Hosted Call Center: What It Is, How It Works & Why You Want One

Research suggests that any business switching to a cloud-based phone system will save 49-69% on monthly communication costs*. 

A cloud-based hosted phone system gets rid of expensive infrastructure costs, limited features, and rigidity in favor of flexibility, utility, and scalability. It also comes with advanced functionality designed to boost productivity, personalize communication, and transform the customer experience. What’s more, the system only needs a solid internet connection and basic hardware to work from anywhere in the world.

In this article, you’ll learn how a hosted contact center actually works, key features, and tools you can use to boost efficiency across the board.

Key Takeaways

• A hosted call center is housed and managed by a third-party provider, whereas an on-premises solution is housed on your business’s physical premises.
  
• Hosted contact centers are cost-effective, scalable, easy to integrate, and have advanced features.
  
• CloudTalk is a cost-effective hosted phone system that offers an advanced feature set designed to boost productivity and transform the customer experience.

What Is a Hosted Call Center?

A hosted call center is a phone system that’s based entirely off-site. Since it’s accessed through the internet, it allows call center agents to be based in a physical office or anywhere in the world.

By hosting functionality in the cloud, hosted contact centers cut down on the expensive installation and maintenance costs of complex traditional business phone systems.They can also integrate with a wide range of other software, such as CRM systems or data platforms to allow for personalised communication and advanced analytics. They are made more effective by  efficiency-boosting features like Power Dialers, Workflow Automation, or Interactive Voice Response to cut wait times, improve customer service, and drive growth.

How a Hosted Call Center Works

Met een gehoste contact center-oplossing betaalt u een abonnementsbijdrage aan een externe leverancier, die u vervolgens toegang geeft tot de hardware en software die u nodig hebt. De provider is verantwoordelijk voor het updaten en onderhouden van de oplossing, waardoor deze zorgen van je schouders worden genomen.

On-Premises vs Hosted Call Centers: The Fundamental Differences

Een on-premise contact center is een contact center dat zich op uw fysieke locatie bevindt en door uw bedrijf wordt beheerd. Een gehost contact center is (hardware, software en infrastructuur) off-site gehuisvest.

Here’s a table that sums up the main differences:

Benefits of a Hosted Call Center

Laten we eens dieper ingaan op de voordelen van het gebruik van een gehoste contact center-oplossing.

Cut Operational Costs

Affordable hosted phone system pricing enables much lower upfront investment since there’s no need for expensive hardware or IT specialists for setup and maintenance. With a third-party provider handling infrastructure, you can also avoid ongoing costs like utility bills, server room expenses, and expensive hardware upgrades.

Plus, hosted contact centers support remote working. It’s cheaper to onboard remote employees and you don’t incur additional overheads. For example, extra office space, equipment, and utilities.

Scale Up and Down as You Need

Opschalen en afschalen met een legacy systeem is riskant. Als je meer werknemers wilt huisvesten, nieuwe functies wilt toevoegen of wilt uitbreiden naar wereldwijde markten, moet je dure, complexe infrastructuurwijzigingen doorvoeren. En als je wilt afschalen, kun je met ongebruikte bronnen komen te zitten.

Met een gehost systeem kun je nieuwe gebruikers en functies toevoegen en verwijderen om aan de directe vraag te voldoen en duurzame, zelfs wereldwijde groei te stimuleren.

PlanRadar’s partnership with CloudTalk is a great example of how a hosted solution can help achieve this. PlanRadar quickly realized that they were “in dire need of a reliable and flexible VoIP solution that could handle [their] international communication requirements”. 

So, they traded their legacy VoIP system for CloudTalk and leveraged the 160+ International Numbers on offer along with speedy Number Porting and streamlined number acquisition.

The result was a 70% increase in call handling efficiency and, in 2023, the handling of 144,652 calls using 585 international numbers. That’s a growth of 122.14%.

Integrate More Easily With Existing Tools

Pogingen om legacy systemen te integreren met andere tools kan leiden tot gegevensverlies, corruptie, beveiligingsproblemen, downtime en een groot aantal andere risico’s.

On the other hand, cloud-hosted phone systems are built for integration. Many providers—CloudTalk included—offer native integrations with business tools, including your CRM. 

U kunt uw klantgegevens dus koppelen aan uw telefoonsysteem zodat contactcenter medewerkers een gepersonaliseerde ervaring kunnen bieden.

Access a Wider Range of Features

Systemen op locatie bieden meestal alleen basisfuncties voor het bellen. Gehoste contact center-oplossingen daarentegen zitten boordevol geavanceerde functies die zorgen voor snelheid, efficiëntie en kwaliteitsvolle klantinteracties.

Deze functies omvatten zaken als slimme IVR, aanpasbare routering en ingebouwde analyses. Geïnteresseerd? Laten we deze functies nader bespreken.

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Must-Have Hosted Call Center Features

Op welke essentiële functies moet je letten als je op zoek bent naar een gehoste contact center-oplossing?

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Interactive Voice Response is een geautomatiseerd systeem dat in contact staat met je klanten en hen naar de juiste afdeling leidt.

IVRs improve call routing, reduce average call duration by 40%, and boost customer satisfaction. Callers can input their reason for calling into the system, and be directed to the right department in seconds—no frustrating call transfers or repeated explanations.

Callers are automatically guided through branching options to connect them with the right agent every time. This cuts down on transfers and boosting first-call resolution rates.

Call Flow Designer

 Call Flow Designer is an interactive contact center tool that lets you build custom call flows. Using what you know about your customers, you can create an inbound calling journey that’s optimized for them—and your business. 

De Call Flow Designer van CloudTalk heeft 20 verschillende routeringsopties. Zo kun je consistente, betrouwbare ervaringen creëren die zorgen voor snellere oplossingen en grotere tevredenheid.

International Phone Numbers

International Numbers help you gain your customers’ trust and establish a local identity—even if you’re based on the other side of the world. Plus, they reduce international calling fees.

When you’re choosing a call center solution, opt for a provider that offers lots of international numbers. Make sure they cover the countries you currently serve, as well as any countries you’re looking to expand to. 

You can’t go wrong with CloudTalk and its best-in-market 160+ international numbers to propel your global growth.

Call Monitoring

Call Monitoring features give you the power to listen in on live calls and offer support to agents. The three main call monitoring features to look out for are:

• Call listening: Supervisors can listen in on agents’ calls to evaluate their performance and identify training opportunities.
• Call whisper: Supervisors can join the call and offer support to agents without the customer being able to hear it, driving faster resolutions.
• Call barging: Supervisors can jump in on live calls to talk to the customer themselves, preventing calls from heading south and improving satisfaction.

Customizable Call Routing

Effective Call Routing optimizes your resources. It ensures that calls reach the right destination as efficiently as possible while preventing bottlenecks and balancing call distributions. 

De beste gehoste callcenterservices bieden een reeks opties voor gespreksroutering, waaronder:

• Skills-Based Routing
• Vaste orderrouting
• Round robin routing
• Percentage routing
• Caller-Based Routing

Probeer een oplossing te vinden die maximale aanpasbaarheid biedt door je te laten routeren volgens je eigen aangepaste regels.

Call Recording and Transcription

Hosted contact center providers securely record and store your calls so that you can access them later for evaluation, training, and compliance purposes. 

Natuurlijk kan het doorzoeken van opnames inefficiënt zijn als je op zoek bent naar iets specifieks. AI-gestuurde VoIP-oplossingen kunnen je gesprekken omzetten in tekst, zodat je het transcript eenvoudig kunt scannen om de informatie te vinden die je nodig hebt. Bovendien kunnen ze gesprekstranscripts automatisch exporteren naar je geïntegreerde tools.

Power Dialer

Power dialers zijn geautomatiseerde kiessystemen die contactcenter medewerkers kunnen gebruiken om belcampagnes met hoge volumes te verbeteren.

They automatically dial numbers for you, eliminating manual dialing and giving agents more time to digest customer information and focus on their sales strategy.The best dialers for call centers can help your agents reach three times as many prospects each day.

Workflow Automation

Hosted contact center services provide functionalities that automate the time-consuming, repetitive tasks that can drain productivity and frustrate your agents. 

Neem bijvoorbeeld handmatige gegevensinvoer. Menselijke fouten zijn niet alleen vervelend en tijdrovend, maar tasten ook de kwaliteit van je gegevens aan en daarmee je inzichten.

Workflow Automation eliminates manual data entry to improve productivity, data quality, and employee satisfaction. Other possible automations include after-call work activities, transcriptions, follow-ups, and ticket creation.

Built-In Analytics

Hosted contact center-oplossingen verzamelen real-time gegevens die u kunt gebruiken om strategische, datagestuurde beslissingen te nemen.

Using CloudTalk, you can view a range of call center metrics, including:

• Gemiddelde antwoordtijd
• Totaal aantal oproepen
• Totaal aantal beantwoorde oproepen
• Gemiddelde gesprekstijd
• Aantal gemiste oproepen
• Succespercentage uitgaande gesprekken

CRM Integrations

An integrated CRM and phone system centralizes data and functionalities, streamlining workflows and empowering agents to deliver better customer experiences. So, look for a solution that offers one-click integrations with your existing CRM. The best providers offer integrations with popular CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho. But if you use a different CRM, such as Onpipeline or Kommo, double-check that the provider supports it.

Other Considerations When Choosing a Hosted Call Center Provider

Waar moet je, naast de functies, nog meer op letten bij het zoeken naar gehoste contactcentersoftware?

Pricing Plans

Hosted phone system pricing plans vary significantly, so you’ll want to establish a clear budget. It’s also wise to make a list of all the features you’ll need, as most providers have three or four different plans.

Security and Compliance

Triple-check the security measures put in place by your provider. For reference, CloudTalk secures your data with a range of strict cybersecurity measures: end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, global data centers, penetration testing, regular software patching/updates, and more. 

Vergeet ook compliance niet. Controleer of je oplossing voldoet aan industriële voorschriften zoals STIR/SHAKEN en MAN.

Reliable Help and Customer Support

Controleer of de aanbieder toegankelijke en responsieve ondersteuning biedt door de volgende vragen te beantwoorden:

• Availability: Can you get support around the clock, or is it on a 24/5 basis?
• Accessibility: On what platforms can you access support? Are there self-service options?
• Timeliness: How quickly does it take for support to respond? For reference, CloudTalk’s average response time is less than one minute.

Cut Costs and Improve Productivity With a Hosted Call Center

85% of businesses are transitioning to a cloud-first model. And it makes sense—with a hosted call center solution, you can remove the unnecessary overheads of traditional on-site systems. Meanwhile, you can leverage advanced features to drive revenue.

Tools like International Numbers and Call Flow Designer let you scale easily and customize call flows to your needs. Moreover, features like CloudTalk’s Power Dialer gets your agents into more conversations, while integration with your CRM provides greater context for a tailored approach. 

CloudTalk also makes it easy to adjust your support strategy by analyzing customer sentiment. Once you know what customers want, you can improve decision-making and monitor success with powerful tracking and analytics.

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Sources

• VoIP Advantages & Disadvantages: All You Need to Know, 2023