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Don't Get Bogged Down by Decision Paralysis: A 3-Part Checklist to Help You Find the Perfect Cloud Call Center Service

By Ellen Christenberry | Technology | Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Did you know 70% of companies will digitalize their business processes and speed up digital transformation by 2022?

With cloud platforms taking over the call center industry, many leaders are kicking off their search for the best call center solutions for their business.

Sooner or later, you’ll probably wind up in the same boat. As a business leader, it’s your responsibility to choose the right platforms for your agents but to also stay savvy and cost-efficient in your decisions. And now, you aren’t just buying a piece of tech. Call center software has evolved to wrap service & technology into one bundle. You’re not just paying for the code, you’re paying for the help and support of your partner vendor, too.

There’s a lot to consider. It’s easy to see how choosing the right cloud call center service for your business might feel overwhelming. You know you need to keep up with current customer and industry demands. But where do you start? And how do you narrow down your options?

Here’s a three-part checklist to narrow your search for the perfect cloud call center software as a service for your business.

People

You can have the cream-of-the-crop software and latest technology, but without knowledgeable employees, what’s the point?

Managers and agents run the majority of your day-to-day operations. Your frontline workers are the ones who benefit – or suffer – the most from your technology choices. So consider your people before making any big software decisions.

Consider their needs, current pain points, areas for improvement, and work-life balance. How does the call center technology they use at work impact their overall experience? Their stress levels? How about how they help customers?

Your interest in your agents’ daily lives will go a long way with your teams. Showing your agents you care about their feedback not only improves agent morale but also pinpoints your company’s technology needs.

Questions to ask yourself (and your agents) about your current platforms and strategies:

Can my agents quickly access customer or business information?
Do my agents have access to daily performance data?
Can my current platforms help me identify and deliver learning opportunities to my agents?
Do my agents understand how to use our current technology and systems?
Can I offer flexible and remote work with our current systems – or is this something I want to improve with a new system?
How well can I currently track and manage agent performance?

Questions to ask yourself (and vendors) about each prospective cloud platform:

Will my agents be more efficient and effective using this platform?
Will my agents have access to customer information when they need it?
Can this platform eliminate current pain points my customers face in their journey?
Will this platform improve agent performance tracking?
Will it resolve my team’s coaching needs?
How much will I need to upskill agents to use this platform?
Does it improve agents’ ability to work remotely?

Process

If you’re looking for a new cloud platform, chances are your operational processes need some cleaning up. Maybe your agents can’t see customer information, which complicates customer calls and slows down business. Or, maybe your agent performance data only collects information weekly rather than daily, so managers struggle to keep up with weak spots in training.

Any new call center service should improve your current processes so agents are more efficient and operations are as cost-effective as possible. As you define processes for your team, ask questions that narrow down your weaknesses and needs.

Questions to ask yourself about your current platforms and processes:

Do my current platforms support my team’s processes or act as roadblocks?
How do my current processes meet – and not meet – my business goals?
Do my processes allow customers to solve their own problems?
Where do we excel in our operations currently?
Where do we struggle to manage customer expectations?
What customer frustrations do we hear the most about efficiency or process?

Questions to ask yourself (and vendors) about each prospective cloud platform:

Will this platform support my business goals and desired processes?
Will this platform streamline my processes or add new roadblocks?
Can my agents be more efficient in every step of the customer journey with the service & tech this call center system offers?
Will this platform resolve my customers’ current complaints?
Will I have to adapt my process to fit the technology’s limits?

Technology

Before diving headfirst into a new cloud call center service, think first about your main objectives. What do you want to accomplish with new technology? Take time to review your current set of tools and your company’s goals. Then, think about how new technology will improve your business. Any tech investment you make should align with your intended customer outcomes and overall company goals.

Questions to ask yourself about your current technology:

What specific problems do I need to solve in my contact center today? And how can software help fix them?
Does my current system support omnichannel service?
Which communication channels do my current platforms support?
What kind of customer data do I need to capture, keep, and use?
What kind of performance data do I need to capture, keep, and use?

Questions to ask yourself (and vendors) about each prospective cloud platform:

How will this new platform/technology help solve my current customer or agent problems?
Can this platform support my need to scale quickly without impacting quality?
Will this new system be truly omnichannel?
What communication channels does this platform support – and is this better than what we currently have?
Does this platform have good reporting tools, and will I be able to customize reporting?
Will the new platform’s tools integrate with my existing systems and platforms?
How frequently does the vendor push updates to the platform?

[Download Now] 101 questions to ask to vet your vendors in your next RFP