To meet the demands of today's customers, many contact centers are looking to cloud services as they chart their CX future. But like any technology migration, moving a contact center to the cloud is not the simple, painless process promised by vendor ads. It’s a lot of work.
As an independent consultant, I’ve helped multiple clients move their contact centers to a cloud solution, and here are some things that I’ve found helpful in a transition:
- Dedicate a point-person for the transition — While a cloud provider will provide a framework for collecting information needed to build your new contact center, you will still need to put in a lot of work on your side to get the cloud contact center set up. Someone (on staff or an outside resource) who can dedicate time to pulling together all of the information needed will be a must. This person should have a good understanding of your existing operation and the ability to translate that to the new solution.
- Prepare to build — You may have to do some, or a lot, of the build yourself. While some providers take information from you and build the contact center agents and queues, this is not true for all of them. I recently completed a project where the vendor only created the actual call flow logic; the customer had to create all the other elements. For this customer, I built the working hours, holiday schedules, queues, the agents, the prompts that played throughout the call flows, and the call classification status categories (to name a few of the bigger tasks). These tasks required a lot of effort, and the internal staff did not have the time or the ability to do this themselves.
- Tackle simple issues yourself — With the new solution, you will most likely be able to make many common changes yourself instead of opening an IT ticket. In the cloud deployments I’ve worked on, this approach has been one of the biggest wins. The contact center can change announcements, schedules, special conditions on the fly. However, it is critical that your staff members understand the setup, so they don’t create problems when making these adjustments. Involve them as you determine your call flows to give them the basis for making changes later.
- Ensure PSTN requirements are being met — Some providers include the PSTN connection to the world outside of your phone system as part of their services — and some don’t. On a recent project, the contact center routed calls to a 10-digit phone number for the agent to answer. The number could be a cell phone or an extension on an office phone system. The actual dial tone wasn’t provided by the contact center solution itself.
- Anticipate compatibility issues — Cloud solutions are often designed under the assumption that users will be using their computer as a softphone, answering calls via a USB headset connected to the computer. The contact center and/or softphone software may not be compatible with older operating systems, and an upgrade may be necessary. With the current supply chain issues that we are all facing, this can create problems.
- Make time for training your staff — You may be very comfortable with the new solution as you get closer to your go-live date. However, the solution will be brand new to your agents and other staff members who are not part of the implementation team. They need time to become familiar with the new tools and possibly new processes.
- Communicate with your users early and often — You will need to tell your user why you are making the change and explain the benefits the new solution will bring to them. Keep them updated on what they will be expected to do (such as attend training) and the time frame for the change.
- Consider making changes in phases — During a recent project, the contact center agents received new laptops before moving to the contact center solution, which gave them time to adjust to the new laptops first. When they transitioned to the new contact center, it was voice only at first, then email and chat followed. Spacing out the changes gave the staff time to master a new set of skills without being overwhelmed.
- Allow time for testing before you go live on the new solution — Go beyond the test plan provided by the vendor (if they do offer one) and test every scenario that is unique to your specific contact center. Don’t forget to look at reports during the test period and ensure that the data is populating correctly.
- Ensure you understand how all of the pieces of the solution work together — Insist that your provider produces a diagram that clearly shows how the new solution will operate from the time the caller dials a number to the time the call is answered by an agent.
Additionally, here are other tips that will save time and can save you some transition headaches:
- Document your existing contact center configuration and call flows and IVR logic This will provide a starting point for designing your new solution and will be a huge time saver in the process.
- If you are using screen pops or data dips, thoroughly document the location of the information and its format.
- Check in advance to be sure that your computers are compatible with the new software that will be required for the cloud solution
Moving to the cloud is a big step with the potential for big benefits. It is not a simple change, and it requires the right person to shepherd the process. Don’t underestimate the stress the change can create for your staff. Training and communication are key elements of a successful transition.
The SCTC is THE Premier Professional Organization for Independent Consultants. Our consultant members are leaders in the industry, able to provide best of breed professional services in a wide array of technologies. Every consultant member commits annually to a strict Code of Ethics, ensuring they work for the client benefit only and do not receive financial compensation from vendors and service providers.
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10 Best Practices to Ensure a Smooth CCaaS Migration - No Jitter
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