How remote, hybrid, and distributed teams crush their CX goals with an integrated cloud business phone system

Learn how fully integrated cloud-based phone systems provide unified, collaborative solutions that positively impact companies, employees, and customers.

Each quarter, business leaders in every industry ask two main questions, “How did we do?” and “What can we do better?” In recent years, organizations have faced unexpected and unprecedented challenges. But one clear takeaway is that employee collaboration is key to customer experience success, regardless of location.

We know that the hybrid workforce is here to stay and we know that customers have high hopes for customer service. As companies continue to evolve and adapt to shifts in business operations and growing customer expectations, new challenges have emerged:

• How can organizations drive growth in a hybrid workforce environment?
• How can leaders keep teams engaged when employees are leaving companies at rising rates?
• What can organizations do to meet and exceed customer expectations now that 40% of customers report valuing customer support more than actual products?

Why a cloud-based phone system improves employee collaboration and CX.

Today’s customers expect more in exchange for their time and attention while many employees are proving to have high flight risks. Today’s leaders need solutions that make it possible for organizations to do more with less.

While an integrated cloud-based business phone system for back-office employees and contact center agents may not seem like the obvious solution to prevailing business challenges, there are some key indicators to look for:

• Increased operating costs due to managing and operating more than one platform.
• Lack of information flow between contact center agents and the rest of the company.
• Decreased first contact resolutions because agents lack proper tools to collaborate across the organization.
• Decreased customer satisfaction.
• Missed revenue opportunities.

If managers across IT, customer support, and marketing are reporting any of the problems listed above, it may not be obvious, but all of these concerns are inextricably linked.

Many of the issues that cause friction across employees and customers can be traced back to the contact center and breakdowns in interdepartmental communication. Time and again, consolidation of voice technology leads to increased business agility across the entire organization and improved customer experience.

How a cloud-based phone system impacts customer experience outcomes.

Organizations that prioritize solutions for everyday collaboration between customer service agents and experts outside the contact center can drive productivity and faster, more accurate customer service.

In terms of strategic planning and scalable solutions, cloud phone systems introduce a host of business communication benefits including a unified workspace, one admin experience, and a holistic view of metrics and reporting.

Talkdesk Phone is a cloud-based phone system built on the same platform as the Talkdesk CX Cloud Contact Center. Deep integrations enable seamless knowledge sharing between contact center agents, internal experts, and most importantly, customers.

Let’s look at some use cases across industries in which companies leverage an integrated cloud phone system.

Cloud business phone system for retail.

Especially during seasonal peaks, store associates juggle to answer every call while they prioritize helping in-store customers. Usually, customers whose calls go unanswered must leave a message and wait for a return call or call back later.

A cloud-based phone system for both the contact center and stores allows organizations to decrease the number of missed calls and reduce pressure on in-store employees by automating incoming store calls that go unanswered after a set time and routing them to the contact center. A contact center agent can handle the inquiry, create an order, and then route the call back to another store to schedule delivery.

The result is an improved first contact resolution rate and greater employee satisfaction.

Cloud business phone system for healthcare.

A growing medical practice staff has reached critical mass trying to coordinate care for in-person patients and manage the influx of patient calls. Existing patients face long wait times over the phone, and the staff is burnt out balancing in-person patient needs and coordinating care across departments.

To achieve desired business outcomes and improve the patient experience, healthcare organizations must ensure patients reach the right department at first contact to reduce the burden on the staff.

A cloud-based phone system allows the practice to automate patient calls routing them to the right department the first time. Staff across the practice can coordinate care across departments using multiple devices (smartphones, desktops, tablets, or desk phones), allowing them to efficiently and effectively manage patient needs at the moment while creating a seamless experience for patients.

Cloud business phone system for education.

After deciding to continue to support a hybrid workforce, an education staffing firm was left with a difficult to maintain legacy PBX, which many employees are resistant to change. The outdated phone system hinders their ability to provide flexible working options for employees and cut operational costs.

The organization opted for a cloud-based business phone system to achieve desired business outcomes and improve the employee experience. A cloud-based business phone system is compatible with the existing hardware investments and even works on mobile, desktop, or tablets to keep existing workflows intact. The organization removed the ongoing maintenance costs associated with a legacy PBX while ensuring employee workflows were not impacted by the change, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership, improved business agility, and employees being more engaged and motivated.

Cloud business phone system for banking.

Despite best intentions, the reality is agents are unable to be trained on everything. Agents need to regularly bring in specialists such as loan officers to answer complex client lending inquiries around pricing, re-financing, documentation, and more.

To improve the client experience and employee experience, banks must break down siloes across departments for fast and easy collaboration. A cloud-based phone system built on the same platform as their contact center solution ensures a deep integration between contact center agents and the rest of the organization. The unified platform allows agents to either bring in a specialist into the call with the client or pass the interaction to the specialist to resolve. Easier collaboration across departments results in improved client experiences and agent productivity.

Cloud business phone systems across industries.

It’s no wonder  63% of organizations have already invested in a level of unified communications and contact center integration to address their challenges.

Ensure that your strategic plans for the upcoming year will improve both the employee and customer experience. An exceptional employee experience fuels an unparalleled customer experience, two key ingredients necessary to retain customer loyalty, drive new customer acquisition, and gain a competitive advantage.

Having a modern phone system natively built on a leading cloud contact center platform allows the entire organization to collaborate, work together, and do better as a whole, creating the best employee and customer experience.