The cloud has revolutionized almost every sector in the last decade or so, including the call center industry. With worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services to total $591.8 billion this year, according to Gartner, it’s likely more call center managers will invest in cloud technologies that improve performance and day-to-day operations. Cloud calling is one of these technologies, allowing agents to communicate with prospective and existing customers over the internet instead of a landline. But what are the benefits of this innovation?
Cloud Calling, Explained
Cloud calling (or cloud telephony) is a telephony service that provides voice communication services through the cloud. Third-party service providers host the cloud solutions needed for this technology to work in a call center environment like yours. These providers might also offer an omnichannel cloud-based solution (known as Unified Communication as a Service, or UCaaS), allowing your team to communicate via methods such as video conferencing, enterprise messaging, and presence technology.
Agents, and the people they communicate with, might be unaware that their conversations are occurring through a cloud framework. That’s because communications sound the same as traditional phone systems. However, cloud calling processes voice conversations differently than on-site PBX systems, with calls going through cloud-based switches.
5 Benefits of Cloud Calling
Investing in cloud calling provides your call center with various advantages. The most significant benefit is a reduction in operating costs, with the cloud being an inexpensive resource. A cloud-based voice solution is cheaper than traditional landlines and even VoIP because you can bundle it with other cloud services.
Relying on a third-party service provider to host the technology needed for cloud calling might be a daunting prospect. However, working with a provider can provide the following:
1. Improved Security
Cloud-based software can be safer than VoIP technologies, which hackers often exploit to infiltrate your business phone system. Cloud calling, therefore, eliminates the need to secure your in-house system and can provide peace of mind in your call center. You won’t have to safeguard the network and routing elements of your communications system and can securely store and access voice data over the internet.
2. Minimal Setup Costs
As well as reducing operating costs, cloud calling is cheaper to set up than alternative technologies. There’s no need to assemble servers and other expensive in-house infrastructure to make and receive calls, and you can invest these savings by creating new call centers. The only real costs involved in cloud calling are the monthly fees charged by your hosting provider and the price of your cloud phone system.
The latter is influenced by the size of your center, the bandwidth you require, and the features needed to facilitate calls, such as long-distance calling. Cloud phone systems can cost as little as $10 per agent per month, according to JustCall, which can work out significantly cheaper than other technologies.
3. Remote Flexibility
With more people working from home, cloud calling allows you to adopt or maintain a remote or hybrid work model. At-home agents access the same cloud-based software as those in your office, allowing you to run a successful call center regardless of the location of team members. Again, there’s no need to invest in expensive hardware to set up cloud calling technologies for remote workers. Agents only require a cloud phone system, a headset, and a computer.
4. Scalability
Cloud calling lets you scale your call center operations up and down. For example, you can add extra agents during peak seasons or as your business grows with minimal effort. That’s because this technology is easy to maintain. It doesn’t require the same maintenance or networking as a traditional phone system, making scalability an easy task.
5. Enhanced Features
Cloud-based software allows you to implement different features that you won’t find on some traditional phone systems. These features include IVR (interactive voice response), which allows incoming callers to hear pre-recorded messages about call wait times and other relevant information. You can also assign calls to virtual assistants, who can solve customer queries remotely and benefit from artificial intelligence that makes life easier for busy agents.
Another feature of cloud calling is the ability to record calls and store this data in the cloud. Recording calls can help you train agents to become better at their jobs
Future Proofing Your Contact Center
You should keep up with the latest trends in the call center industry to streamline operations. That includes providing your agents with the most recent technologies to do their jobs more effectively. Cloud calling is one of those technologies, allowing agents to communicate with customers over the internet.
This innovation has multiple benefits for your contact center, providing a cheaper, safer, more flexible, and more scalable alternative to traditional phone systems. As cloud-based software increases in popularity, it will continue to fulfill the ever-growing needs of the industry.
