally, Avaya worked with 911Inform to launch the Gateway, software designed to bridge the gap between old and new call technology. Lives are lost when legacy phone systems cannot transmit precise location details.
“We have to do better. Consider how easily a delivery driver can find me. Avaya is using that same technology to save lives and make a difference,” said Brandi Mauricio Hardman, Avaya. With 911Inform, we can invite police, fire, and ambulances into the emergency with digital mapping and geofencing. They can click a button and see a camera feed.
“Additionally, this solution is agnostic. Avaya software can be layered onto your on-prem solution if you’re not ready to fully migrate to the cloud.” Hardman added.
Current NG911 laws and regulations include:
- Kari’s Law is a federal law that mandates that new multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) allow direct dialing of 911 without needing prefixes. It’s named after Kari Hunt, whose daughter couldn’t reach help quickly because a hotel phone system required a prefix for outside lines.
- Ray Baum’s Act helps emergency services find people faster by providing “dispatchable location” information. This FCC regulation requires all phone service providers, including wireless providers, to transmit “dispatchable location” information with 911 calls. This information typically includes a validated street address and can include additional details like floor numbers or apartment numbers to pinpoint people within buildings better.
- Alyssa’s Law is legislation adopted by some states that is designed to improve law enforcement response time during public school emergencies. It’s named after Alyssa Alhadeff, one of many school shooting victims in recent years. It requires all public elementary and secondary schools to have silent panic alarms that directly alert law enforcement, first responders, 911 centers, and school staff during emergencies.
- The 988 Implementation Act is a new three-digit code for callers who need to reach the National Suicide Hotline.
Automatic call distribution
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is a critical feature in cloud calling that streamlines call handling, improves customer experience, and optimizes agent productivity for your business. Based on pre-defined rules you set, the ACD routes the call to the most appropriate agent, which connects callers to the appropriate agent faster.
Interactive voice response (IVR) systems
An IVR system offers customers an automated menu that leverages voice recognition and pre-recorded messages to enable self-service options. IVRs can eliminate lengthy hold times and improve customer satisfaction.
Disaster recovery support
Your call center solution needs a well-defined disaster recovery plan to restore service quickly in case of a significant outage. This plan should outline procedures for data backup, system restoration, and minimizing downtime.
Access to robust analytics and customer insights
Cloud contact centers provide advanced on-demand analytics and reporting capabilities, which can help you better understand customer behavior and preferences. You’ll easily see areas where your support teams excel, and where they can improve service and response times.
Get started with AVI-SPL and Avaya
Migrating your contact center to the cloud offers numerous benefits for customer experience and employee satisfaction. Avaya stands out with its ability to migrate to the cloud at your own pace while prioritizing security and key features like NG911 compliance.
The AVI-SPL and Avaya voice teams are ready to manage your cloud calling migration, integration, or upgrade. We’ll help elevate your customer experience and empower your agents, all while ensuring a smooth transition. We look beyond simply swapping out old systems for new ones. Our teams design a solution that scales with you, enhances every interaction, and seamlessly integrates into your existing workflows.
Contact us to get started today.
