In 2024, on-premises means out of touch. The move to cloud-based contact centers is well underway, and for good reason. Cloud-based customer experience solutions (aka CXaaS solutions) tap into customers’ expectations around great customer service – while also reducing costs, boosting scalability, and breaking down silos for organizations. Here’s what to know.
What is a Cloud-Based Contact Center?
Cloud-based contact center solutions are hosted entirely “in the cloud” or “virtually.” They take all the infrastructure associated with a physical or “on-premises” contact center and move it online, allowing your customer experience team to access the tools they need to do their job from anywhere, any time. Calls are placed through the web using VoIP technology – think something like Zoom instead of a hardwired analog line. Additionally, servers and data are all hosted online, meaning your company won’t need to shell out for expensive and space-consuming telephony infrastructure. And perhaps most critically, cloud-based contact center solutions offer powerful end-to-end support by bringing together your various customer support functions into one single software platform. Your reps simply log into their account and make or take calls as needed!
Cloud vs. On-Premises Contact Centers
Considering upgrading your on-premises call center to a cloud-based contact center solution? Here are just some of the benefits.
- Get up and running – fast. Building out a traditional contact center takes time and money. You need space, equipment, licenses, and staff to assist with the build-out. In contrast, setting up a cloud-based contact center solution can be as simple as signing up for a subscription!
- Easily tailored to your needs. On-premises contact centers are notorious for creating information “silos.” Cloud-based contact centers are the opposite. No matter how complex your business is, a cloud-based contact center solution can easily integrate into your organization. At ACD, we work with organizations of all types and sizes to ensure seamless integration with existing IT and support needs.
- Automatic updates. On-premises customer service centers require routine upgrades of infrastructure, hardware, and more. This can be expensive and time-consuming – and can mean periods of prolonged downtime. In contrast, updates and patches can be applied to a cloud-based system on the fly. Most of the time, you won’t even know it’s happening!
- Scale up or down as needed. Physical call centers struggle with scalability. In contrast, cloud-based centers make it easy to dial your agent numbers up or down to meet current demand levels. This means you won’t have to worry about long wait times or missed calls during key dates like Black Friday or Giving Tuesday.
- Accessible anywhere. On-premises contact centers can only be accessed in person and during specific work hours. In contrast, cloud-based solutions are available from any location and at any time. All your agents need is a computer and a login!
- Omnichannel support. Cloud-based systems allow you to take more than just phone calls. Instead, you can properly embrace a full omnichannel approach – meeting customers on whatever channel they prefer and delivering seamless customer service that picks up wherever callers are in the customer journey. Customers can even chat with AI-driven bots to solve simple problems!
- Powerful analytics. Data is everything. Unlike on-premises approaches, cloud-based contact centers provide a centralized data repository for easy analysis and reporting – including call stats, agent performance, and customer sentiment analysis. Integration with AI makes it simple to record, transcribe and monitor calls in real-time, helping your organization stay nimble.
- Improved customer and agent experience. Long wait times and lack of agent knowledge are two major downsides of an on-premises system. In contrast, cloud-based systems make it easy to match callers with the next available operator – and operators trained specifically in the type of problem the customer faces. Customers receive higher quality support, and agents receive real-time feedback on their approach, allowing them to deliver best-in-class service.
Explore the Benefits of Cloud-Based Contact Centers with ACD
2024 is the time to make the move from an on-premises contact center to a cloud-based customer contact solution. If you’re ready to embrace an efficient, scalable, omnichannel approach to the customer experience, talk to ACD! Our multi-pronged cloud-based customer experience solutions can help you elevate your customer service – and improve your overall business operations. To see how you can tailor ACD’s CXaaS solutions to your needs, get in touch today.
