In recent years, many larger companies have built Customer Experience (CX) systems directly in their own data centres, i.e., on-premise. This was logical because there were not many cloud solutions available and the internal infrastructure was secure. But what do you do when your CX system provider announces a move to the cloud and wants to take you and your data with them? This data is often vital to the operation of the entire company. Are you facing a similar situation and wondering how to deal with it? Marcel Vejmelka, our contact centre expert, has the answer for you in the form of three scenarios that will help solve your “cloud dilemma”.
In this situation, companies usually consider three scenarios. The first is to switch to a different CX/CS platform. This is a complex process with many critical challenges and risks that need to be considered. The biggest threat is the loss or damage of years worth of customer interaction data. The new system may also require major infrastructure changes, which will affect both the speed of deployment and the cost. And what about data security itself? All of this can be a nightmare in terms of disrupting customer experience and damaging reputation. On the other hand, it must be acknowledged that this complicated path may be a good choice for some companies. For example, those that use minimal customization, have less data to transfer, or do not have a long customer history.
The second option is to take a direct route to the cloud. This is preferred by CX system vendors themselves, as it is more convenient and simpler for them. Customers are attracted by the promise of easier migration within a single system. But what’s the catch? It could be the data about you and your clients. Neither you as a customer nor your system integrator can influence their security, in what form and where they will be stored, or where and how they will be transferred. The risk factor also increases when you run AI on client data in the cloud. Infrastructure failure, hacker attacks, or GDPR non-compliance can have critical consequences. Despite certain limitations, this model is a good choice where speed and innovation are key. Typically, these are technology startups, e-shops, online services, consulting firms, or marketing agencies.
The third option represents a compromise solution. In other words, operate the CX platform in hybrid mode. The system is in the cloud, the data is on-premise, and a secure communication interface connects the two. Contact centre agents can be located anywhere, while client data never leaves your corporate network. Communication between them takes the form of YES/NO. How does this work? The agent asks a question (e.g., how many SIM cards does customer XY use?), the system verifies the data and returns a simple answer. Security is a major advantage. A potential attacker cannot assign the captured information to a specific customer. Since the data does not leave the company network, it is easy to comply with internal and legislative security rules. You are aware of every request and can easily check them down to the level of individual people. An added bonus: given the small volume of data transferred, this concept excels in terms of speed.
Leaving secure customer systems in your own IT infrastructure requires thorough preparation and careful planning. At the very beginning, you should evaluate the benefits and risks. A system integrator can help you with this – they will either point you in the right direction or discourage you from plans that could be risky. This is despite the fact that they themselves would lose profit on an unrealised project. A properly managed transition is an opportunity to modernise and strengthen customer experience in the long term. Although many managers do not consider CX to be key to specific economic indicators, it can have a significant impact on them – either positive or negative.
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