As we step into a new year, the customer experience sector is gearing up for a transformative 12 months. It seems as though we talk about that every year – but I genuinely believe 2024 will finally live up to those expectations.

There’s been plenty of talking points in 2023; with the explosion of generative AI of course being the main one. However, this year we will see some real change in the industry.

I’ve pulled out some trends that I expect to see coming to the fore over the next 12 months, and I’d be eager to hear your thoughts if you agree or disagree – or even have a different viewpoint entirely. Indeed, we’ll be talking about many of these trends – and more – at our upcoming Disrupt events in both London and Madrid next year.

Experimentation Takes Centre Stage

The contact centre industry will become a hotbed of experimentation.

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – and specifically generative AI – is set to drive organisations to execute projects faster and embrace more of a ‘trial-and-error’ approach. Next year will be the year of executing projects faster, and generative AI will be a major player here. Within a matter of days, we will very quickly start to show value from generative AI-based projects. With that, I think you’ll see a lot of Proof-of-Concept projects that very quickly become real, tangible propositions which are then baked into broader CX strategies, for example within the likes of a Salesforce or Genesys-based contact centre infrastructure.

Another way to look at it is this. Every time an agent touches a keyboard, there’s an opportunity for automation. Businesses will be on the lookout for processes that can be streamlined and improved through AI, from chatbots handling routine queries to predictive analytics guiding decision-making.

The experimentation mindset will not only enhance efficiency but also elevate CX. Contact centres will increasingly use AI-driven tools to personalise interactions, anticipate customer needs, and resolve issues swiftly. As a result, customers will enjoy faster, more tailored support, and companies will benefit from reduced operational costs.

The Influence of Hyperscalers Will Persist

Hyperscale cloud providers will continue to be a significant force in the contact centre industry, particularly in the realm of data. In 2024, there will be a continued focus on structuring and extracting valuable insights from the ever-expanding pool of unstructured data. With the advancements in data analytics and AI, organisations are better equipped to harness this data goldmine.

By leveraging the insights buried within unstructured data, contact centres can enhance their understanding of customer preferences, pain points, and trends. This knowledge empowers them to offer more personalised and proactive customer service, thereby elevating the overall customer experience. The partnership between hyperscalers and contact centres will be crucial in unlocking the full potential of this data-driven transformation.

Cloud CCaaS Migrations Will Continue to Slow – But Not Forever

While the cloud has been a buzzword in the contact centre industry for some time, we’re witnessing a slowdown in Cloud Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) migrations which I think will continue in 2024. Currently, only 25% of the market has made the transition to the cloud, primarily consisting of organisations with less sophisticated requirements.

This deceleration can be attributed to cost pressures and a cautious approach to large-scale digital transformation projects as well as a recalibration of priorities as organisations assess investments in AI. However, this pause is not indicative of a permanent shift away from the cloud. On the contrary, cloud capabilities are continually improving, making it an attractive option for contact centres seeking scalability, flexibility, and resilience.

Vendors, recognising the enduring demand for cloud solutions, are enhancing their cloud offerings, further bridging the gap between on-premise and cloud-based systems. As cost concerns ease and cloud capabilities continue to evolve, a resurgence in cloud CCaaS migrations is anticipated.

In conclusion, 2024 promises to be a year of significant transformation and innovation in the contact centre and customer experience industries. Embracing experimentation, harnessing data insights, and navigating the evolving cloud landscape will be key to staying competitive and delivering exceptional customer service.

As organisations adapt to these trends, customers can look forward to more personalised, efficient, and responsive interactions with contact centres in the years to come – with generative AI at the forefront of all things good in our industry!

About the Author

Stuart Dorman is Chief Innovation Officer at Sabio Group.

Sabio Group is a global digital customer experience (CX) transformation specialist with major operations in the UK (England and Scotland), Spain, France, Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and India.

The Group, which includes ‘makepositive’, delivers solutions and services that seamlessly combine digital and human interactions to support exceptional customer experiences.

Through its own technology, and that of world-class technology leaders such as Avaya, Genesys, Verint, Twilio, Google, Amazon and Salesforce, Sabio helps organisations optimise their customer journeys by making better decisions across their multiple contact channels.

The Group works with major brands worldwide, including Aegon, AXA Assistance, Bankia, BBVA, BGL, Caixabank, DHL, loveholidays, Marks & Spencer, Rentokil, Essent, GovTech, HomeServe, Sainsbury’s Argos, Telefónica, Think Money and Transcom Worldwide.

By migrating to the cloud, companies can harness its numerous advantages, including flexibility, scalability, and cost savings. This shift has the potential to significantly enhance the overall customer experience, positioning businesses for greater success in today’s competitive landscape.

One key benefit of cloud-based solutions for customer service is their ability to centralize information and processes. With customer data and communication channels consolidated in one accessible location, customer service representatives can easily access relevant information to handle inquiries more efficiently. This streamlined approach not only speeds up response times but also helps foster a more personalized customer experience, as representatives can quickly gain a comprehensive understanding of individual customer needs.

Additionally, the cloud facilitates better collaboration and communication among customer service teams, as well as between teams and other departments. As remote work becomes increasingly common, cloud technology enables geographically dispersed team members to stay connected and share information seamlessly. This level of collaboration ensures consistent and high-quality customer service, regardless of the representative’s physical location or time zone.

Benefits of Moving to the Cloud for Customer Service

Scalability and Flexibility

One of the primary advantages of cloud-based customer service solutions is their scalability and flexibility. As businesses grow or experience fluctuations in demand, cloud systems can easily adapt, ensuring customer service remains timely and efficient. This eliminates the need for expensive and labor-intensive hardware upgrades.

Cost Efficiency

Moving to the cloud can lead to cost savings for businesses of all sizes. Cloud-based customer service platforms often have lower upfront costs than traditional onsite systems, as there is no need to invest in expensive hardware and maintenance. Additionally, subscription-based pricing models allow businesses to pay only for the features and capacity they use, leading to further cost efficiencies.

Ease of Collaboration

Leveraging cloud technology can significantly improve collaboration among customer service teams. Cloud-based systems enable real-time communication and data sharing between team members, regardless of their location. This streamlined collaboration can lead to faster response times and more effective problem-solving, ultimately resulting in a superior customer experience.

Improving Customer Support with Cloud-based Solutions

Omni-channel Support

Cloud-based customer service solutions enable businesses to integrate and streamline support across multiple channels, such as email, phone, social media, and chat. By having a single platform that consolidates customer interactions, support agents can access a comprehensive view of each customer’s history and provide a seamless and personalized experience. This also allows for easier collaboration and knowledge sharing among support teams, resulting in faster and more efficient issue resolution.

Real-time Analytics and Insights

With cloud-based platforms, businesses can gather, analyze, and visualize customer data in real-time. This real-time access to customer support data enables companies to:

• Identify trends and persistent issues
• Monitor agent performance
• Optimize support processes
• Allocate resources efficiently

Additionally, real-time insights can lead to proactive customer service, allowing support teams to address potential issues and anticipate customer needs before they escalate.

Incorporating AI and Chatbots

Cloud-based customer support solutions often include AI-driven tools and chatbots that can streamline and automate interactions with customers. A few potential benefits of using AI in customer support include:

• Providing instant assistance through chatbots, especially for routine queries
• Reducing wait times and boosting agent productivity by handling high volumes of requests efficiently
• Offering personalized recommendations and cross-channel support by analyzing customer behavior and preferences

Incorporating AI and chatbots into a cloud-based customer service strategy can result in faster response times, increased customer satisfaction, and lower operational costs, ultimately enabling businesses to deliver a better overall customer experience.

Security Considerations with Cloud-based Customer Service

Data Security and Privacy

When moving customer service to the cloud, it’s crucial to ensure the security of customer data. Cloud providers generally offer robust security measures, such as encryption and secure authentication protocols. Implementing Cloud Security Posture Management further enhances security by continuously monitoring cloud infrastructure for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, addressing potential risks before they can be exploited. However, businesses must remain vigilant and implement their security policies as well.

• Choose a reputable cloud provider with a strong track record of data security and privacy.
• Implement role-based access control to limit who can access customer data.
• Monitor and analyze user behavior for any unusual activities that may indicate potential threats.

Compliance with Industry Regulations

To maintain compliance when shifting to cloud-based customer service, consider the following:

• Research your industry’s regulatory requirements and ensure your chosen cloud provider can meet them.
• Regularly update and review data privacy policies and processes.
• Conduct third-party audits of the cloud provider’s data centers to ensure ongoing compliance.

By keeping data security and regulatory compliance in mind, businesses can confidently use cloud-based customer services to deliver exceptional support to their customers.

Choosing the Right Cloud Service Provider

Key Features to Look For

When selecting a cloud service provider for better customer service, it’s essential to consider several key features. These features include:

• Reliability: Ensure that the provider has a consistent uptime to guarantee smooth operations.
• Scalability: As your business grows, you’ll need a provider that can accommodate increasing needs.
• Security: Protecting customer data is vital, so look for robust security measures and compliance certifications.
• Integration: The ability to integrate with your existing systems and tools is necessary for seamless operations.
• Support: Choose a provider with responsive customer support to help address issues and answer questions.

Evaluating Pricing Plans

After identifying potential providers with the necessary features, consider their pricing plans. Comparison of various plans should focus on elements such as:

• Storage Space; Ensure the plan offers sufficient storage for customer data and can be increased as necessary.
• Scalability; Will it be easy to upgrade or downgrade based on your business needs?
• Data Transfer; Analyze any limitations on data transfer, as well as any associated costs.
• Support Services; Identify whether customer support is included or requires additional fees.

Selecting the right cloud service provider should be based on a careful evaluation of key features and pricing plans, ensuring that the provider aligns with your business needs and priorities.

Summary

Moving to the cloud offers numerous benefits for businesses seeking to enhance customer service. With cloud-based services, companies can achieve greater flexibility and scalability, enabling them to adapt more quickly to customer needs.

Moreover, cloud services provide better data accessibility, allowing customer service teams to access vital information from anywhere and offer faster response times. This increased ease of data access translates into more efficient and effective communication with customers.

By moving to the cloud, businesses can reduce their IT infrastructure costs, providing more resources to invest in customer service enhancements. In today’s competitive marketplace, adopting cloud technology is an essential step for companies who want to deliver exceptional customer service and stay ahead of the competition.

Implementing cloud solutions for customer service is both a strategic and practical decision for businesses looking to improve the overall customer experience. Companies should thoroughly research and evaluate potential cloud service providers to ensure they select the best option for their specific needs and objectives. The positive impact on customer service will undoubtedly result in long-term success for businesses that seize the opportunity provided by cloud technology.

Cloud alone can’t be the sole answer to your CX business challenges or a destination for your business – but it is the first step through a door that will allow you to unlock potentially significant improvements in terms of operational efficiency and costs, customer satisfaction, and advisor performance and retention.

Before deciding whether to follow a public cloud, private cloud or hybrid approach, organisations first need to think about their specific business goals and what they really want to achieve with their CX.

Start with the customer and advisor experience

At Sabio we still see many organisations that are stalling for time while they wrestle with their cloud decision. This of course also means continuing to sweat their legacy contact centre systems, while – perhaps more critically – missing out on the potential benefits that can come from successfully unlocking a cloud transformation. That’s why a great place to start any cloud conversation is to concentrate on the actual customer and advisor experience. It’s what underpins successful relationships between organisations and their customers, and if you focus here, you can quickly work your way back to the technology and know exactly what it is that you’re trying to achieve with cloud.

Asking the right questions

As an experienced trusted contact centre technology partner, Sabio can support you in any of these journeys based on the strong partnerships we hold with industry-leading vendors across the three cloud contact centre approaches. Which are;

• Public CCaaS– for smaller contact centres, start-ups, digital-first operations, typically pre-packaged solutions with transactional costs

• Private Cloud– for organisations with voice-critical service, operational maturity, high levels of regulation, dedicated architecture, higher levels of complexity

• Public Programmable Contact Centre solutions– core dev-ops approach for organisations that want to build it themselves and customise everything, continuous development, data-driven, ideal for Internet voice traffic

Public cloud, private cloud or a hybrid model…?

However, it’s not just a question of which cloud approach you select – it’s more to do with your business goals and what you really want to achieve with your CX.

It’s essential that you ask yourself the right questions and are brutally honest with yourself when it comes to answering. And I don’t mean just ‘do we need Feature A over Feature B?’ At a more fundamental level, what are you trying to achieve with your contact centre migration strategy? What’s in your DNA as an organisation that will help craft exactly the right type of customer journeys for you as an organisation?

Answering these questions will help you to arrive at a more streamlined set of cloud choices. So, if you don’t have a strong development capability, or you don’t have a DevOps mentality then a programmable journey may not be right for you. Similarly, if you operate in a highly regulated vertical sector and voice availability is critical, then maybe today a public cloud approach wouldn’t be the best choice. In the same way, if you’re not resourced to manage the overhead of complex maintenance schedules, then private cloud may not be right for you at this stage.

Organisations also need to consider the broader implications of transitioning to cloud. If you’re migrating to cloud in response to changing customer demands, then it’s important to ensure that you evolve your business DNA to adjust to and commit to the sheer scale of the changes involved.

One consistent theme we see at Sabio is the ‘my old platform’ mentality, where – despite a new strategy being in place – they can find it hard to let go of processes ingrained by the previous technology that most likely have been in place for many years. In these situations, it’s important to ask the key question – ‘can we truly let go and adapt our approach at all levels of the organisation, not just at a senior stakeholder view?’

That’s why it’s so important for all stakeholders to be on board with an achievable cloud strategy, with realistic timelines and an approach that underpins the inner workings of your business? Cloud alone can’t be the sole answer to your CX business challenges or a destination for your business – but it is the first step through a door that will allow you to unlock the pathway to innovation. And, when well-executed – and when supported by a proven cloud innovation partner such as Sabio – will help lead to an exceptional customer experience.

About the Author

Derek Forrest is Cloud Solutions Specialist at Sabio Group.

Sabio Group is a global digital customer experience (CX) transformation specialist with major operations in the UK (England and Scotland), Spain, France, Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and India.

The Group, which includes ‘makepositive’, delivers solutions and services that seamlessly combine digital and human interactions to support outstanding customer experiences.

Through its own technology, and that of world-class technology leaders such as Amazon Connect, Avaya, Genesys, Google Cloud, Salesforce, Twilio and Verint, Sabio helps organisations optimise their customer journeys by making better decisions across their multiple contact channels.

The Group works with major brands worldwide, including Aegon, AXA Assistance, BBVA, BGL, Caixabank, DHL, loveholidays, Marks & Spencer, Rentokil, Essent, GovTech, HomeServe, Saga, Sainsbury’s Argos, Telefónica and Transcom Worldwide.

While a number of innovators and early adopters have seized the initiative and embraced a rapid transformation to cloud contact centres, the reality remains that the vast majority of organisations are still trying to establish just exactly what their cloud contact centre journey might look like.

That’s completely understandable. There are many difficult challenges to consider, like trying to define exactly what constitutes success for a cloud contact centre journey, how to set about actually unlocking cloud innovation, and also balancing the benefits of moving to the cloud while still weighing up potential risks.

Too many choices?

Any transformation is difficult, and one of the biggest challenges with transitioning to a cloud contact centre is one of choice. There’s a vast array of providers out there who are all keen for you to embrace their technology – each with seemingly compelling claims that their solution or approach will resolve all your business challenges quickly. The good news is that most vendors in the market have something to offer in this space, but the less good news is it’s dependent on you to make all the right choices here. A frequent mistake, however, is not to reflect on all aspects of such a move. For example, are you able to rely on real world customer service data that you can collect, consume, and analyse for yourself? You’ll need this if you are to succeed in aligning your business objectives to the offerings provided by today’s many solution providers.

So what’s on offer?

Okay, so what options are available to you? At a more macro level, you can consider three main options: public Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS), a private cloud solution, or a more customisable public programmable dev-ops style approach. Key characteristics for each approach include:

• Public CCaaS – for smaller contact centres, start-ups, digital-first operations, typically pre-packaged solutions with transactional costs

• Private Cloud – for organisations with voice-critical service, operational maturity, high levels of regulation, dedicated architecture, higher levels of complexity

• Public Programmable Contact Centre solutions – core dev-ops approach for organisations that want to build it themselves and customise everything, continuous development, data-driven, ideal for Internet voice traffic

Public cloud, private cloud or hybrid?

A public CCaaS solution offers a contact centre platform that’s delivered on a centralised fabric – providing a feature-rich fit, frequently refreshed capabilities, and a simple per user per month pricing model. The private cloud approach provides a secure environment that’s provisioned on a dedicated infrastructure to ensure all the benefits of a bullet-proof solution that you would expect from your on-premise environment. Finally, the public programmable approach comes without the overhead of complex estate management. This enables you to build your own highly customisable cloud native contact centre that’s designed and built with flexibility in mind for both you and your customers.

Either one of these three approaches could be right for your business, while it’s also possible to opt for a hybrid solution that allows you to stay ahead with regards to innovation while minimising the risk to the rest of your core contact centre operation.

Clearly there are a range of vendors that offer cloud contact solutions, but it’s important when making a choice that you focus in on best-of-breed solution providers that demonstrate innovation and a proven track record in evolving their portfolio.

Find out how you can enable rapid innovation via the cloud, empowering your contact centre advisors to deliver excellent customer experiences.

About the Author

Derek Forrest is Cloud Solutions Specialist at Sabio Group.

Sabio Group is a global digital customer experience (CX) transformation specialist with major operations in the UK (England and Scotland), Spain, France, Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and India.

The Group, which includes ‘makepositive’, delivers solutions and services that seamlessly combine digital and human interactions to support outstanding customer experiences.

Through its own technology, and that of world-class technology leaders such as Amazon Connect, Avaya, Genesys, Google Cloud, Salesforce, Twilio and Verint, Sabio helps organisations optimise their customer journeys by making better decisions across their multiple contact channels.

The Group works with major brands worldwide, including Aegon, AXA Assistance, BBVA, BGL, Caixabank, DHL, loveholidays, Marks & Spencer, Rentokil, Essent, GovTech, HomeServe, Saga, Sainsbury’s Argos, Telefónica and Transcom Worldwide.

As Calabrio deploys its true cloud Workforce Optimisation (WFO) offering via AWS in South Africa, Olle Düring at Calabrio outlines five reasons why this latest news matters to customers in the region. 

When it comes to digital transformation, the huge potential of South Africa is fast becoming a reality thanks to the arrival of new Amazon Web Service (AWS) Region in Cape Town in 2021, comprising three availability zones. Utilising more than 60 AWS services, the Calabrio ONE WFO suite brings the cloud advantages of performance, security, agility, scalability, reliability, and ease of use to organisations in South Africa from start-ups to enterprises & Business Process Outsourcers (BPOs).  This will allow our customers in the region to provide superior customer service and reduce costs, quickly and with ease.  Customers like Standard Bank, the continent’s largest bank, that recently implemented Calabrio Workforce Management (WFM) for 4,000 agents alongside its Amazon Connect Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) platform.

The race to accelerate South Africa’s cloud journey

Cloud adoption has been a growing trend in the region for most of the last decade. However, a shortage of local data centres has hampered the ability to transition to the cloud as quickly as in other parts of the world.  For example, data centres being located outside the African continent can result in latency delays, while many organisations have been reluctant to embrace cloud-based services over growing concerns around data sovereignty.

Fortunately, these barriers to effective cloud adoption are fast disappearing as international companies develop data centres on the African continent and AWS has recently expanded the number of AWS services deployed within the AWS Cape Town Region, such as Amazon Connect launching in Q1 2022.  Today, companies such as banks that traditionally operated in-house servers and data storage facilities are increasingly switching to cloud services.

Five reasons why Calabrio ONE and the cloud matter

At Calabrio, we have a proven track record in establishing local cloud presence to build customer trust, through lower network latency, superior performance, data privacy and local support.  In 2021, we announced our roadmap for data sovereignty across Southeast Asia with a local data centre in Singapore after successfully on-boarding many new cloud customers in the APAC region.  That launch effectively introduced a blueprint for data sovereignty that could be replicated in other parts of the globe.

So, what impact will the introduction of Calabrio ONE’s full cloud suite via the AWS Cape Town Region have on customers in South Africa? Here are five reasons to lead the move to the cloud:

1. Accelerate digital transformation – fully cloud-based contact centres are proven to be further advanced in their digital transformations, while two in three on-premises and half of partial-cloud contact centres feel limited by their current solutions.  True-cloud solutions automatically serve all customers simultaneously across a shared, integrated platform for fast, efficient service.  New features are added continuously meaning the most advanced functionality is always powering your contact centre behind the scenes – you don’t even have to think about it.  Offering superior levels of scalability to meet the rapidly changing needs of your business while guaranteeing high availability and uptime, true-cloud solutions also provide enhanced security to make changes and updates in real-time while protecting customer and end-user data.

2. Enhanced employee engagement – according to employment giant Michael Page, only 26% of South African employees worked from home before the pandemic but this figure skyrocketed to 79% once lockdowns hit – without diminishing motivation or job satisfaction levels. In fact, 50% of employees felt even more motivated and 46% of job applicants were more satisfied with their work.  Technology has a valuable role to play in supporting work-from-home staff.  With cloud-based solutions, South African contact centres have the flexibility for remote and hybrid working models to nurture and harness this employee motivation. They also instantly get access to the latest, modern employee engagement technology such as agent self-scheduling automation, a real bonus whilst the trend towards flexible working continues to rise. As mentioned above, cloud-native software supports faster innovation of digital tools to revolutionise the employee experience, including agent-facing virtual assistants that can support them in their schedule planning and changes.

3. You can rely on cloud in a crisis – the entire reputation of communications service providers like AWS depends on protecting customer data.  AWS employs leading experts in the security field as well as continually making deep investments in its infrastructure to stay one step ahead of the latest cloud technology and data security protocols.  Moving to the cloud means this level of security for your data is instantly available to you. Add this to Calabrio’s real-world experience in transitioning hundreds of companies to the cloud during a challenging global pandemic and you have a winning combination.  Our customer-centric approach blends high levels of technical security with comprehensive training, proactive support and the opportunity to have a real say in future product development – everything organisations need to accelerate their cloud journey, wherever they are and whatever challenges they face.

4. Increased speed and agility – with AWS data centres and Calabrio ONE’s true-cloud WFO capabilities now within direct reach of organisations in South Africa, local companies can spend less time managing their cloud infrastructure and worrying about the integrity of their customer data and instead focus 100% on running a successful business.  According to Brett Bossenger, Head of Voice Capability at Standard Bank, in addition to supporting 4,000 contact centre agents in South Africa, “Calabrio WFM is an intrinsic part of our digital transformation, the key to accelerating growth whilst delivering exceptional experiences for our staff and our customers across the African continent.”

5. Greater data sovereignty – in the past, one of the main reasons organisations in South Africa were reluctant to move to the cloud was they were concerned critical customer data might be compromised if it didn’t reside within the country. This was especially true for financial and government institutions.  With on-the-ground support via local partners and in-region data centres, South African customers will have more trust in the cloud to protect their data and comply with local privacy laws. Calabrio customers such as Standard Bank appreciate the tangible steps we are taking to address data sovereignty.  As Africa’s largest bank, it has chosen to engage with us primarily for our reputation as a cloud-first organisation with localised data centres in South Africa.

Cloud is fully on the horizon and Calabrio is proud to play an active part in that journey. AWS in Cape Town brings countless opportunities to developers, start-ups, enterprises and governmental organisations. Since the pandemic, some 82% of South African businesses have increased their cloud spend, underlining a growing awareness of the benefits of cloud computing for various-sized companies. With Calabrio, you can now migrate to CCaaS and cloud WFO.

Are you leading the charge or falling behind? For more information, contact Calabrio.

About the Author

Olle Düring is SVP of Sales, International at Calabrio

Calabrio is the customer experience intelligence company that empowers organisations to enrich human interactions. The scalability of our cloud platform allows for quick deployment of remote work models—and it gives our customers precise control over both operating costs and customer satisfaction levels. Our AI-driven analytics tools make it easy for contact centres to uncover customer sentiment and share compelling insights with other parts of the organisation. Customers choose Calabrio because we understand their needs and provide a best-in-class experience, from implementation to ongoing support. Find more at calabrio.com and follow @Calabrio on Twitter.

In his latest blog, Magnus Geverts of Calabrio discusses how to spot the difference between true and fake cloud solutions and why it matters for workforce optimisation (WFO) applications.

The decision to take your WFO solution to the cloud is a smart choice — and one that puts business first rather than drain focus on IT infrastructures.  But pause before you purchase, because not all software offerings are created equal. There are many WFO providers marketing themselves as “cloud,” but who are not actually true cloud solutions.  Some on-premises vendors proclaim they offer cloud applications without anything to back it up.

How to spot the difference between true cloud and fake cloud solutions 

1. Key Cloud Capability: Multi-tenancy

In true cloud, there is one instance of the platform that serves all customers or “tenants” simultaneously, across a shared infrastructure. Just like in an apartment building, controls in the underlying code keep the tenants separate – you get your own unique, secure unit or tenant. This pooling of resources is what achieves true cloud agility and scalability.

In a fake cloud, the solution is actually built on a multi-instance platform. In this scenario, each customer or tenant receives its own server. To scale up, new servers must be switched on manually which is costly, time-consuming, and difficult to maintain. To get the latest functionality, the latest software must be installed separately for each instance, significantly delaying your ability to benefit from new features. Even worse, some fake clouds put multiple customers on the same server and rely on organisational structure alone to keep them segregated; this is not multi-tenancy, it is shared tenancy and may require some features to be off-limits because the tenants would be able to see each other’s data.

2. Key Cloud Capability: Continuous Delivery

In true cloud, your applications are continuously updated with new functionality and bug fixes. You can continue to use your application, without any downtime during these updates. Users can easily adapt to the incremental changes.

In a fake cloud, you will have several big and potentially risky updates occurring a few times per year. Until your vendor schedules upgrades to your environment, these bugs and issues will be pervasive for many months, disrupting your operation with significant downtime and team members needing additional time to learn about these changes.

3. Key Cloud Capability: Security

In true cloud, your data is secured with the latest security tools, updates, and patches in real-time without added cost or downtime. True clouds are hosted on the leading global cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, where security is their highest priority, with nearly every certification you can think of and employing an unmatched army of experts.

In a fake cloud, there is no unified security among all applications and platforms. Vendors that provide fake clouds simply cannot achieve the same level of security and expertise as AWS and Azure. A fake cloud with fake multi-tenancy also means that providers need to defend hundreds of fortresses at the same time, instead of just one. This dilutes the time and attention that is being paid to defending your data from attack.

4. Key Cloud Capability: Rapid performance scaling

In true cloud, you can easily scale up or down to meet the needs of your business. True cloud solutions are built to handle rapid change seamlessly, allowing you to quickly expand your system as needed, all while easily meeting the needs of a highly mobile and global workforce.

In a fake cloud, the vendor must have the necessary staff and hardware available to manually increase capacity or deploy new capabilities. This often requires specific technical expertise or pricey professional services which can lead to downtime, delays in service, and reduced speed to benefit – especially when deploying in multiple time zones and geographies – all of which could negatively impact customer satisfaction.

5. Key Cloud Capability: High Availability/Uptime

In true cloud, you get a guaranteed uptime and reliability and are financially compensated if service levels are not met. You can rest easy knowing that your data is securely backed up and always available. Even if disaster strikes one data centre, another one immediately takes over with no downtime or hassle for you. All this is possible because true cloud solutions leverage multi-tenant architecture and are built in the cloud with cloud infrastructure in mind.

In a fake cloud, availability is limited by the vendor, the hardware on which their solution is installed, and who is maintaining it. Since it is often outsourced to a third-party vendor, you may not even know who is ensuring the availability of your mission-critical solutions.

6. Key Cloud Capability: Ease of integration and extensibility

In true cloud WFO solutions, you can easily integrate with both cloud and on-premise solutions. True cloud solutions provide the flexibility to meet your unique business needs, which means integrating with external systems is straightforward, seamless, and low effort.

In a fake cloud, integration and customisation become expensive difficulties that can be unstable. Hosted cloud solutions are not inherently designed for ease of integration and can end up being expensive to implement and maintain as well.

7. Key Cloud Capability: Easy to use

In true cloud, applications are designed with the User Experience in mind. Modern web-based user interfaces make onboarding new users easier, thanks to increased access to all functionality features. Centralised management and administration make the true cloud Workforce Optimisation easy to administrate, especially if you are a multi-site or global organisation. This is only possible if your WFO suite is fully integrated with all your sites being managed from a single, centralised management console.

In fake cloud, this can be an assortment with some applications even requiring administrators to install and login to a desktop application. User experience will be poor, and users will have to learn multiple different user interfaces. If you are a multi-site organisation with multiple types of ACDs and integrations, be prepared for a maintenance and security nightmare.

Not all clouds are created equal

Here are some questions to ask your vendor about their cloud offering:

• How often do you provide updates and new functionality?
• Will I have downtime when you update my tenant?
• In my tenant, will my data be totally isolated from other tenants?
• Will I have downtime when you update other customers in your cloud?
• How often are your security tools updated?
• How quickly did you fully remediate your customers when the Log4J vulnerability was announced?
• Do you have a Service Level Agreement (SLA), and what happens if it is not met?
• Is there a single user interface for your WFO suite?

Don’t let vendors pull the cloud over your eyes. For more information about True Cloud – Enterprise Grade WFO solutions visit Calabrio.

About the Author

Magnus Geverts is the Vice President of Product Marketing at Calabrio

Calabrio is the customer experience intelligence company that empowers organisations to enrich human interactions. The scalability of our cloud platform allows for quick deployment of remote work models—and it gives our customers precise control over both operating costs and customer satisfaction levels. Our AI-driven analytics tools make it easy for contact centres to uncover customer sentiment and share compelling insights with other parts of the organisation. Customers choose Calabrio because we understand their needs and provide a best-in-class experience, from implementation to ongoing support. Find more at calabrio.com and follow @Calabrio on Twitter.

DHL Supply Chain, the world’s leading contract logistics provider, is accelerating its business expansion to meet a boom in demand for its services, while simultaneously increasing agent retention to a record high, with the help of a suite of Avaya OneCloud technologies.

The solution, with AI-powered contact centre to manage workloads, has helped DHL raise its number of concurrent agents to 300%, with its retention rate significantly increasing.

Based in Singapore, DHL Contact Centre Services provides logistics solutions across a range of industries, including service logistics, technology, and public agencies. The Covid-19 pandemic created more opportunity to better support its customers’ increasing demand for fast and cost-effective contact centre services.

“As many businesses found during the pandemic, the last 18 months were characterized by a huge spike in demand for high-quality customer experience services. Between 2019 and today, alongside the rollout of Avaya OneCloud, our number of concurrent agents has increased 300 percent,” said Jerome Gillet, CEO, Singapore Cluster, DHL Supply Chain. “Retention in the contact centre industry has been a challenge for several years. With the support of a comprehensive, cloud-based collaboration tool, and an AI-powered contact centre, our retention rate has significantly increased to become the best-in-class in the industry.”

“The security and scalability of the product means we can replicate this customer service environment in other markets, enabling contact centre agents to log in from anywhere, at any time, and gain access to the communication and collaboration capabilities,” Gillet added. “In the near future, we will be scaling our contact centre offering to Japan, Korea, Australia, Malaysia and the Philippines.”

“DHL Supply Chain is oiling the wheels of businesses during an essential time, allowing it to meet demands that have only accelerated during and after the pandemic,” said Stephen Spears, Avaya Chief Revenue Officer. “Cloud-based customer service capabilities, automation and knowledge management are combining to deliver these offerings at a much quicker rate while supporting those charged with providing the service.”

Find out more about the partnership between DHL Supply Chain and Avaya and how we helped them grow: https://bit.ly/3m3K010

About the Author

Steve Joyner is Vice President at Avaya UK and Ireland at Avaya at Avaya.

In order to develop its IT infrastructure, companies must make a number of crucial decisions. Should they maintain the server on-premises and co-locate it in a datacenter, or totally relocate to the cloud?

IT infrastructure, quantity of IT personnel, the amount of money a firm is prepared to invest, and industry norms must all be considered when determining the best technological solution.

Ownership expenses vary greatly

On-premise solutions necessitate large initial expenditures. In other words, companies must buy and manage the software and hardware, as well as the servers and related infrastructure required to run it. That is why the IT department must be large and experienced while also having a team that will need to be trained. Therefore companies will use considerable efforts in running, maintaining, and updating their software.

The initial costs for a cloud contact center solution, on the other hand, are significantly lower. As companies merely install the required software components. They simply gain access to it through an Internet connection while whole IT infrastructure is hosted and managed by the cloud provider. This guarantees that the system is always operational, the data is always safe, and that product upgrades are implemented without interfering with the workflow.

Cloud is a subscription-based, pay-as-you-go service. It is predictable and makes managing and planning cash flow much simpler for business owners.

Improvements and upgrades

Customization is possible with on-premise software. These adjustments, however, are bound to the present software deployment and will be difficult to reproduce in future editions. After all the IT staff may have to start customizing again when their provider delivers new upgrades and features. This is one of the primary reasons that push more and more companies to go with a cloud. In fact, it is estimated that two-thirds of SMBs are still utilizing obsolete ERP software.

Cloud solutions, on the other hand, are constantly upgraded by the vendor, ensuring that companies always have the most recent version of the software. These previously established settings are automatically carried over during updates thanks to the cloud platform. Without any additional investment and the procedure is smooth to run.

Enhanced system performance and usability

Cloud outperforms on-premise solutions in terms of performance. The cloud software architecture is built from the ground up to maximize network performance. Cloud-based scale its performance to meet companies specific requirements and needs. For example if a contact center is going through a high-volume phones calls, then the cloud solution immediately changes its performance and dynamically allocates more resources. The best clouds have an observed availability of 99.5%, with an average 12-month availability performance of 99.98 percent.

In terms of metrics, a cloud-based solution delivers real-time data that is available through the Internet from any location at any time. This implies that company’s employees may access up-to-date information on their laptops, cellphones, and tablets in real time. As a result, access remotely does not necessitate any new infrastructure or continuing expenditures.

What is the right solution for your business?

The best option for a firm is largely dependent on its needs and what it is seeking for in a solution. While the Cloud architecture has been widely adopted in recent years due to its ease of use and flexibility, On-premise is not to be overlooked. Especially for huge corporations that want to collaborate over an internal network.

At NobelBiz, we have acquired more than 20 years of experiences in providing innovative and efficient contact center solutions. Our NobelBiz Omni+ is a complete contact center solution, blending perfectly all communication channels, including phones, sms, social medias, webchat and more to come. Every implementation and migration needs time, meticulous preparation and it doesn’t come without challenges to consider. In our ebook On-premise vs. Cloud Contact Center Solution: Benefits and Challenges, we break down in details the differences between cloud and on-premise, types of cloud solutions, migration approaches and the key variables to consider for each company.

The global pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and ushered in a Cloud-Smart Era.  Tom Goodmanson, CEO at Calabrio, reveals recent research results and shares ideas on how to harness the next level of strategic potential for new and existing cloud-based contact centres.  

The COVID-19 health crisis has accelerated digital transformation like never before.  Contact centres too have reached an important turning point as organisations rely on them to nurture customer relationships and support an evolving work-from-home environment.  Agility is the name of the game and has prompted a widespread move to the cloud.

When Calabrio surveyed 273 contact centre managers from the USA, UK and the DACH region (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) the report results highlighted the importance of becoming cloud-proficient. More than three-in-four contact centres have made full or partial moves to the Cloud, with an astounding 68% of those migrations happening over the past year at the height of the pandemic.  Meanwhile, one in four contact centres are now fully cloud-based, a substantial jump from less than a year ago when just one in ten operations had moved to the cloud.

Seeing is believing

The modern multi-channel contact centre has entered what we at Calabrio call a Cloud-Smart Era, one where the cloud is set to drive strategic business value rather than merely support tactical cost-optimisation.  Our recent research shows that ‘seeing is believing’ when it comes to really appreciating the true value of the cloud.

The survey results highlighted that the next phase of cloud transformation enables companies to be more strategic and the most commonly cited benefits include:

• Value of cloud-powered decision-making: contact centres say the cloud is helping them be more strategic and make smarter business decisions and become more nimble to functional needs.

• Value of cloud-powered analytics: half of survey respondents believe that moving to the cloud has improved their ability to use intelligent analytics to manage the business including insights to support agents and customers. Cloud solutions make it easier to unlock the value within Voice of the Customer (VOC) and employee data.  Ultimately helping contact centres to gain visibility and impact across the business as a whole.

• Value of cloud-powered collaboration: contact centres see how cloud solutions have empowered their remote, decentralised workforces, giving employees flexibility while enhancing communication and collaboration.

• Value of employee engagement: cloud-based contact centres are more likely to achieve value from employee engagement and empowerment initiatives, as the cloud enables more flexible work arrangements, offers more transparent performance feedback and helps deliver better information about agents to improve the employee experience and thus the customer experience (CX).

• Value of cloud security: contact centres are less fearful when it comes to data security concerns than they were five years ago, and are more likely to see how security as a must-have consideration rather than a point of resistance.

• Value of cloud agility: contact centre managers who have fully adopted cloud platforms feel their infrastructure is more open to trying new tools as they navigate their digital transformation and add new communication channels such as social channels and chatbots to meet future demand.

Take it step by step

The key to achieving cloud-proficiency and becoming a member of the new Cloud-Smart Era is for organisations to fully immerse themselves in the cloud experience, but do not rush in.  Experience means that Calabrio advocates a pragmatic and phased approach to migration, working with a vendor who has expertise in enabling and supporting the two main cloud options:

• Full cloud – where all systems (WEM, CCaaS and CRM) are deployed within a public, private or hybrid cloud
• Partial cloud – where some systems are within a public, private or hybrid cloud while others are still on-premise

Whichever option organisations choose, they should rely on experienced vendors to address the main concern highlighted in the research i.e. that of the perceived potential for losing data during the critical migration phase.  Cloud adopters should also consider the benefits of a true Software as a Service (SaaS) approach where solutions are written for the cloud as opposed to traditional server-based applications hosted in the cloud. Committed cloud vendors dedicate sufficient time, energy and resources to educating their customers on how to combine technology and best practices to ensure a smooth and seamless migration to the cloud.  Hard-earned expertise combined with pre-built connectors drive successful integrations and help to realise the full potential of cloud-driven contact centres.

Time to explore

So what’s next for the cloud?  Many contact centres have yet to release the full potential of their cloud infrastructures, from AI- and ML-driven analytics to Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) and other future-proof strategies. Just as on-premise contact centres often struggle to see the value of the cloud because they have not experienced it, those already in the cloud will not recognise their complete cloud potential until they begin exploring it and now is the time to start.

For more information, ideas and inspiration, sign up to a demonstration of Calabrio ONE or download the results of Calabrio’s latest survey “State of the Contact Centre 2021: Cloud is here. What’s next?”

About the Author

Tom Goodmanson is President and CEO at Calabrio

About Calabrio

Calabrio is the customer experience intelligence company that empowers organisations to enrich human interactions. The scalability of our cloud platform allows for quick deployment of remote work models—and it gives our customers precise control over both operating costs and customer satisfaction levels. Our AI-driven analytics tools make it easy for contact centres to uncover customer sentiment and share compelling insights with other parts of the organisation. Customers choose Calabrio because we understand their needs and provide a best-in-class experience, from implementation to ongoing support. Find more at calabrio.com and follow @Calabrio on Twitter.

Nick Dicksee, CPaaS Specialist Lead at Avaya UK&I, explains how organisations can catapult themselves into the future of work with a simple and powerful framework designed to aid Total Experience.

Over the past year, the focus on Unified Communications has shifted from an area of increased interest to a necessity for business continuity.

While many organisations quickly adopted the technologies and applications required for basic remote working, it has taken a little longer for all of us to work out exactly how to truly enable a remote workforce.

The need for action on this is pressing. According to the Life and Work Beyond 2020 study, commissioned by Avaya, those who reported being happier in 2020 than in 2019 identified working from home as a key driver of that happiness. And nearly half (46%) prefer to work remotely or at least be given the option and tools to do. Conversely, 52% worry about going back to a fully in-office workday.

Avaya believes it can help organisations not only address the challenges of this new work-from-anywhere world, but actually come out of it better than ever. To see what its technology approach means for the future of work, and how it can help organisations address these trends, we spoke to Nick Dicksee, CPaaS Specialist Lead at Avaya UK&I.

What have organisations learned about UC over the past year?

The pandemic has advanced years of developing a work-from-anywhere culture into mere months but trying to adopt a ‘business as usual’ approach by just remote-enabling employees with a bunch of apps has proven to not be enough.

For example, one of the biggest issues that organisations report is employees struggling with the fatigue of managing too many separate apps. They’re constantly switching between their video conferencing, their messaging, their email, their task management, and more. All while figuring out new ways to do business. This isn’t sustainable, particularly since it’s clear that work-from-anywhere is here to stay.

How do organisations address that specific point around app overload?

This is why we have seen the rise of workstream collaboration, which replaces disparate communications tools with easy-to-navigate virtual workspaces built with today’s distributed work environment in mind.

It’s very exciting in that it’s driving a new conversation around remote employee and customer engagement.

How do workstream collaboration solutions differ from, say, a regular video conferencing solution?

I can’t speak to other solutions on the market, but I can certainly say that it’s what’s under the hood of our platform, Avaya Spaces, that sets it apart. We’ve leveraged the powerful framework of Avaya OneCloud CPaaS to enhance and simplify Avaya Spaces. This means we can provide sophisticated workstream collaboration capabilities within a unified, integrated, all-in-one solution, with zero business disruption. And because it’s built on CPaaS, it can help organisations to transform legacy communications into the new future of work.

Talk us through what exactly CPaaS is.

CPaaS is in the driver’s seat of the composable-enterprise vision. Organisations today are looking at Total Experience strategies, which reimagine customer and employee journeys to the point that any experience across any touchpoint is effortless. These strategies are made up of a myriad of composable solutions, which address specific use cases and experiences.

Take a look at Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), which delivers best-of-breed building blocks in the area of employee experience and work automation. And then look at Contact centre as a Service (CCaaS), which enables the creation of unforgettable multiexperiences for customers.

CPaaS is the facilitator for both these offerings – it’s the force multiplier that can truly enable a Total Experience strategy across the enterprise. It enables organisations to rapidly innovate to address a wide range of use cases. It catalyses the pace of innovation while working with monolithic on-premises or cloud communications infrastructure. It connects them with the latest API-driven cloud-based capabilities, that they can then use to compose new experiences.

What does the rise of CPaaS-enabled workstream collaboration mean for the future of work? What else is possible?

Forget about the future – we’re already enabling AI in the cloud through our CPaaS solutions. For example, going back to Avaya Spaces, we can quickly spool-up features like AI-powered background replacement and noise elimination. We can create virtual work environments, so it looks like workers are in an office or briefing centre and, at the same time, eliminate distractions like barking dogs.

And this is just the start. Going forward, AI will enable virtual cosmetics or fixing poor lighting and camera haze, for example. Presentations will be enhanced with AI for more engaging meeting experiences.

Cloud-driven AI could take on the form of a digital co-worker to help get work done. Searchable AI transcriptions will differentiate voices, producing accurate real-time closed captions and translation, generate meeting minutes, identify and create tasks from within meetings or conversation streams and list them for you and your team. Richer voice commands will be available, while anticipatory searching across multiple data sources will prioritise results based on activity. And if the AI is cloud-based, and not reliant on processing power in the device, it will work on nearly anything – old or new.

That’s all enabled through a framework like Avaya’s CPaaS platform.

About the Author

Nick Dicksee is CPaaS Specialist Lead at Avaya UK&I.