Connect is basically an AWS service. So, we have used it within the InsightDesk Cloud itself, along with integration with other CRM platforms like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and maybe the Genesys Cloud as well because it is possible.

Some companies keep their agents in Amazon Connect, while others may use Genesys or other vendors.

So, the main use case of Amazon Connect is there are agents in the contact centers. Previously, they used to have very big VoIP phones to attend the customer calls.

Now, for every call, they had to answer the user queries, even though some of the queries were not relevant. Some of the queries were common.

When Amazon Connect launched its service, it introduced the softphone feature right on the agent's screen. So, you don't need to keep any big VoIP phone. You don't need to invest in the hardware costing and all.

Along with that, there's the bot option also. You can set it for both your Amazon Prime. They will automate like bots will answer the basic and repetitive queries of the customer.

If the customer wants to talk to a human agent, then the call will be transferred to the agent. Along with that, you can customize your contact centers, as this particular sales call should go to the particular agent itself, a particular team itself; this support call should go to a particular support team as well.

Agents, customers should wait only this much time in the queue if the agents are on another call, along with some AI and ML-related customizations, like a supervisor can monitor the performance of the agent, whether they are performing well or they are performing moderately.

The sentiment analysis you can do. Customized agent dashboard is possible, and a customized supervisor dashboard is also possible. So, there are multiple features Amazon Connect provide. Yeah. You can integrate with other AWS services or CRM platforms.

There are multiple valuable features. First of all, there is the feature of call diversion to agents. The contact flow design is an easier way to route things over the contact center medium.

Along with that, the performance thing, I have noticed a very good feature in Amazon Connect. And voicemail integration means if the customer agent is not picking up the call, the customer can drop a voicemail. This is a very good feature of Amazon Connect.

Even Lex-powered bots, which is one of the services of AWS, and Lex-bot also, you can integrate for chat queries. This is a perfect feature. It has integration with Amazon Connect and along with other AWS services. Even Amazon Connect Pro voice is omnichannel. It works on omnichannel, meaning chat along with voice. So, this is the perfect feature.

Amazon Connect has proven itself in multiple areas. First, let's consider banking contact center solutions. By using Amazon Connect, banks can significantly reduce the need for human agents. This can lead to cost optimization of 50% to 60% compared to their existing on-premise contact centers. That's one major feature and benefit.

Now, apart from banking, other industries like real estate could also benefit. They can design Connect contact flows to answer common customer queries, reducing reliance on human agents. Essentially, any industry with on-premise contact centers stands to gain automation benefits from Amazon Connect.

Amazon recently launched a new service within Amazon Connect called Workforce Management (WFM). Only a few companies like NICE and Genesys offer comparable WFM solutions. Amazon Connect's WFM features are robust, allowing for agent scheduling, tracking their status (on call, on leave, on break, etc.).

However, larger organizations would likely be most attracted to Amazon Connect's WFM. This is because the WFM market is vast – every company with a contact center needs WFM capabilities.

Smaller organizations might prefer standalone products like Success KPI WFM or Genesys WFM. Adopting Amazon Connect necessitates using other AWS services, which could lead to higher-than-expected costs.

So, the potential for unknowingly increased costs is a con.

In future releases, If I could add one feature, Amazon Connect should focus on improving the WFM (Workforce Management) capabilities. I've worked with standalone WFM products and Amazon Connect's WFM. Amazon's implementation has some areas for improvement in the design.

Additionally, they should increase the response time limit, especially when integrating Amazon Connect with Lambda. Currently, you only have eight seconds for your Lambda function to respond before it fails.

I have been using it for a year. That's also the experience I have with AWS cloud and other services like Lambda, Simplify, and many more.

It's very stable. It's quite a mature product now. Amazon frequently introduces new features, like the recent launch of WFM (Workforce Management). Overall, it's a very reliable platform.

Scalability is a strong point. If you need to increase the number of agents in your contact center, you can easily do so. AWS provides handy support; you can raise your limits and scale both agent count and other services as needed.

Think of it like user management. You can create users and also delete users as needed. Additionally, you can contact Amazon Connect support and request a revised limit of two hundred users.

There are around 30 to 35 end users. Our entire team actively uses Amazon Connect. Additionally, there are other projects within the company that use it, so I estimate that it will have over 300 users in total.

I have contacted the Amazon Connect support team multiple times. They are really good at resolving issues.

It's very easy. Amazon Connect is a readily deployable solution. However, if you're migrating agents from a different platform, like Genesys Cloud, and the number of agents is large, then the process might have some complexity. Still, it's manageable. If the number of agents is smaller, the process is incredibly straightforward.

It is not easy to use for first time users. For example, it does have a moderate ease of use. I would recommend to first, gain a basic understanding of AWS – things like IAM roles and core services. You should be familiar with Lambda, S3 buckets, and ideally DynamoDB.

While not completely dependent on Connect, knowledge of these services will be essential as you begin using it. Definitely complete the AWS-provided training for Amazon Connect – instance creation, flow types (customer flows, customer queue flows, agent flows), and flow design. These fundamentals are crucial if you're new to AWS and Amazon Connect.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. It's a significant improvement over the previous solution we used, which wasn't cost-effective and involved hardware complexities.

Amazon Connect reduces those hassles. Additionally, it offers integrations with multiple CRM platforms like Salesforce and ServiceNow, automating tasks like ticket creation and status updates. It's a solid product, but there's always potential for further improvement.

We use Amazon Connect to establish connections between our project and clients. This allows us to create a VPN for communication rather than using it daily. It's mainly utilized as needed for specific connections.

We utilize Amazon Connect to handle customer service interactions, particularly in projects where we provide professional services. For example, when developing an application, we typically set up EC2 instances on AWS. Then, to facilitate communication within our clients' internal networks, we establish connections through Amazon Connect.

The tool has simplified our contact center operations. It enables us to establish communication between our local data center and AWS services.

I believe one of the most valuable features of Amazon Connect is the ability to use a private network to establish communication. Instead of relying on the public internet, we can utilize a directed phone and address to create this connection. This helps set up a direct point-to-site connection. Additionally, the option to create a PC in AWS and connect it directly to our local data center has been incredibly beneficial. The bandwidth is faster; we can transfer large data volumes between the local data center and the AWS instance.

Establishing communication through Amazon Connect was straightforward compared to alternative solutions that may require setting up VPNs with other tools.

One area for improvement with Amazon Connect lies in the cost structure, particularly for use cases involving smaller data volumes. While it's simple to establish communication channels, the pricing model may result in higher costs for such scenarios. This presents a challenge that organizations may encounter, especially if they aim to optimize efficiency while managing smaller data transfers.

I rate the tool's stability a nine out of ten.

While AWS Connect may not directly address scalability concerns, we've found ways to enhance scalability by configuring redundant connections and utilizing multiple direct connections. There may not be significant immediate benefits in terms of cost, as initial usage can incur higher spending. However, as scalability increases and larger data transfer volumes are required, there can be long-term cost savings. This suggests that while there may be higher costs initially, particularly for smaller data transfers, the overall cost can decrease as usage and data volumes grow.

I rate its scalability a nine out of ten.

The solution's customer service is great.

My experience with this type of solution began around 2016. At that time, cloud environments like AWS and Microsoft Azure were gaining immense traction among large enterprises. In my case, I primarily worked with AWS for these types of connections.

I didn't create any other VPN using AWS before that. Previously, I relied on Fortinet, which allowed me to create VPN routes. However, configuring such solutions involved setting up the tool, and configuring all the environments, and could take quite some time.

I rate the tool's deployment an eight to nine out of ten. An experienced person can complete it in one week. The product deployment typically involves collaboration between the network team responsible for managing connections between the local data center and AWS and an expert in AWS services.

I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten.

I would recommend the tool for primarily for those already utilizing AWS as their cloud solution. However, for individuals or organizations using other cloud solutions like Azure or different providers, I would suggest exploring options to combine their current solutions with other tools. I rate it an eight out of ten.