Read our Q&A with Todd Carothers, SVP at Counterpath…

What do you see as the single biggest challenge the contact centre industry has faced over the past 12 months?

Digitalisation is fast becoming a whole new layer to the infrastructure of our existence and understanding, and this is the biggest challenge facing the contact centre industry. It’s inevitable that unauthorised devices and apps will begin to infiltrate the workplace and become the preferred choice of communication, with or without an employers blessing. These can inflict confusion and pose security risks for contact centre agents.

What do you think is the biggest priority for the contact centre industry in 2018?

The contact centre industry needs to make harnessing their employees’ propensity for digital communication a priority. By doing this, managers can provide their agents with the means to put the aptitude for digital communications they have developed in their social lives to good use. They wouldn’t only be making the most of their employees existing skills, but opening channels through which they can better communicate company news and developments, reinforce brand pride and awareness, and keep them up-to-date with team targets and progress.

What trends you are expecting to see in the market in 2018?

I expect 2018 to be the year business communications comes of age. Advancements in Unified Communications (UC) technology over the past decade have allowed workers to communicate across different interfaces and platforms. As organisations undergo broader digital transformations, it’s an opportunity for businesses to introduce a UC strategy that ties everything together and allows for a more communicative workforce, but it’s an opportunity they need to grab with both hands.

What technology do you think is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?

I expect Threaded Communications (TC) to have a massive impact on the market throughout 2018. If 2017 taught us anything it’s that users don’t want to be hampered by different levels of integration. TC is part-and-parcel of UC, rather than something new to steal its crown. TC is a single piece of communication through which users can pick up any previous conversations and continue from where they’ve left off, seamlessly.

Do you see any new technologies on the horizon?

Many businesses today operate with a geographically dispersed workforce. But whether they’re working from home, out sick, or travelling, employees need the ability to work as a team. A persistent team collaboration solution gives employees the freedom to connect, communicate and collaborate, no matter where they are in the world, at any time, using any communications device.

An effective unified communications solution can open up transparent dialogue between employees which has a direct impact on productivity and profitability. By creating opportunities for more transparency and communication, as well as an employee community for enhanced collaboration, work becomes more meaningful and interactive. Get this right and a business could be transformed, giving it a greatly desired competitive advantage within the market. Moving forward in 2018, we’ll increasing see the need to expand persistence beyond traditional UC applications like conferencing and video to integrate apps more closely with business processes to gain even greater value.