Jacada Blog

Making a Case for Why Customer Information Systems Don’t Belong in the Cloud

By Gideon Hollander, CEO of Jacada Inc.


There is little doubt “cloud computing” is the buzzword du jour. One only needs to attend an industry trade show or read an IT publication or analyst report, and it will be evident that the world has “gone cloud,” or at a minimum, is rapidly moving to the cloud. Indeed, software vendors proudly boast of their cloud offerings, extolling the evils of “on-premise” software and systems.

We say, not so fast.

The reality faced by most CIOs is their need to be trusted guardians of their customers’ data. Those organizations at the lower end of data privacy and maturity naturally may feel less custodial responsibility. However, organizations that value customer data and privacy treat this information with what amounts to being akin to a fiduciary responsibility to their customer.
How can you ship your customer data off premise?

There is no doubt some cloud providers have impressive levels of security – yet, it doesn’t change the reality that customer information is taken off premise, beyond firewalls and exposed via a public channel on the internet. Not to mention there are internal threats within the cloud provider, such as a disgruntled (i.e.fired) employee.

We have already seen promises of “uptime” in the cloud compromised. Therefore, sadly, it is most likely a case of when, not if, we see a major data security breach in the cloud industry. Here are just a few examples:

• In April of this year, Amazon suffered an embarrassing multi-day service outage on some of its cloud services.
• On the security front, Dropbox, experienced a security lapse where, for a few hours, a user could log onto any other users account.
• Unfortunately, no company is immune. Other high-profile security breaches include Lockheed Martin, RSA, Citigroup and Sony.

Our intent is not to criticize these vendors as we recount these incidents. If anything, these companies have pioneered new industries in the cloud space and have been successful in what they do. Rather, we highlight this only to show how completely feasible outages and security breaches are. These outages remind us that behind the “cloud” buzzword, we are still dealing with fragile and complex technology, with multiple points of potential failure. From large cloud providers to the small ones, none of them are immune to coding errors, network failures, hacking or malicious internal behavior.

Do your customers know their personal information is technically accessible on the web?

In a poll of our customers, the majority emphatically stated theydo not plan to transition their call center data to cloud services in the next three years. Granted, these organizations have mature processes around handling customer data and  a leadership team that understands the responsibility bestowed upon them. However, most were absolute in their decisions.

The main reason? Consumer privacy. Many cloud solutions cannot guarantee customer security and privacy. In fact, one call center company that had moved customer information to the cloud moved everything back to an on-premise system to save costs, increase flexibility and protect consumer information.

This trend is not unique to our customers. In fact, research firm IDC conducted a survey of IT executives not only confirmed this trend, but found that availability and performance are major downsides for call centers’ dependence on cloud computing.

Should I abandon the cloud entirely?

Is the cloud completely bad? No, of course not. It is without a doubt the direction application delivery is moving. But when you assess your current cloud strategy, think about the potential for a security breach. What will you tell your customers when their social security numbers have been leaked onto the web? Do you believe they will understand that your organization deliberately and purposely opted to ship their data offsite and place it online on the internet? Our contention is the cloud should offer software as a service – the emphasis on software. The data on the other hand should never leave your premises. Think of software as a service, data as an asset.

Without a doubt, we will continue to see dramatic evolutions in cloud offerings. The cloud industry as a whole is still nascent. It will fundamentally change the way we are connected to the online world and become the invisible virtual fiber optic that links all our devices together, without regard to geographical boundaries. The possibilities are endless. In all the excitement however, let’s not forget who our customers are and what we owe them when it comes to data privacy.

About the Author

Gideon Hollander is the co-chief executive officer and founder of Jacada. Gideon is highly regarded for his strategic vision and innovation-centered leadership, and is focused on ensuring that Jacada delivers high quality, best-of-breed solutions. Prior to founding Jacada, Gideon was part of the research and development team at Comverse Technology. Prior to Comverse, he served in various technology and management positions in an elite unit of the Israeli Defense Forces, where he specialized in expert systems and user interface design. Two of the projects that Gideon managed won the most prominent Israeli award for technological innovations. Gideon also has a passion for rock and mountain climbing.

 

This article originally appeared on callcentreclinic.com Nov. 3, 2011.

20% drop in word of mouth opinion sharing - new research shows

Interesting article from destinationcrm.com on why Americans have cut back substantially (since 2008) on the opinions they share by word-of-mouth (WOM) about companies and their offerings. Check it out here.

Engage with your customers in a thoughtful and efficient way - check out Jacada's products for improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

The benefits of call center technology

I found this article on CRMsearch.com (How Call Centers Benefit from CRM Software) and it gives a good general overview of why a unified desktop system is needed by call centers.  One concept discussed is that by tracking customer information, companies can better understand the habits of their customers as well as predict future behaviors.  This is very important in customer service and can be a 'difference maker' for most companies.  Having the ability to anticipate a customer's wants and needs (as well as resolve any issues quickly and effectively) is the reason customers stay with a company for years and years. With the advent of social media, bad customer service spreads fast. 

Check out the entire article here and for more information about Jacada's desktop and process optimization products and how they can help your company, take a tour here. 

"Put me in Coach!"

With "The Big Game" (American football) only a few days away, I got to thinking...every project we have is like "The Big Game." We have a team of players, strategy sessions, pre-game rituals, daily play-by-play updates, as well as  a post-game show.  Jacada's team of Professional Services takes the field with a full strategy to succeed. We take an active role as consultants and learn all about the business and processes of the customer in order to develop solutions which will drive a more effective and efficient customer interaction. Our game plan is to score an optimum solution designed for the customer's specific needs and leverage innovative technology to improve that business model.  

Our Team is made up of a project manager, solution architect, business analyst and development manager (all Heisman Trophy winners no doubt) as well as a host of behind-the-scenes players (water boy, towel guy?).  This winning combination helps hold the line and keeps your project on track and running smoothly.  Jacada has developed a best practices methodology for engaging with the customer and our experienced players deliver the customer experience solutions required by today's leading service organizations.

Check out how Jacada's Professional Services team engages with the customer and provides outstanding service from the coin toss to the whistle. Game on!

Jennifer Childress - Director of Marketing Communications, Jacada Inc.

 

The "Metrobank" effect on Call Centres

Last month saw a phenomenon in the UK unseen for over 100 years: the launch of a new bank in London, aptly called Metrobank. They launch with a fresh outlook and ideas on customer service, such as customer-friendly opening hours.  But something else that gives them a competitive advantage is that the applications underpinning the bank's operations and used by their Customer Service Agents (CSAs) are not legacy applications.

Does this really matter? Resoundingly, yes, because freed from legacy applications' green screen non-customer centric focus, they will be able to live up to their customer service experience promises.

Most organisations don't have the luxury Metrobank had of installing new applications, mainly because they are running their businesses on the 20, 30, 40-year-old legacy green screen applications. Ironically, though, legacy applications are typically much more robust and resilient than newer applications but their appearance and appliance for modern day use lets them down. Given their importance to the businesses, replacing these legacy applications in favour of modern ones is financially unviable for most organisations.  Yes, they could take the re-engineering approach but, again, for most this is still financially unviable and would take too long. 

But what if you could retain the resilience and robustness of legacy applications while hiding their green screens and lifting their restrictions? 

Putting a modern web-browser veneer or surface onto legacy green screens or legacy Windows-based applications alone is not enough, because the underlying restrictions, limitations and ways of viewing data need to change before the organisation can start to see tangible benefits.  For example, data needs to be organised around customers not accounts. 

If the more fundamental changes are made (for example, through the non-invasive unified desktop approach to integration such as Jacada's) companies can reap the benefit.  

I could cite many examples from our own customer base.   In one case, a well known energy provider has driven down the time taken to investigate billing disputes from 20 minutes to just a few minutes. Changing an insurance company's data to customer-centric rather than policy-centric allows the CSAs to service customers of multiple products, much easier and faster than they previously did when they specialised in a particular product category.  In this example the introduction of simpler more intuitive screens allowed the CSAs to do more with fewer clicks (eg changing the address with one click rather than having to make the amendments in multiple applications and screens) provided significant cost savings from improved First Call Resolution (FCR), reduced Average Handling Time (AHT), and shorter training times.

Changing these internal aspects of the customer experience can make a world of difference externally to the customer! 

Karnail Jita - Presales Consultant, Jacada Inc.

Performance and the Odds, World Cup Style

If the Ghana team, who just ended USA's run, is going to win the World Cup they will be against some serious odds.  Foxsports.com has the team at a 25-1 long shot to win the 2010 title. 

I imagine if I were waking this morning in South Africa as a soccer player to the sounds of distant vuvuzelas, seeing these numbers might encourage me to crawl back into bed. The odds are just too great. Recently I have realized what the World Cup has taught me. The odds are often high every day and regardless of those odds we need to perform.

There are no privileges in sports. Games are about numbers; goals, fouls, seconds and so on. There are results to publish. There will always be an end and a lesson to remember. Teammates must perform at every practice and every game in order to keep playing. To keep playing, each team member has to be selected for their national teams. The selection is determined by measures and metrics that are transparent. All players, coaches and fans know the numbers of every teammate and every competitor. This knowledge is the key to their success. 

In sports the underlying rule is 'ya gotta perform.' Simple but true. When it comes to our professional office lives it is not so simple. We are fearful of being openly judged. However, when you know what you are being measured against, it can be empowering. The call center agent faces a plethora of numbers and metrics every hour, the agent's individual participation impacts the entire company's reputation. Judgment focused on results has helped create successful companies, yield better programs and create end user happiness.  

The most direct path to achievement whether you're a call center agent or a pro soccer player is to be a great performer and a great team member. No matter what the odds might say... when we perform and get selected to be a part of the team we win individually and we win collectively. 

Jeff Strnad, Senior Vice President - Global Customer Solutions, Jacada Inc.