Contact centers that were heavily dependent on brick and mortar operations successfully pivoted to virtual operations, but remote work challenges still persist. Ray Krug, Solutions Architect at NETSCOUT outlines how organizations can overcome IT hurdles and remove blind spots by leveraging a reliable UC&C infrastructure.
In the age of coronavirus, more people than ever are working from home. Because of this, it’s essential to have a reliable voice and video conferencing services. Unified CommunicationsOpens a new window and Collaboration (UC&C), which will be worth $60 billion by 2025Opens a new window , allows remote workforces to share information and work as a team.
Contact centerOpens a new window employees fill a similar role as the only resource for customers who are social distancing but still want to speak with human service representatives. As a result, front-line dispatchers need quick, easy, and reliable UC&C service so they can transfer calls and access client data both on-premises and in the cloud.
IT professionals who value these issues will allow their colleagues working in home offices and contact centers to stay productive.
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A Crucial Set of Tools
The global spread of COVID-19 has changed not only peoples’ daily routines but also the places where they work. Given the rapid switch to a remote workforce, IT administrators need to ensure business services are available from any location.
Users who have connectivity issues should flag them to the IT department, where professionals can use advanced troubleshooting software to solve problems. That way, both tech teams and the general employee population will benefit from UC&C’s omnichannel approach.
These monitoring and troubleshooting tools should offer more in-depth analysis, giving enterprises pervasive visibility into packet traffic and application workloads so they can address broader issues. IT professionals can then analyze data in real-time and improve performance metrics while strengthening cloud and on-premises architecture.
Teams that use this holistic approach to UC&COpens a new window will have the bandwidth to deliver high-level service. They can also increase efficiency at the network edge, where traffic sometimes slips off the radar.
Removing Blind Spots
For the home worker, not all traffic hits data centers, which means IT sometimes isn’t aware of delays in voice and video conferencingOpens a new window . But IT teams can’t afford blind spots when managing customer demand.
Working remotelyOpens a new window makes this project even more complicated because home networks get slower as the number of users increases. If Mom and Dad are trying to access enterprise applications at the same time the kids are doing homework, everyone will have a weaker connection and business will suffer.
But all parties need secure access to high-quality audio and video, along with other UC&C tools and business applications. One essential component in this regard is the Virtual Private NetworkOpens a new window (VPN), which allows Internet users to view critical backend business data from any location.
The problem is VPNs are under a lot more stress in the current environment, so enterprise IT teams should have total visibility into these systems to proactively monitor speed and connectivity. They also need to protect VPNs from cyberattacksOpens a new window , so that home users don’t have any performance or availability issues with their servers.
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It’s in the Cloud
Teams need to work harder to stay productive in a dispersed workplace. Customer service is an essential part of that mission, so enterprises must have a flexible, streamlined way to connect with users.
Cloud and on-premises contact centers offer a hybrid UC&C solution by routing calls from a remote location and sending them to dispatchers. These professionals can then use internal and cloud systems to identify and troubleshoot customer issues quickly.
Properly calibrated video chats are another crucial part of this initiative. They increase efficiency, trust, and collaboration by allowing contact centerOpens a new window employees to answer questions face-to-face, however with the increased demand that video puts on the infrastructure, IT needs to be aware of possible bottlenecks to react quickly to assure quality
During an era of increased remote workOpens a new window , all enterprises need reliable UC&C infrastructure. Tech teams with total visibility into networks ensure business continuity. At the same time, contact center agents who leverage data centerOpens a new window services both on-premises and in the cloud can help systems run smoothly. Enterprises that keep these tips in mind will provide dependable service as the world recovers from the current pandemic.
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