Most companies view their contact centers as a cost of doing business—a necessary but expensive operation. However, your contact center can become a powerful revenue driver with the right technology, strategy, and AI-driven automation.
By embracing cloud flexibility, optimizing agent workflows, and leveraging AI for predictive engagement and lead re-engagement, businesses can maximize every customer interaction and drive measurable growth. In this article, we’ll explore four essential steps to transform your contact center into a profit center. Let’s dive in.
1. Gain flexibility in the cloud
Cloud adoption is often the first step in optimizing a contact center, but many organizations still face challenges in execution. The 2025 Banking Trends and Priorities Report reveals that while 51% of institutions are actively implementing digital transformation efforts, 22% struggle with implementation or have halted their progress. Key priorities include improving digital experiences (52%) and enhancing data capabilities (33%), with AI adoption gradually expanding beyond security into customer service and process automation.
Despite these challenges, the cloud is more than just an infrastructure shift—it’s the foundation for profit-driving capabilities like multi-channel messaging, AI-powered engagement, and seamless data integration. Businesses that successfully migrate their contact centers to the cloud gain the flexibility to scale operations, improve customer experiences, and drive measurable growth.
Why cloud-based contact centers make sense
Migrating data and workflows to the cloud improves productivity, security, and operational agility. It also enables businesses to engage customers across their entire journey, from initial outreach to post-sales support.
A cloud-based contact center delivers value in two key areas:
1. Data-supported operations
Seamless access to customer data makes every interaction more effective. Through Salesforce integration, agents can:
- View 360-degree customer profiles in real time.
- Reduce time spent on manual validation and data entry.
- Personalize conversations based on historical interactions.
This shift eliminates inefficiencies, allowing agents to focus on meaningful customer engagement.
2. Multichannel communication at scale
Effective outreach requires flexibility. Twilio-powered communications ensure:
- Integrated voice, SMS, chat, and social messaging in one platform.
- Scalable engagement strategies without costly infrastructure changes.
- Customizable workflows that adapt to evolving customer needs.
Twilio’s cloud-native architecture integrates smoothly with Salesforce and other existing systems, making it easier for businesses to scale and adapt their contact centers. Industry analysts have also taken note—Gartner named Twilio a Leader in its 2024 Magic Quadrant for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS), highlighting its strong execution and reliability.
2. Connect agents with the right leads at the right time
A major challenge in outbound sales is knowing who to call first and reaching them before the competition. Without the right tools, agents either waste time on low-quality prospects or miss high-value opportunities. AI-driven automation solves this by first ranking leads based on conversion potential and then accelerating outreach to maximize contact rates.
Step 1: Smarter lead prioritization with AI
Not all leads are equal. Lead scoring uses AI to analyze customer data and rank prospects based on their likelihood to convert. This ensures that agents focus on the highest-value opportunities instead of working through static lists.
With real-time Salesforce data, lead scores update dynamically as customer interactions evolve. This means agents always have the most relevant, up-to-date targets instead of relying on outdated priority lists.
Step 2: Reaching leads faster with power dialing
Once high-value leads are identified, speed is critical. Manually dialing through lists wastes time and limits productivity. Terazo’s Power Dialer solves this by:
- Auto-dialing multiple leads at once and routing live connections to available agents.
- Filtering out voicemails so agents only spend time on real conversations.
- Adjusting call pacing dynamically based on agent availability.
A smarter, AI-powered agent experience
Even with the right leads and efficient dialing, agents need real-time insights to make every conversation count. Salesforce Agentforce embeds lead scores and AI-driven recommendations directly into the agent’s workspace, dynamically adjusting priorities based on customer interactions. This ensures agents always have the most up-to-date information without switching between tools, improving engagement and sales outcomes.
3. Maximize every interaction with Data & AI
A successful contact center isn’t just about making calls—it’s about making every conversation count. Without a complete, real-time view of customer data, agents struggle to personalize interactions, leading to missed opportunities and inefficient workflows. AI and automation help solve this by providing the right insights at the right time, ensuring that every touchpoint is meaningful.
Contact Centers tools for a 360-degree view
Salesforce Data Cloud gives agents a real-time, 360-degree view of customer interactions by integrating data from multiple sources, including CRM records, digital engagements, and third-party platforms. Instead of sifting through fragmented information or relying on outdated notes, agents have instant access to the latest customer insights. This reduces manual data entry, eliminates guesswork, and allows for more relevant, personalized conversations.
Salesforce Agentforce further enhances this experience by embedding these insights directly within the agent’s workspace. With a seamless interface that provides 360-degree customer visibility, Agentforce enables agents to automate workflows, manage multichannel engagements, and make data-driven decisions—all without switching between tools.
Twilio serves as the communications backbone, powering real-time voice and messaging capabilities that keep agents connected to customers. Twilio’s cloud-native platform ensures seamless and scalable connectivity, enabling the Power Dialer to instantly and reliably connect agents with high-value leads. With advanced call routing, voicemail detection, and omnichannel engagement, businesses can optimize outbound sales while maintaining the flexibility to adapt as customer needs evolve.
4. Re-engage Cold Leads with AI
Not every customer interaction requires a live agent. AI-powered automation helps contact centers re-engage cold leads efficiently, ensuring outreach happens at the right time and through the right channels—without adding to agent workload.
A case study in AI-driven re-engagement
PrimeStreet, a real estate technology company, faced a common challenge: low response rates from prospects who had initially expressed interest but stopped engaging. Without a scalable way to follow up, their sales team was spending valuable time on unresponsive leads.
By integrating Twilio Flex and AI-driven automation, PrimeStreet built an intelligent re-engagement strategy that:
- Used natural language processing (NLP) to detect customer intent.
- Delivered personalized, automated follow-ups based on prospect behavior.
- Ensured timely outreach without requiring manual agent intervention.
The impact of AI-powered outreach
With this approach, PrimeStreet tripled its prospect response rates while allowing sales reps to focus on high-value conversations. Rather than relying solely on manual follow-ups, AI-driven workflows kept leads engaged at scale, improving both efficiency and customer experience.
Bringing AI-driven engagement to your contact center
Modern contact centers need more than just technology—they need seamless integration, AI-driven automation, and the ability to scale quickly. With the combined expertise of Zennify and Terazo, businesses can unify Salesforce, Twilio, and AI-powered engagement to drive more efficient and effective customer interactions.
Accelerating AI-driven contact centers with Twilio Flex Kickstarter
The shift to AI-powered automation shouldn’t take months. Our Twilio Flex Kickstarter streamlines deployment, helping businesses integrate AI-driven outreach, personalized customer interactions, and intelligent dialing solutions in weeks, not months.
