With the best cloud based contact center software now taking center stage in the world of enterprise communications, it’s not hard to see why more software products (and technology in general) are all being based in the cloud. As businesses start to get more fast-paced owing to a competitive digital landscape, accessing a cloud based contact center can significantly streamline customer service operations.
Featuring capabilities that are all hosted by the vendor, a cloud based contact center can enable faster implementation to make employees productive, and therefore best handle customers more efficiently than before. Integrating other forms of software such as CRM and Business Intelligence is also easier and more adaptive, as cloud APIs and plugins further streamline customization with third-party products and services.
As collaborative technologies such as enterprise Unified Communications (UC) also become steadily adopted by forward-thinking companies, a cloud based contact center will form as the base for the very same. With time, a cloud based contact center may become more important than one may assume, owing to just how inclined the digital world currently is towards hosted solutions.
What is a Cloud Based Contact Center?
A cloud based contact center is a set of technologies which are all hosted by a contact center software vendor, and offered to businesses for a monthly or annual subscription. With most common call administration features generally offered via a web-based console, a cloud based contact center may also offer high-end capabilities such as IVR, predictive dialing, and even conversational AI.
Businesses can set up a cloud based contact center by simply signing up with a contact center vendor online, or by specially requesting for a customized solution depending on their specific needs. Many customizations for a cloud based contact center frequently revolve around integrating third-party applications, so collaborating with a contact center vendor is key to not just having a cloud based contact center that is functional, but is one that can also contribute to your business’s CX strategy.
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Pros and Cons of a Cloud Based Contact Center
Cloud Based Contact Center Pros
One of the biggest benefits of a cloud based contact center is sheer convenience and accessibility from anywhere. Subsequently, this is also a major contributing factor to why it has been adopted so much by companies of all sizes and industries alike. With cloud based contact center solutions also being hubs for sister software such as CRM and sales force automation, it is possible for businesses to create the right kind of customer experience that will attract new customers, while retaining existing ones.
As generating a unique customer experience is key for businesses today (especially those that depend on digital media for approaching prospective customers), a cloud based contact center can offer multiple teams the insights they need to improve productivity on a department level, and subsequently, as a whole.
CRM integrations are particularly popular with cloud based contact center solutions - and for good reasons. When integrated with your cloud based contact center, your CRM can benefit your entire organization since the former will be a source of valuable data, while also automatically facilitating customer communications on time.
Cloud Based Contact Center Cons
With a cloud based contact center, all the infrastructure is owned by the contact center vendor. A lack of proprietary ownership puts businesses under the obligation of the cloud based contact center provider. For one, services could be paused or terminated with little to no notice. Technical malfunctions in the vendor’s servers can subsequently affect your cloud based contact center operations too. Possible cyberattacks on the vendor’s cloud servers can also hamper operations, while compromising your business’s valuable data in due course.
Although these are definite risk factors, cloud computing in general now has technologies that can help mitigate such occurrences. With uptime of up to 99.9% guaranteed by leading cloud based contact center providers, the likelihood of technical malfunctions and downtime are significantly reduced.
On top of that, leading cloud based contact center vendors have adopted cybersecurity applications, thereby infusing cybersecurity best practices by default within all the capabilities you receive in your cloud based contact center solution. Such cybersecurity integrations can cater to key tasks such as password management, threat hunting, and even disaster recovery in the event of a data compromise - so your cloud based contact center can continue to function optimally, and without pause.
CCaaS as an Advanced Cloud Based Contact Center Solution
Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) comprises a cloud based contact center solution, and one that is generally purchased via a monthly or annual online subscription. With all infrastructure owned and hosted by the contact center vendor, businesses can get started quickly, easily and without undertaking the hassle to purchase, store, configure and maintain physical equipment.
CCaaS can be one out of many components (or even the foundation) for establishing a strong customer experience solution across your organization. By integrating a CRM pipeline, along with other departmental applications such as ERP and project management, CCaaS can extend the capabilities of an otherwise siloed cloud based contact center.
UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) is another cloud based solution for Unified Communications, which includes all the communication capabilities a modern business needs. From holistic omnichannel consoles to AI-powered IVR for CX, UCaaS once again makes it easy for even the smallest of businesses to access its varied services. CCaaS can generally be included within a larger UCaaS solution, or the former can have the latter connected via a custom integration.
With customer communication now encompassing more than just VoIP software or a cloud based contact center, CCaaS is a notch above siloed software applications. By connecting CCaaS with any other departmental software of your choice, your business can generate customer experience that keeps customers engaged and satisfied, while also improving workforce productivity to be more customer-centric.
By adopting a cloud based contact center through CCaaS, your business will be laying the foundation for expanding its suite of applications for the future, owing to a high scalability quotient when it comes to hosted software in general. This way, your business can always maintain the key qualities of customer service, so that it can always stay at the forefront in a competitive business landscape.
