AAPT looks to cloud for contact centre

Following the sale of AAPT’s consumer division to iiNet, along with associated contact centre infrastructure, the AAPT business division needed to quickly implement a whole new contact centre solution.

In keeping with the organisation’s shift to cloud-based applications, AAPT selected IPscape - a cloud contact centre offering - to manage contact centre operations and integrate with Salesforce CRM.

According to AAPT Chief Operating Officer David Yuile, this represents a broader inclination towards the cloud.

“The days of complex, expensive legacy IT systems are numbered. Innovative, secure cloud solutions from companies like Google and IPscape allow us to be more agile and responsive at lower cost,” he says.

The new system went live on 16 March following a two-month implementation process. The deal follows comprehensive due diligence by AAPT covering security, functionality, reporting and financial strength.

AAPT has up to 225 agents accessing the contact centre technology in the cloud from various locations across Australia.

In the short time since going live with the new solution, AAPT has enjoyed significant benefits and positive feedback from the contact centre team - in particular, the level of control they now have over the technology.

With the previous on-premise system, nothing could be changed without involvement of IT and typically a three-day turnaround with added strain on the IT team for simple administrative tasks.

With the new system, control is given to the contact centre team themselves allowing them to react quickly to increased call volumes. Contact centre staff can manipulate call queues, create new agents and update the automated message on the IVR, all in real time, providing far better levels of customer service.

Yuile says: “We’ve started to view the technology as an enabler for our business. We can change the way we operate and improve business processes thanks to the flexibility and functionality of the IPscape system.

“Now we can change the way we operate based on what’s happening in the market to better serve our customers.”

Yuile also says the solution surpassed those of other vendors in terms of agility and value.

“There’s no additional cost for features such as real-time reporting, new communication channels, changing customer campaigns on the fly or integration to Salesforce CRM,” Yuile says.