Acquisition International - Issue 1 2023 25 Bringing the omnichannel customer journey together for increased customer engagement and contact centre agent success is Ontario-based solutions provider, Upstream Works Software (Upstream Works). We find out more about the company as it gains international recognition as ‘Best Contact Centre Software Developer – Canada’. Dec22278 pstreamWorks Software is a software application and solutions provider that offers a contact centre agent desktop application suite that helps improve the agent and customer experience. Starting out as a boutique middleware provider in 2000, Upstream Works changed its offering in 2007 to provide omnichannel agent desktops, thus creating a new product category. The firm’s focus is, and always has been, solving the complex technical issues that contact centres experience, with its core value being based on the mantra, “We do what we say we are going to do.” Artificial intelligence is a major breakthrough in the contact centre solutions industry, and Upstream Works has recognised the problems it poses around moving from proof of concept (POC) to production. “Implementing an end-to-end AI solution can be a challenging task for many businesses,” says Rob McDougall, the firm’s CEO. “Upstream Works is well-equipped to help companies overcome these difficulties and realise the benefits of AI in their contact centre environments. Our products and capabilities are uniquely suited to assist with this process and help businesses operationalise AI proof of concepts.” Upstream Works offers omnichannel contact centre solutions through its configurable and integratable products that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of complex enterprise contact centres. “Instead of a cookie-cutter approach, Upstream Works provides a product that allows contact centres to choose the best or most effective existing applications and to fully utilise their current investments,” explains Rob. “By using the agent desktop as a frontend interface for the agent, Upstream Works enables businesses to integrate back-end applications and artificial intelligence components only where necessary to create a smooth and seamless experience for the agent.” Upstream Works distinguishes itself from competitors by placing emphasis on the agent desktop in its approach to contact centre solutions. The agent desktop plays a vital role in connecting the contact centre solution to the agent and integrating it with the various business applications used within the contact centre, as well as emerging AI applications. As a leader in both products and ideas related to improving the agent’s ability to deliver excellent service, Upstream Works is committed to spreading this message to the market. “Many vendors undervalue the importance of the desktop application, which is a crucial component of any effective solution,” Rob elaborates. “We understand that the agent desktop is the central point of interaction for agents within the contact centre system, and therefore we prioritise the needs of the millions of agents who deal with interactions every day.” U Enabling AI to Help Agents Recently, UpstreamWorks gained recognition in theGlobal Excellence Awards 2023 for its diligence. It is the firm’s pioneering and forwardthinking approach in the omnichannel contact centre industry which has helped it to clinch this prestigious accolade. Now, as it looks to the future, there are big plans ahead to own the agent desktop for omnichannel interaction management. Its innovation will be focused on providing platform agnostic solutions to businesses so that they can use the CCAS or premise-based platform and messaging, business and AI applications of their choice. Providing a single application that is usable across these different environments – as well as being transportable across these environments – will continue to guide the company. “We strive to eliminate the complexity from the agent’s desktop, understanding that they need to do the same tasks 60 times a day, five days a week,” states Rob. “The continued focus of Upstream Works will be on providing a solution that will surface the information they require, allow their AI applications to help them do their jobs better, report on how well the entire system is working so it can be effectively managed, and do all this in a way that doesn’t lock a company into any specific telephony platform, business application, or AI vendor.” Contact: Rob McDougall Company: Upstream Works Software Web Address: www.upstreamworks.com Email: info@upstreamworks.com
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