Key Take Aways
- Isolated contact center solutions can no longer keep up with customer demands and cloud-based technologies
- Integrated contact center software offers improved internal collaboration, customer journey management, and omnichannel capabilities
- Only with an integrated solution can contact centers maintain customer satisfaction and business growth
Contact center software features are often treated like building blocks. Companies purchase their call center solutions from a telecom provider and then add new software to expand their capabilities. Though it’s been commonly used for over a decade, this method is unsustainable for several reasons, including:
- It’s isolated. Without a unified, connected solution, data sharing, collaboration, and usability suffer. Most of these solutions are premises-based, preventing businesses from accessing the cloud and the benefits it offers for future growth.
- It’s expensive. Often, each new piece of software comes from a different source. Businesses are forced to pay high prices for new capabilities, both initially and in maintenance costs over time.
- It’s ineffective. This mismatched software doesn’t integrate easily, often forcing agents to jump from solution to solution as they work. This limits their effectiveness and speed, hurting customer service and satisfaction.
Isolated contact center solutions are creating significant costs for businesses, but they’re also hindering their ability to meet growing customer demands. Without seamless integration with other technologies, these solutions are limiting or, even worse, damaging their customer experience.
87% of customers believe brands should work harder to provide a seamless customer experience.
Rather than creating contact center software that acts as a technology silo, vendors should instead focus on developing solutions that go beyond simple inbound and outbound communications. In an increasingly connected world, integrated contact center solutions are the only way to maintain excellent customer experiences, workplace satisfaction, and sustainable contact center growth.
To see why you should consider an integrated contact center solution, explore the benefits they offer below.
1. Revolutionize customer journey management
More than ever, customer journey management can make or break your contact center’s success. By seamlessly integrating with the customer relationship management (CRM) solution of your choice, businesses gain valuable insight into customer actions and the factors that drive these decisions. Armed with this information, they can then tailor their responses and processes to encourage greater conversions and satisfaction.
Though many contact centers use CRM solutions alongside their contact center software, direct integration offers increased insights and usability. Every interaction is automatically recorded into the customer’s history, which is immediately available to agents whenever they contact the business again. Agents can access this data on the same screen they use to communicate, quickly addressing new or ongoing concerns without wasting customer time.
2. Increase internal collaboration and communication
Though contact centers typically focus on customer communication, internal collaboration and customer service teamwork are just as important. Integrating internal communication tools into contact center software allows every employee to stay on the same page. When agents can send a quick message to another agent or supervisor for clarification or assistance, or reach out to a subject matter expert within the organization, they can work more accurately, quickly, and effectively. As they increase their first-contact resolution, they can offer better customer service and increase customer satisfaction.
Internal collaboration tools, such as integrated Glip messaging, can also drastically improve workplace satisfaction. Agents can access quick support for escalating interactions or any questions they need answered. For new hires, this seamless communication can minimize training time and offer the resources they need to thrive. Cloud-based solutions also enable remote work, giving agents the ability to collaborate while working outside of the office. As agents feel empowered and heard within the workplace, their increased satisfaction can then improve their customer interactions.
3. Enjoy enterprise-level capabilities at an affordable cost
When using add-on solutions, rather than integrated software, every additional capability requires additional costs, training, and maintenance resources. For small or mid-sized businesses, this meant limited features and strained budgets. With an integrated contact center solution, however, businesses of all sizes can easily build a contact center that meets customer demands and fits their price range. New integrations are remarkably easy to install and maintain, so businesses don’t have to devote excessive time and manpower to each application. Instead, they can create a contact center that keeps them ahead of the competition and within budgeting constraints.
4. Empower contact center and business growth
Omnichannel customer service and contact center capabilities are already a must in the customer service industry. According to PWC, omnichannel adoption will grow from 20% in 2010 to more than 80% in 2020. As customer demands have grown, call centers alone can no longer keep up. Forrester found that 54% of customers connected with businesses through email in 2018. More telling, HubSpot learned that 62% of customers picked email as their preferred channel of choice, with 48% choosing the phone, 42% preferring live chat, and 36% choosing contact forms.
To meet these demands, contact centers must choose software that allows them to offer the channels their customers demand. More important, their solution should also offer the flexibility to meet future needs. Without an integrated contact center solution, businesses risk falling behind customer needs and losing business to competitors who are better able to meet consumer expectations.
Want to learn more about RingCentral’s integrated software solution, customizable APIs, and 140+ integrations? Explore our omnichannel contact center software or connect with a sales agent for a demo. If you’re struggling to maintain customer satisfaction, you can also use these customer experience resources to transform your interactions and surpass every customer’s expectations.
Originally published Oct 08, 2019, updated Jun 24, 2024
