Integrating enterprise software into your call center is essential, but it’s rarely easy. Of course, vendors will overcome obstacles and promote a call center integration that works out of the box. Some are more open about the difficulties, but in all cases you should do your due diligence before making any drastic changes.
I’m going to walk you through all the ways you can test potential call center integrations before making a big commitment. It’s difficult to implement these changes once deployed: you don’t want to get stuck in this position or locked into sub-optimal integration.
We’ll also look at how to lead the transition within your organization. The truth is that technically sound integrations sometimes fail because managers lack the will or communication skills to actually drive adoption. Preparing your agents and supervisors for onboarding is just as important as selecting software that fits your technology stack.
Six steps to testing a call center integration
1. Check system and compliance requirements
Above all, make sure your system meets the technological or legal requirements for any new integrations you want to add to your stack.
Verify that the integration is designed to work with your call center software and any other software with which it must work well, such as CRM software, ticketing systemsOr ERP software.
Review the integration documentation and API specifications, ensuring they match the version and configuration of your systems. Compatibility is crucial to avoid issues like data mapping errors or limited functionality.
You also want to ensure that this integration complies with all legal requirements. Most reputable call center integrations are built with data security in mind, but if your industry has strict compliance requirements (e.g. HIPAA, GDPR). Check if features like data encryptionRole-based access controls and audit trails meet current regulations.
2. Consult your IT team
Your IT team is a great resource that understands your call center technology even better than the agents who will ultimately use it – and that includes the software you plan to integrate.
Rather than just asking if an integration is feasible or if the systems are compatible, ask if they think the software will really work well with your current infrastructure. What will your infrastructure be like in 2 to 5 years?
You can also ask them if they have any glaring concerns about certain integrations and what they would recommend as a testing plan once the integrations are complete.
By arming yourself with as much information as possible in advance, you can ensure that you ask the right questions in the future and that subsequent integration tests are thorough, complete and accurate.
3.Investigate business requirements
It’s a must, and the better job you do of determining what everyone in the organization needs, the more pitfalls you can avoid. Investigate the leaders of any team that will touch the integration or its data. This likely includes sales, service, IT, billing, human resources, and may include third-party applications such as payment gateways or services like IVR testing.
For example, your sales team may need the integration to work with types of call center dialers, call tracking softwareor even a separate CRM from your customer service team.
It is essential that you discover the specific needs of each service early in the process to ensure that you are only looking for truly viable integrations. The last thing you want to do is discover that your new integration doesn’t meet the actual day-to-day needs of the organization.
4. Speak with customer references
Contact sales representatives for the software you want to integrate and ask for any customer references they may have, especially from other call centers. Be sure to confirm which integrations their software works with, how their integration processes went, and if they had any testing or post-integration issues.
This step can reveal potential issues that might not be obvious in demos or technical documentation. Speaking with customers who have used the software helps validate its effectiveness in the real world. Someone who has been using integration for a few years has a perspective you won’t find anywhere else.
With this information from peer organizations, you will have several first-hand accounts of the onboarding and testing process. This can help you rule out seemingly suitable options and give you a better idea of what to expect in the future.
5. Perform demonstrations
Be sure to complete step-by-step walkthroughs or demonstrations of the technology before committing to any new call center integration. This can be done by contacting company representatives and scheduling demos with key stakeholders such as your call center agents, IT team, and managers.
I would boil it down to a very short list of potential call center integrations before doing any demos. You have to “see how it works,” but demos take so long and they take important employees away from their work for at least an hour for each demo.
Also know exactly what you want to demonstrate. Don’t expect the vendor’s team to be prepared for your exact situation. That would be nice, but it’s not realistic. It’s more likely that you’re their third demo of the day, tenth of the week, and the rep finds out who you are right before the call.
So prepare yourself. If the integration relies on APIs, prepare to test the software your team plans to use. For example, check if the software integrates perfectly with your CRM, IVR softwareand call tracking software. Is the data exchanged accurate and in real time? Are customer recordings updated and synced with call logs?
Let’s say you’re looking to integrate interactive voice response (IVR) technology into your call center. You’ll want to know what other technology it’s compatible with, how to do testing, and what specific bugs or issues you need to watch out for. The key is to determine what you need to know in advance so you have the right information to proceed smoothly.
The better due diligence you have done before the demo, the better level of information you will be able to glean. You’ll know what questions to ask and what you need to see the integration do.
After the demos, you have to make a choice. There’s not much else you can know in advance. Select a call center integration with confidence and know that you’re putting yourself in the best possible position for success.
Contact center integration and adoption
Deploying a call center integration requires careful planning to ensure technical success and frictionless employee adoption. Start by defining the workflows and data points that need to be connected, so that IT and call center teams are aligned on goals and expectations.
Common technical challenges include data synchronization, API compatibility, and risk of extremely costly downtime. Address them by testing data mapping, ensuring fields align correctly across all systems, and preparing a backup plan for potential disruptions.
This process will always be a little complicated, but Data integration goes smoother when you have a clear strategy. For a call center integration that is going to be rolled out across an entire organization, consider a staged rollout or use middleware to fill functionality gaps.
Testing is essential. Start with unit testing for each feature, then move on to end-to-end testing in a sandbox to simulate high call volumes. After that, test the integration with a small group of users to gather feedback and resolve any issues before full deployment.
To drive adoption of the new call center integration, it is essential to engage end users from the start. Involving them from the start not only helps them feel invested in the change, but also provides an opportunity to highlight how onboarding will make their job easier or more effective.
Take every opportunity to demonstrate specific benefits, such as reduced manual tasks, faster access to customer information, or automated call center workflows that show users exactly how the new solution will make their lives easier .
Effective training and ongoing support are essential to successfully make this transition. In the ideal scenario, you will be able to provide structured training sessions for different levels of users, complemented by quick reference guides and accessible resources. You should update your call center knowledge base before deployment so that employees can find answers to common problems as quickly as possible.
A dedicated support channel, such as a help desk or chat room, can offer real-time assistance if any issues arise. If this is not feasible, I would designate at least one person who participated in the onboarding as the point person for employees to contact for future issues.
