How the convergence of UCaaS and CCaaS affects businesses

What does a UCaaS and CCaaS integration mean?

UCaaS and CCaaS platforms can individually streamline interactions, drive efficiency and enhance CX -- regardless of whether the customers are internal or external. Integrating these platforms means all users get the features and functionalities of each platform.

Integrating these platforms means all users get the features and functionalities of each platform.

Organizations shouldn't worry about whether a single vendor offers the converged platform or if different vendors develop a tightly integrated platform. If an organization chooses the latter, it must ensure a level of comfort with support from different vendor teams.

Business benefits of a converged platform

A converged UCaaS and CCaaS platform can benefit organizations, internal business users and customer service agents.

Because both platforms are cloud-based, cloud-related benefits include the following:

• Can more easily support remote work environments.
• Improves ability to scale and address fluctuating staffing needs.
• Offers easier access to advanced technologies for business and contact center users.
• Reduces the number of vendors supporting different platforms.
• Lowers the number of integrations required for other systems, such as CRM platforms.
• Improves customer journey reporting even as customers travel between contact center agents and individuals outside the contact center.
• Offers better pricing.

Internal business users could also gain access to tools previously only available to contact center agents, including the following:

• Screen pop-ups, which let business users quickly see details about other call participants.
• Quality monitoring tools to ensure users interact with customers properly.
• Speech analytics to analyze calls, determine a call's root cause and identify interactions that may require additional treatment.

Contact center agents would gain access to tools previously only used by internal business users, including the following:

• Team collaboration tools to get support from experts outside of the contact center.
• Video conferencing as an alternative communication channel with customers.

Considerations before adoption

Even with the benefits available from a converged UCaaS and CCaaS platform, organizations must still perform due diligence to ensure that this strategy can work for their operations.

Before deciding, organizations should take the following actions:

• Develop business requirements for users and contact center agents to ensure the system can support their needs.
• Ensure the converged platform's value is greater than the sum of two individual services. Don't only move to a converged platform because it's popular.
• When selecting the platform, organizations need a single point of support when issues arise. Reaching out to references and researching can help.

The convergence of UCaaS and CCaaS is in motion. Vendors are moving quickly to develop new offerings in the marketplace. Organizations must determine how a converged platform could improve the experiences of internal and external customers and take advantage of this opportunity.