Benefits of Managed Connectivity for Cloud Contact Centers
Contributed by Ellen Cahill
Sr. VP Marketing
AireSpring
ellen.cahill@airespring.com
There are significant cost savings to be gained as a result of migrating to the cloud, and so naturally many call centers are making this transition. The use of a cloud contact center solution can provide the desired lower cost, along with greater flexibility and the advanced features needed to increase productivity. However, there is an aspect of cloud software that frequently fails to receive the consideration that it deserves: cloud connectivity.
Businesses can, and do, use the public internet to access their cloud hosted contact center services, but this can result in challenges that undermine the advantages of cloud software. Even the best features available won’t make a difference if your communications are dependent on a connection outside of your control. Quality or reliability cannot be ensured across the public internet, even with a service level agreement (SLA), leading to poor call quality and unreliable service. When internet access is provided by a different vendor than the cloud software, businesses also face the complexity of trying to get support from multiple vendors who are often more interested in pointing a finger at each other than resolving an issue.
These challenges can be overcome by using managed connectivity for your cloud hosted contact center solution. A private managed connection avoids the unreliability of the public internet and provides fast, secure, and dependable services on a private network. Managed connectivity offers superior ROI, as well as the benefits of network monitoring to identify problems before they affect crucial services and Quality of Service (QoS) for exceptional audio quality.
It is also important to understand how connectivity affects customer and agent satisfaction. Customer loyalty will quickly dissipate if they can’t reach you for assistance or if their personal data is not adequately protected. Having a reliable and diversified network behind your contact center, along with the inherent security of a private managed connection, is critical to keeping customers happy and secure. Agents too will respond positively to a service that is fast and doesn’t require a lot of effort from them to administer. When managed connectivity is obtained from the same provider as the cloud contact center software, complexity is further reduced with a single point of contact for all services.
The combination of managed connectivity and cloud contact center software form a comprehensive solution that improves call center performance and delivers a superior customer experience.