In the rush to modernise contact centre technology, it’s tempting for organisations to take a “lift and shift” approach – migrating from legacy on-premise systems or even existing CCaaS platforms to a more modern AI powered cloud solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center, without fundamentally rethinking how they serve customers, empower agents, or equip supervisors.
This is a mistake. And one that too many businesses are still making.
Let’s be clear: cloud-native, AI-first platforms like Dynamics 365 Contact Center offer a huge step forward in capability – but moving to them should never be a like-for-like exercise. Why? Because that misses the point of digital transformation entirely.
“Like-for-like” Moves = Missed Opportunities
If you simply replicate your current IVR tree, agent scripts, routing logic, and reporting templates on a new platform, all you’ve done is change the plumbing – not the experience.
Your customers won’t notice the difference. Your agents will still wrestle with inefficient workflows. Your supervisors won’t have the real-time insights they need to manage effectively.
Technology alone doesn’t fix broken processes. It amplifies them – good or bad.
Real Transformation Demands Reimagination
To unlock the full value of a modern contact centre platform, you need to rethink your service model:
- Customer-first design: Use the transition as a trigger to revisit your customer journeys. Where are the friction points? How can AI and self-service reduce effort?
- Agent empowerment: Move away from siloed systems to unified, AI-assisted desktops that surface context and suggest next best actions – reducing handle time and improving satisfaction.
- Supervisor enablement: Shift from reactive queue management to real-time, data-driven coaching using sentiment analysis, performance insights, and quality scoring.
With Dynamics 365 Contact Center, this transformation is possible – but only if you resist the urge to copy-paste your old ways of working into a new UI.
Rethink your service model and build a modernised solution to meet customer, agent and supervisor needs
A Strategic Approach to Modernisation
Here’s what I recommend instead of “lift and shift”:
- Assess your current CX and EX (Customer and Employee Experience). Where are the gaps?
- Engage frontline voices early – your agents and team leaders know what’s broken and what works.
- Define the future state you want to achieve: faster resolution, fewer transfers, more self-service, etc.
- Design for outcomes, not features. Let goals shape your implementation.
- Pilot, learn, iterate – use the cloud’s agility to evolve continuously.
Conclusions
Modernising your contact centre is a golden opportunity – not just to upgrade technology, but to transform the way you connect with customers. Don’t waste it on a “lift and shift.”
Instead, treat your migration as a moment of transformation – and use it to build a more intelligent, efficient, and human contact centre experience.
If you’re planning a move away from legacy systems, maybe exploring Dynamics 365 Contact Center or a Teams integrated Contact Centre like Luware , I’d love to share what Symity have learned from client engagements.
Equally if you work in the contact centre consultancy space and have a view on these thoughts around Lift and Shift, please comment or direct message me, always interested in hearing what others think, it’s the way we all learn…
More in our CCaaS Hub.
Chris Goodwill
Strategic Partner Manager and Solution Specialist
Symity