Are you in the dilemma of On-premise or cloud-based call center software? This article aims to help you decide on your business.
With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing worldwide, the safety and productivity of Contact Center agents have become a top priority for businesses.
How do businesses with an On-premise call center measure up in a time when migrating call center agents to a work-from-home model has become necessary?
On-premise requires your call center’s communication hardware, software, and infrastructure stored and operated in an office space. However, services can be in the form of PBX or IP PBX.
Cloud-based does not need hardware, it is hosted in the cloud by a call center software provider. Users access this service through a web browser on their computer or mobile device.
Is that all? You are probably pondering. Let us look at the key differences between an On-premise call center and Cloud-based call center software.
Set-up time
It takes as little as 24 hours to set up a cloud-based call center software, unlike On-premise, requiring necessary hardware, licensing, infrastructure set-up, and finding compatible software.
This could take several months to set up. Setting up cloud-based call center software is usually no more complicated than installing an app on your mobile phone.
Costs and expenses
The cost of setting up an on-premise call center is high compared to a cloud-based. This can be a massive challenge for small businesses with a plan to scale up soon.
There’s a need for office space to accommodate hardware such as servers, headsets or phones, computers. There’s also the need for licensing.
Furthermore, most on-premise installations require a replacement every five to seven years due to the aging hardware and software advances. This means hefty recurring fees long-term.
Cloud-based call centers can be set up and used without any investment in hardware or infrastructure other than a reliable internet connection and devices with internet access.
A good internet connection (a minimum requirement of 100 kb/s per agent), quality routers, and proper router configuration must have a crystal clear experience using cloud-based call center software.
Unlike on-premise systems, Cloud-based are more economical than billed on either a monthly or annual subscription basis.
Flexibility
With Cloud-based call center software, it is much easier to scale, manage, and customize. Adding or removing users is as simple as saving a contact on your phone.
A cloud-based call center platform also allows agents to work remotely. Having a virtual call center can have many advantages for your business, including decreased costs and less agent turnover.
With On-premise, adding new agents to call centers is usually quite challenging and incurs costs on purchasing devices and licenses that require a minimum of a one-year commitment.
If the need to scale down arises due to unforeseeable events, a business is left with a surplus of devices and licenses.
Integrations
This is usually a challenge for on-premise call center software as it involves licensing and installation; it becomes a nightmare for even the most experienced IT professionals. Plus, implementation will take valuable time that could be better spent focused on business growth.
Conversely, cloud call center providers like Call Center Studio have a public API that allows quick and easy integration with third-party applications such as CRM, ERP, and many applications such as WhatsApp Business and Facebook Messenger.
With a complete cloud, you get most of these integrations built-in, thus saving you both time and money, easing the process of customer service delivery, provides a better customer experience, and increases the efficiency of your company.
Call Center Studio is built and hosted within Google’s infrastructure, and as such, our users can easily communicate natively with related tools such as the Google Dialogflow.
Security and privacy
One would think that onsite installations would be more secure than cloud technologies.
However, many data breaches are due to human error or intentional malice, in which your business is more susceptible to an onsite infrastructure.
The cloud was initially considered unsafe for sensitive information. The strength of security around cloud technology has improved significantly.
Due to constant vigilance and the latest technology at work today, your data is safer in a cloud environment than in an on-premise system.
Where should your business go from here? The Cloud! It’s the inevitable future for Contact Centers and offers more benefits.
Keep your agents safe, healthy, and efficient with cloud-based call center software.
It is time to adapt to the global shift. Feel free to book a quick chat session.
