The Best Microsoft Solutions for Medium Sized Contact Centers

Upgrading your Microsoft Teams Call Center into a modern Contact Center solution

As many fast-growing businesses are already using Microsoft Teams calling for their call center solution, it makes good sense to extend this to cover all communications channels. There are two approaches for adding this functionality to Microsoft Teams calling. First, there is the ‘connect model’, in which a third-party re-routes all communications via their own servers. This model provides the added functionalities ‘behind the curtain’, using their data centers in the cloud. Secondly, there is the ‘extend model’, in which a certified Microsoft Partner uses software that extends the functionality of Microsoft Teams natively. This keeps all data flows within the company’s own existing network.

There is little difference to the user experience of agents using either of these two approaches, but there is a big difference from an ICT perspective. The ‘connect model’ entails a reliance on a third-party and their hardware. This exposes the company to the vulnerabilities that come from sensitive data flowing outside the ‘known quantity’ of your own security environment, and an inevitable lag as data and calls are rerouted and relayed across vast networks. The ‘extend model’ avoids this possible liability, by keeping everything within the secure environment of your company's own systems. It’s also easier to get started, requiring a simple software download.

Whichever model is employed, using Microsoft Teams Calling as the basis for a contact center solution has strong advantages. For companies already using Microsoft Teams in particular, it makes good sense. Microsoft Teams calling offers a stable and secure environment that is safely contained within your own network and within Microsoft’s secure systems. Teams is easily extended to other enterprise software within the Microsoft family, including Azure, Outlook, and Dynamics 365. It can also integrate with tools like CRMs and more than 700 other apps, so it offers the greatest range of options compared to the alternatives.

The Microsoft Contact Center in action – best options for SMEs

For small businesses, Microsoft Teams calling can accomplish most of the telephony needs, using a small staff that can also switch between other tasks and communication channels during quieter times.

Once your customer service team grows to around 50 agents, or includes different specialties, it becomes prudent to upgrade. When you have reached this level of development, variable call volumes can start to become an issue and performance metrics are needed to help keep your growing team on target. Additional communication channels also start to require more attention, and this means that agents need to have all the right information on their screens to keep operations as efficient as possible. Keeping the customer happy is vital: 76% of adults in a YouGov survey said that they would take their business to a competitor if they have just one unpleasant contact center experience.

Jumping straight to a ‘corporate’ solution like a Contact Center as a Service (CCAAS) can seem convenient. The downside is that these are priced for companies that have already grown to a scale where it makes financial sense. They can also lack flexibility and they come with a deluge of features that your company may have no real use for. CCAAS is a better option for large corporations with high call volumes and high seasonal variability, but for medium and rapidly growing businesses, a more agile solution is needed.

The 'extend model'

In this situation, the next logical step is to use the ‘extend model’ to add functionality with software that is fully integrated with your systems. The most important consideration is to ensure that your Microsoft Teams contact center solution offers all the features that you do need. These are the features your Microsoft Teams contact center solution should offer:

Chatbots

To help answer the most common queries automatically, requiring no human intervention. When questions need a human agent, the chatbot can escalate to a webchat or call, and forward the entire query/history to the agent.

CRM calling integration

This ensures that the right customer information is automatically provided to the agent as soon as the customer is connected, without needing to answer the same basic questions. An integration with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is essential for providing your customers with smooth and personalized customer service, and tracking their journey with you.

Insights

Connecting all data points to form a cohesive view of the customer journey.

Reporting

Get a view of all the important metrics. Identify bottlenecks that result in long wait times and see how you can improve. Natural language processing (NLP) and textual analyses can create reports of customer sentiment, without any extra work. Call summaries, historical data, and call logging should also be part of this package.

Messaging Apps

Integrate all communications channels. WhatsApp, Social messaging, Twitter, email, SMS, Webchats – all need to be supported and accessed from a single dashboard.

Essential Integrations

Depending on which apps your business uses, you may benefit from these being integrated with your contact center operations. Build your own reporting with Microsoft Power BI, or integrate with your Dynamics 365 Apps, for example.

Automated workflows

Using the Microsoft Power Platform and associated APIs, you can build and execute automated workflows that are fully integrated into the contact center environment

Skills based routing

Ensure that calls are automatically forwarded to the agent who can actually help. This is essential for customer satisfaction.

Supervisor app

This is another essential feature for a medium-sized contact center. This needs to be more than a ‘barge in’ feature, and should provide the ability to discreetly monitor agents, whisper help to them (only) during difficult calls, and also the ability to enter the call and take over the enquiry.

Voicemail/Call back

When call volumes are high, and AWT is outside of acceptable values, your contact center needs to offer immediate solutions. Being able to leave a voicemail, or have the agent ‘call back’ when a space is available is a valuable feature that retains happy customers.

Three tips for keeping your customers happy with a contact center

1. Answer the call - fast

No one likes to wait around – especially for a simple question. Most contact and call centers aim to follow the 80/20 rule – meaning that 80% of the calls are answered within 20 seconds; however, this often still falls short of customer expectations. Your average wait time (AWT) is one of the key metrics for predicting if calls are being answered quickly enough, and the maximum wait time (before customers give up) is a number that should never be reached.

! When callers give up (typically after around 90 seconds), around one-third of them will never try to call again.

Even though abandonment rates are hard to track, contact center managers should operate on the assumption that every hang up is a lost customer, and use smart tactics and contact center features that mitigate this problem. Take strategic measures to reduce your AWT to the minimum, using voicemail and automations.

2. Intelligent call routing

Excessive wait times can be reduced by intelligently filtering and routing calls. Use interactive menus to direct callers to the right agents or have the most common questions answered using bots. Hold Time is another key metric to minimize – this can make you look incompetent, or like you have something to hide. 

To keep this under control, ensure that the right customer information is immediately to hand and that the call is being taken by the agent most able to help.

3. Use all the channels

Encourage and promote customers to use your other contact channels like WhatsApp, Chatbots or Webchats. These give the customer a sense of control, instead of waiting helplessly on the phone for an indeterminate amount of time.

When these are well structured, a surprising number of queries can be handled fully automatically. Customers get their ‘simple answers’ fast, while more complex queries are handled more quickly due to the reduced queue length/wait time.