In this modern age where business relies heavily upon technology, it has created an impact on how call centres operated and even offers an opportunity for the business owners to improve their operations as there are software solutions available in the market to aid the call centres in their daily operation. Besides the fact that new call centre software such as cloud computing solutions has brought in new methods of communication. It has also changed the way on how call centres operated plus other benefits involved.
Although this has made it easy and efficient for companies to reach out to the existing and new clients, there are certain challenges and requirements for any business to set up the call centres with the latest technology that aims to improve the process but also provide smartphones, desktop, tablets or laptops.es them a great advantage over their competitors.
One such example is the web-based software that has practical applications to allow the company to store all its essential information such as the customer’s database on the cloud rather than storing it on the physical servers in their office. Other software features such as real-time monitoring, call recording, and customized reports allow the company to improve their efficiency and effectiveness with a low cost of production. This not only helps the corporation to achieve their goal for their call centre and also ensures that the customer experience remains positive and pleasant.
This is especially true for call centres that adopt the cloud-based call centre concept and use the cloud computing solutions for their daily operations. Below are some of the benefits that organizations enjoy when they use the cloud-based call centre for their customer service or sales support department.
No Hardware is required
Compared to the On-premise call centre which requires the infrastructural set-up such as office space for the call agent’s workstation and server room. Cloud-based call centres do not require any hardware for installation. The only requirement is an efficient internet service to sync the cloud computing solutions from the call agent’s computer that can be uploaded or download from the Cloud services. This means that all the important information and data are stored on the cloud server instead of using a physical server in the call centre.
The flexibility of Manpower deployment
Using the cloud computing software for their call centre, companies are given the opportunity to hire and allow call agents to work in their homes instead of reporting to the office as all the agent need is to download the required software to their computers plus a headset to talk to their customers. This method is very useful and efficient for companies that have offshore operations and need to engage native call agents to communicate to the locals in their native language as part of the customer service or sales support operation.
Choice to work on any IT devices
Since the call centre software does not require any grand equipment as the solution is stored on the cloud, the cloud computing application can be used on any mobile device such as smartphones, desktop, tablets or laptops outside the office premises if permitted by the management. This is not only cost-effective but is an effective strategy especially for home-based call agents who rely on their gadgets for working purpose.
Reducing capital expense
As mentioned earlier, using the cloud computing software is more cost-effective than using the on premise software. The reason is that the cloud application will not require any additional hardware to purchase and is more suitable for small-scale industries or new company start-ups which their budget for setting up the call centre is not very high. It will help to reduce additional costs that are related to the management, hiring of IT staff, and cost of servers for data storage as well as network connectivity. Not to mention the additional cost of replacing the IT devices due to faulty or upgrading reasons. Whereas for call centres that are cloud-based. The business owner will not bear additional hardware cost as any upgrading or maintenance are done by the service.
Security
Although some critics may argue on how reliable the cloud security is, especially on the fear that sensitive information such as customer database and other important data will be compromised by allowing the information outside the internal firewall. However, companies who have used cloud services are ensured by the service providers that the content will be kept safe.
Since most of the programs require 1FA (One Factor Authentication) which is a username and password to access, this means that only the selected personnel and no third party can access the sensitive information of the company. No to mention that the service provider who sells the cloud computing software are required to undergo security audits under ISO standards to ensure that any data that is upload to their servers via cloud will be fully secure.
Scalability
There are often times when organizations need to re-adjust their call centre operations to adapt to the ever-changing business environment. For a traditional call centre, this will means additional investments to change or upgrade the IT hardware or software, hiring of additional manpower and even the infrastructure when necessary.
On the other hand, call centres that use cloud computing solutions can save on this additional expense and is flexible in their management of the cloud-based call centre. For example, they can increase the number of call agents by hiring contract staff for certain projects to handle huge call volumes and scale down to the appropriate levels when required. Thus in a long run, it benefits the company as it offers them options to shrink or stretch according to the business and operational requirements without any financial pressure.
Bundle Services
To get more business, most if not all the service providers who sell the cloud calling software will offer several packages that include multiple services ranging from maintenance to upgrades. Examples are inbound/outbound calling services, phone services, bandwidth issues and so on. This means that anything that is related to the operating system is provided and managed by one vendor. The advantage of this process makes communication between the client and vendor simpler and also helps to reduce the workload of the organization, allowing the call agents to focus on their duties rather than wasting time with the IT personnel to resolve any technical issues or glitches that affect their computers.
There are many more benefits to set up the call centre with the cloud computing solutions and in conclusion, call centres that can adapt to the ever-changing technology and dynamic business environments will stand a better chance to exceed in their service level and allow the businesses opportunity to grow fu