Picture this: your contact centre has been running smoothly on a legacy platform for years. The agents are familiar with every feature, every quirk. But the needs of your callers are changing and your business has to adapt; faster response times, lower hold times and more personalised experiences. Cloud-based solutions promise greater agility, cost savings and the ability to leverage cutting-edge contact centre tech. Already, 75% of contact centres are cloud-based, with 44% of these fully integrated and 31% hybrid.
You know it’s time for a change but the prospect of a platform shift feels all too daunting. The stakes are high and the path forward is anything but clear.
A platform shift is more than just upgrading existing software, it’s a comprehensive transformation of the technological foundation that supports your contact centre operations. This shift often involves moving from on-premise systems, deeply rooted in your organisation’s processes, to cloud-based platforms that offer enhanced flexibility and scalability.
But when you get it right, the benefits outweigh the transition costs and efforts. The new, cloud-based platform doesn’t just handle calls - it can integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, workforce management tools and a myriad of other technologies that keep the wheels turning. An effective shift ensures all these components continue to function seamlessly while adopting new capabilities that drive growth and efficiency.
Moving to the cloud, in any capacity, has its challenges. A poorly executed shift can disrupt operations, frustrate employees, and possibly worse of all, alienate customers. This is why de-risking is not just a precaution, it’s a necessity for long-term success. Ensuring a smooth transition mitigates risks associated with downtime, data loss and integration failures.
The best way to imagine a platform shift is to think about your contact centre as a bustling city. Telephony systems are the highways, CRM are the administrative buildings and workforce management tools are the essential services that keep everything running smoothly. Now, imagine trying to relocate an entire city to a new, more modern location without disrupting daily life…that’s (in a metaphorical way) the essence of a platform shift.
When contemplating a shift to a new platform, every system that ‘touches’ the contact centre platform has to be considered. We’re not just moving data, we’re ensuring all individual interactions between systems continue to function without a hitch. The goal is to recreate the same, if not better, level of service in the new environment. But with so many moving parts, the risk of something going wrong is high.
There are two primary approaches to platform shifts: the ‘big bang’ approach and incremental changes. Each has its challenges and risks.
Let’s go back to the city analogy. Imagine building a new city over a year and then telling everyone to pack up and move overnight. Hello ‘big bang’ approach1. It involves transitioning all systems and processes to the new platform simultaneously. While this method might seem a straightforward way to get everything done at once, there are risks:
Now, consider relocating the city block by block: an incremental change strategy. It involves transitioning components of the system one at a time, allowing for gradual adaptation and lessening the impact on daily operations.
Any successful business will tell you that they’re continuously evaluating their infrastructure to remain competitive. For contact centres, this could mean contemplating a shift from legacy systems to cloud-based platforms. But how do you know when it's time to make the move?
Legacy systems have served businesses well for many years. These on-premise systems are deeply embedded in the organisation’s processes and have been tailored to fit specific needs. However, as technology advances, the cracks start to show:
Recognising the need for a platform shift is the first step, but what drives businesses to make this critical decision? Here are some key reasons:
Navigating a platform shift requires careful planning and execution to minimise risks. Two effective strategies for achieving this are gradual migration and utilising platform-agnostic solutions.
Gradual migration involves transitioning components of your system one at a time, rather than all at once.
Platform-agnostic solutions provide the flexibility to work with both your existing legacy systems and the new cloud-based platform.
Making a platform shift successful hinges on careful planning and meticulous execution. Here are the key steps to ensure a smooth transition.
When selecting a new contact centre platform, consider scalability, cost, ease of integration and the ability to enhance customer interactions. The right platform will support your current needs and those of your callers.
Oration by Convai is a cloud-based, platform-agnostic conversational AI solution that allows you to migrate and enhance your legacy IVRs independently of other components. Seamlessly integrating with your existing technology, Oration enables quick deployment and minimal disruption. To see our platform in action, take a look at this case study: ‘Retail giant reduces AHT by 43% and automates 82% of customer calls’.