6 Benefits That Make a Compelling Case for Cloud-Based Call Center Software

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Cloud-based call center software has seen a dramatic increase in demand and growth over the past few years. Earlier, most enterprises used to install on-premise call center applications in order to provide customer support.

With the help of cloud computing, organizations can now host their call centers at a third-party data center, in a remote place, and without the need for any on-premise hardware infrastructure.

Due to low infrastructure costs and an immediate shift from CAPEX to OPEX, a majority of small and medium-sized enterprises are transiting from on-premise call center models to cloud-based models. Legacy system providers in the mid-to-small-size markets are finding it difficult to maintain their supremacy in the market – paving way for a boom in cloud-based call center software.

Organizations can utilize advanced call center technologies without bearing the overhead, squabble, and potential disruptions that accompany on-site upgrades. Hence, businesses using cloud-based call centers can minimize initial investments in infrastructure and software licenses, and have can opt for a payment model, based on actual usage.

According to a recent study, the cloud call center market is projected to grow from $5,430.3 million in 2016 to $15,670.9 million by 2021, at a CAGR of 23.6%.

A cloud call center software (also commonly known as a hosted call center is a customer service operation with all the basic elements of a call center solution provided as a network service, without the need for on-premise hardware. This includes Automatic Call Distributor (ACD), Computer Telephony Integration [CTI], Interactive Voice Response [IVR], Dialers, and CRM Integrations.

On the basis of deployment, cloud-based call center software can be divided into – public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. A high degree of performance and security is offered by the private cloud. However, it proves to be relatively expensive. The public cloud segment is expected to grow from $2,598.6 million in 2016 to $6,705.6 million by 2021, at a CAGR of 20.9%. The hybrid and community cloud segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 27.2%, during the forecast period.

Before you consider what makes cloud-based call center beneficial for your business, it is important that you learn about the types of the cloud call center

Public Cloud – With the public cloud, various service providers can get access to applications and storage available to the general public over the internet. Ease of access and fast deployment increases the adoption rate of the public cloud. Other cloud call center benefits include scalability, reliability, flexibility, and location-independent services. However, data security is still a concern when talking about public cloud offerings.

Private Cloud – Private cloud helps address the various security concerns of businesses within the corporate firewall. Companies can have better control of data, minimize the risk of data loss, and better adhere to regulatory compliances. Here, infrastructure is managed either internally by the service provider, or through a third party.

Hybrid Cloud – As the name suggests, a Hybrid cloud involves the integration of both public and private clouds, facilitating enterprises to use features of both. Enterprises can use the private cloud for storing sensitive data and the public cloud for storing less sensitive data. Hybrid cloud is scalable and flexible in a secure environment and is also cost-effective.

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Cloud Call Center Benefits

1. Quick Deployment – As no infrastructure is needed for the deployment of cloud-based call centers, hence the entire setup can be done at a much faster pace.

2. Scalability and Flexibility Cloud-based call center software helps businesses in scaling up or down, based on customer traffic and business requirements.

3. Home-based work – Home shoring allows employees to work and perform all official tasks from home. This helps businesses keep a pool of native-speaking agents with better language skills at a much lower cost, and can increase or decrease the agent count based on the call volume at ease.

4. Enhanced Business continuity – Business continuity distinguishes cloud-based call centers from on-premise-based solutions, which are prone to hardware failures that result in down-times. Different personas in a call center such as agents, supervisors, and administrators can access the cloud-based call center from anywhere, independent of the physical location. They just need a phone and internet connection, which ultimately results in better business continuity.

5. Focus on Agent performance and not system maintenance – With cloud-based call centers, businesses can fully focus on the performance of the agent rather than worrying about the hardware/system maintenance, eventually leading to increased productivity.

6. Increased speed to market – As there is no need for any hardware installation, businesses can get the center up and running in a relatively shorter timeframe. Hence, the entire call center can be operational very quickly, and organizations can immediately achieve their desired goals by leveraging cloud computing technology.

Concerns Before Choosing Cloud-Based Call Center Software

1. Data Security – Information security and privacy are still a major concern for organizations, especially banking and government departments. It becomes imperative for cloud-based call center providers to ensure that private information is fully secure.

2. Challenge in the transition from on-premise to cloud – Some enterprises still prefer on-premise call centers due to various factors, such as complete control over contact center infrastructure, more customization options as per business need, and data security.

3. Support for Tighter Integrations – A major challenge for cloud-based call centers is maintaining tighter integrations across channels to deliver a seamless customer experience. Customers can reach via different channels, and the call center should be able to provide the customer interaction history to the agent, thereby increasing First Call Resolution.

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Final Note

Customer experience is a key differentiator in the modern era. Cloud-based call centers help businesses adapt to the expectations of their customers. If an agent greets the customer with his name and knows the context of the call as soon as a customer calls a call center, the chances of first call resolution greatly increase, and the customer ends up feeling valued and satisfied. Moreover, customer experience is compromised if a customer reaches out to a company via multiple channels (like voice, social, chat, web, etc.), and the company doesn’t support any one of the channels.

Cloud-based call centers help companies move towards an omnichannel contact center that connects all the customer touchpoints. Customers can easily transit from one channel to another, while contextually relevant information gets routed to the agents.
Thus – scalability, flexibility, quick deployment, business agility, and different deployment models are increasing the demand for cloud-based call centers. In the coming years, the business world is poised to see a swift transition from on-premise call centers to cloud-based call centers.