Cloud-based services are responsible for allowing small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to compete effectively with larger enterprises. A cloud-based call center is often an important part of dealing effectively with the increased customer base that can come with that increased level of competition.
The market for cloud-based services is so big and so diverse that SMBs are sometimes overwhelmed with options. This universal communications system, that backup and recovery solution, the other call center platform; it’s no wonder that so many forget to ask if all these different systems can talk to each other effectively and integrate smoothly. But why is integration such a big deal?
Collaboration
Aside from scalability, collaboration is one of the biggest advantages cloud services provide. A well-implemented cloud-based system allows customer contact agents to work easily with employees in other departments to provide clients and partners with top-level service. No one benefits from information silos, so effective cloud-based call centers need to incorporate API integration, which allows multiple systems and platforms to tie in with each other.
Data Synchronization
In traditional systems, the same data is often stored in multiple locations and multiple systems and needs to be updated manually, or through error-prone processes. Unfortunately, quite often in such a case errors are common. An integrated system makes the same data available to all parties. It is stored and retrieved from the same location. If a call center agent updates a customer file, the billing department immediately has access to the new information, as do marketing, sales, and other departments that need that information.
Increased Productivity
By simplifying the process of maintaining and retrieving the appropriate data in a way that is customized for each employee’s role within the company, employees are freed to actually perform their jobs. A call center agent can focus on resolving a customer’s issue rather than spending undue amounts of time searching for the required records, which means the call can be resolved more quickly, and another customer can be assisted sooner.
Happy Customers
All of this, of course, leads towards the desired result: customer satisfaction. More effective and efficient call center systems result in more effective customer contact scenarios, which makes for happier customers. The facts speak for themselves. In order to perform to its full potential, a cloud-based call center platform needs to integrate with the rest of a business’s systems. Contact us for more information on how to upgrade to a more efficient system, or on how to integrate your current ones.
