Cloud-based platforms are becoming more prevalent in contact centers. As organizations increase adoption of next-gen technologies, it’s important to keep many factors in mind. The first conversations need to begin with IT. Decisions around cloud will be technology-driven, and IT will need to consider the implications for both contact center operations and the broader organization.

Once a migration plan has been developed for these new technologies, the focus can shift from IT to other stakeholders, such as agents, supervisors and end customers. To start that conversation, here are five considerations for IT to take into account when implementing a cloud platform in the contact center.

Cloud Flexibility

Cloud migration is not an either-or scenario for IT. Most contact centers have good reasons to keep using their premise-based systems, especially those with complex integrations that tie everything together. This does not need to change. Contact centers can begin cloud adoption with complementary pieces, such as adding support for digital channels.

Cloud is not a disruptive force to IT. In fact, the flexibility of cloud empowers IT to keep existing systems in place as long as they are needed and migrate to the cloud on their own timetable.

IT Should Embrace Automation

Cloud opens up many possibilities for automation that simplifies complex tasks and reduces manual work. New applications, services and technology updates to digital channels and fraud detection, for example, will be updated automatically. With this in mind, IT should be ready to keep up with innovation while knowing that much of the maintenance will be automated by contact center providers.

With automation, cloud provides contact centers the ability to handle tasks at a scale that manual methods could not possibly match. Consider call recordings, for example. With cloud, supervisors can get a full picture of all customer call recordings. Cloud has the capacity to use AI-driven automation to review all calls in real-time, enabling IT to produce richer and more accurate reports.

Improved Agility for Fast-Changing Market Conditions

Cloud contact center solutions offer IT the flexibility needed to scale quickly as requirements change. With business conditions being so fluid during the pandemic, IT faces an agility challenge. Legacy systems were designed for a more stable environment and in today’s market, contact centers struggle to keep pace with customer expectations.

Cloud enables on-the-fly changes at scale and supports more options to keep customers promptly informed. Cloud contact centers can respond proactively by pushing outbound notifications and alerts before changing market conditions become problematic. Aside from doing this quickly, these alerts can be highly customized for specific customer groups or products, all of which help IT improve contact center agility.

Cloud Contact Centers are More Cost Effective

Being Opex-based, cloud is more budget-friendly for IT. Cloud provides IT an alternative to Capex and a more viable financial model for modernizing the contact center. This addresses a critical pain point in cases where customer satisfaction levels are declining, and IT cannot secure the funding and support needed for capital expenditures.

Additionally, the consumption-based model of Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) means that IT can control costs with more certainty. Cloud-based deployments can scale elastically. This means that capacity can be added dynamically to match peaks and scaled back as traffic levels drop. Whether managing contact volumes over the course of a single day or across business cycles throughout the year, cloud provides IT with the ability to optimize contact center expenditures.

Cloud Provides Reliability to Ensure Service Continuity

Uptime is essential for contact centers, especially when customers expect 24/7 support. The automation benefit cited above includes the use of chatbots to handle self-service inquiries during off hours when fewer agents are available. That’s an important way to provide service continuity and show the reliability of your contact center operations at all times.

Cloud solutions provide the reliability and resiliency businesses demand with the highest levels of security. Fast deployment models, customizable solutions and innovative services enable IT to quickly transform contact centers at a lower cost of ownership.