The Road Ahead – 5 Challenges for Contact Center Software in 2022

November, 2021

Whether you are a  CCaaS provider or an end user, the  keyword when adopting a contact center software platform with longevity in 2022  and beyond is  'adaptability'

5 Challenges for Contact Center Software in 2022

The evolution of the contact center has exceeded all expectations over the past two years. Accelerated by the worldwide pandemic, the shift to a cloud-based solution is no longer on the roadmap; it’s a reality. Words and phrases such as artificial intelligence, skills-based routing and hybrid have become commonplace in the contact center industry. Improvements and advancements in technology are now happening at such a speed that it’s become essential that contact center software is flexible and future-ready to adapt, extend and integrate.

Whether you are a CCaaS provider or an end user, the keyword when adopting a contact center software platform with longevity in 2022 and beyond is adaptability.

Here are  our  5 key ‘adaptable’ components to look out for:

The Road Ahead - 5 Challenges for Contact Center Software in 2022  

1. Open APIs – for custom integrations

CRMs, industry-specific applications, specialist reporting and data analysis, AI applications, CATI systems, payment gateways – and the list goes on. Whether you are running a multi-tenant platform to multiple industries or an enterprise that needs a bespoke solution, a platform that provides the foundations to easily integrate with any 3rd party software – and remember the next ‘best technology’ is just around the corner – is an adaptable platform for life.

2. Scalability – on a tenant-by-tenant basis

You might be a global enterprise or a CCaaS  provider with multiple bespoke tenant installations or a contact center with time-specific bursts of activity. While a one-size-fits-all solution might work initially, the capacity to scale - providing each tenant with a tailor-made contact center solution - will provide the seamless adaptability to adjust seats and technology accordingly.

3.  Multi-channel, multi-media – keeping up with customer communication preferences

Contact center technology isn’t the only thing evolving and changing over time; new social channels pop up, new chat apps become the norm and a contact center platform must be able to add these as a matter of course. Adapting to suit each individual customer, be it a preferred channel or personalised self-service, results in loyalty and a more tailored customer experience.

4.  Load balancing – non-siloed across all media channels

For a contact center to be truly efficient, it needs to adapt to real time changes in metrics (e.g. agent availability, SLAs) while routing customers to the best available agent across any media channel. Plain omnichannel is not enough. Utilising agent skillsets while they multi-task across multiple channels, uninterrupted by constant logging in and out of channel siloes, is the way forward for ultimate productivity. Omnichannel on steroids.

5.  Evolutionary  software – adapting  to new needs without changing platform

Platform change is a big deal for contact centers, which is why sometimes systems remain in place well beyond their sell-by-date. Choosing a vendor who designs a platform with the ability to evolve as an intrinsic part of the build and structure,  will avoid costly and time-consuming platform changes in the future. The key ‘tells’ for a vendor who gets this right is how easy it is to build new functionality on top of the platform without incurring huge time costs. So prior research on vendor agility, i.e. how quickly they respond to changing needs with a product update, is advisable.

A flexible contact center software platform for 2022

So, as we head into 2022, the key to maximising both customer satisfaction and agent productivity will be a software platform that provides the infrastructure for any eventuality, be it technical development, cutting edge software integration or alternative communication methods.

Is your platform 2022-ready? Talk to us or book in a demo to discover the unique adaptability of Sytel’s  Softdial  Contact Center platform.

As we approach the end of 2021, we want to finish on a really upbeat note, so have a look at our December blog, for a Xmas season feelgood factor.

What We Offer

Sytel Limited develops and supplies Softdial Contact Center® (SCC) - multimedia, multichannel, fully blended cloud contact center solutions.

Available by subscription as CCaaS, fully managed and supported by Sytel, or for quick and easy deployment by partners and enterprise users.

All Sytel cloud components are secure, resilient and scale seamlessly from 10 agents to 10,000+, whether local, mobile or remote.

Flexible Contact Center Software

Softdial Contact Center™ - rich functionality, all-in-one, designed to deliver at scale
  • Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS)

    CCaaS for subscribers - global service​, with no upfront costs

  • Contact Center Platform – CCaaS Partners

    Build your own CCaaS business using the power and flexibility of Sytel software

  • Contact Center Platform – Enterprise

    High performance platform to drive contact center productivity – cloud, on-premise or hybrid

Blended Media Desktop

Fully customisable, multi-channel, multi-session workspace

Work Anywhere

Browser-based tools, no software installation required

Customise, Localise, White Label

Design all user interfaces to individual requirements

Integration via APIs

‘Swap out’ components and integrate with 3rd party apps

World Class Development

Continuous evolution pushing technical boundaries

Capabilities

Softdial Contact Center™ (SCC) is designed to be flexible, extensible and scalable, integrating with any legacy equipment, and meeting the most complex of requirements.

All Media Channels

Voice, chat, email, social, etc - fully integrated and blended

Agent Multi-Tasking

Work with multiple live contact sessions of any media channel

Dynamic Workforce Management

Automated, ‘best available’ decisions to manage agents and balance work load, across all media channels

Predictive Dialing

Best-of-breed performance under compliance

Optimised Inbound Routing

Smart rules and 'best-available' decisions to drive great customer service

Agent Scripts

Help agents achieve and maintain excellence

Voice and Screen Recording

See and hear exactly how agents are interacting

Analytics and Data Feeds

Measure and evaluate performance at every level

IVR, Bots & Conversational AI

Design effective automated flows or integrate with 3rd party providers

Customer Journey Tracking

Stored customer contact history, to aid routing and add context to conversations

Modules

Drive operational efficiency, increase customer satisfaction & improve agent performance

Softdial One™

Highly flexible unified web UI for agents, supervisors and administrators

Softdial Scripter™

Create complex process flow scripts for agents, IVR, chatbots and other applications

Sytel AI Dialer™

Maximum predictive dialing performance, under any compliance rules

Softdial Pathfinder™

Precise routing rules for ‘best available’ connection

Softdial Media Server™

Core telephony functions to manage all inbound/outbound SIP calls

Softdial Reporter™ 5

Fully customisable performance stats, charts and reports, across all channels

Softdial Publisher™

Comprehensive data output to build your own reports

Softdial Recording Monitor™

Audio and screen recording of agent activity to ensure the highest standards

Softdial Campaign Manager™

Automation to optimise any outreach strategy

Softdial Repository™

Central storage and configuration of common resources

Sytel Global Compliance™

Flexible ‘no contact’ rules to protect contact center and consumer

Solutions

Performance and efficiency for a wide range of business applications

By Business Type

Enterprise

A full featured contact center software solution, designed for optimum performance at scale

Small/ Medium Business

Options for SMBs to subscribe to our full-featured cloud service managed and hosted by either one of our partners or by Sytel themselves

By Industry

Customer Service

Connect quickly to well equipped agents

Market Research

Best-of-breed predictive dialing with CATI integration

Debt Collection

Automated inbound/ outbound blending integrated with any debt management app

Sales & Telemarketing

Maximise agent productivity with best-of-breed predictive dialing

Healthcare

Secure, highly-configurable multichannel communications for excellence in patient care