For small and mid-sized enterprises, meeting rising customer expectations while balancing increasing IT workload is no small feat. This year, business and IT leaders are scrutinizing their technology to decide what should be at the center of their CX strategy.
In a recent webinar, GoTo’s Director of Product David Evans joined Head of UCC Marketing Joe Walsh to discuss how Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) can come together to deliver great CX.
The two exchanged thoughts on findings from the GoTo IT Priorities Report, a report based on a study commissioned by Frost and Sullivan and drew on learnings from GoTo’s customer base of small-to-midsize enterprises. Their insights and candid advice will help buyers chart the path ahead with UCaaS and CCaaS.
Check out the highlights below:
Replays of the full webinar are still available. But first, a few main takeaways:
- IT workload is relentlessly increasing and businesses are doing something about it now. Walsh says that companies are settling into the new world of work. They’re deploying hybrid models along a spectrum of fully-remote and fully in-office and in turn, there are even more IT things to do. More apps, more admin portals, and more pressure. 65% of companies say IT related workloads grew year-over-year. According to the research, about 83% of companies expect to consolidate tools to simplify and reduce the burden on IT.
- CX is more than just trending. The pandemic empowered customers and there’s no going back. Expectations are higher than they’ve ever been. Businesses have increased their reliance on technology to interact with customers in new and better ways, improve satisfaction, and grow revenue. 93% of companies have adopted a digital-first strategy and 65% are increasing CX spending this year.
- UCaaS and CCaaS — traditionally separate domains — are converging. Evans pointed out that the days where telephony runs across a business and contact centers sit on and island, separate and disconnected, are a thing of the past. The two worlds have now come together. Over half of companies have taken the leap to bring UCaaS and CCaaS together and found that bringing them together drives faster resolutions and better experiences. When everyone becomes a stakeholder in CX, customers and companies alike will win, just like Stand for Animals Veterinary Clinic and Go Insurance.
- Beware of the vendor “platform” promise. Evans advised that almost every vendor in the industry will make a platform claim. Platforms create seamless experiences and allow for innovation. This is quite appealing for organizations that focus on both cost-savings benefits and enhancing the customer experience. When evaluating vendors, investigate whether that technology is a truly single stack. This way, companies can avoid gaps in the customer journey, drains on productivity, and an increase the IT workload companies are already seeking to reduce.
- Choose and prioritize what’s most critical for your business. “Every single business will have existing communication solutions. What you need really depends on where the starting point of your journey is” Evans said. Whether they start with UCaaS or CCaaS, their approach must meet the needs of customers and IT alike to make CX a company-wide effort. “Wherever you are in your journey, select a vendor that thinks about the customer experience as a whole company experience. Make sure you can orchestrate that journey in and out of departments, help teams work together, integrate, automate and deliver great omnichannel experiences.”
Learn more by watching the full version of the webinar in the link below:
