8 benefits of transferring your contact center to the cloud

Companies all around the world have been investing in popular call center software solutions, allowing them to provide better customer service. However, this means that call centers have transferred into the cloud. What is a cloud call center and what are its benefits?

In the previous article entitled  “What is a cloud – buzzword or reality?”, we tried to shed some light on the word cloud. In this article, we will talk about some of its benefits for call centers.

Cloud solution for call centers means that all data and features run virtually and the company does not need a local storage space or server. Virtually means in a cloud provided and managed by large companies, such as  Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure. These companies own servers in data centers located all over the world and offer them to other businesses (end users) through the cloud. Users of cloud-based call center systems just need a computer, tablet or smartphone and internet connection.

With cloud-based call center software, companies can:

• make phone calls with their clients
• lead active marketing campaigns
• organize conference calls
• share customer data and history of calls, orders and written communication
• use all advanced features to optimize customer interactions
• integrate the call center system with other systems, such as CRM, helpdesk, e-commerce, etc..
• and so much more

In contrast, a traditional on-premise call center is one that operates in and from a physical location. Think a large office with scores of call center agents sitting in cubicles or cordoned-off desks. These sorts of call centers can be expensive to operate, and taxing for the employees that work inside of them. Imagine having to make an important phone call with people yelling in the background. It’d be annoying, right? Well, that’s what call center agents have to deal with when working in a crowded, physical office space. 

Let’s look at some of the benefits that you get by using a cloud-based call center system. If your company still operates a traditional call center with Excel tables or notepads, try to find the difference 🙂

1. Simple and quick installation

Transferring traditional call centers into a cloud or creating a new cloud-based call center does not require complicated installations, hardware or local storage space. All you need is Internet connection and a web browser to log in. Once you create an account and log in, you can start making phone calls and improve your customer support by using advanced features or integrations with other systems.

2. Phone calls over the internet

Cloud call center system uses  IP telephony (technology allowing transmission of digital voice signals over the Internet to make phone calls) and VoIP technology (a tool which transmits the digital voice signals over the Internet). This allows the transfer of voice telephone calls over the Internet instead of using traditional analogue transfer via a traditional telephone line. It’s very similar to  Skype, Viber, or Facebook messenger. 

Cloud call center system allows you to answer traditional phone calls over the Internet. Outbound and intra-company calls are also redirected via the Internet. It doesn’t even matter how many phones or phone numbers you use.

3. Lower operational costs

As you don’t need hardware or local storage space to run a cloud call center system, your expenses will decrease, because you don’t need maintenance or IT specialists. 

The cloud on which the whole system operates and where all data are stored is provided by a service provider, for example CloudTalk. The service provider always charges only for what you actually use on the basis of monthly fees with no strings attached based on your selected service package. Furthermore, you can decide to add more agents at no additional costs.

4. Reliable and safe operation

Leave the security of your data and voice services up to the service provider. All data are stored in secured data centers with 24/7 monitoring, e.g. Amazon AWS in Germany. All servers and components of the solution (which you see only in the form of a cloud) are constantly monitored and backed-up.

5. Mobility

One of the biggest advantages of cloud call center systems is undoubtedly the fact that as long as you are connected to the Internet, you can make phone calls from any device and any place in the world – another department, your home or even another country. 

Being a digital nomad – working from anywhere in the world – is a very popular trend. Cloud-based call center system can help you lead this lifestyle. Create above-standard working conditions for your employees. Once your employees log in to the system, they can receive customer phone calls in any country with the possibility to forward calls to an external phone number.

6. Flexible and unlimited capacity expansion

Cloud-based call center system provides limitless and comprehensive administration of agents, caller queues, extensions, phone numbers and conference rooms. The set-up takes less than a minute. Independent call center management will enable you to quickly respond to your evolving business conditions, for example seasonal changes or unexpected events.

Expansion is really simple – you don’t need any IT experts or complicated installation processes when you need to create a new branch. With Internet access and log in details, your new branch is immediately ready to make customer calls. You can also interconnect individual branches via extensions.

7. User-friendly interface

Successful software companies focus on the smooth functioning of their solution, but also its user-friendliness. CloudTalk’s interface is intuitive and requires almost no technical skills. Businesses don’t need special trainings for employees to teach them how to work in the system. They just need to read a short manual and once they complete their first phone call, they know what to do.

8. Call center software integrated with more than 500 tools

Cloud-based call center software can be easily interconnected with many CRM, e-commerce or helpdesk tools. Agents can see all customer data in one place. This means that they can provide clients with better service and personalized approach. Data from several systems are integrated in a single place. Cloud call center system can also be integrated with any information system via our API.

Cloud is a quickly developing and expanding technology. It’s no wonder that small and large businesses are interested in call center systems stored and operated in a cloud. They can help them increase agent productivity, combine several systems into one and improve their customer support or the success rate of their telemarketing campaigns.