Seamless integration, seamless customer service

10 major benefits of systems integration

with cloud contact centre solutions

White Paper

puzzel.com

ContentsExecutive Overview

The three most common myths about integration

The need for speed with omni-channel

Ten major benefits of integration

Conclusion

2

3

4

Sharing information – why integrate? 1

Integration in practice

Case Study – Affinity Water

5

5.1

Executive Overview

The advent of cloud computing with advances in cloud-based contact centre solutions have

truly revolutionised life for agents and the customers they serve. Web-based technology has

simplified the onerous and often costly task of integration and customisation. This has given

agents unprecedented levels of access to joined-up customer records that help boost response

times and deliver an efficient, highly personalised experience.

ContactBabel, a leading analyst for the contact centre industry, presents several revealing

truths regarding the role of integration and customisation as more and more organisations

move to a cloud-based contact centre environment. The latest findings, published in the

ContactBabel Inner Circle Guide to Cloud-based Contact Centre Solutions (3rd ed.)1, state that

the third most common mistake that companies make in transitioning to the cloud is “failing

to ensure their provider can deliver and maintain cost-effective integrations.” They go on to say

that “fears over customisation are frequently cited as a major inhibitor to moving to the cloud.”

These reservations highlight the importance of integration and customisation in today’s contact

centres.

The report also highlights the growing appreciation of cloud-based technology when it comes

to making systems changes. When originally asked whether the cloud made it easier to

make changes to the system in 2012, there was a significant difference of opinion with 44%

of respondents agreeing and 31% disagreeing. Fast-forward to 2017 and the reality is very

different: 75% of respondents now either ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that using cloud contact

centre solutions simplifies the process of making changes to the system.

But why are integration and customisation so important? What are the myths? What are the

benefits and what attributes should organisations look for when evaluating a contact centre

solution?

This white paper aims to answer all these questions and includes a real-life success story to

show integration and customisation in practice.

New communication channels and real-time interaction are an opportunity and a challenge

for today’s customer service operations. To ensure next generation customer service, shared

information is essential to provide visibility of an organisation’s view of individual customers. In

order to achieve this level of knowledge, it is vital that IT systems talk to each other. Integration

into one place and the instant retrieval of full and reliable customer data allows a tailored and

personalised service. Web services provide the ability to build a feature-rich, multi-channel

cloud contact centre environment without resorting to timely and costly external consultancy

support. This makes a strong business case for CIOs faced with the realities of constant cost-

cutting and reduced workforces.

Sharing information – why integrate?1

Modern cloud-based contact centre technology should offer, at a minimum, some basic

ways to integrate with existing and third-party applications including:

• An API conforming to the Open API standard

• Triggering mechanisms for internal or external browser-based applications

• An option to embed agent functionality in popular CRM systems

• The ability to interact with data from external systems for purposes of routing

and visibility or presenting contextual information to agents

It’s always advisable to check with vendors how they go about integration and customisation, not just whether it is available.

Just as in the early days of cloud-based contact centres, many myths abound about the ability to

integrate legacy and enterprise systems with contact centre solutions. Here are the top three.

The three most common myths about integration 2

Myth one: Cloud applications are difficult to integrate

The idea that it is difficult to integrate enterprise applications with cloud-based contact

solutions is one of the often-raised objections to switching to this new technology.

However, it is a “red herring” because typically legacy premise-based contact centre

solutions require far more complex and expensive computer telephony integration (CTI)

than web-based open technology.

The truth is that today’s cloud-based applications are usually built using the latest web

services technology, making them easier rather than more difficult to integrate with both

premises based and other cloud applications.

Myth two: Cloud-based solutions cannot be integrated with other applications

Originally, hosted applications were considered to be tactical point solutions, and lacked

flexibility and integration capabilities. However, with the proliferation of second generation

cloud-based contact centre applications and web Application Programming Interfaces

(APIs), integration issues are a thing of the past. The robust API capabilities of today’s

cloud technology simplify integration with back-office systems, customer relationship

management (CRM), workforce management (WFM) and other business applications. Many

of the latest innovations also come pre-integrated with leading CRM and ERP solutions,

such as Salesforce.com and NetSuite.

Myth three: Loss of control and the ability to customise

The inherent flexibility of the cloud means that organisations can have increased control

and customisation of their contact centre solutions. Satellite offices can manage and

control their own locations, while sharing the same technology platform across the whole

organisation and still benefit from centralised management. Pre-defined access rights

mean that people see what they need to see while management remains in control. One-

time integration in the cloud with other applications, via web services, is easy and secure,

making for improved integration and business processes.

As customers choose multiple channels to communicate, the requirement to respond quickly

and efficiently remains the same whatever the channel.

A major study by Aberdeen Group reveals that companies with the strongest omni-channel

customer engagement strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers as compared to

33% for companies with weak omni-channel strategies.²

The Need for Speed with Omni-Channel 3

In order to make omni-channel a reality, agents must be able to use multiple information

sources, brought together in one place, to respond to customers effectively. And it’s

not just the usual suspects like CRM data. Even Google Maps can be integrated so that

if a customer calls about a delivery, the advisor can use location-based information to

see if adverse weather in the customer’s area might delay the arrival of their package

and give them the option of having it delivered to another collection point or to their

pre-advised ‘safe place’ to prevent it getting wet.

Integration with cloud-based technology makes speedy responses a possibility by

pulling together data from different systems or parts of the organisation and making a

customer’s account history visible on just one screen. The result is no more

time-consuming and frustrating transferring of calls or the need for customers to repeat

themselves, leading to higher levels of first contact resolution, lower customer effort

and a far better customer experience.

Integration for Improved Business Processes

Integration in the cloud is another reason for companies to switch to new cloud-based

technology. The ability to automate business processes and integrate with other

critical solutions means time savings when it comes to enquiry handling as agents are

presented with the right information when they need it without having to switch between

applications. Ultimately this leads to bottom-line improvement.

Having dispelled some of the myths around integration with cloud-based contact centres and

acknowledged the need for speed with omni-channel, here are ten major benefits of integration

for customer service:

Ten major benefits of integration4

1 Easy for agents, easy for customers - customers find having to repeat themselves one of the biggest bugbears in contact centres, whatever the communication

channel. Keeping repetition to a minimum by enabling an agent to see a customer’s account

history, without having to switch between screens, allows them to deal with enquiries

effectively and without delay. Making the most out of the integration capabilities of cloud-

based solutions results in faster and easier customer interactions which in turn build loyalty.

2 Access to a complete contact centre solution - integration with CRMsystems offers powerful features such as skill-based routing, call blending, call-back and

increased agent productivity to drive customer satisfaction through improved efficiency.

3 A more engaging experience - easy access to critical customer data andcontact history allows a more personalised response, greater customer satisfaction and

agent retention.

4 Reduced input errors and faster response - features such as Click-to-Callenable agents to launch outbound calls directly from CRM systems such as Salesforce.com,

reducing time spent checking numbers and preventing dialling errors.

5 Faster decision making and reduced average handling times – an integrated clear view of customer interactions aids decision making and allows proactive

response to reduce average handling times.

6 Easier customisation - cloud technology allows users to develop their own bespoke applications without resorting to expensive external consultancy staff.

7 Empowered agents and reduced attrition - agents have all the information they need on their desktop to provide exceptional service because CRM and other business

systems are linked seamlessly to the core contact centre solution. This saves time and

empowered agents stay put for longer, reducing the costs involved with having to recruit and

train new people.

8 Integration with Workforce Management – linking a cloud-contact centre solution to a Workforce Management (WFM) system makes a powerful

combination. Managers can quickly allocate the right employees, with the right skill sets

at the right time, in order to meet service level agreements in the most efficient and

cost-effective way possible. At the same time, the risk of overstaffing is reduced and

overtime is minimised.

9 Security – for contact centres handling personal or sensitive data, particularly with regard to payments, integration with Payment Service Providers (PSPs) means agents

can switch freely between applications without having to make changes to other payment

integrations, saving time and boosting security levels.

The introduction of new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation in May

2018 is yet another reason to boost security and the ability to retrieve stored personal

information in the contact centre, through integration with other enterprise databases

and systems.

10 Integration saves time and money - using the latest cloud-based solutions, it is easy to develop and maintain customised integrations saving time and cost. What is

more, ongoing maintenance, upgrades and even software roll-outs can be administered

in the cloud. This drastically diminishes the requirement for a large in-house IT

department and further reduces any associated headcount costs.

1. A broad range of applications available out-of-the-box such as leading CRM solutions

including Salesforce.com, MS Dynamics, SAP CRM and Oracle CRM On Demand

2. Integration capabilities with the latest tools and standards in secure

authentication to control user access and keep information safe – particularly

important for meeting PCI DSS requirements and new GDPR legislation

3. Easy integration via a single platform with other critical systems such as

WFM and business analytics to maximise Return on Investment (ROI) and lower

overall total cost of ownership (TCO)

4. Seamless linking to cross-company collaboration tools such as Skype for

Business, so that agents can find subject matter experts quickly to accelerate

response times and solve customer interactions

5. An open, flexible platform

6. Its own rich set of web service APIs that are kept up-to-date and thoroughly tested

7. Good developer support.

INTEGRATION AND CUSTOMISATION

What are the top 7 attributes technology providers should have?

Integration in practice 5

5.1 Case Study – Affinity Water keeps innovation flowing with cloud-based integration services

Affinity Water is the largest water-only supplier in the UK and is strongly committed to

delivering the highest quality customer service. The organisation provides on average 900

million litres of water each day to a population of more than 3.5 million people in parts

of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, the London

Boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon and parts of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent,

Ealing and Enfield. The company also supplies water to the Tendring peninsula in Essex

and the Folkestone and Dover areas of Kent.

Affinity Water’s 300-strong contact centre and IT helpdesk at three offices rely on Puzzel’s

cloud-based solution to handle around 90,000 calls every month. The company has

tapped into the system’s integration capabilities to realise a series of tangible benefits.

Today, Affinity Water’s cloud-based Verint Workforce Management (WFM) system links

seamlessly with the Puzzel solution in the cloud, managing hundreds of shifts, shift

patterns and work schedules for 240 out of a total of 300 agents. Affinity Water believes

the biggest benefit of WFM is the skills-based routing option to manage multiple skill sets

and meet various Service Level Agreements (SLAs) effectively.

The solution even integrates seamlessly with other internal and even 3rd party business

systems. This means Affinity Water can use the technology across the business. For

example, the company’s billing department uses the flexibility of Puzzel to connect to

specialist systems and so offer automated and secure payments facilities that comply

with the stringent requirements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

(PCI DSS).

Through a single point of contact and using the latest encryption software, customers

can make payments securely with a guiding hand from an agent, vastly improving the

interaction between Affinity Water and its customers and boosting satisfaction levels.

Customers simply type in their payment details using their telephone key pad, a more

secure option than in the days when they had to read confidential card details to an

agent. Agents then gather the customer’s payment details on their system without

actually seeing the card number. The calls are also recorded for regulatory purposes,

again without revealing specific card details.

Another exciting project which ties into Affinity Water’s approach to constant innovation

is to work on a hybrid database. This will enable data from multiple sources, whether it

is the Puzzel or the CRM system, to be consolidated and held centrally. This will create a

one-stop shop for end-to-end reporting of the company’s customer service activities.

References

1. ContactBabel Inner Circle to cloud-based contact solutions (3rd Edition) 2. https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2013/12/31/why-omnichannel-strategy-matters/

This is what Affinity Water had to say:

“Nowadays, all integration happens in the cloud. There are no longer connectivity issues due to networking or hardware problems which means the data is infinitely more reliable. It is effortless; call information and statistics are transferred and updated in real-time enabling us to drive call predictions and agent scheduling with greater accuracy.”

“We have 100% visibility including an accurate audit trail of what is happening over our network. Puzzel’s cloud-based solution delivers consistently high levels of service to our staff, customers and industry stakeholders.”

And another success story…

Here’s what Ombudsman Services – which has integrated Puzzel with Microsoft Dynamics - had to say:

“By far the biggest benefit of using the Puzzel contact centre solution is its flexibility and scalability, essential to supporting us during a period of tremendous growth and change. The transparency of the system and the visibility it provides puts us in complete control of our day-to-day contact centre operations. Thanks to Puzzel, we have a carefully tailored solution that brings operational and business agility to the contact centre.”

By connecting multiple systems from the contact centre, sales and marketing, HR and other departments, stakeholders from across the organisation can access a central source of truth to drive efficiencies and increase customer satisfaction across the entire business. This is the very essence of successful integration and customisation using web services and open, flexible APIs.

The latest cloud-based contact centre solutions effortlessly work with, report on, and integrate with other 3rd party environments to support highly effective, personalised customer interactions. This is made possible through a range of out-of-the-box integrated solutions that sit inside the core contact centre platform, as well as bespoke integrations. Clever integration and high levels of customisation combine to support a feature-rich, multi-channel contact centre environment through seamless integration and seamless customer service.

Conclusion

Puzzel builds on 20 years’ heritage. It was one of the first pioneers to develop a cloud-based contact center. Puzzle also encompasses leading mobile messaging and mobile payments to deliver a flexible and customisable customer

interaction platform to meet the needs of today’s omni-channel and mobile environments. Puzzel can be adapted

to accommodate from one to several thousand agents using any device, in any location and integrates with multiple

applications seamlessly.

Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Puzzel is passionate about delivering innovative customer interaction solutions for

contact centres and mobile environments.

For more information please visit www.puzzel.com

About Puzzel