Trust us - cloud communications isn’t just another buzzword. It’s real. And it’s helped our customers and a myriad of other organizations when it comes to using data and keeping costs down. But like any new concept, the rumor mill is working overtime as we all continue to sort through facts and myths surrounding cloud usage.
Myth #1: Contact centers are only for incoming calls
Reality: Yes, traditional call centers focused on incoming calls, but in today’s environment, contact centers give customers a variety of communication tools to interact with a business. Wait time messaging, continuous updates on your position in the queue, self-service tools and live chat… Contact centers improve the customer experience with faster response times.
Myth #2: Contact centers are only for large businesses.
Reality: Smaller businesses no longer have to choose between outsourcing call center operations or just do without. With today’s cloud-based systems, you provide the space and the agents; then, your provider essentially takes care of the rest. From a couple of agents scheduling appointments at a medical clinic to a help desk at a large enterprise, contact centers offer enhanced features, such as call routing, workforce management and tools to improve engagement with your customers. Cloud software vendors have an innate ability to scale. This becomes particularly relevant for contact centers because they often need to quickly ramp agents up or down depending on the season or campaign.
Myth #3: The cloud is not secure
Reality: A cloud-based call center is no less secure than an on-premise call center. And unlike an organization where security is just one part of a professional’s job, most cloud software companies have a team of security experts whose day-to-day role is ensuring a secure environment. In fact, the most reputable vendors use hardware that resides in disaster-proof data centers. We’ve also seen an increase in industry standards and certifications, such as the Cloud Security Alliance’s (CSA) Security, Trust & Assurance registry that encourages transparency of security practices among cloud vendors; or the Service Organization Control (SOC) 1,2 & 3 audit standards; or CSA’s Cloud Control Matrix, a set of security controls.
Myth #4: The cloud can’t be customized
Reality: Software based in the cloud can be modified to meet a particular organization’s needs and is often less expensive to accomplish than with on-premise software. You can often enable custom fields, screens and reporting within your system. The options are fairly large when it comes to customization, and this is really just the beginning.
Myth #5: Agents in contact centers need to be in the same location
Reality: Thanks to the cloud, agents can be working from anywhere in the world! And with IP contact centers, agents have access to real-time availability and presence at the desktop to enable collaboration. They can instantly locate, message or conference in subject matter experts to get problems solved and efficiently meet expectations.
Bonus Bust: Call centers can’t integrate with other business applications
Reality: Call center systems that don’t integrate with business applications won’t be successful (I challenge you to find one at all!). Business applications increase call center efficiency and are indispensable! Integrations prevent duplication of effort and allow better customer service.
Let’s remind ourselves of the significant advantages the cloud can offer:
- Enables businesses to focus on their core competency
- Simplifies technology decisions with pre-configured environments and the elimination of capital investments
- Allows companies to control costs with “pay as they grow” or “pay for usage” plans
- Easily increase or decrease the number of agents support
