The cloud contact center industry is going through a rapid transition. Sized at $13 billion in 2019, the market is expected to touch $49 billion over the next five years, Mordor Intelligence estimatesOpens a new window . The growth is as expected with enterprises tapping hybrid and cloud implementations to meet the evolving needs of tech-savvy customers.
Amid the crisis, companies that leveraged cloud-based infrastructure successfully passed the stress test with a seamless pivot to remote work at scale without causing any business disruptions. The crisis also spotlights enterprises that remain close to customers, predict and respond to their needs will emerge stronger than before. Bottomline: cloud-basedOpens a new window contact centers allow businesses to stay current, agile, and meet business goals.
Dubbed as the “experience hub,†cloud contact centers have now become business-critical for unifying customer communications and supporting high demand for customer support in the pandemic economy. Industry analysts expect CCaaSOpens a new window to be on a more solid footing after the crisis, with enterprises and business leaders recognizing the need to become more responsive to address changing business environments, take control, and deepen experience delivery during turbulent times.
We take a look at how Genesys, a top-tier customer experience and contact center solutions provider migrated SITA’s on-premise contact center to the cloud. A leading IT provider for the air transport industry, SITA helps 2,800 airlines, airports and government agencies deliver hassle-free passenger journeys — from check-in and security to boarding and baggage tracking. Eight service centers, with 400 agents who handle calls from more than 150 countries, support these critical services.
Learn More: Intermedia Contact Center Solution Helps LA County DHS Scale Up in Coronavirus Opens a new window
Challenges
A storied name in the global aviation market, SITA acknowledged the need for change and technological shifts, and the need to overcome legacy tech constraints to deliver connected, frictionless experiences. To stay ahead of the curve, SITA wanted to elevate its customer experience with technology innovation. Rather than continue to invest heavily in on-premises systems, the company wanted to transition to a cloud-based contact center model that offers more agility and omnichannel features.
Cost-efficiency is one of the key reasons outlined by Vichaig Douangpaseuth, Senior Manager, Service Improvement SDN Network and Voice Practice, SITA: To get our old system to support digital channels with the same level of integration that we have with Genesys Cloud, we would have needed to spend another $2 million, plus huge amounts of engineering man-hours.
Another key priority was to deliver an omnichannel experience and make services easier for customers with new options like email and chat. Integration with existing SIP trunks, voice gatewaysOpens a new window , phones and web portals was another major consideration.
Objective
• Migrate quickly and safely to a cloud-based omnichannel customer experience
• And improve integration with existing IT infrastructure
• Another critical goal was voice migration for 150 countries
Solution
In 2019, SITA tapped Genesys Cloud platform for its ease of use and high availability, enabling calls to be collected worldwide transiting through their regional Point-of-Presence — from Montreal, London, and Singapore — with IT operations managed centrally from a 24/7 SITA Command Center. The Genesys Cloud platform outfitted the leading airline tech vendor with the perfect blend — a follow-the-sun model with seamless handovers between its main SITA Command Center in Singapore and Montreal, along with nonstop contact center service for 24/7 service desks in multiple geographic locations.
Learn More: Zoom Pulls Off a Virtual Conference for NKF Amid COVID-19Opens a new window
Impact
Improved call quality: The move to cloud-based services significantly improved the call quality. The change was so smooth, it only took five minutes to switch SIP traffic from 160 numbers and 150 countries, resulting in improved call quality, Douangpaseuth noted.
Increased productivity: Migrating to Genesys Cloud relieved the pressure for 200 back-office support staff members and 200 service desk agents and increased voice team efficiency by up to 50%. SITA can access more data and adjust call flows better than ever before. Managers now have an instant view of customer queues and service desk performance.
Improved response times: Response times have also improved, allowing airline operators to resolve problems sooner in case of downtime or power outages, ensuring passengers aren’t inconvenienced and their flights depart on time.
Capacity planning & disaster recovery: Douangpaseuth says Genesys solution facilitates spinning up virtual teams and re-routing traffic between sites for capacity planning and disaster recovery.
Click-to-call features: Leveraging Genesys Cloud open APIs, SITA can roll out click-to-call features on its check-in kiosks, enabling airline agents to resolve issues within minutes. This move can potentially reduce calls to SITA service desk from other airline agents who report the same fault. Similarly, new customers are issued PIN codes faster. The new features weren’t achievable previously because of integration barriers.
Learn More: Five9, Zoom Drive Enhanced Call Center Operations with Agent-Expert ConsultationOpens a new window
Wrapping Up
Going forward, SITA plans to drive further integrations with ServiceNow and Salesforce; and aims to build Genesys Cloud product into its customer value proposition. In the CCaaS landscape, growth in on-premise contact centers is flat, underscoring why the shift to the cloud is mission-critical. The current crisis will also drive conversations among cloud-sceptical technology buyers to lift-and-shift on-premise infrastructure to the cloud. Post COVID-19, some of the trends that will be expedited are omnichannel experience, coupled with innovations in AI â — a leading area of investment by cloud contact center vendors.
Do you think demand for CCaaS solutions will grow? Let us know on TwitterOpens a new window , FacebookOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!