CCaaS Companies

A recent report by Fortune Business Insights shows that the global CCaaS market was $3.07 billion in 2019, projected to reach $10.06 billion by 2027. This technology has helped companies in many different industries supply customers with excellent service and given call center agents the ability to assist customers quickly and efficiently. What exactly is this technology, how is it different from UCaaS, and why is it having such explosive growth? We explore these questions and more in this in-depth guide.

What is CCaaS?

The acronym “CCaaS” meaning is “Contact Center as a Service.” What is Contact Center as a Service? Simply put, this is a cloud-based software that gives you the tools to run a customer service or customer success call center. Typically a CCaaS will have tools like:

  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

We’re all familiar with IVR, whether you realize it or not. Whenever you call somewhere and get an automated menu that prompts you to “dial 2 for this option,” that is IVR. It is an automated menu that allows users to choose options by saying the prompt out loud or dialing a number. Many customers prefer this for basic services like paying a bill or finding out business hours.

  • Automatic Contact Distributor (ACD)

There are many ways for customers to contact your business—from a phone call to a chatbot to a social media message. ACD is a skills-based routing engine that creates one queue for all of these contact points and then routes them to the appropriate agent for efficient and optimal customer service.

  • Outbound Software/Predictive Dialer

In addition to the inbound customer interactions, most CCaaS solutions have outbound tools like predictive dialers that help agents achieve a higher connect rate. It also helps to eliminate any awkward pauses that often occur with outbound software solutions.

  • Call Center Monitoring

Many CCaaS platforms include tracking and monitoring tools to help the quality assurance and training departments to help improve performance. This can include things like evaluation forms built into the platform, recording and listening back to calls, or sophisticated speech analytics tools.

  • Call Accounting

Also known as call logging, this feature collects and records all of the phone usage within the call center so that managers can keep track of the call volume.

Another important aspect when talking about CCaaS examples is the need for managed services. Call center technology has many good tools, but also can be difficult to implement and often comes with a host of IT issues for the agents. For example, making sure that the software integrates with the agents’ computers, assigning the appropriate roles and permissions to all the parties who use it, or even something as basic as making sure agents can sign in correctly. Many businesses turn to a managed service provider to help implement their contact center platform and smooth out all of the issues that arise. This service can provide all the IT support needed and help your company implement a CCaaS platform efficiently and effectively.

How does CCaaS work?

The way that contact center platforms work is that they are cloud-based applications that allow individual users to access the tools on their devices from anywhere. For an inbound call center, agents can sign in to work, put on their headsets, and be ready to receive calls (or emails, or chats) from customers. The CCaaS tools automatically route the calls to the appropriate person and allow agents to give great customer service with tools like transferring, pausing, conference calls, and more. For an outbound call center, the platform gives agents the ability to quickly work through their lists and make outbound calls efficiently and easily.

What is the difference between UCaaS and CCaaS?

UCaaS refers to “Unified Communications as a Service.” What is UCaaS vs. CCaaS? The simple answer is that UCaaS solutions include every form of communication—voice, email, chat, video conferencing, social media, etc—while CCaaS is typically focused around voice (although depending on the provider, can include other forms of communication as well). Another difference is the purpose. UCaaS platforms are usually intended more for internal communications, while CCaaS platforms are used for customer service.

A UCaaS solution is a popular choice for businesses that are seeking to achieve alignment and simplify the tech stack for their workers. CCaaS platforms are ideal for companies that have a lot of inbound or outbound calls on a daily basis, since they are typically loaded with tools for assisting customers and providing excellent service.

What are the benefits of CCaaS?

CCaaS provides many benefits over a traditional contact center. Let’s take a look at some of these benefits to understand why this technology is so popular. CCaaS provides:

  • Improved Customer Experience

Think about the times when you’ve had a frustrating experience with a call center. From a confusing automated menu to a long hold time to an agent who is struggling to help you, traditional contact centers can create a host of problems for customers. CCaaS solutions are designed with the customer in mind, giving agents the ability to answer questions from a customer’s preferred communication channel and can give you the ability to track customer wait times and high call-volume periods. This allows you to adjust your agents to different queues to cover high-volume periods and give your customers a better experience.

  • Improved Agent Experience

These tools break down silos and give agents a better experience while doing their jobs to the best of their ability. With all of the communication channels in one place, and the ability to match the right agent to customers based on skills and experience, CCaaS platforms help the agent stay informed and empowered to solve issues and deliver exceptional customer service.

  • Flexibility

The 2020 pandemic showed everyone the importance of flexibility. CCaaS solutions are ideally suited to remote work, since agents can access these tools on their devices from any location. While remote work can come with worries about productivity, the monitoring tools that are available help to manage remote workers effectively.

  • Scalability

One of the most significant benefits to using a cloud contact center solution is the ability to instantly scale. You can easily add or subtract the number of agents to meet customer demand, all while paying only for what you actually use.

  • Higher Productivity

Instead of wasting time using a multitude of apps or software and clicking around to answer customer questions, agents are able to perform all their tasks in one place, leading to higher productivity and more efficient workflows. Some platforms even have automation tools that will update databases or send emails or text messages, freeing up agents and giving them more time to serve their customers.

  • Cost Savings

CCaaS solutions can give you significant cost savings due to factors like:

    • Reduced downtime—CCaaS solutions are reliable and require less maintenance, leading to less downtime for agents.
    • Low power consumption—remote workers mean that you aren’t paying for large electric bills to power banks of equipment.
    • Less overhead—the benefits of a remote workforce include savings on office space and all the overhead costs that come with having many employees.
    • Smaller upfront cost—Instead of investing in expensive equipment or software license for each machine, CCaaS solutions give you the flexibility to pay only for what you use, when you use it.

These savings can quickly add up to thousands of dollars per year. In addition to direct savings, there are indirect savings as well. For example, with improved agent and supervisory tools, you may be able to handle more calls with fewer agents, leading to greater productivity and savings on the number of agents you hire. So, how much does it cost to put one of these solutions in place? CCaaS pricing varies depending on the provider. Some have different tiers where you pay per user per month depending on the tools you select, while others will charge a small fee by the minute. The most common pricing structure is to pay per user per month, and that can range from $25 to $100 and up.

  • Quality Metrics

With any business, the ability to gather, measure, analyze, and leverage information is essential in order to make data-informed decisions that lead to the results you want. The sophisticated analytics tools allow you to accomplish tasks like tracking abandoned calls, monitor and adjust caller queues and automatic menus in real-time, record and review calls for quality control, or even receive alerts if agents use questionable language with customers. These are just a few of the examples of the types of analytic tools that exist within CCaaS platforms and that can help your customer service center achieve the quality you are looking for.

How big is the CCaaS market?

According to Grand View Research‘s market research, the CCaaS market size is valued at $3.48 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.7% from 2021 to 2028. CCaaS industry demand is expected to rise due to the increased need for enhanced customer experience solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic also increased demand for CCaaS solutions, as these technologies are perfectly suited for remote working environments.

What is a CCaaS company?

CCaaS companies create and sell contact center software as a solution. These CCaaS providers are focused around one product that they sell. While CCaaS vendors can be helpful, the reality is that they are tied to one particular solution over another. With a managed IT service like InterVision, we work closely with your team and stakeholders to deeply understand your challenges and objectives to design and implement the right solution for you. Each CCaaS solution has its own unique advantages, and we can help you discern which platform is right for your objectives.

What contact center solutions companies are there?

There are many different players in the CCaaS landscape, due to the fragmentation of the market. They compete with each other to offer better agent and customer tools with fully scalable and flexible solutions. Many of the companies focus on solutions for industries like banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), government, healthcare, IT, and telecom. Prominent CCaaS companies include:

  • Amazon (Washington, United States)
  • Cisco Systems, Inc (California, United States)
  • Genesys (California, United States)
  • Five9 (California, United States)
  • 8×8, Inc. (California, United States)
  • NICE Ltd. (Ra’anana, Israel)
  • 3CLogic (Maryland, United States)
  • Oracle Corporation (California, United States)
  • Avaya Inc. (California, United States)
  • Mitel Networks Corporation (Ottawa, Canada)
  • Evolve IP, LLC. (Pennsylvania, United States)

What are the best contact center solutions?

The best CCaaS solution is the one that has the right functionality for your company. It can be confusing to try to figure out which vendor to use, especially with a multitude of pricing plans, features, and options that are available. If you’re struggling to evaluate these companies and solutions on your own, we can help.

Here at InterVision, we have over 25 years of experience helping IT leaders transform business through the power of technology. We can help you articulate your vision and guide you through your cloud journey. Our unbiased and consultative approach helps you answer the important questions of what technology to provision, where to host it, and how to manage it. InterVision is proud of our partnership approach that is designed to meet your needs, not our agenda.

Inefficient IT infrastructure costs money that you don’t want to spend—InterVision’s suite of managed IT services helps you improve your efficiency and reduce costs. We help you eliminate internal day-to-day IT demands, unify your voice, video, data, and mobile applications, simplify teamwork, and accelerate results.

Realize your IT vision today and join the nearly 3,000 clients trust InterVision to help them run, grow, and transform their IT operations. Contact us today or call our sales line at 844.622.5710 to speak with one of our experts.

Want to learn more? You may also be interested in these blogs …
UCaaS: Past, Present and Future
UCaaS Examples
UCaaS Providers