How to Choose the Right Cisco CTI Solution for your Contact Center

For contact centers handling a large number of incoming calls, say, due to a crisis or an upcoming holiday season, Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) can be a game-changer. By integrating a telephony system via a CTI connector, contact centers can seamlessly handle a huge customer call volume.

Agents can make and receive calls directly from their computers using features like click-to-call, power dialing, and auto-dialers. They can also efficiently manage other forms of communication in the center’s omnichannel setup, including email, text messaging, and live chat. Automated screen pops provide contextual details about callers on-screen as soon as agents are routed to the call. Once connected, they can greet callers by name and start building a rapport with them right from the get-go. They can have more productive interactions, deliver better service, reduce handling time, and most importantly, provide the personalized experiences today’s customers demand and expect.

This brief article outlines how you can choose the right CTI connector for your Cisco contact center.

How to Choose The Right Solution for Cisco CTI

For contact centers and other kinds of client-facing teams, there is always a need to improve operations’ efficiency and productivity. Even one less second per call can translate into scalable savings that can significantly impact its customer experience outcomes and bottom line. As they pursue these worthwhile goals through technology, they often find that CTI is one of the best investments they can make. However, finding the right solution is crucial for a call center to reap its benefits truly. Here are 5 strategies to help you choose the right CTI solution for your Cisco contact center.

1. Know your CTI goals

Before investing in a CTI solution, it’s crucial that you first understand your Cisco contact center’s needs. Start by looking at the version of your Cisco phone system and the number of seats (agents) in your center. Which features do you need in the CTI connector? Click-to-dial? Screen pops? A unified dashboard with integrated call logs? Skills-based routing? A good way to finalize this list is by reviewing your current workflows and look for the gaps that can be addressed with these features. Also, check the CRM you are currently using. For instance, if you are on Salesforce, look for a Salesforce/Cisco CTI vendor to provide a solution with your desired features.

2. Evaluate multiple vendors and solutions

Many CTI solutions provide similar features, but the way vendors deliver them often vary. Service level agreements (SLA) may be different, and one vendor may provide better support than others. Therefore it’s important not to get carried away by the apparent bells and whistles. After you list a few solutions that seem best-suited for your organization, review these other factors as well.

Your goal is to provide good experiences to your customers. But for these vendors, you are the customer. Are they providing a good experience? Do they answer all your questions? Are their sales and support policies transparent? Are they willing to provide demos? If a vendor is promising a certain service level, make sure they can deliver before you sign on the dotted line.

3. Research after-sales support

Since a contact center is a customer-facing entity, continuous operations are critical. Every second of downtime can mean a lost customer and a significant impact on profits. This is why a reliable CTI solution is crucial. But technology is not infallible so that downtimes can happen. But can the vendor provide quick resolutions with minimal impact on business continuity? Do they have the systems in place to perform root cause analyses and get the system up and running as soon as possible? Ask these questions before selecting a vendor.

Also, ask what kind of support package they offer. At the least, the package must include timely service to monitor and respond to issues. Check if it can be customized based on the size of your center and their deal with you. You should also ask for a dedicated account manager so you know whom to contact (single point of contact) when you need quick answers or immediate assistance during a crisis.

4. Ask about agent training

The effectiveness and ROI of your Cisco CTI investment depend on how well and how efficiently your agents use it. And if they don’t know how to use it, everything else is moot. While evaluating vendors and their Cisco CTI solution offerings, ask what kind of training resources they can provide. Do they have documents, simulations, and other self-service training tools your agents can leverage? Do they offer human trainers to explain workflows and best practices in a “classroom” setting? Appropriate assistance is crucial to ensure that your agents can adjust to the tool quickly. Don’t hesitate to ask about these resources even if you are still at the “shopping around for vendors” stage.

Cisco CTI and NovelVox

In the post-COVID world, contact centers are often inundated with calls, resulting in longer wait times for customers. In an era where people are already being forced to make huge adjustments to their lifestyles, a lack of support from the organizations they engage with can be frustrating. Such below-par customer experiences result in unhappy (read: lost) customers, wasted time, and potentially lost profits. A Cisco CTI connector can help address these serious challenges. It can help improve agent productivity and drive better org-wide efficiency. It can also help reduce wait times and speed up resolutions, directly impacting service levels, customer experiences, and customer retention. Several factors affect the successful implementation of a Cisco CTI solution. In this brief article, we have discussed four of the key factors to help you make the right decision.

Get started by exploring the NovelVox Cisco CTI Connector (for Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Freshdesk, and EPIC). With intuitive tools like CRM screen transfer, click-to-dial, and intelligent dialing, your agents can deliver personalized customer experiences with lower AHT and higher FCR. Advanced reporting, performance stats, and call logging features enable your supervisors and managers to gauge their teams’ health and take the steps required to plug gaps in agent efficiency and productivity. The connector can be easily customized with zero codings to match your organization’s mission and requirements perfectly.

To know more about Cisco CTI Connector, book a free demo here.