June 8, 2017
In most companies, there isn’t much overlap between the contact/call center and the IT department. The contact/call center uses advanced software to manage the customer experience, and that software depends upon the IT department.
Yet, so long as the system works and meets their needs, most contact/call center managers aren’t concerned with the specifics of the technology. Whether it is hosted in the data center or it is cloud call center software, it doesn’t make much of a difference to agents and managers who are more concerned with maintaining their customer service standards.
However, you should care whether your organizations uses cloud call center software, because the cloud opens up new opportunities on more than just the IT side of the operation.
What Does the Cloud Mean for Contact/Call Centers?
The term “cloud” is used a lot these days, but there is still some confusion as to what the cloud actually means. In this context, cloud call center software refers to a contact/call center platform that is hosted in the cloud instead of an on-premise data center. Traditionally, all business applications such as Outlook, Microsoft Office, or even file storage are installed in a data center located in the main corporate office. Employees use the internal business network to access these applications from their work computers. If working from home, employees need a special VPN connection to access this data center.
The cloud works differently. Instead of accessing these applications through the business network, you instead use a standard internet connection, because the applications and files are not located at the company’s data center. The application is housed in a massive data center owned by the developer, Microsoft, Google, Amazon or other cloud provider who hosts data, files, and applications from numerous companies.
It can sound arbitrary. Why does it matter where the application is hosted? However, the cloud does offer a few distinct advantages.
Benefits of a Cloud-Based Call Center:
- Continuous Upgrades and New Features: When applications are hosted in the cloud, they are updated and patched by the application developer instead of your company’s IT department. This means that when a new feature or update is released, it is immediately accessible to your team.
- Remote Agents: Cloud call center software makes it far easier for agents to work remotely. Because the application is accessed through a normal internet connection instead of the business network, agents can quickly and easily access all the tools they need from anywhere in the world.
- Expanded Talent Pool: Because agents can work from anywhere, they can be hired from anywhere. This expands your agent talent pool from those living near your office to candidates across the country or even around the world.
- Scalability: With applications hosted in the business data center, scalability can be a concern. If the contact/call center is expanding rapidly, the extra technology demands may require the IT department to purchase new hardware to supply enough resources. This can slow down expansion as IT deployments can take weeks or months to complete. With the cloud, the infrastructure is already established in the provider’s cloud. You would just be using more of it. You can add and subtract new agents from your software with just a few clicks.
The Cloud Means Convenience
Largely, the cloud is more convenient for the contact/call center manager. It is flexible, scalable, and accessible. There are multiple high-quality, sophisticated contact/call center platforms available in the cloud, including Genesys | Interactive Intelligence’s PureCloud Engage. These solutions offer that same feature-rich experience with a few added perks available only in the cloud.
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About Mindsight
Mindsight, a Chicago IT services provider, is an extension of your team. Our culture is built on transparency and trust, and our team is made up of extraordinary people – the kinds of people you would hire. We have one of the largest expert-level engineering teams delivering the full spectrum of IT services and solutions, from cloud to infrastructure, collaboration to contact center. Our highly-certified engineers and process-oriented excellence have certainly been key to our success. But what really sets us apart is our straightforward and honest approach to every conversation, whether it is for an emerging business or global enterprise. Our customers rely on our thought leadership, responsiveness, and dedication to solving their toughest technology challenges.
Contact us at GoMindsight.com.