What Does It Take to be a Cloud Contact Center? A Plan.

As cloud contact centers become more prevalent, methodologies for migrating from on-prem to cloud and hybrid environments are being refined.

A just-released report by global research firm Research and Markets, “Cloud-Based Contact Center Market Intelligence Report - Global Forecast to 2027", is certainly bullish on the future of cloud-based contact centers:

• The Americas Cloud-Based Contact Center Market size was estimated at USD 4,598.60 million in 2021, is expected to reach USD 5,337.58 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.29% to reach USD 11,975.95 million by 2027.
  
  
• The Asia-Pacific Cloud-Based Contact Center Market size was estimated at USD 3,623.53 million in 2021, is expected to reach USD 4,339.87 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18.50% to reach USD 10,036.88 million by 2027.
  
  
• The Europe, Middle East & Africa Cloud-Based Contact Center Market size was estimated at USD 4,665.42 million in 2021, is expected to reach USD 5,489.90 million in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.82% to reach USD 12,484.73 million by 2027.

Many think we’ll stop using the term “cloud computing” within the next decade because it will have become the IT and application deployment paradigm. In fact, Gartner predicted that 50 percent of contact centers would be in the cloud by the end of this year.

What does that mean for contact center leaders considering migrating their on-prem applications to the cloud? For one thing, it’s time to stop holding back – cloud adoption is broad and deep across virtually every industry, and the technology is mature.

Cloud Benefits

The ‘whys’ driving the mass migration of on-prem applications to the cloud are well documented, but the primary drivers are worth repeating:

• Budget predictability and reduced infrastructure costs - Contact centers are under constant pressure to do more with less – never more so than in today's extraordinary and unpredictable economic climate. Leadership can't compromise on the contact center's business support, but cost control is more important than ever.
  
  
• Faster and more frequent new-feature deployment – Staying with the theme of doing more with less, a cloud deployment increases operational efficiencies, giving IT staff more time to focus on strategic initiatives.
  
  
• Agility/scalability - Companies are risk-averse, consistently positioning themselves to reduce vulnerability. A cloud deployment provides the peace of mind of knowing that their contact center software investment is current, flexible, scalable, and protected in times of business expansion, retraction and unpredictability.
  
  
• Greater security and compliance capabilities – Contact centers must meet strict regulatory, industry, and legal requirements. A robust cloud deployment will protect contact center uptime and customer privacy.

A Path to the Cloud

There is no single-path cloud migration; each contact center will reach a point where it’ll need to blaze its own trail, based on its objectives and unique operational characteristics. That said, everyone starts at the same point – ground zero.

Contact Center Pipeline, a magazine for contact center professionals, put together a ‘first steps’ checklist for those leading their organization into the cloud.

Here’s a link to the full article, but we’ve excerpted 5 steps in the checklist below: https://www.contactcenterpipeline.com/Article/a-checklist-for-migrating-your-contact-center-to-the-cloud

STEP 1: Evaluate the needs of the customers and the contact center itself. Before beginning the migration process, it’s critical to analyze channel usage as you determine which internal systems would be best supported by a cloud provider in the short-, mid- and long-term.

STEP 2: Create realistic objectives and anticipate challenges. With that understanding of their contact center’s needs, IT leaders can begin to develop their plans. For the best results, the plan should include phased steps of the migration and address these questions:

• What features should be migrated first and why?
• How and when should the migration be communicated internally to employees?
• What type of training will be provided to employees?
• How will service changes be communicated externally to customers and partners, ensuring transparency on any changes or delays?
  
  

STEP 3: Select a provider. With a plan in place, the organization is now ready to find a partner who can support its journey to the cloud. Among the Enterprise leaders evaluating providers should consider the following:

• What features does the provider offer that aligns with the needs of the contact center?
• How do their customers rate them?
• Do they offer a flexible pricing model?
• How quickly do they deliver new capabilities and features?
• Can they support the industry’s regulatory environment?
• How reliable and secure is their service?
• How do they report performance and satisfaction?
• How can they support scalability and customization?
  
  

STEP 4: Trial and test solutions. Pilot and test services before going live. Testing enables the business to familiarize itself with the contact centers new features at its own pace to ensure the new offering is fully operational before going live to customers and service representatives.

No doubt migrating your infrastructure to the cloud places demands on financial and human resources but check with your cloud provider to discuss strategies that meet your specific needs without disrupting your current on-prem contact center deployment. Your goal should be to maximize and protect your current on-premises investments while implementing an innovative cloud solution that provides you with a competitive advantage. With the right provider and plan, you can take advantage of the future without disrupting the present, working at your own pace.