How and Why to Manage the Move to a Virtual Contact Center

The adoption of cloud vs. on-premise software to manage the contact center is a door-opener for businesses. It grants them the keys they need to transition from on-site to fully virtual operations. And a virtual contact center, in which agents work remotely rather than in a brick-and-mortar facility, has many benefits for both the organization and its agents.

Cloud vs. on-premise software presents a lower lifetime cost model for organizations. Once the initial implementation and subscription fees are in place, an organization has less contact center overhead to worry about over the life of their business compared to an on-site operation.

Not only that, but a virtual contact center is a more eco-friendly option, too. Cutting out daily commutes, eliminating the upkeep of on-premise hardware, and dematerializing the need for paper and office products in a traditional office means your contact center runs green.

Virtual contact centers allow businesses to tap into a much larger labor pool, not confined by geography. Through a virtual operation, teams can offer additional customer service or sales support hours due to the differing time zones that agents work in. And businesses can easily onboard additional contact center employees from anywhere during peak busy seasons.

Cloud vs. on-premise software has the power to free remote contact center agents from traditional office stresses, too. This means less attrition and turnover in the long run. Plus, with the right omnichannel contact center platform, agents can handle customer communications from their home, on a laptop, or even through their mobile device.

Not only do agents benefit from more flexibility, but they get more support in handling interactions with cloud vs. on-premise software. A complete cloud contact center platform has the power to digitally transform agent work. With built-in IVR and chatbot tools, the platform gives customers the opportunity to self-serve before they even need to connect with a live agent. This reduces agent workload traditionally devoted to routine tasks, and gives agents the power to handle more critical, complex interactions in a timely manner.

As you make the move to virtual contact center operations, there are some important considerations to factor into your planning process. Keep these in mind as you prep for the shift in operations.

Take a Digital-First Approach

You may be comfortable with your on-site voice operations at the moment. But if you want to incorporate a more unified, omnichannel approach to meet more customers on their digital channels of choice, you need to be prepared. As you transition to a fully virtual contact center, be sure you evaluate technology providers who can meet those digital-first needs.

Equip Agents with the Right Platform

To create power users out of your agents, you need to equip them with a complete contact center platform. One that houses all the bells and whistles—from integrated CRM data to easy scheduling tools and more—within a unified desktop and clutter-free dashboards.

Implement a Remote-Friendly Training Program

Think about where your onboarding (and ongoing) training program is at the moment. Is it successful? Could it use an improvement to better engage employees? Now imagine what it will take to deploy that training across a virtual, remote workforce. Partner with the right digital-first platform provider who can make it happen.  

For an inside look at why NICE CXone is changing the game for virtual contact centers and remote agents, check out this quick video.