In order to maximize the effectiveness of its customer service and public outreach efforts, corporations need to make sure their contact centre solution includes the latest technologies. These days, the classic landline telephone is no longer optimal for such initiatives, as companies now need to utilize the latest IT solutions to make sure its communication and collaboration efforts are primed for success.

1) The cloud

Of all the technologies now affecting the enterprise, perhaps none has been as beneficial or as disruptive as the cloud. Armed with a cloud computing solution in its contact centre, a business can more effectively provision digital resources to customer service representatives and easily scale the centre as needed.

In comparison to legacy contact centre hosting options, a cloud computing solution is far more ideal since it eliminates the vast majority of costs that companies used to have to maintain infrastructure on-premises, cloud computing advocate Cary Bush wrote in Channel Partners earlier this month. Even provisioning a small handful of agents with  the on-premises tools now needed to connect with customers can cost a company millions of dollars, but much of this investment – both in regard to upfront costs and maintenance fees down the road – can be mitigated with a cloud-hosted contact centre solution.

2) Unified communication and collaboration

The switch in nomenclature from call centre to contact centre is not accidental, as it reflects the shift taking place in customer preferences. Today’s consumers are no longer exclusively relying on landline telephones or even IP telephony to communicate, as customers increasingly want to use collaboration tools such as video conferencing, instant messaging and email as well. As a result, organizations operating within a wide variety of industries, including banking and finance, will need to adopt unified communication and collaboration systems to ensure that contact centre employees are able to effectively field the increasingly diverse communication channels.

“Today, integration across channels is critical for customers who want to choose when and where they do business with us. New technology has made that simple,” said Steve Beasty, Customer Banking Technology executive at Bank of America, according to Bank Systems and Technology.

3) Big data analytics

Although new technologies like the cloud and unified communications purportedly boost the effectiveness of a contact centre solution, businesses increasingly want a way to make sure that a new IT investment or internal policy is yielding the highest possible return on investment. To verify the efficacy of any new technology or program, enterprise consulting firm Frost & Sullivan recommended utilizing big data analytics. With big data analytics software and adequate storage in place, companies can more accurately determine if current initiatives are successful or if the contact centre is in need of a major overhaul.

“Analytics applications are compelling because they deliver positive benefits, such as reduced costs and increased revenue, while improving the overall customer experience,” said Krishna Baidya, a research manager with Frost & Sullivan.

Before implementing any new technology into its contact centre, an enterprise should make sure that the chosen system properly aligns with both short-term business goals and long-term objectives. To make sure your contact centre solution is primed for success, turn to FlexITy. As one of the Canada’s largest IT consulting services firms, FlexITy and its team of experts ensure that the technology installed in the contact centre will help the organization maintain current revenue streams and grow profit margins.

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