To stay competitive and keep up with customer needs, it’s critical for organizations to stay on the cutting-edge of technology. Modern virtual contact center software enables businesses to adopt emerging technology without overtaxing resources. And as remote work has become a standard for teams of all sizes, operating a virtual contact center just makes sense.

These contact centers give those remote agents the flexibility they want. Businesses get the scalability to efficiently manage customer interactions across diverse geographies and time zones. This can all be done with fewer resources and at lower operational costs.

Modern call center software uses advanced technologies like cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI). These have become a critical foundation for delivering even better services to customers and employees. And that value continues to evolve.

Let’s take a look at how virtual call centers have developed into AI powerhouses. We’ll discuss how they help drive growth and efficiency. And we’ll explore how they create new opportunities for your business.

1. Virtual Call Center Software Makes Its Mark

First-generation virtual call center platforms connected disparate PBX systems for outbound calling and inbound calls, as well as ACDs via CTI overlay solutions. They could route calls, while offering reporting and workforce engagement capabilities. This enabled agents on different systems and in different locations to operate as one.

Enhanced capabilities routed calls to the most appropriate agent, regardless of their physical location. This not only improved response times, but it also improved customer satisfaction as less time was wasted with agents who couldn’t help them.

These connections meant that businesses could scale operations more effectively, without the need for a single, centralized system. This was particularly valuable for businesses with multiple locations or those operating in different regions.

The new operational efficiency and reduced overhead costs with the addition of workforce management tools played an important role in managing teams focused on virtual call center work.

It also simplified agent scheduling, forecasting and overall productivity using tools that facilitate collaboration. And it became much easier for companies to hire talent from any geography.

These capabilities enabled major operational improvements for virtual call centers. And the rise of digital channels proved just as transformative in a completely new way.

2. Digital Channels Transform Customer Experience

The digital era gave customers nearly unlimited options for engagement. And it allowed them to control how — and when — they engage with businesses. With their instant access to multiple vendors, products and services, customers were empowered to make more informed decisions. And businesses listened.

By adding these channels into how they engage, virtual call centers continue to meet customer support expectations and deliver more personalized and responsive services.

The integration of digital channels into virtual call centers completely changed the way businesses interact with customers. After decades of handling voice interactions, virtual call centers evolved into channel-less hubs.

These enable call centers to meet customers where they are. And agents or AI-powered self-service tools can provide support through any channel.

Digital channels facilitated the development of omnichannel strategies, where customers could start an interaction on one channel and continue it on another without having to repeat themselves. This continuity and convenience enhanced the customer experience. Digital also enabled call centers to offer some 24/7 support with self-service.

This generation of technology changed the agent experience, as well. No longer islands of functionality, customer support teams are recognized as multifaceted brand ambassadors on the front lines. And companies recognize that virtual call center agents and remote teams are essential in delivering a great customer experience.

Support for digital channels meant that any customer interaction — voice or digital — could be handled from anywhere in the world, across multiple time zones, without being tied to a physical location. This has led to more efficient use of agent time and reduced workforce resource requirements, cutting operational costs.

Virtual contact centers also incorporate social media channels into their mix of interactions. This is especially important as most online companies have a global customer base.

Previously, many customers turned to social media as a channel of escalation when more traditional service channels failed to address their concerns. Today’s customers are increasingly using it for general requests, queries and feedback — even compliments.

The wealth of data from digital and social channels can be analyzed to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences and pain points. As call center operations have become more flexible and agile, businesses use this data to quickly improve service delivery, tailor marketing efforts to current conditions and drive strategic decisions.

3. The Born-in-the-Cloud Advantage

When we say born in the cloud or “cloud native,” we mean that a platform was developed in a modern cloud environment, using the same technology and architectural principles as today’s largest consumer cloud apps — Facebook, Google, Netflix — for its components. It has become a necessity for supporting a more ubiquitous workforce and taking advantage of AI, including its support for real-time, data-driven decision-making.

Built with microservices and an API-first approach, a cloud-native platform enables greater innovation, scale and interoperability with other systems. It’s typically open and transparent in terms of APIs, security practices and operational status.

When an all-in-one solution is built natively on such a platform, there tends to be  greater synergy and tighter collaboration among a broad set of users and developers within the enterprise, as they’re able to rapidly build, test and deploy new applications and services together using a single set of modern tools and technologies.

In comparison, refactored legacy solutions use restructured source code to leverage modern cloud tech — with disparate applications often bolted together. These can be more time-consuming to implement and manage across a workforce with diverse needs.

They also tend to provide slower innovation and a sub-optimal user experience. This can add complexity, cost and frustration. And it often slows down time to value because the platform requires more resources and effort.

All-in-one platforms that are born in the cloud render the concept of product releases a thing of the past. With a single, common code base, virtual contact centers benefit from the continuous delivery of innovation across all locations and areas of the business, including digital, AI, journey management and workforce engagement. These innovations allow businesses to respond faster to market changes; evolving security requirements and compliance regulations; customer needs; and cost pressures.

4. AI and the Power of Virtual Agents and Copilots

Advanced AI technology is maturing rapidly and being used to expand the virtual workforce. And the hottest AI technologies — conversational and generative AI — are reshaping the way people interact with contact centers. These technologies enable more personalized and natural conversations, provided the underlying large language model is fine-tuned for the respective use case and area of application.

They’re also enabling businesses to orchestrate customer experiences by seamlessly integrating automation with human-assisted interactions. We’re seeing this development as virtual agents and copilots join human agents to deliver personalized, efficient customer experiences.

While bots typically handle straightforward, repetitive tasks, virtual agents are designed to engage in more meaningful, human-like interactions. These newer (digital) members of the workforce enable companies to provide a more comprehensive and dynamic customer experience without tying up expensive human agent resources.

Powered by AI and machine learning, virtual agents can answer FAQs, process transactions and gather customer information. They can pull data from knowledge bases and other sources to resolve customer issues accurately and efficiently. Virtual agents also create a customer interaction summary along with wrap-up codes for future reference, or they can seamlessly hand off to a human agent, when needed.

These capabilities mean that as virtual agents handle simpler queries, human agents can work on more complex issues and emotionally nuanced interactions. This also frees agents to further personalize customer experiences and engage with empathy, making their work more fulfilling. And modern tools are making agent lives even better.

AI-powered copilots differ from virtual agents by supporting human agents in real time during customer interactions. They understand intents and workflows and can recommend the next-best action to achieve the desired outcome. Additionally, they can identify cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

Copilots improve over time through continuous learning, offering more accurate, relevant solutions. Copilots save agents time, assist them in delivering accurate responses and help them improve first-call resolution. By doing so, they support a more cohesive and responsive customer experience that balances automation and the human touch. And this reinforces trust in your brand.

AI can now generate an end-to-end experience that addresses an individual customer’s needs across a wider pool of customers and agents, creating more empathetic engagements at a lower cost.

The Future of Virtual Call Centers Is Here

Technology has advanced over multiple generations, and this includes the software that powers virtual call centers. These systems have evolved from being disparate and location-bound to highly unified and sophisticated, using AI innovations to provide seamless customer experiences across multiple channels, geographies and skill sets.

Each generation of technology has built upon the previous one, becoming more efficient, scalable and intelligent. That has transformed the way we do business — and how customers expect to interact with the companies they choose to do business with.

More virtual call centers will take advantage of virtual agents and copilots to become efficient, effective and empathetic. The result will likely be a new level of service for customers. And they’ll enhance job satisfaction for employees who can more easily work from home. These are the differentiators that keep a company ahead of its competitors.

Today, setting up a virtual call center is key to business success, enabling companies to orchestrate customer experiences with the most optimal mix of digital and human resources. Take the next step in transforming your traditional call center software to a virtual call center solution that enables you to deliver the best possible experience and be ready for whatever the future brings.

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