Combining CCaaS and UCaaS has emerged as one of the most effective ways for companies to consolidate their technology stacks, improve productivity, and improve experiences. Aligning the contact center with unified communication and collaboration tools empowers businesses to get more value out of both solutions and reduce costs.
Studies show that the number of applications and tools employees rely on is increasing at an incredible rate. Now, it’s more important than ever for companies to find ways of unifying and converging their technologies.
As the adoption of CCaaS and UCaaS platforms grows, trends are emerging that highlight the potential future of the business technology stack and the benefits of convergence. Here are just some of the trends worth watching in 2024.
1. Increasing Cloud Convergence
Even before vendors started offering companies “CCaaS and UCaaS” platforms as a combined offering, many organizations preferred to buy technologies from the same vendor. As economic issues continue to plague business leaders, the desire to purchase “unified solutions” and reduce the number of disparate bills in an organization is growing.
Now, companies recognize that they can enhance the benefits of a combined UCaaS and CCaaS environment by consolidating more of their tools. Vendors are beginning to offer companies the opportunity to buy WFM (Workforce Management), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and AI tools alongside their unified platform.
Increasingly, CCaaS and UCaaS vendors are also investing in the opportunities offered by CPaaS, giving companies APIs to integrate communication technologies into their existing workflows. Combined with highly customizable no-code platforms, these flexible offerings are helping companies to switch from “off the shelf” solutions to fully unified and bespoke ecosystems.
2. Communication Channels Continue to Evolve
The concept of “omnichannel” communications has become commonplace today. Both consumers and employees want to connect through various channels, from voice and video to text and social media.
Innovative CCaaS and UCaaS vendors are taking notice, offering companies multiple ways to harness different channels for different communication purposes. Many vendors provide access to solutions that combine chat, SMS, social media, video, and voice with online event capabilities.
We’re also seeing an increasing focus on extended reality for enhanced communication, collaboration, and customer service. As we step into the future, we can expect UCaaS/CCaaS solutions to adapt to an ever-growing range of communication preferences.
3. Generative AI in CCaaS and UCaaS
Generative AI has emerged as one of the most significant trends in the technology landscape. CCaaS and UCaaS vendors are increasingly infusing their platforms with solutions powered by large language models (LLMs) to enhance productivity and customer service.
In platforms like Microsoft Teams, users can access generative AI assistants like Copilot to assist with everything from managing meetings to summarizing text and improving customer experiences. Other vendors are customizing their AI tools for specific purposes, like improving sales and marketing workflows or enhancing compliance.
Some vendors even allow companies to customize their generative AI bots with their data and workflows, creating assistants for virtually every communication use case. We expect to see generative AI augmenting countless UCaaS and CCaaS environments.
4. Continued Focus on Flexibility and Employee Experience
For years, many companies have focused heavily on the importance of customer experience, overlooking the impact that employee engagement has on business results. Now, more companies recognize the need to provide employees with engaging, streamlined experiences.
Even as organizations attempt to enforce “return to work” mandates, there’s an increasing focus on flexibility. This is leading to the rise of meeting room booking tools and workforce optimization software integrated with CCaaS and UCaaS platforms.
Companies are investing more in optimized “mobile” experiences for the modern workforce and secure “bring your own device” policies. Plus, companies are exploring new ways to enhance employee wellbeing, with tools like Microsoft Viva to assist with workplace engagement and gamification tools for the contact center.
5. Growing CCaaS and UCaaS Security Threats
The rise of remote work and cloud adoption has prompted increased security threats for companies embracing CCaaS and UCaaS tools. Phishing issues, malware, and other dangers are increasing as malicious actors take advantage of the shift to the cloud.
Vendors are taking notice, infusing their platforms with intelligent solutions for security and compliance. Many modern CCaaS and UCaaS platforms now include extensive access control capabilities, end-to-end encryption, and proactive threat monitoring tools.
Some vendors are even exploring the benefits of AI and automation to help companies keep track of risks and minimize the chances of lost data. Proactive monitoring tools and AI systems can help ensure employees remain compliant with standards like GDPR and PCI when communicating internally and externally.
6. Advanced Analytics and Reporting Tools
Finally, data has stood as one of the most valuable assets in any business environment for some time. However, many organizations have struggled to take advantage of their data safely and effectively. Leading CCaaS and UCaaS platform vendors are addressing this issue and exploring ways to provide businesses with the necessary insights.
Unified platforms can now feature everything from forecasting tools for workforce management to AI-powered speech and conversational analytics apps. With the right solution, companies can more effectively map customer journeys and understand the relationship between employee performance and customer satisfaction.
AI tools can even proactively search for opportunities and risks and deliver real-time insights to employees in the flow of work. The result of these innovations is better compliance, more effective resource management, and greater growth opportunities.
The Trends in CCaaS and UCaaS Platforms
Combining tools like CCaaS and UCaaS platforms is becoming increasingly common today. Not only do these solutions empower businesses to simplify their technology stacks and reduce costs, but they can also pave the way for rapid innovation.
Trends like generative AI, advanced analytical tools, and evolving communication platforms will help to shape a future where unified UCaaS/CCaaS solutions help businesses accomplish more with less.
