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What are the typical pitfalls and problems of implementing a contact centre?

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NICE and Nuvola Distribution outline common teething problems that can occur when implementing a contact centre, and how to avoid these.

Part 1

As an expert in the deployment of Contact Centre solutions, Nuvola is well-versed in the pitfalls and problems regularly faced in contact centre implementations. Our certified and extensively experienced engineers with many years of knowledge in unified communications, network, data, and cloud technologies overcome and achieve highly successful installations on behalf of well-known contact centre vendors.

We know the challenges that will be faced in any installation. There's not much we haven't had to contend with, so here are some typical challenges of installing a contact centre, and if you want to find out how to solve these issues, follow on next week in our part 2 session on 'How to overcome the challenges of implementing a Contact Centre'

The customer doesn't know what they want

Often, the customer doesn't understand both the complexity and difficulties in their own business or the possibilities a contract centre solution offers. Arguably this could apply to most digital transformations. A reseller partner proceeds at their peril if their client has a poorly scoped-out project. The project is at risk if the client is unaware of their business processes and how they operate as an organisation with multiple functions and departments. The client (end-user) must fully understand what they do (as a business), how they do it (operations/functions/processes) and what they want to achieve with a contact centre solution.

I said this, and I got that

There is sometimes minimal scoping in the sales process, and the discovery process becomes phased in after the sale. With the pressure to meet targets and secure revenue alongside the need for a solution that solves the perceived issues by the end-user, the requirement and the delivery are often mismatched. This causes significant delivery issues for the reseller and the end-user. For example, it is often perceived that different sized organisations require a different approach, believing that a smaller number of seats will be an easier and quicker install when in fact, whether the customer is 50 seats or 500 seats, contact centre installation principles still apply.

Does this thing make coffee?

In the need to 'make the sale,' sometimes the pain points, the problem, or the opportunity goes unexplored. The end-user often expresses clearly 'I need a contact centre' to manage all my customer interactions without fully exploring what the customer needs to resolve. These assumptions by both parties can lead to a solution being misunderstood, oversold, and often not realised to its full potential.

Are you listening?

Miscommunication can be rife with the many 'working parts' in the Contact Centre deployment, from sales to final installation. Barriers built up by the different organisations in the process can cause misunderstandings and errors, causing the project to stumble and creating delays leading to costly implications. Differing viewpoints, disagreements, a multitude of priorities across the organisation make for a challenging deployment.

Making it work on time

You would think a significant challenge is a technology solution, but it seldom is; usually, the main issue is the human element, which is consistently underestimated. The discovery process, project management, installation, testing, and training components are all often

compressed. It has added to the challenges of home-working in today's environment, the issues of network accessibility and stability from virtual environments. Scheduling can be unrealistic. This is not a 'plug and play' device; contact centres impact a large proportion of a workforce across departments and sometimes geographical boundaries, so the human adoption element is a significant challenge to contend with for all parties.

Next steps

Contact Centres in today's environment can revolutionise a business. Suppose your customer's challenge is budget, operational issues, ineffective processes, lack of business intelligence, or whether you fear the complexity or knowledge of contact centre technology as a partner. In all cases, Nuvola Distribution's wealth of experience can support your entrance into reselling a contact centre solution.

Follow on to next week's feature to discover how we overcome these challenges and achieve successful installations in collaboration with our reseller and contact centre vendor partners.

Want to get savvy about contact centres? Click here to contact Nuvola Distribution.