When you want to integrate your contact center solution with a CRM system, a helpdesk ticket system, your organization’s proprietary systems, etc., you need a contact center solution that really can integrate.
Integration between the various systems in a contact center means much more efficient customer service, when agents are able to do everything related to a customer inquiry in one go, instead of having to go in and out of several applications, take notes, copy/paste data, etc.
But … which systems does your organization use? And, importantly, which ones will you be using, say, three years from now? The answers differ from organization to organization, and sometimes you don’t know all the answers. That’s why integration options need to be flexible.
However, flexibility isn’t always very flexible. Here’s an example:
Staff at a restaurant that I regularly pass on my way to and from work have apparently gotten so tired of answering questions about their fish of the day that they’ve put up a note in the window saying:
“The fish of the day is always sea bass” …
So, you have a highly flexible restaurant. Their menu says: “Fish of the day – ask your waiter for details.” That sounds good: The restaurant’s customers can look forward to a new fresh catch every day, and the fish is so fresh that they can’t even name it on the printed menu.
In reality, however, the customers’ options are severely limited: It’s always sea bass …
Likewise, too many contact center solution providers are able to integrate with anything – as long as it’s product X only …
As a customer (and as a system integrator), you need more flexibility than that.
That’s why you shouldn’t accept the limitations of poorly implemented integration options.
To get the optimal integration flexibility and scalability, you need a contact center solution that features an open API (Application Programming Interface; a set of building blocks for making systems work together and exchange data).
At the heart of a Zylinc solution there’s such an API. That API means that Zylinc can integrate with virtually anything, so agents always have access to relevant information when they handle inquiries in the Zylinc solution.
Recently, we’ve had great success with integrating Zylinc solutions with knowledge portals, something that’s gaining increased popularity in the public/government sector. Banks integrate their Zylinc solutions with CRM and helpdesk systems. Retail chains integrate with stock management and resource planning systems. Etc., etc.
I just spoke with my colleagues in Zylincs’s consultancy team to get more examples, but their answer was that the list of possible integrations is practically endless. “Have people call us instead. That’s much better, because then we can have a targeted talk about their particular requirements and challenges,” they said.
Sounds like a good suggestion. The number is +45 7023 2328, the e-mail is info[AT]zylinc.com, and the consultants are extremely good at assessing people’s needs and advising about potential solutions.
Meanwhile, life goes on. When I passed the restaurant this morning, the fish of the day was … sea bass.
Morten Müller is Documentation & Localization Manager at Zylinc’s HQ in Denmark.