If you’re thinking of moving more of your technology ecosystem into the cloud, you’re not alone. In recent years, as the workplace has continued to evolve, and hybrid work has grown more popular, the age of cloud transformation has exploded. Companies are turning to flexible “as a service” offerings to keep costs low and prioritise business continuity. 

To avoid overwhelming employees with too many distributed tools across different environments, vendors are increasingly investing in more flexible and consolidated cloud platforms. One of the easiest options to reduce information silos is to align CCaaS (Contact Centre as a Service) and UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) platforms.

These tools can boost collaboration and productivity, reduce costs, and improve business outcomes at the same time. The question is, how do you choose the right solution?

Step 1: Know Your Employee Personas

The first step to creating the perfect consolidated cloud environment for your team is understanding what your employees need. Looking at the kind of staff members you’re working with, and the tools they use on a daily basis can be extremely useful. 

For instance, if you’re running a hybrid workplace, where specialist team members are distributed across a remote environment, then it makes sense to invest in a cloud system with a lot of collaborative tools for sharing files, hosting video meetings and keeping staff connected. You may also want to look for a service with workforce management integrations, so you can keep track of all your employees in the same space.

If your team is primarily made up of staff working in the field or on the move, you may need to ensure your UCaaS and CCaaS solutions are just as convenient and accessible on a mobile device as they are on a desktop. Taking the time to consider your employees and their requirements should also help you to identify the kind of tools they may feel most comfortable with.

If your staff already do most of their work within the Microsoft ecosystem, for instance, you might want to use Microsoft Teams and direct routing partners to align all of your tools in a familiar hub. 

Step 2: Look for a Flexible Platform 

Even if you have a good idea of your employee’s needs and your customer’s expectations right now, there’s no guarantee these guidelines won’t change going forward. The best solution for combining UCaaS and CCaaS should be open and flexible enough to transform your business.

One great way to make sure you’re ready to evolve is to look for a solution which comes with plenty of ways to integrate both the tools you already use and the services you might want in the future. A wide range of partnerships with other software brands is a good indication of flexible service. You can also look for platforms which use elements of CPaaS, like APIs and developer tools, to help you build custom workflows and connections.

A flexible platform should also be able to scale up and down easily to suit the needs of your employees and your target audience. You should be able to add new modes of communication for the contact centre as your customers begin to demonstrate new preferences. You might also need to look into the ability to enhance your tools with extra features like CRM tools, and help desk technology.

Step 3: Look at your Data Storage Options

Transitioning both unified communications and contact centre technology into the cloud will mean you’re moving a lot of data through virtual networks on a regular basis. For any company, it’s important to ensure the data management options available match your security and privacy standards, and allow you to remain compliant with industry requirements.

For some businesses, this will mean looking for cloud platform providers which allow you to choose exactly where your data is stored. You might need to keep certain information within a specific country for instance or ensure personally identifiable information is processed in a unique way. 

While you’re examining data storage options, you can also look into the additional tools and services your cloud vendor can offer to keep information secure and protected. For instance, some vendors will offer service management options which allow them to monitor the flow of data in your workplace and ensure quality standards remain high. Others will give you state-of-the-art encryption tools and access controls. 

The exact security and management features you need will depend on your business, but make sure security doesn’t come at the expense of flexibility or ease of use.

Step 4: Look for Excellent Management Tools

One of the biggest benefits of combining UCaaS and CCaaS ecosystems is that you’ll be able to manage more of your communication system in the same place. This can improve security, streamline provisioning, and open the door for significant cost savings. However, you need to feel comfortable with your ability to leverage all of the cloud functionality available to you.

Make sure the portal you use to provision contact centre and collaboration tools is easy to use, and suitable for remote and contactless distribution. Some solutions will even allow you to automate certain aspects of onboarding new employees and removing access for team members who leave the company. It’s also worth looking for features which make management easier and improve business decision-making on a data-driven scale.

Many UCaaS and CCaaS platforms will come with access to powerful analytics tools which allow for the creation of customised reports and dashboards. These tools can offer real-time and historical insights into both he performance and engagement of your team, and your customer satisfaction scores. The more data you can leverage, the more confident you’ll be in your decisions.

You can even look into AI enhancements to augment the analytical process. AI tools can help you to spot patterns in workflows, and optimise the use of your cloud resources. 

 

 



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