By
Larry Goldman
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Date Published: December 14, 2015 - Last Updated August 22, 2018
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Comments
It’s hard to believe that we’re less than a month away from 2016. A new year with new challenges, new resolutions and - of course - new technologies. The number one trend we’re following is the increased momentum towards virtual agents and cloud-based contact centers.
Here are three trusted sources that predict an increased uptake of virtual agents:
- Worldwide adoption of cloud-based contact center infrastructure has risen from 2.2 percent in 2008 to 11.1 percent in August 2015. The past 12 months have been outstanding for the cloud-based contact center infrastructure market, the best in the history of this sector. (Research and Markets survey)
- 18% of call centers will be cloud-based by the end of 2015 (DMG Consulting report)
- 70% of organizations using a premise-based call center presently plan to move to the cloud (CCNG and Evolve IP survey)
While the exact cause of this trend isn’t due to one single factor, much of the movement can be explained by the arrival of virtual infrastructure and desktops that drive low overhead cost, centralized control, improved efficiency, and increased security.
That last benefit should especially resonate in this era of security and data breaches. In 2016, Gartner predicts that more than half of the Global 1000 companies will store sensitive customer information within the cloud. The use of virtual desktops and other software tools can restrict data access and storage to a remote server, so no data can be printed, copied or stored on the endpoint device.
Work@Home agents can support extended hours, don’t have to commute in poor weather, and are not constrained by physical limitations (too few workstations or not enough qualified agents in a specific geographic region). Thus they have lower attrition rates, higher levels of work satisfaction, and are better for the business bottom line. With all these positives and the predicted trends, it’s not a strain to see how 2016 may very well become the Year of the Virtual Agent.