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Transforming a Large Federal Government Agency’s Contact Center: A Journey to Cost Efficiency and Control

*In the interest of safeguarding client privacy and confidentiality, the identity of the individual or entity featured in this case study has been intentionally redacted. Any specific details or information that could potentially reveal the client's identity, including but not limited to names, locations, or other identifiable particulars, have been withheld. This redaction is a proactive measure undertaken to uphold the strictest standards of privacy and to respect the confidentiality agreement between the parties involved.

Both efficiency and control are paramount when it comes to government services. This rings especially true for many large federal government agencies’ contact centers, which provide services to millions of people every year. This is the story of how Simple Technology Solutions (STS) played a pivotal role in reshaping a large federal government agency's Contact Center landscape, driving cost savings and empowering the agency with newfound control.

The Legacy Challenge

For seven years, this government agency relied on a global telecommunications carrier to host and manage their contact center technology. As the contract came up for renewal, two significant challenges emerged – the exorbitant cost of the solution and the lack of control the center had over making changes to the platform. The traditional licensing model and hosted services on a global telecommunications carrier’s platform incurred substantial expenses, hindering the government's ability to make timely adjustments. The agency found itself in need of a transformation.

The AWS Advantage

The agency opted to migrate its contact center technology to Amazon Connect. Several compelling reasons influenced this decision. First and foremost, the consumption-based pricing of Amazon Connect provided transparency, allowing the government to pay only for the time connected to the platform, eliminating expenses for unused licenses and connections. Moreover, the cost was significantly lower compared to their previous telecommunications carrier’s service.

Security was another critical factor. Amazon Connect's FedRAMP designation ensured that the platform met the stringent security requirements of the government. Lastly, extensibility played a vital role, giving the agency the freedom to design a custom Administrative Console through which local resources could make specific configurations while maintaining control over critical settings.

Choosing the Right Partner: Simple Technology Solutions

The agency partnered with STS, an 8(a) HUBZone small business specializing in cloud engineering services. STS's expertise in cloud platforms, particularly in Amazon Web Services (AWS), made them the ideal candidate for this transformation. As an AWS Advanced Partner with AWS Government Competency, STS brought powerful artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to the table.

The Partner Solution

STS's solution seamlessly integrated with Amazon Connect, leveraging various AWS services to enhance the user and caller experience. The architecture involved a toll-free number connecting directly to the Amazon Connect platform, with an AWS Lambda function integrating contact flows with the client’s instance of identity management. The integration also extended to Amazon Chime for TTY callers and Dynamo DB for caching caller information. Amazon Polly and Amazon Lex were employed to create a natural language experience.

ICAM Integration and Identity Management Integration

The integration with the client's Identity Management solution ensured secure authentication through AWS IAM, allowing agents to use their identity management system for tracking and documenting interactions. This integration happened seamlessly within the existing system, streamlining the entire process for users.

Administrative Console for Control

One of the key success factors was STS's ability to lift and shift from the global telecommunications carrier platform to Amazon Connect with minimal changes to the caller experience. The custom administrative console empowered this government agency by putting control back into the government's hands. This console allowed instant changes to be made, reducing operational overhead and enabling agility and vendor independence.

Results and Benefits

The custom Amazon Connect Contact Center has been in production for over six months, with a drastic reduction in platform costs from millions to less than $200,000 annually. STS’s client now can make changes instantly through the custom admin tool, improving the overall customer experience. The success of the migration has led the large agency to deepen its investment in AI/ML, utilizing Contact Lens for call summarization and sentiment analysis.

Another important advantage to highlight here is the reduction of the burden on the employees who use this tool daily. Mitigating confusing systems and workloads makes for a more frictionless process, and in turn, alleviates time delays and improves overall satisfaction for users.

Next Steps

This agency continues to collaborate with STS to enhance features for internal customers and improve the caller experience further. With a successful migration behind them, the agency plans to integrate Amazon Connect data into their Data Bricks and Tableau instances, enabling seamless access to call center data through existing reporting mechanisms.

About the Partner - STS

STS stands as the only 8(a) small business that is an AWS Advanced Partner with AWS Government Competency. Their Intelligent Contact Center practice, composed of AWS Associate Solution Architect-certified developers, extends support not only to a large federal government agency but also to the Department of Defense and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). With US-based resources proficient in securing government clearances, STS continues to play a crucial role in transforming government contact centers for the better.