Hosted contact center solutions provide businesses with the necessary autonomy and privacy they desire. Hosted contact center solutions can help businesses streamline communication and improve customer services with beneficial contact center features. In this article, learn more about the differences between cloud-based and hosted contact center solutions and compare some of the best hosted contact center solutions available on the market.
What Are Contact Center Services?
Contact center services are an outsourcing business process that helps companies manage customer interactions across multiple channels, including phone, email, chat, social media, and more. These services are designed to improve customer experience by providing timely and efficient responses to customer inquiries, complaints, and support requests.
Contact center services typically include a range of solutions, such as inbound and outbound call center services, customer service and technical support, sales and lead generation, appointment scheduling, order processing, and more. These services are delivered by skilled agents trained to handle customer interactions professionally and efficiently, using various tools and technologies such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, IVR systems, and call recording and monitoring.
By outsourcing their contact center services to a reliable provider, companies can benefit from cost savings, increased efficiency, scalability, and access to advanced technologies and specialized expertise. They can also free up their internal resources to focus on core business activities and strategic initiatives while ensuring customers receive the best possible service and support.
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll offer you personalized software recommendations.
What Are Hosted Call Center Solutions?
Hosted contact center solutions, or cloud-based contact centers, are virtual contact centers hosted and managed by a third-party provider. It is a popular alternative to on-premise contact centers, which require a significant investment in hardware, software, and infrastructure.
With a hosted contact center solution, businesses can access a range of contact center features and functionalities through the internet without the need to invest in any physical equipment. The hosted contact center solutions provider typically offers a web-based interface allowing users to manage their operations and customize their settings according to their needs.
One of the key benefits of hosted contact center solutions are their scalability. Businesses can easily add or remove agents, adjust call routing rules, and integrate new channels as their needs change. The hosted contact center solutions provider typically offers flexible pricing models, allowing businesses to pay only for the services they need and use.
Another advantage of a hosted contact center solution is its reliability and redundancy. Hosted contact center solutions providers typically offer high uptime and redundancy, ensuring businesses can continue operating during a disaster or outage. Additionally, hosted contact center solutions providers typically offer robust security measures, such as encryption and data backups, to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of customer data.
Hosted contact center solutions are attractive for businesses looking to streamline their operations, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience.
What Is the Difference Between Cloud and Hosted?
Both cloud and hosted contact center solutions are popular options for businesses looking to outsource their customer service operations to a third-party provider. However, there are some key differences between these two types of solutions.
Hosted contact center solutions are typically a dedicated server or group of servers leased by a business from a hosting provider. The business manages the software and hardware required to run the contact center solution. This can include installing software updates and maintaining the server hardware. The hosting provider ensures the server infrastructure is available and hosted contact center solutions run smoothly.
On the other hand, a cloud contact center solution is a fully managed service that a third-party provider provides. The provider manages all aspects of the solution, including the hardware and software required to run the contact center. The business needs to provide its agents with access to the solution over the internet.
One of the key benefits of a cloud contact center solution is that it is typically more scalable than hosted contact center solutions. Because the provider manages the underlying infrastructure, businesses can quickly add or remove agents as needed without worrying about server capacity or hardware upgrades. Cloud solutions are often more cost-effective than hosted contact center solutions because businesses can invest in something other than their own hardware or software. However, hosted contact center solutions may offer more flexibility and customization options for businesses that require specific features or integrations.
Example Of Hosted Contact Center Solutions
Here are some common examples of hosted contact center solutions that provide businesses with various features and tools to improve customer engagement and support.
Dialpad
Dialpad is a cloud-based communication platform that offers various services, including voice, video, messaging, and contact center solutions. Its hosted contact center solutions allow businesses to easily manage inbound and outbound calls, messages, and chat interactions with customers. Dialpad's features include call routing, IVR, call monitoring, and real-time analytics. Dialpad is a popular choice of hosted contact center solutions for small and medium-sized businesses worldwide.
Nextiva
Nextiva is another hosted contact center solution that provides businesses with various communication tools, such as voice, video, and messaging. Its hosted contact center solutions offer advanced features like call queuing, call routing, skill-based routing, and reporting. Nextiva's hosted contact center solutions include real-time monitoring and analytics, enabling businesses to optimize operations and improve customer experiences. Nextiva hosted contact center solutions can also be integrated with other essential business tools to provide 360-degree customer service solutions.
Avaya
Avaya is a well-known hosted contact center solutions provider that offers businesses an extensive suite of tools and services to manage customer interactions. Its hosted contact center solutions provide voice, video, chat, and email management features. Avaya's hosted contact center solutions include advanced analytics, self-service options, and integration with CRM systems to provide businesses with a comprehensive customer service platform.
These hosted contact center solutions offer businesses a range of features and tools to improve customer support and engagement. Hence, assessing your business's objectives for implementing hosted contact center solutions is important. Compare the best hosted contact center solutions before choosing the one that best suits your organization’s needs and budget.
