DCN July 2017 | Page 18

virtualisation & cloud computing Combat The Competition Chris Streete, senior director of Cloud Solution, EA at Aspect Software explains why an increase in cloud adoption could be critical to improving customer service. T he vast majority of brands know that providing an excellent customer experience is no longer an option, but a requirement to compete and survive. Similarly, as more brands seek digital transformation practices and continue to migrate more services and practices to the cloud, cloud computing is continuing to provide customer experience benefits that make brands stand out from their competition. Organisations are striving to offer a customer experience that has the flexibility to respond quickly to changing customer 18 | July 2017 demands while controlling costs and remaining competitive. As cloud adoption rates continue to grow, with it, continued cloud adoption in contact centre environments is critical, as businesses cannot afford to be left behind in the face of increased customer expectations for seamless and frictionless engagement with brands. Update and redesign In our digital world, even the most sophisticated contact centres are still grounded in an outdated architecture. This rigid and dated technology has limited the ability of many businesses to respond effectively to customer queries in an acceptable manner and timeframe. By redesigning the customer service department to take advantage of a variety of SaaS applications built on cloud platforms, Customer Engagement Centres (CECs) can provide flexible service across multiple engagement channels, all while retaining the initial context of the customer. With today’s customers demanding more responsive, flexible and personal experiences when interacting with businesses, companies need to plan how best