5 key benefits of contact center as a service (CCaaS) software
Adopt a CCaaS solution, and you’ll be set to connect with customers across all channels and leave your dated contact center technology in the dust.
Last updated October 11, 2023
We get it. Running a contact center is hard.
Between the endless inbound calls and technical hiccups, managing a contact center tests your patience and persistence. The good news is you can make things easier on yourself with a contact center software solution: CCaaS.
Contact center as a service (CCaaS) software is spiking in popularity alongside WFH agent technology due to the pandemic. The global CCaaS market is expected to hit $10.8 billion by 2028, representing a compound annual growth rate of 15.7 percent from 2021.
The global CCaaS market is expected to hit $10.8 billion by 2028, representing a compound annual growth rate of 15.7% from 2021.
Bring your contact center up to speed with CCaaS so you can delight both your agents and your customers in 2022 and beyond.
What is CCaaS?
Contact center as a service (CCaaS) is a cloud-based software solution that makes it possible to create a virtual contact center.
To know the real story behind CCaaS, we have to rewind the clock all the way back to 1995—right around the time TLC dropped “Waterfalls.” That was the year CosmoCom (which has since been purchased by Enghouse Interactive) became the first company to introduce and patent IP-based contact center technology. It wasn’t the same CCaaS we know and love today, but it set the scene for what was to come later.
By the early 2000s, the modern CCaaS was born. Tech companies saw the limits of onsite contact center software that you could only access through certain computers. They turned that outdated way of working on its head with contact center as a service software, which only requires an Internet connection.
Fast forward to today, and CCaaS has become a trusted alternative to traditional call center solutions that focus only on phone systems, call routing, and call recording.
A call center handles voice communication only, while CCaaS manages all communications from multiple channels in the cloud. Despite these differences, CCaaS professionals often use “contact center” and “call center” interchangeably. When we refer to contact centers, we’re referring to centers that use a CCaaS solution.
What is the difference between CCaaS and on-premise contact centers?
Location is the main difference between CCaaS platforms and on-premise contact centers. On-premise solutions refer to contact center software and hardware that are tied to one physical place. CCaaS, on the other hand, is location-agnostic because it lives in the cloud. It can be accessed from anywhere.
What are the benefits of CCaaS?
The advantages of CCaaS go beyond the cloud. It also improves agent efficiency, creates engaging customer experiences, and cuts costs.
1. Cost savings
As a cloud solution, CCaaS eliminates many of the extra costs tied to traditional contact center systems—hardware, inflated IT departments, and facility rental and maintenance costs.
CCaaS solution pricing is also based on usage, which results in cost savings. Small businesses can adopt a pay-as-you-go model for their low-volume use, while larger companies can opt for more traditional monthly pricing plans.
CCaaS pay-as-you-go models and scalability go hand-in-hand. If your business is growing and you need to add CCaaS features, you can typically do so with a few clicks. In Zendesk Suite, for example, you can turn features on and off depending on your business needs.
You no longer have to shop for a new server or extra software licenses. You can be up and running in one day.
2. Secure data storage
CCaaS is cloud-based, which means your data doesn’t live in one location. Multiple backup locations exist, so if one data center fails, another will pick up the slack. If the data centers vary by time zone, you have the added confidence that someone is monitoring their status at all times.
2021 Employee Experience Trends Report
In this free report, we cover how companies are finding ways to work smarter, attract top talent, and harness the collective power of their people to get ahead.
3. Omnichannel communication
Phone calls might still be a popular communication method for customers, but the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2022 shows that preferences are changing. Many consumers want the ability to contact companies via social media, online chat, messaging apps, and email—not just the phone.
CCaaS software makes omnichannel communication a breeze:
- Real-time dashboards can help agents see what channels customers are using.
- Agents can seamlessly transfer conversations from one channel to another—without losing customer context.
- You can run reports to measure performance across all channels.
Offering omnichannel communication with CCaaS isn’t only convenient for customers—it’s also beneficial for your agents. They’ll be able to field queries more effectively through the customer’s preferred contact method, so they’re always in stride with customer conversations on each channel.
All Zendesk Suite plans offer a unified agent workspace where your team can view and manage conversations across all channels. Agents can live chat with customers, respond to Facebook messages, and send emails—all in a single place. A new product, Zendesk Voice, even embeds a call button in your customer’s mobile app or browser, so they can conveniently call to resolve an issue.
CCaaS can also automate certain communications across channels, freeing up your agents to focus on more complex support issues. For instance, chatbots can answer common customer questions with a standardized response. If that response doesn’t solve the problem, the customer can request help from a human agent.
4. Quick access to product and order history
Let’s be honest: Contact center agents often have it tough. Not only are they trying to provide a great customer experience, but they’re also scrambling to find customer information in real-time. It’s not an easy task. Customers can become impatient and, in some unfortunate cases, downright aggressive.
CCaaS software can help save the day.
A CCaaS solution can instantly locate a customer’s product and order history—it’s a win-win. Customers don’t have to rehash previous conversations with your team, and agents can resolve the issue more quickly.
5. Insightful reports and analytics
If you work in a traditional contact center, you might have to spend several hours each week moving data from one platform to another for analysis. Those are hours you could be spending resolving customer issues.
CCaaS software gives you access to automatic reporting and analytics, helping you track key contact center metrics, such as uptime, downtime, and missed or declined calls.
These insights can improve workforce management and operational performance across your contact center. If you notice a big spike in missed calls, for example, you may need more agents working during peak hours. Meanwhile, recurring customer issues could mean that you need to create more self-service articles about those problems. Enterprise-level CCaaS offers real-time reporting to help you adjust your contact center processes.
Customers are always seeking faster, more personalized solutions to their problems. Your CCaaS reporting can enable you to make the continuous improvements necessary to meet those expectations.
How to choose the right CCaaS software for your business
The benefits of CCaaS solutions are clear, but how do you know which CCaaS provider is best for your team? Here’s how to decide.
Know your customers
It can be tempting to judge a CCaaS platform by only how many communication channels it supports. While omnichannel flexibility is important, the main question should be: How well does this solution handle my primary customer support channel?
Say the majority of your customers prefer calling you, and your team is adept at handling those interactions. You’d want to make sure your CCaaS software has a robust cloud-based voice app like Zendesk Voice.
If the provider doesn’t offer helpful features for your customers’ favorite channel, keep looking.
Be wary of cost fluctuations
Many CCaaS solutions charge by the number of agents using the system. If you experience a surge in customer inquiries and hire more agents at certain times of the year, be sure to factor that into your CCaaS budget.
Check your CCaaS integrations
Ensure your chosen CCaaS integrates with your CRM and other critical business applications. Say you use Magento for ecommerce and Slack for internal communication. If you want agents to see Magento orders when issues arise and to resolve support tickets in Slack, your CCaaS must be able to integrate with those tools.
Assess the support options
If your messaging channel stops working at 2 am on Black Friday, you want your CCaaS provider to be available to help. While most large providers offer 24/7 support, it’s always a good idea to check and ask for details. For example, is phone support available at 2 am or only chat? Is there an additional charge for it?
The same questions can apply to onboarding support as well. Do you get a dedicated customer success manager, or are you limited to pre-recorded videos and training manuals?
Understand the learning curve
A CCaaS solution might dazzle you with its features and 24/7 support, but is it easy to set up and use? The longer it takes you and your team to master the platform, the longer it will take for you to see success. The quality and cost of onboarding are worth considering here.
How to operationalize CCaaS software
CCaaS software is a wonderful asset to contact center teams. However, many businesses are still figuring out how to operationalize it. It can be a lackluster solution for creating work-life balance if your reps handle more than their share of support tickets due to staffing issues.
Use the Zendesk contact center staffing calculator to assess your business’s staffing needs to help prevent agent burnout and reduce wait times.
Results
Weekly utilized hours for a full-time agent:
00
Total utilized hours (weekly):
00
Estimated full-time agents needed:
00
Average handle time calculator
Solves per hour:
00
Average handle time:
00
Disclaimer: The above formula should be used as a guide—it shouldn’t replace a typical workforce management staffing calculator. Teams will also need to consider factors such as breaks for agents, multiple shifts, and different customer requirements.
2021 Employee Experience Trends Report
In this free report, we cover how companies are finding ways to work smarter, attract top talent, and harness the collective power of their people to get ahead.
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