I am a managed services engineer for Amazon Connect. I handle deployment, configuration, and making changes, adding, or removing parts of the services for contact centers. We use it internally, however, as a reseller, the service provider I work for has multiple clients who use Amazon Connect for their contact center solution.

Amazon Connect has been really beneficial for scaling resources as needed. It allows organizations to only pay when they use it, which is also advantageous for us as a reseller. This scalability has been useful especially during varied demands, for instance, during COVID times.

It can also handle a reduced number of users when not needed, which is very handy and cost-effective. Additionally, it has been really helpful for login behaviors and call recording.

We use CloudWatch for troubleshooting, and we have a set template in our CloudFormation stack, which allows us to quickly build call flows for clients based on their options.

The features I found most valuable include CloudFormation, which helps use multiple stacks to deploy the services and features we want, and CloudWatch, which is useful for troubleshooting and monitoring various aspects of the contact center solution.

Another feature that significantly enhanced contact centers is the ability to handle both chats and voice contacts, which helps in routing to respective channels.

There has been a feature request to track call recordings for transferred calls from internal agents to external numbers. I also would like to see a cold transfer capability instead of only offering a warm transfer.

I have been working with this solution for about two and a half to three years.

I found Amazon Connect to be the most stable among cloud technologies. I would rate it ten because there has only been one issue with SAML authentication, which was related to our use of a single region without redundancy. Since then, we have implemented cross-region operations.

I would rate the scalability as nine out of ten since we have to consider other dependencies, such as MS Teams integration, EC2 usage, and certificate updates in the Amazon Connect panel along with the scalability.

AWS Premium Support has been very helpful. For urgent issues, they have been willing to get on phone calls or Chime meetings to assist. Their response to non-urgent issues is also prompt, usually providing resolutions within a few hours.

All the support engineers have been polite, patient, and provided time to explain problems before offering solutions.

I have worked with traditional PBX and two other cloud environment phone solutions before using Amazon Connect. I find Amazon Connect terrific.

The initial setup was quite easy, rating it a ten. There is good documentation and handy tools available. We also received assistance from our DevOps and solutions team, which further facilitated a smooth deployment.

Our presale team and service delivery team work through the scope and requirements with customers. We involve our DevOps team and my managed services team to propose different features and solutions. Once finalized, we proceed with configuration and deployment, followed by UAT and customer training, before going live.

The pricing is rated ten due to its scalability and cost-effectiveness based on the level of usage. Several services are available to choose from, charging only when Lambda functions are triggered. The first question is scalability, and the cost-effectiveness is significant.

Having dealt with traditional PBX and alternative cloud phone solutions, I find Amazon Connect to be excellent. Its documentation for training, certification, and procedural guidance is extensive, making it a standout choice.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

I use it to create a dynamic contact center, integrating with Lex for NLP. This allows us to provide direct responses to prompts through the chatbot. We also utilize this data in interactive IVRs.

It integrates with major tools like Amazon Polly for text-to-speech and third-party services like Twilio and Cisco-based dialers. It’s highly compatible and easy to integrate. The UI is a key strength. It is simple to develop flow diagrams, and we can easily incorporate Lambda functions to create different functionalities using these integrations.

Previously, IVRs were based on key tones, like pressing a number to route to specific functions. Now, we can make it voice-based. Whatever prompts we provide will trigger the appropriate API and route to the correct destination.

If you want to check your bank balance, you can call customer care and say, "I want to know my bank balance." If we have integrated verification, it will verify you and then provide the details.

They are already working on features like Lambda integrations and addressing time-out issues. We've experienced very few errors in the contact center, and those are easy to replicate. Once developed, major functionalities can be easily imported and exported, making the system quite user-friendly.

I have been using Amazon Connect for four years.

The product is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability an eight-point five out of ten.

It is easy to scale. More than ten thousand people are using this solution.

We can easily scale down when needed. We can integrate all features and functionalities for large Amazon contact centers, accommodating more data from end users. For example, a large organization can create a hierarchy and manage everything under one roof with Amazon Connect. It's stable, scalable, and highly efficient.

I rate the solution's scalability an eight out of ten.

I interact with the Amazon support team regularly. Previously, the experience was good, but lately, the response hasn't been as helpful. This might be due to a team change or a reduction in resources. In the past, they provided solid support, but that's no longer the case.

The initial setup is moderate. If you have the training experience, it will be easy to create one, but you will need some training if you don't.

You will need to do some training before you can use it.

I use Amazon Connect to integrate with Lambda to export chat interactions between customers and agents. We use Lambda to code in Java and Python. In the banking industry, customers can inquire about their current balance through an integration via chat.

Customers can opt for a call with an agent for more detailed inquiries. Amazon Connect also supports third-party communications such as telecom and WhatsApp, integrating seamlessly with tools like the Salesforce database.

The solution is easy to use and has no downtime. 99.9 percent of customers are happy with AWS cloud services. It is also easy to learn, but you need to practice daily.

The tool needs to improve its bandwidth. When multiple users use Lambda functions, there can be timeouts from the Lambda function due to coding constraints. If it times out, the Lambda function fails and switches to an alternative branch. Improving bandwidth could address this issue.

I have been using the product for five years.

The solution is stable.

We have four developers working on projects like banking in the USA. There are around 10,000 customers and roughly 1000-2000 agents using Amazon Connect to handle calls. It is scalable.

I am happy with Amazon's support.

The solution's deployment is easy.

The tool's licensing model is pay-as-you-go.

I have integrated the tool with ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Zendesk.

I would rate Amazon Connect as nine out of ten. It's really good and stable within our company's structure. We can provide excellent customer and agent support and effectively interact with them.

Amazon Connect is a contact center solution we use for our support services. It allows us to better serve our customers.

It's been really useful for customer support operations. We have used a traditional telephone system before, so this is much better. No complaints.

It was surprisingly easy to integrate Amazon Connect with our existing IT systems. We've connected it with a lot of other AWS solutions.

I like the call flow functionality. It lets us easily decide how to route calls, which is extremely helpful.

There's a basic support function when it comes to real-time analytics features. They also recently launched an AI feature that automatically analyzes calls.

So, the analytics functions help with decision-making. It helps us with staffing to know how to best support our customers.

When it comes to the flexibility and customization options in Amazon Connect, I would rate it a ten out of ten.

I would like to add more outbound features. Right now, it's really strong with inbound but it could be better with outbound calls.

In future releases, I would like to see features related to outbound dialing. If they could add an automated outbound feature, similar to a predictive dialer, that would be really helpful.

We work with different Amazon products. We use CloudWatch for monitoring and rely heavily on the cloud right now. We have other teams working on functions with AWS Lambda.

So, I have been using Amazon Connect for five years now.

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. It is a stable product.

It is easy to scale. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

There are around 300 end users in my company.

No complaints. The customer service and support are good. I am happy with the response time and quality of support.

We used other systems before for outbound calls and telephony needs. Amazon Connect is really simple, straightforward, and very flexible. It has a real edge over competitors.

The initial setup is very simple.

We deployed it ourselves.

I would rate the pricing a nine out of ten, with ten being the most affordable.

The pricing is quite reasonable. Connect charges fairly per call.

Overall, I would rate the product a ten out of ten. I would definitely recommend it to other users. Because Amazon Connect is a robust telephony system, it handles incoming calls perfectly.

However, for enterprises to get maximum use, we often need a dialer system. For example – you have a list of people to call, you load it, and the system automatically dials and connects you without having to manually dial each number. That's the kind of automated outbound dialing feature. So, I'd like to see an automated outbound feature added to Amazon Connect.

We use Amazon on the backend.

I can easily design a flow diagram with Amazon Connect. That is a very useful feature. In addition, Amazon Connect is easy to learn.

The scalability needs improvement.

There are always features that need improvement. For example, we have an application where we automatically store all of our records. But currently, it has a three or four step configuration in order to send the data recordings to a specific branch. However, it will first store it in Connect and will only then do the transfer. This is very complex.

I have been using Amazon Connect for three years.

It is a stable solution.

The scalability is an eight out of ten.

The initial setup is straightforward. The deployment takes six months.

The pricing of the Amazon is reasonable compared to other cloud providers.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.

I've used Amazon Connect for various purposes. It's usually a combination of Amazon Connect, Lex, and other AWS services.

Primarily, we use it for call center operations – both inbound and outbound. Amazon Connect's recently released outbound features are great for our marketing and dealer teams.

For inbound, we use Amazon Lex for conversational voicebots and Amazon Connect for call routing. I've implemented these solutions for fleet management, a banking POC, and customers in areas like capital management, holiday management, and ticketing.

What I like most is how well it integrates with other AWS services, the ease of implementation, and the robust partner network that supports it. This has helped Amazon Connect gain over 3000+ customers in just six or seven years.

It's fairly easy for an agent with no prior experience to learn. A short training session is usually sufficient. Here, I'm assuming that the agents, while not tech-savvy, can follow instructions. If someone has experience taking calls for several years, the transition will be smooth.

Some adjustments are needed as most of Amazon Connect functions via a computer interface. Additionally, there's the option to route calls to traditional phones, but that's less common. Agents will need to understand how to navigate the interface, what the different icons represent, how to use the call controls, and how to work with any integrated systems.

So, a 15-30 minute training session should be enough to get agents up and running on the basics of Amazon Connect itself. If there are complex integrations with CRMs or other additional tasks required of the agent, then, the training would need to be more extensive.

There are quite a few areas, even though the platform is new and user-friendly. Here's what could be improved:

• Agent Desktop: Amazon Connect should enhance its native agent desktop. Intuitive UI should be present for the agent desktop. Currently, it forces users to rely on third-party CRM integrations. Predominantly, there is no support for full-fledged customization for the native agent desktop. More customization options for the native desktop would be beneficial.
• Channel Support:

  The platform was designed primarily for voice and chat. It relies heavily on third-party integrations (not native to AWS) like Lambda or Kinesis for additional functionality. The user ends up using multiple AWS resources, which end up adding costs and a lot of tech that needs to be known for basic usage as well.

  And there is no multiple-channel support. When I say the channels, it's only voice and chat, but no WhatsApp or other native channels, like Facebook or Twitter; it needs another integration to integrate with Amazon Connect. Native support for channels like WhatsApp or Facebook would streamline things.

• AI Features: The built-in AI language models are somewhat limited. While some languages are supported, highly customized prompts or AI versions aren't available without extensive feature requests and wait times.
• Outbound Campaigns: Outbound campaign features are still basic. More integrations for data sources, lead management, segmentation, and support across different regions would address regulatory needs and improve functionality.
• Reporting & Conversations: Amazon Connect has recently added conversation analysis and Contact Lens support. However, historically, third-party tools have provided more insights, especially when looking for quick insights or any sort of customization. The native solution doesn't give any predefined templates or reusable pieces, which can actually have a lot of customization potential for reporting. They give very basic stuff with no way to plot or integrate reporting with external data. Ultimately, these things have to be developed separately.
• Global Architecture: There is no global support. One instance usually doesn't talk with another instance; it has to be integrated and use a PSTN pull. There could be a global customer, but an Amazon Connect solution would force everything into one instance, maybe in US East, or maybe in Europe. If you wanted a multi-tenant setup, with calls routed from different locations and agents placed globally, that kind of support is something they don't have yet. Given the capabilities of AWS networking, they should build this out. Native support for multi-tenant global architectures would be helpful for businesses operating across locations.
• SIP Support: The lack of native SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) integration is a major drawback. It forces users to purchase or port numbers to Amazon. Native SIP integration is missing, though there are some beta workarounds. However, it's been years without official support. That's a major drawback, as a lot of use cases are dependent on SIP.
• Generative AI: Amazon Connect's reliance on Amazon Q and Amazon Bedrock for knowledge bases limits options. Any knowledge base that customers want to use has to be integrated through Amazon Q or Amazon Bedrocka. There's no support for OpenAI or other external language models (LMs). If a customer wants to use their own LMs, they have to bring them to Amazon's native LM space first.

These are some of the key areas where I see room for improvement in Amazon Connect.

I've been using Amazon Connect for about six and a half years, almost since its launch. I've been exploring its features and implementing it across different geographies.

I have contacted customer service and support for deployment and support activities.

In my experience, getting timely responses can be a challenge unless you have an account executive to help. That's because Amazon Connect support is handled by the same team as their other services, and they don't always have dedicated Connect specialists.

An account executive can help you get dedicated assistance, which generally leads to faster responses.

However, response times can still vary. Some issues have taken up to a month or two to resolve.

For a small, straightforward Amazon Connect contact center, setup is easy. However, if you need extensive back-end integrations – like external authentication, pulling data from third-party sources, complex data presentation, or integrating with other systems – the process becomes more complex.

In these cases, you'll need expertise beyond just Amazon Connect engineers. You'll likely require developers familiar with Lambda, other AWS services, and potentially additional programming and scripting languages. So, while a basic setup can be done quickly (even within a day), more complex integrations with Amazon Connect will certainly take longer.

The good news is that it's self-service. You can log in, create an account, and start working right away. You'll find icons in your Amazon settings to get started.

In my previous experience deploying Amazon Connect, we typically had a team of three or four engineers depending on the project. These engineers had expertise in cloud technologies, coding, telephony, and Amazon Connect specifically.

If you have a skilled engineer with comprehensive knowledge, one or two people can manage even a thousand-seat call center. The team size depends on factors like use cases, the complexity of integrations, and whether the deployment is global. Support needs generally require fewer people.

It is worth the money. Compared to a traditional on-premise call center, which can be costly and resource-intensive, Amazon Connect can offer significant savings. This is especially true if your use cases are straightforward, call volume is manageable, and you have an existing CRM to integrate.

Sometimes, the total Amazon Connect bill could be on par with, or even less than, what you'd pay just for SIP trunks or PSTN lines in a long-term on-premise setup. So, in many situations, moving from on-premise to cloud-based solutions like Amazon Connect can absolutely provide a good ROI.

Amazon Connect has a pay-as-you-go model. But I have a slightly different perspective on it.

When an on-premise setup migrates to Amazon Connect, it's possible for a 2,000-seat call center to have a lower Amazon Connect bill than a 300-seat one. Why? It's not just about the pay-as-you-go model.

Call volume matters, especially outside the US. But most importantly, implementation is crucial. A 300-seat center with heavy integrations across various AWS services, third-party tools, and potentially misconfigured free features can rack up unexpected costs due to a lack of transparency. Bills can be complex to analyze.

On the other hand, a 2,000-seat center with simple use cases (like backend authentication, language selection, and direct agent routing) and a separately purchased CRM integration through the marketplace might have a much lower bill.

Ultimately, it depends heavily on how you plan and which features are essential. Extensive use of Lambdas, customer profiles, and other services will increase the cost.

At a high level, the pay-as-you-go model is attractive— no agent licenses and scalability is simple. But actual costs are tied to your specific use cases. The more integrations you have, the higher the potential Amazon bill. The various services used, not just those within the 'Connect' category, factor into the cost. Even things like exceeding queue limits add up.

My advice is to thoroughly calculate the cost before introducing any feature. If cost is a major concern, consider alternatives.

When Amazon Connect was initially released, it was quite limited. Now, it's grown with better features and documentation. For me, setting up a basic system is straightforward. For instance, I configured a small 15-seat call center in just 20 minutes. Naturally, complexity increases along with features and requirements.

My suggestion for anyone considering Amazon Connect is to start with a strong understanding of basic telephony and contact center terminology. This will make it much easier to grasp the concepts.

Amazon provides a lot of documentation. I recommend reviewing that thoroughly before diving into the system itself. Understanding the 'why' behind Amazon Connect will make the hands-on experience much smoother.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. In my experience, there's still a lot of room for development and expansion to support even more use cases.

We use the tool to build contact centers for the client.

The product is cloud-based and easy to operate. We have a broad integration capability, allowing for a multitude of integrations. This gives our customers a good understanding of our product, even if they aren't actively utilizing it. They can easily access and utilize all the features that Amazon's cloud services offer, making integrating with other cloud platforms simpler. It's not a standalone solution, which is advantageous for our customers.

There are two perspectives to consider: one from the development side and the other from the customer's side. From a development standpoint, there are various aspects that Amazon needs to address, such as providing tools or direct development scenarios in Amazon Connect for building contact flows. Some essential reporting features in Genesys are currently lacking in the product.

I have been using the product for three years.

The product is stable. Over the past three years, I've experienced no availability hiccups with it. It has consistently been operational 24/7 without any issues. Any challenges that arise are typically due to customer errors, vendor mistakes, or Amazon issues.

We've built numerous cards for clients, though I can't provide an exact count offhand. There's a significant shift towards transitioning from on-premise contact centers to cloud-based solutions, with Amazon Connect leading the charge in this direction.

The solution's support is very good at helping.

The tool's deployment is easy. It is the solution's best part.

I can't speak for the pricing of other contact center solutions, but in terms of Amazon Connect, compared to other AWS products, it's one of the more expensive options. However, the cost can be low if you have a smaller team of agents or receive fewer calls. Pricing is typically based on a per-user basis.

If you're using Amazon Connect for the first time, it's important to note that it's designed for companies rather than individual use. It provides a robust communication network connecting clients, agents, and employees. With Amazon Connect, there's no need for desk phones, no worries about managing physical phones, or no need to carry additional devices. All you need is a laptop.

Amazon Connect is easy to use if you're a customer looking to make calls and view reports. However, it can be more complex if you're a developer aiming to develop additional features or customize the platform.

I would rate Amazon around a nine out of ten if we're specifically considering contact center solutions. It falls somewhere between eight to nine out of ten because it's user-friendly, manageable, and relatively easier to develop than other contact center platforms. Additionally, being cloud-based provides significant advantages over alternatives like Cisco, Genesys, or Avaya.