Amazon Connect Part 2: Setting Up Your Connect Contact Center

Welcome back to our 7-day blog series on Amazon Connect! Yesterday, we introduced you to the basics of Amazon Connect and its key features. Today, we will guide you through the process of setting up your own Amazon Connect contact center.

Step 1: Sign up for an AWS account To get started with Amazon Connect, you will first need an AWS account. If you do not already have one, sign up at https://aws.amazon.com/.

Step 2: Create an Amazon Connect instance After signing into your AWS account, navigate to the Amazon Connect Console. Click on “Get started” and follow the prompts to create your Amazon Connect instance. You will be asked to choose your preferred settings, such as your instance alias, contact flows, phone numbers, and data storage.

Step 3: Claim a phone number Once your instance is set up, claim a phone number for your contact center. You can choose between a toll-free or local number, depending on your business needs. Customers will use this phone number to contact your support team.

Step 4: Configure routing profiles Routing profiles determine how incoming contacts are routed to your customer service agents. Amazon Connect allows you to create multiple routing profiles with different channel-specific settings. To configure routing profiles, navigate to the “Routing” section in the Amazon Connect Console.

Step 5: Create contact flows Contact flows define the customer experience, from the moment they initiate contact until their issue is resolved. You can create custom contact flows using Amazon Connect’s drag-and-drop editor, which includes various components like prompts, menus, and transfers. Consider incorporating self-service options, such as automated voice or chatbots, to enhance the customer experience and reduce the workload on your agents.

Step 6: Add customer service agents Invite your customer service agents to join your Amazon Connect contact center. To do this, navigate to the “Users” section in the Amazon Connect Console and click on “Add new users.” Provide the necessary information, including the agents’ names, email addresses, and routing profiles.

Step 7: Integrate with other AWS services and third-party applications Amazon Connect seamlessly integrates with various AWS services and third-party applications, allowing you to build a comprehensive contact center solution. Explore the available options and integrate the ones that best suit your business needs, such as CRM systems, workforce management tools, and analytics platforms.

Step 8: Monitor and optimize Once your contact center is up and running, use Amazon Connect’s real-time metrics and historical reporting to track its performance. Analyze these insights to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance your customer service operations.

Summary: Setting up your Amazon Connect contact center involves eight main steps, including signing up for an AWS account, creating an Amazon Connect instance, claiming a phone number, configuring routing profiles, creating contact flows, adding customer service agents, integrating with other services, and monitoring performance. Following these steps will help you create a highly efficient and customer-centric contact center.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, where we will explore Amazon Connect’s AI-powered features and their benefits for your contact center.

Jonathan Nolan is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in customer experience and contact center technology. With a strong background in cloud, marketing, and business development, he has successfully helped numerous organizations implement and optimize their contact center operations. Currently working as a Professional Services Consultant at Dunamis Consulting LLC, Jonathan brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to “Mastering Customer Interactions: A Comprehensive Guide to Genesys Cloud — Navigating the Future of Contact Center Solutions.” This book is a testament to his passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences and his dedication to empowering businesses with the right tools and strategies to succeed in the modern digital era.