Companies Fast-Tracking Move to the Cloud Amidst COVID-19

NICE inContact has released the results of a survey conducted in April 2020, showing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on contact centres over the last weeks.

Moreover, the expert for CCaaS asked contact centre decision-makers which trends they recognize will shape the future work in the contact centre.

The results highlight a sharp increase in interactions due to COVID-19 and demonstrate how homeworking could become increasingly commonplace.

Key results for the UK:

• 78% of contact centres in the UK report increased volume of interactions
• 51% report an increase in digital interactions, and self-service interactions also increased
• 43% of contact centres in the UK who are not using cloud today are planning to accelerate their move to the cloud as a result of the pandemic
• 53% of contact centres expect they will continue to have agents work from home after the outbreak

Chris Bauserman, NICE inContact’s vice president of segment and product marketing, explained the results of the survey:

“Contact centres have been on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic and have had to manage increased demand in order to effectively support customers during these difficult times.”

“Many contact centres, especially those using legacy on-premises software, have faced challenges enabling their agents to work from home safely, effectively and productively.”

“With over three-quarters of UK contact centres experiencing a sharp rise in both voice and digital interactions since the start of the health crisis, it’s essential for them to operate not just a ‘business as usual’ service, but also to offer increased support for customers in their time of need.”

“Cloud technology has proved invaluable as contact centres moved agents from an office to a home-based environment.”

“The flexibility it provides for both businesses and agents has shown the true potential of the cloud, thus a high number of contact centres (43%) not using cloud today plan to accelerate their move to the cloud as a result of the pandemic.”

“We also expect to see a shift in how contact centre workplaces are viewed once it is safe for agents to return to the office.”

“Historically, contact centres have been almost exclusively focused on running from a physical office. However, the shift to working from home will remain even after the current crisis has passed, with 53% planning to keep agents working from home after the crisis. This is even more relevant for those businesses already operating in the cloud.”

The survey was conducted with nearly 800 contact centre decision-makers globally, including 94 in the US, 103 in Canada, 300 in the UK and 300 in Australia.