Cloud-based contact centres are a network-based service that gives your business the ability to take customer calls and handle customer interactions entirely online via a web-accessible platform. They operate on a subscription model and provide services remotely to businesses.
Businesses are increasingly beginning to adopt cloud-based contact centres because of the innovative and forward thinking features they provide. Cloud-based contact centres offer features that improve customer interaction and drive customer satisfaction. Plus, because they eliminate the requirement of hardware, cloud-based contact centres also eliminate the problem of maintaining hardware and equipment. Adopting a cloud-based contact centre can bring your business into the world of modern technology.
Building Your Business Case
The Difficulty of ROI and TCO Comparisons (Comparing Apples and Oranges)
One of the most significant benefits to cloud-based contact centres is the reduction of costs. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) assessments of cloud-based contact centres in comparison to on-premises deployments generally reach the conclusion that cloud-based cost savings are proportionately larger with increasing contact centre size, as well as increased levels of functionality. However, some providers report that longer-term, the depreciation associated with on-premises solutions means that the TCO gap narrows, so that after seven years or more, the difference is much less, if not wiped out totally.
While there is no single correct calculation for the Return on Investment (ROI) equation, payback is generally within 12 months. In many cases, there is a considerably shorter timescale of anywhere from three to six months. The actual timeframe depends on several variables, including the number of contact centre locations, the functionality employed, the cost of integration and customisation, and other such factors.
Future-Proofing Your Business (Scalability and Flexibility)
A cloud-based model allows contact centres to add agents, extend functionality, and adapt quickly to changes in the business without having to buy new infrastructure or requiring in-house IT resources on length projects. In the ever-evolving world of technology, contact centres need to be adaptable to changes in the business, and cloud-based contact centres allow businesses to do this. One of the core benefits of the cloud model is also the scalability, and the opportunity to scale operations up or down when necessary.
Understanding The Economics of The Cloud
The most important aspect of cloud economics is its ability to shift the financial burden from CAPEX (capital budget expense) to OPEX (operating expense). OPEX budgeting eliminates the need for large capital expenditures and is therefore a more attractive option for many businesses purchasing software applications. There is no doubt that the economics of cloud-based contact centres offer several financial benefits by allowing for better planning and strategic decision making, in addition to liberating in-house IT from contact centre operations.
New Technology, Proven Model
The cloud contact centre model is another variation of the cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model which is becoming more and more pervasive amongst businesses. SaaS has typically been used by businesses for core applications like email or CRM. Microsoft is rapidly gaining traction by shifting access to core business applications to the cloud with Office 365.
Functionality and Feature Integration
Feature updates with cloud-based systems are more regular and tenable than premises-based solution updates. Premises-based solution updates require significant scrutinising around the compatibility of hardware and software. With a cloud-based model, updates occur internally and you eliminate any issues to do with hardware and software compatibility.
Downtime and Vendor SLAs
One of the most significant benefits of a cloud-based model is the fact that cloud vendors are responsible for keeping systems running, not you or any of your staff members. This means that if there are any issues with your system or technical difficulties, your vendor will take responsibility, freeing up internal time, resources and budgets.
Improved Business Continuity and Data Security
Business Continuity is another noteworthy benefit of the cloud contact centre. Business Continuity is something that many small and mid-sized businesses want but find too expensive and complex to implement. Cloud-based contact centres have proven that through inherent safeguards and redundancy built into their data centres and networks that they are able to provide a previously unattainable level of business continuity that many organisations cannot afford to implement in their contact centre operations.
Major Reduction in Administration Overheads
With processes managed for the most part by dedicated off-site experts you will significantly reduce administration overheads and costs by adopting a cloud-based contact centre. These experts will ensure the necessary skills training and succession planning are in place to maintain your solution. This will then free up company resources.
Conclusion
By adopting a cloud-based contact centre, not only will you reduce costs and free up resources for other aspects of your business, but you will also improve the functionality of your contact centre. Adopting a cloud-based contact centre for your business will ultimately mean staying on top of digital trends and modern approaches to business.