The Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) landscape has changed significantly over the past few years. From the emergence of AI to new companies entering the space with deep pockets, the CCaaS market continues to shift in different directions. Companies in this area need to find new and innovative ways to keep up with competitors while also staying focused on meeting ever-changing customer demands.
One of the ways CCaaS providers are staying ahead of the curve is by bundling best of breed solutions together with their own offering. This strategy is essential for staying competitive in both small and lucrative deals. A bundling approach is especially important when it comes to the best workforce management (WFM) software solutions on the market today. Below are a few reasons why CCaaS providers seek out a partnership with a WFM software leader and how a strong relationship between the companies adds value for attracting and retaining customers.
WFM software is complex and difficult to build – Creating a solution like modern WFM software the right way from scratch takes years and millions of lines of code. It’s a reason why some companies launch a simple WFM solution, often with only bare bones (such as basic forecasting and scheduling), and then discontinue the product after a couple years. Adding in layers around adherence, intraday management, agent communication and more on top of forecasting and scheduling is a difficult and time consuming task for even the best software development teams. Many CCaaS providers realize this and as a result choose to partner with one of the top WFM solutions in the industry instead of building their own product.
Integrations with different vendors already exist – Another major hurdle for CCaaS providers can be building out and managing integrations around WFM software. Because of all the advanced features and functionality, creating and maintaining WFM integrations is often a full-time endeavor. Sure, a CCaaS provider already has integrations in place with many vendors (and even some competitors), but delegating this responsibility through a partnership when it comes to WFM software can save them a lot of time and unnecessary headaches.
Capabilities can expand out to different channels – A CCaaS provider that doesn’t partner with a leading WFM software solution and instead opts to build their own product can have a narrow focus. Solutions strongly demanded by customers, like a mobile WFM app, aren’t even on the product roadmap because there is so much focus on getting a working piece of software into production. Instead, a CCaaS platform gets the entire modern software suite alongside a WFM app when they decide to partner with a top company in the industry.
A strong partnership can build a new stream of revenue – One benefit of partnering with a standalone WFM solution if you’re a CCaaS provider is that increased revenue can go both ways. While you work on opportunities with the WFM vendor and their technology, sometimes additional deals can be brought to you. A WFM partnership means if a prospect is looking for workforce management solutions but other CCaaS needs arise, a quick referral will occur. Best of all, you know their WFM choice is one that aligns with your platform and it will be a streamlined implementation process for everyone involved.
To summarize, there is a lot of value for CCaaS providers partnering with a WFM software leader. It rounds out the entire offering of the CCaaS platform and lets them jump ahead of the competition with powerful WFM technology. Having the right partner creates a strong working relationship that can benefit both companies.
