Navigating the Challenges of Migrating from an On-Premise System to Genesys Cloud

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In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, contact centers face increasing pressure to keep up with rising customer expectations. One of the most significant shifts organizations can make is moving from an on-premise contact center infrastructure to a Cloud-based Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) platform like Genesys Cloud. While the benefits of such a migration are numerous—scalability, cost savings, and enhanced customer engagement—the process can present significant challenges, especially when dealing with large organizations that have multiple lines of business.

One of the key hurdles we encountered during a recent migration from an on-premise system to Genesys Cloud was ensuring adoption across various business lines. This blog dives into how we overcame this challenge by focusing on the people aspect of the migration—aligning stakeholders, managing workforce engagement, and driving effective change management.

The Challenge: Multi-Line Business Adoption

In organizations with multiple divisions or lines of business, migrating to a new platform like Genesys Cloud is not a simple flip of the switch. Each line of business has its own processes, goals, and workforce characteristics. The legacy on-premise system, while less flexible, was familiar to the staff, and shifting to a new, cloud-based platform posed a significant change.

Resistance to change is natural. Employees may feel overwhelmed by new tools and fear they won't be able to maintain the level of service their customers expect. In this case, each business line had unique workflows tied to specific customer interactions. The idea of centralizing and harmonizing processes in Genesys Cloud led to concerns about how effectively the platform would meet their individual needs.

Solution: Customized Training and Stakeholder Involvement

We recognized early on that this transition would only be successful if employees in each line of business embraced the change. To do so, we implemented a strategy focused on customized training sessions and active stakeholder engagement.

1. Tailored Training Sessions:Generic training sessions for all employees wouldn’t work, given the diverse requirements of each line of business. Instead, we developed role-specific training designed to show how Genesys Cloud could be integrated into the unique workflows of each division. This involved:
   • Job-specific workflows: We mapped Genesys Cloud's functionality to each business line’s processes. For example, for VPA (Virtual Personal Assistance), we demonstrated how the AI-driven routing and chatbot features in Genesys could streamline customer queries, while in SCD (Sales & Customer Development), we highlighted the omnichannel communication capabilities.
   • Hands-on Practice: Employees were given opportunities to test-drive the platform in simulated real-world scenarios. This allowed them to familiarize themselves with the new tools before going live, reducing anxiety and helping them feel confident in their ability to manage customer interactions.
2. Stakeholder Involvement Through Genesys Workforce Engagement:A crucial factor in ensuring adoption was involving key stakeholders from each business line early and often. We used Genesys Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) to engage managers and team leads, demonstrating how the platform could help optimize not only performance but also their employees’ day-to-day workloads.
3. Why was this important? Engaging team leads and managers meant they were not just passengers in the journey; they became champions of the change. They could see firsthand how WEM’s AI-powered forecasting and scheduling tools could:
4. • Improve productivity: By ensuring that agents were scheduled optimally to handle peak times, leading to reduced wait times and better customer satisfaction.
   • Provide real-time performance insights: The performance dashboards allowed managers to track KPIs, such as call resolution times and customer satisfaction scores, giving them immediate visibility into how the platform improved operations.
   • Enhance morale: By using the platform’s gamification features, managers could reward agents for performance, fostering a more motivated and engaged workforce.

Addressing Resistance and Fostering Adoption

Despite our best efforts, we still encountered resistance from some employees who were hesitant to transition from their familiar, on-premise system to the new Genesys Cloud environment. The key to overcoming this was clear communication and reassurance.

1. Transparent Communication:We maintained regular communication throughout the transition, providing employees with updates on the progress of the migration and addressing concerns as they arose. We held town hall meetings and feedback sessions where employees could voice their worries and receive responses directly from the leadership team.
2. Continuous Support:Post-migration, we ensured continuous support through ongoing training and dedicated support teams that were available to troubleshoot any issues in real-time. This reduced the frustration employees felt when they encountered roadblocks and ensured that minor issues didn’t snowball into larger disruptions.

Results: Enhanced Adoption and Performance

By tailoring our approach to the specific needs of each business line and leveraging the full capabilities of Genesys Workforce Engagement Management, we were able to:

• Achieve successful adoption across all business lines.
• Reduce average call handling time by 20% in VPA through AI-driven routing.
• Improve customer satisfaction scores by 15% due to better resource allocation, thanks to WEM’s scheduling optimization.

Perhaps most importantly, we built a culture of acceptance toward the new platform by ensuring that every individual—whether in management or on the front lines—understood the value of Genesys Cloud and how it would make their jobs easier.

Conclusion: A People-First Approach is Key

Migrating from an on-premise system to Genesys Cloud isn't just about shifting technology; it’s about driving change in how people work and engage with new systems. The success of any cloud contact center migration hinges on people, and ensuring that each employee, from agents to managers, feels supported and engaged in the process is critical.

In our experience, focusing on customized training and engaging stakeholders with workforce engagement tools can make all the difference. By addressing their concerns and giving them the tools to succeed, you can drive a successful migration that benefits not just the technology but the entire organization.

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