Your customers expect you to resolve their concerns very quickly. They expect the Average Speed of Answer (ASA) to be 45–60 seconds. According to a Gartner study, it is even shorter for sales interactions, where people expect to get an answer in less than 20 seconds. Almost 60% of customers say they will end their business relationships if getting help requires too much effort.
Therefore, technology has become a key component in customer service. Customer experience leaders know that UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) and CCaaS (Contact Center as a service) are indispensable in customer service.
Caring about UCaaS
The Covid pandemic prompted a widespread shift to UCaaS when companies switched from on-premises voice solutions to cloud-hosted collaboration tools such as Zoom and Slack.
UCaaS refers to an all-inclusive cloud-based platform with a single user interface and experience across devices, voice, text, email, and video conferencing. Companies look to UCaaS to maintain the communication and collaboration of their employees.
This same functionality is highly beneficial for customer communications too. However, many companies have not integrated UCaaS with their contact centers.
Connecting CCaaS
Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) refers to cloud-based customer support solutions. CCaaS solutions include intelligent virtual agents (IVR), smart call routing, call recording, call monitoring, customer experience tracking, integrated business tools such as Shopify and Hubspot, and more.
Compare to traditional contact centers, the initial investment is very low, and it is not considered an operational cost. In addition, the software enables scalability and fast roll-out of new tools.
UCaaS + CCaaS = Customers
Integrating UCaaS and CCaaS will enable agents to field calls, chats, and emails using multichannel features. At the same time, agents can stay in sync with subject matter experts and supervisors. If an agent needs help, they can see who is available for real-time support.
You will significantly reduce situations where agents can’t meet your customers’ needs, thus reducing agent call avoidance – such as disconnecting or improperly transferring customers. In turn, you will reduce angry escalations and customer callbacks.
UCaaS and CCaaS allow you to purchase only the technology you need, lowering your spending on IT support. The platform providers are responsible for maintenance and security, so you focus less on your tech and more on your business goals.
iTelecom can help you understand how to capitalize on both UCaaS and CCaaS to deliver superior customer experiences while lowering your costs.
