Avant Analytics Underscores the Vast Acceleration of Contact Center as a Service

Avant Analytics, the market research division of Avant, a Chicago-based master agent, has released its fourth AVANT 6-12 Report focusing on Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS). The AVANT 6-12 Reports are designed to help IT decision makers assess whether a technology solution is a viable option for their company over the next 6 to 12 months.

CCaaS currently accounts for more than $3 billion in global sales, with some predictions anticipating sales to reach $10.5 billion by 2027.

The report’s findings show that customers are most likely to make a decision on CCaaS technology when a current contract nears its expiration date (30% of respondents) or when a legacy system’s warranty expires (30%), inferring that customers want to offload management of conventional contact center solutions and pursue more advanced technological solutions like AI to improve the customer experience. This is especially important for companies implementing permanent remote work options for their customer service agents in light of the fact that many companies plan for at least 40% of employees to work remotely.

Other key takeaways include:

• 32% of IT decision makers are looking to CCaaS to enable or expand their remote workforce.
• 51% are planning to invest in a new contact center system because their current setup lacks functionality.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a key factor in energizing broader adoption.
• In addition to AI, CCaaS systems often include a call distributor, interactive voice response (CDIVR), outbound predictive dialers (OPDs) and analytics capabilities.
• 68% of respondents listed voice to text as a required AI capability when considering a new contact center solution.
• 69% of respondents require PCI compliance for a contact center solution, highlighting the need for effective security to be interwoven with every CCaaS migration.
• The report features interviews and insights from C-suite executives throughout AVANT’s partner network and key IT decision makers. The report also includes analysis on AI utilization, multichannel and omnichannel distinctions and security integrations within CCaaS systems.

Channel Impact^®
The study shows substantial opportunity for the partner base given that more than half of IT leaders investigating CCaaS through Avant plan to invest in a new contact center platform in 2021.