CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service)

Contact Center As A Service (CCaaS): Everything About CCaaS!

CCaaS (Contact center as a service) is a new thriving technology that has put

CCaaS (Contact center as a service) is a new thriving technology that has put businesses in the driving seat of their customer service by providing a more human experience with AI-powered emotional intelligence and contextual engagement.

CCaaS solutions can be an ideal option for organizations looking for the most modern equipment and software at a lower cost.

With the CCaaS model, businesses do not have to worry about purchasing or maintaining expensive hardware, such as servers and telephone lines, or software applications like speech analytics or workforce management.

Instead, they pay a monthly subscription fee that enables them to use these services via the cloud.

The global contact center as a service market size was $3.53 billion in 2020. From 2021 to 2028, this global market is projected to grow from $4.07 billion to $11.76 billion at a CAGR OF 16.4%

Every modern business needs a CCaaS provider to carry out its support activities. So, let’s find out everything about CCaaS platforms.

What is CCaaS?

Contact center as a service (CCaaS) is a cloud-based software that enables organizations to manage multichannel customer interactions holistically (using self- and assisted service) from both customer experience and an employee experience perspective

The services provided by CCaaS providers are delivered to end-users via various modes such as traditional landlines, mobile phones, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

This eliminates the need for a wire-based phone and does not restrict customer support systems from being on-premise.  

Putting CCaaS in Simple Terms

Broadly, a CCaas refers to a combination of two or more of the following services available through a contact center service provider. These include:

This list is not exhaustive, and other services that can be included in CCaaS are Reporting, Help Desk, Operator Call Routing, and Fulfillment. 

The most important contact center services are those that allow for agent management and customer interaction. Customer interaction includes features like IVR, CTI, and CRM that allow customers to interact with agents. 

CCaaS trends are updated with the User Interface that displays the statistical dashboard to monitor customer experience in real time. 

Agent management includes workforce management and analytics/business intelligence which allow managers to monitor calls and performance.

How Does CCaaS Work?

Unlike legacy phone systems, CCaaS deploys cloud technology to deliver a streamlined customer experience. When you receive multiple calls simultaneously, you can route them to the right agent.

After completing the call, you can roll out post-call surveys to all your customers. Further, you can integrate your phone software with CRM and helpdesk to make your job easier.

The best part is your CCaas provider is responsible for set-up and installation, as well as for maintenance. A good CCaas provider will also have a support team ready to handle your queries swiftly and smartly.

How to Deploy CCaaS?

Deploying a CCaaS solution is a straightforward process, but it does require proper planning beforehand. The first step is to have a dedicated team to handle the migration to the CCaaS system.

Perform an audit to take cognizance of the condition of your network and its capacity and the firewalls in place for security. Then create a roll-out strategy to slowly migrate to the new CCaas system. 

CCaaS providers usually set up the rest of the cloud infrastructure.

All you need to do is customize your IVR, your Automatic Call Distribution, and any other workflow automation you may need on the CCaaS service provider’s portal, and you are good to go.

Your support team just needs to do is log into the CCaaS provider’s software and start handling calls. 

Features of CCaas

Along with a cloud-powered telephony system, CCaaS offers software solutions that expand call center capabilities and make phone call operators more efficient. A few of the notable features are listed below: 

  • Call Routing Services: Incoming phone calls are routed or directed to the agents best suited to assist based on your chosen settings. CCaas solutions have the flexibility of being used for inbound as well as outbound calls, so they can be used for a variety of use cases, such as customer service, sales, and marketing.
  • Call Recording: Customer call recordings are a crucial aspect of CCaas solutions. Not only can recorded calls be used to train new recruits to deal with various scenarios, but they can also be used to ensure compliance with the prescribed quality standards. 
  • Software Analytics Tracking: Data on-call wait times, call volume, and several other KPIs provide the necessary information to plan changes. These metrics can be used to track and improve performance and measure customer satisfaction. 
  • IVR: An intelligent directory prompts phone callers for details to quickly route them to the appropriate department. IVR can be used to collect and deliver information, ask questions, and even perform actions like transferring calls. It’s an effective way of handling large numbers of calls without having to hire additional staff.
  • Omnichannel Capabilities: It’s often simpler to provide a matchless experience across channels, such as live chat, social media, phone calls, etc. with CCaaS platforms.
  • Flexible Deployment: CCaaS is completely subscription-based, meaning you need to pay for your use. Your investment is lower when compared to typical phone systems. Additionally, if your business has multiple locations requiring different levels of security, then CCaaS companies can provide access across these sites without having to deal with any deployment or maintenance headaches that come with setting up traditional call centers. 
  • Comprehensive Call Center Reports: CCaaS solutions measure, collect, and analyze to make a comprehensive report on every phone call data. This can help you measure customer satisfaction, identify customer needs and improve the customer service experience. Call center reports can also be used to identify trends, patterns, and problems in the way your agents handle calls.

Choosing a CCaaS approach allows you to acquire just the technology your company needs, minimizing the requirement for internal IT personnel and support; this saves both money and time.

The Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Call Centers

Before we dig deeper into everything about CCaaS, let’s understand the difference between an inbound and outbound call center. An outbound call center is meant for sales teams so they can call prospects.

An inbound call center, on the other hand, is support oriented. The inbound call center  It takes calls from customers for the resolution of their queries.

Benefits of CCaaS

Investing in CCaaS is the best you can do to boost your customer experience. CCaaS platforms cover a range of benefits you cannot overlook.

1. Operate and Manage Hybrid Teams

CCaaS works well for hybrid teams. Your contact center becomes flexible for remote agents as well as those operating from the office.

Manage Hybrid Teams

When your contact center is hosted in the cloud, you can access it from multiple devices, including your mobile phone, laptop, and desktop. So, agents can take and make calls from home, on the go, or even from the office.

The best part? Agents can cater to customers along diverse geographies and timelines.

2. Monitor Real-Time and Historical Data

CCaaS comes with additional functionalities and features that allow you to track important life as well as historical data. This is not possible with legacy phone systems.

Call-Centre-Quality-Call-Monitoring

Real-time call monitoring features include live call monitoring. This is useful for managers in guiding and assessing agents in real-time. Managers may listen to ongoing calls between agents and customers without either party knowing.

live-call-monitoring

At the same time, you have the option to guide agents during live calls or even hop on to talk with the customers directly.

The Call center analytics dashboard further provides insights into important contact center data such as incoming and outgoing calls, agent activity, and so on.

3. Centralized Technology for Contact Center Needs

Using different tools for customer communications can be very inconvenient. But, a CCaaS solution serves as a single, centralized tool for all inbound and outbound contact with customers.

centralized-technology-for-contact-center

Firstly, a CCaaS platform comes packed with business phone software to address all your calling needs. Typically, it is a cloud-based phone.

It also enables other communication channels, including emails, text messages, as well as CRM integrations. So, there’s no hassle of using different tools for different aspects of your customer communication efforts.

4. Tap into Advanced Business Phone Features

Business phone system is central to a contact center. The good thing is CCaaS offers advanced business phone features that ensure streamlined communications.

business-phone-features

Unlike legacy phones that come with basic features, CCaaS platforms meet the needs of modern agents by providing advanced functionalities.

Modern contact centers are incomplete without advanced features such as IVR, call routing, call analytics, business tool integrations, and so on.

5. Capitalize on Automation

CCaaS platforms allow you to work smarter than harder. This becomes possible with the automation of contact center operations.

automation-of-contact center

You can automate important tasks such as routing calls, logging call details, and post-call actions, thanks to CCaaS solutions.

This essentially removes tedious manual tasks and leaves out space for handling important customer queries.

6. Low Cost-High ROI Option

Before CCaaS, call centers would deploy separate software for fulfilling their calling needs, data storage, text messaging requirements, and so on.

CCaaS platform

The contact center as a service arrangement offers a complete package for business phone, text messaging, and other customer communication needs.

Additionally, CRM and business tool integrations are also a part of CCaaS solutions.

Now, here’s the deal: CCaaS offers modern contact center features.

A CCaaS platform will cost you much less than purchasing separate tools for building a contact center. What’s more, the advanced features make the contact center way more productive.

7. Improve Business Continuity and Scalability

The CCaaS model has enormous potential for business continuity and scalability. But, when it comes to traditional call center models, this is not possible.

Since the contact center is available in the form of software, it is easy to add or remove users. Traditional contact centers are wire-based, which requires complex and expensive setups. This makes scaling up difficult.

CCaaS also serves as an agile model of the contact center. It allows for better business continuity since agents can access the contact center software anywhere, anytime.

Contact Center Options

The nature of your organization will determine the sort of contact center you require.

Some organizations, for example, may handle predominantly inbound phone calls, whilst others may handle mostly outbound phone calls. Some contact centers may employ real-time chat in addition to calls, whereas others may not.

Broadly, there are 2 options when it comes to contact centers.

1. On-Premise Contact Center

On-Premise Contact Center

Contact centers that install all their hardware, infrastructure, and technology at their office premises are called on-premise contact centers.

Here, you need a proper IT team to meet all your communication hardware and software needs.

2. Cloud Contact Center

cloud-contact-center

cloud contact center is hosted in a data center. CCaaS is essentially contact center software hosted on the cloud.

Your CCaaS provider will install and maintain the contact center software and will be responsible for answering your support queries.

CCaaS enables inbound and outbound communications through a centralized communication platform. It replaces redundant communication systems with powerful technology for support communications.

  1. Inbound Contact Centers: Inbound contact centers handle incoming phone calls and contacts. Usually, they will be from consumers seeking technical assistance.
  2. Outbound Contact Centers: Sales representatives often make phone calls or deliver messages to clients and prospects in outbound contact centers. Outbound phoning is frequently utilized to create leads and acquire new sales prospects.
  3. Omnichannel Contact Centers: Customers can reach out to an omnichannel contact center in multiple ways (for example, phone, email, live chat, and chatbot).

Several forms of communication servers: Dedicated communication servers may take several forms, including IP PBX and PBX. Your IT staff is in charge of setting it up, maintaining, and managing everything from headsets to phone servers, as well as software support under this system.

UCaaS vs. CCaaS: Differences Explained

UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) CCaaS
It’s used to increase communication efficiency by combining many communication channels into one platform or dashboard. Contact center features are used to update and enhance communications infrastructure.
It is typically used to improve the efficiency of internal communications. It is more suited for improving customer service communications.
It mostly merges your current communication tools but may also incorporate extra services. Provides several connections with various services.

CCaaS vs. CPaaS: Differences Explained

CCaaS CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service)
It permits communication within one app. APIs are used in CPaaS to link apps from various vendors.
The scalability provided by CCaaS is determined by the customer’s demands; new capacity or nodes may be readily added at any moment. While CPaaS provides for personalization, it does not provide complete freedom in terms of adding extra physical nodes when it comes to loading balance.
It provides software integration tools as well as complete solutions. It combines technologies from several sources to develop bespoke or unique solutions.

The Three Most Important Contact Center Services 

1. Unified Communications – Unified communications (UC) is a business term describing the integration of enterprise communication services such as:

  • Instant messaging (chat)
  • Presence information
  • Voice (including IP telephony)
  • Mobility features (including extension mobility and single number reach)
  • Audio, web and video conferencing,
  • Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC)
  • Desktop sharing
  • Data sharing

UC is not necessarily a single product but a set of products that provides a consistent unified user interface and user experience across multiple devices and media types.

It usually requires a server platform of some type to integrate the different technologies.

2. Collaboration Tools – Collaboration tools are solutions that help facilitate communication and collaboration between employees and clients.

They can be particularly useful in a CCaaS scenario because they allow companies to connect their remote workforce through software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.

Some collaboration tools include chat, video conferencing, instant messaging, file sharing, workflow apps, and more. These tools can help to increase productivity and efficiency while also reducing costs.

3. Mobility Solutions – Mobility solutions provide access to the corporate network on mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

They enable employees to switch between devices seamlessly, regardless of their location or time of day.

This means that a workforce can connect and collaborate with colleagues, customers, and partners – irrespective of the device they are using.

Tips for Choosing the Right Contact Center as a Service

The right CCaaS platform can be a game-changer for your agents and improve the overall customer experience manifold. The real dilemma comes when you have to select a CCaaS solution.

find-CCaaS-provider

Here are some tips you can consider when choosing a CCaaS provider for your business:

1. Explore the CCaaS Features

Does the CCaaS platform offer advanced features? CCaaS platforms make up for the lack of advanced features in traditional call center platforms. Make sure your CCaaS provider comes with at least the following features:

  • Automatic Call Distributor System– For routing, putting on a queue, or diverting inbound calls to the voicemail box.
  • IVR or Interactive Voice Response– A virtual receptionist who prompts callers on different actions, such as reaching a specific department or leaving a voicemail.
  • SMS Features– Text messaging features such as SMS automation, SMS bots, and bulk SMS are an essential part of the customer support system.
  • CRM and Business Tool Integrations– Automated integrations with CRM and other business tools simplify workflows for agents and make them more productive.

Want to learn more about call center features? Read our complete guide on the best call center features to look out for!

2. Check the Pricing Plans

Pricing is an important factor in selecting the right CCaaS platform. CCaaS offers a consolidated platform at a much lower price than obsolete call center systems.

Having said that, you need to keep your budget in mind. Opt for a CCaaS provider that comes with all the priority features you are looking for in a contact center.

3. Assess Security and Privacy Measures

Company and customer data is prone to security breaches, both in transition and at rest. CCaaS platforms need to be data-secure to avoid unnecessary legal hassles.

Check for important compliances such as GDPR compliance and HIPAA compliance for health and health insurance industries.

4. Post-Purchase Support and Maintenance

How is the post-purchase support and maintenance? When a contact center comes as a software offering, you shouldn’t need to hire or depend on an internal tech team for CCaaS maintenance and support issues.

Do your due diligence and find out how the support and maintenance experiences have been so far. You can check out customer reviews on product marketplaces and review sites to find out about specific CCaaS companies.

Get a Complete CCaaS for Your Business

A CCaaS platform serves as a single-window solution for all your customer communication needs. Instead of relying on multiple different tools, CCaaS offers a single platform for delivering good quality support.

JustCall offers a cloud contact center solution with top-notch features such as an automatic call distribution system, IVR, CRM integrations, call monitoring and analytics, etc.

Want to learn how more than 5,000 support teams are using JustCall for their support operations? Let our team of experts give you a complete walkthrough of the cloud contact center features.

FAQs

What is the Full Form of CCaaS?

CCaaS is short for Contact Center as a Service.

What does CCaaS mean?

Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) is a cloud-based solution that enables organizations to use a CCaaS service provider’s software as a replacement for traditional customer support.

Which are the best CCaaS providers for businesses?

The best CCaaS providers, like JustCall, are feature packed with domestic as well as international support options, including multiple types of communication such as phone, email, chat, texts, etc. They also constantly upgrade their services to keep up with the latest needs of the industries they serve.

How does CCaaS work?

A CCaaS system is a cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that provides businesses with a virtual call center infrastructure.

Businesses log on to this service, use their proprietary software, and work as they normally would within the traditional call center.

What is UCaaS?

Unified Communications as a service (UCaaS) is a cloud-based service that provides the necessary infrastructure to centralize the various modes of communication within the organization. These can include chats, audio and video conferences, VOIP services, and more.

Vijaya heads the Global Support team at JustCall, where he has played a pivotal role in expanding the support team and diversifying its channels and services. Under his guidance, the team consistently earns top customer satisfaction scores. With a passion for team-building, Vijaya is committed to empowering his staff to deliver unparalleled customer experiences. In addition to his managerial responsibilities, he is a certified Leadership Coach, specializing in helping leaders overcome their unique challenges to achieve success.

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