Learn about the release of Amazon Connect and what it means for the telephony industry.
It’s hard to read through any business news site and not see significant real estate devoted to Amazon. What started out as a simple online bookseller has morphed into a digital behemoth offering nearly every product imaginable, as well as a growing number of cloud-based services catering to companies of all sizes. In many cases, these services are disrupting established industries, whose players cannot compete with Amazon’s scale, efficiency, and pricing.
While Amazon Web Services (AWS) has long been growing in popularity, it’s only this year that a new service was unveiled that could create a seismic shift in the telephony market. Amazon Connect is a software-based call center solution released in March. It is direct competition for long-time VOIP players Microsoft, Cisco, Genesys, and Avaya. One of these key players, Avaya, filed for bankruptcy in April, which illustrates the challenge faced by many established companies—innovative competitors driving down the cost to consumers.
What is Amazon Connect?
Amazon Connect is a self-service, cloud based contact center service that helps businesses deliver superior customer service at reduced costs. Connect utilizes the exact same technology that is used to connect Amazon’s own customer service staff with millions of people around the world.
Contact center software in the cloud made easy
After logging into Amazon Connect, users are greeted with a user-friendly interface that allows administrators to manage customer service agents, create contact flows, and track call metrics – all with no special skills required.
Why choose Amazon Connect for your call center needs?
- Pay as you go – As is the case with most AWS services, Amazon Connect charges customers by the minute as opposed to locking customers into a long-term contract requiring high up-front payments.
- Easy to setup – Thanks to Amazon’s easy-to-use interface, you can easily take calls in just a few minutes. With drag and drop editors, users create quick contact flows to ensure customer calls are being properly routed and handled.
- Open platform – Amazon Connect integrates with a variety of third-party CRM solutions and other services on the AWS platform. Think about the potential of tying your contact center service into your backend to smoothly move a potential prospect from lead to customer.
- Reliable – Amazon has built a name for itself with its highly reliable network of servers and data centers located around the world. With such a user-friendly and scalable infrastructure, it’s hard for individual companies to develop an in-house solution that can compete in terms of cost savings or capabilities.
What does Amazon Connect mean for other key players?
The fact that Avaya has recently declared bankruptcy says a lot about the future of telephony companies that rely on a traditional business model of charging high fees for complex systems requiring constant support and customization. The industry players are closely watching the rollout of Amazon Connect to see how it affects their bottom lines.
Reach out to CloudHesive for an in-depth demo of Amazon Connect
If you’re interested in learning how Amazon Connect could streamline your contact center functions, feel free to reach out to CloudHesive today at 800-860-2040 or through our online contact form. We look forward to hearing from you.
