This blog post was co-authored by Genesys technology partner, InGenius.

This year continues to be one of unprecedented change for businesses. The last seven months alone have produced more digital transformation than the last decade. Trends like working from home put companies on an accelerated path to mainstream operational practices — at scale. And while most contact centers quickly shifted their agents to at-home setups using existing on-premises infrastructure, many view that as a short-term solution. The ultimate end state for contact center leaders is in the cloud.

The pivot to cloud telephony from on-premises telephony can be daunting. The good news is that, no matter where your contact center finds itself on the journey, industry-leading service providers can help. Modern technology allows you to run both on-premises and cloud telephony concurrently. This allows you to transition underlying telephony while maintaining the same user experience for your agents.

Benefits of a Cloud Contact Center

Let’s look at some the key benefits of a cloud-based contact center.

  1. Flexibility

A cloud contact center infrastructure is flexible enough to meet businesses where they are in their digital transformation journey — whether it’s a completely cloud-based infrastructure, on-premises with some cloud components or a hybrid cloud model. CTI solutions like Upland InGenius seamlessly integrate with the Genesys Multicloud CXTM solution as well as the Genesys CloudTM platform. This allows Genesys customers to empower contact center employees to perform at their peak with CTI technology, regardless of their telephony infrastructure.

On a more granular level, cloud-based contact center technology is flexible enough to meet your agents where they are. According to a recent Nemertes Research study of global businesses, 59% of companies had contact center agents working from home prior to COVID-19. That number increased to 74% following global work-from-home measures. More interestingly, the study found that, across key verticals like retail (68%) and healthcare (70%), employers plan to allow their employees to continue to work from home in a post-pandemic world.

Cloud solutions better equip you to meet dispersed workforces where they are so they can remain productive.

  1. Security and Reliability

Data security, uptime and reliability are incredibly important in contact center environments. It’s critical that your business aligns itself with technology partners that have the demonstrated technical expertise to maintain data integrity and security.

Here are a few questions to ask when evaluating the security and reliability of cloud contact center solutions.

  • Can I keep customer data behind company firewalls and other existing safeguards?
    Some solution providers ask you to open firewalls using numerous ports, which can pose data security risks.
  • Does the provider own a complete technology solution stack?
    Some solution providers rely on OEM technology, which can result in heightened uptime risks, data latency and slower development cycles. This also pulls multiple technologies and technology providers into the picture.
  • Are high availability and data redundancy baked into the cloud systems architecture?
    Some cloud providers don’t offer either, which can leave you without the peace of mind that an enterprise-grade solution offers. Make sure you partner with contact center technology providers you can trust.
  1. Enhanced Customer Experience

Customer expectations have shifted dramatically in recent years. The bar is set at personalized experiences that are tailored to the individual. You can create these customer-centric experiences in the contact center with the right cloud-based technologies.

Implementing InGenius Connect with your Genesys Cloud telephony system allows your agents to live and breathe within Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Service Cloud or Salesforce Financial Service Cloud. Features like CRM screen pops, screen transfers, call log templates and omnichannel give your agents the best possible tools to handle customer calls in a personalized and efficient manner — at scale.

The Future of the Contact Center Is in the Cloud

As cloud adoption continues to grow and you consider how cloud investments might benefit your contact center, InGenius can help. Our contact center CTI solutions are designed to meet you where you are on the road to digital transformation — whether that means integrating your CRM system with your on-premises PBX solution, hosted cloud or adopting a hybrid model.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated your digital transformation journey? Tell me your story: @JeffMKnight.

This blog post was co-authored by Jeff Knight, Vice President, Sales, Upland Software.
Jeff Knight is an executive leader with over 20 years of experience in the IT industry. Recognized as an expert in the field of CRM integration, Jeff’s role is to represent and grow the business for Upland InGenius while maximizing the service and value clients receive from InGenius industry-leading solutions. Jeff Knight is a respected advisor to senior management and a trusted partner to new and existing clients.