With the pressures of the pandemic and the Great Resignation (among other challenges), business leaders have had a rough couple of years. While 87 percent of small businesses (SMBs) in Florida utilizing Facebook were operational or engaging in revenue-generating initiatives in January 2022, only 53 percent of those operational organizations expressed confidence in their ability to stay open for at least 12 months if their circumstances remained the same, according to the Florida Global State of Small Business report from Meta.
On top of that, 26 percent of the operational SMBs surveyed anticipated challenges related to cash flow in the next few months. With uncertainty continuing to cloud the future, business leaders must carefully consider their long-term strategies for survival. If you’re searching for ways to contain costs and attract more customers and employees, there’s one place you should be sure to look for answers: The cloud.
Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) have exploded in popularity in recent years as companies have sought to eliminate hardware costs, expand remote work capabilities and deliver a better customer experience (CX).
Here’s why Florida SMBs with concerns about keeping their doors open despite economic challenges shouldn’t overlook cloud communication and collaboration software as potential solutions.
Benefits of UCaaS for Florida businesses
Migrating from an on-premises PBX to a UCaaS platform can significantly impact your company in terms of spending, efficiency and productivity. Cloud phone systems typically allow end users to connect and collaborate via various channels such as IM, email, voice, videoconferencing and SMS.
The top expected and realized benefits of UCaaS deployment include the following, according to a survey of 153 U.S.-based IT and business decision-makers for communications technology at midsize and large organizations conducted by Forrester.
- Better employee experience
- Greater productivity
- Higher levels of customer engagement
- Improved collaboration among end users
- Better collaboration with partners and suppliers
- Faster innovation
- Greater flexibility (i.e., end users can work from anywhere)
For a real-life example of the benefits of UCaaS, check out this case study about a Chicago non-profit that wanted to empower remote workers. Switching from an outdated on-prem PBX resulted in lower monthly spending (due to the elimination of hardware-related costs) and greater flexibility for employees.
CCaaS advantages for Florida companies
Like UCaaS solutions, CCaaS platforms drive greater accessibility and productivity by allowing contact center agents to work from any location or device. Omnichannel cloud contact centers also enable your staff members to connect with clients via multiple communication channels, such as text, live chat, voice and email.
By migrating to a cloud contact center solution, you can enhance your agents’ ability to deliver highly personalized service. Many platforms integrate with leading CRMs and display screen pops with vital client info during interactions.
Some of the main advantages of implementing CCaaS include the following, according to a survey of Five9 customers:
- Greater scalability (since it’s easy to add or remove seats)
- Increased productivity
- Better customer service (e.g., higher rates of first contact resolution and customer satisfaction)
- Improved call quality
- Fast deployment
Additionally, moving from an on-prem solution to a cloud contact center platform can reduce spending by eliminating hardware.
Ultimately, for businesses in Florida and beyond looking to rein in spending, retain current customers, and attract new clients with an exceptional CX, adopting UCaaS and CCaaS solutions makes a lot of sense. You can keep costs in check while improving employee and customer experiences, giving your organization a competitive advantage in today’s digital era.
If you’re interested in exploring your cloud phone system and cloud contact center options, our technology advisors can assist you. We have extensive experience with UCaaS and CCaaS solutions and can leverage advanced tools and our vast partner network to efficiently identify products that align with your needs and goals.
For details about UCaaS, CCaaS and our advisory services, please call 877-599-3999 or email sales@stratospherenetworks.com.
