Why You Need a Cloud-Based Call Center Solution Versus an On-Premise Call Center Software

Why You Need a Cloud-Based Call Center Solution Versus an On-Premise Call Center Software

August 25, 2017 | Convoso

A review of Cloud-Based Call Center Software vs. On-Premise Call Center Software

The advantages of cloud-based call center solutions outweigh on-premise software. We’re going to show you pros and cons of each, and compare key factors including security, reliability, flexibility, future adaptability, and cost.

(jump straight to the review below comparing cloud-based vs. on-prem)

A decade ago no self-respecting call center director would dream of using anything that even remotely resembled a cloud-based software solution. If the software and hardware weren’t in your contact center, it wasn’t to be trusted. How else could you keep an eye on anything?

It may seem strange now, but cloud-based call center software wasn’t trusted for a number of reasons:

  • Why change what’s broken? There weren’t any major issues with on-premise solutions so why change them
  • Owners worried that by using the cloud they would lose control of their data
  • There was a fear over security and data breaches
  • It needed a reliable Internet connection to work
  • Trusting someone else to provide a solution is harder than trusting yourself

Today more than ever, people are swapping out their on-premise call center software for a cloud-based solution. And for good reason – virtual solutions offer a level of flexibility, reliability, and support that on-premise solutions can’t match.

And here’s the kicker — they are WAY cheaper and more secure, too.

The Move to the Cloud

Young businesswoman in wireless headset call center agent -telemarketer

Some contact centers are apprehensive about transitioning from a premise-based solution to a cloud-based platform. But virtual contact center solutions are becoming the norm. Companies are learning how to operate a productive remote call center with agents working from home.

In the 2019-2020 Cloud-Based Contact Center Infrastructure Market Report, DMG Consulting states that “the cloud has become the preferred delivery model for contact center solutions,” with the total number of cloud contact center seats projected to continue growing.

Before we deep dive into a comparison between cloud and on-premise solutions and why we recommend switching to the cloud, we’ll briefly cover how each solution works, so you can understand how to choose the best cloud based call center software for your operation.

HOW CAN I OPERATE A PRODUCTIVE REMOTE CALL CENTER

How Does On-Premise Software Work?

The term “on-premise” speaks for itself because everything is physically AT the location when operating an on-premise call center (the software, hardware, servers, IT staff, etc.). Running this type of operation means that everything from setup, maintenance, customizations, upgrades, etc. is handled by you and your team with either no outside support or costly external consultants.

THE PROS of On-Premise Call Center Solutions

  • You control everything
  • You don’t have to rely on any third parties

THE CONS of On-Premise Call Center Solutions

  • Little to no support with your system
  • High up front setup/startup costs
  • Little to no flexibility for quick horizontal scaling to support growth
  • Need for an on-staff IT professional
  • Challenges/costs for upgrading, keeping software up-to-date

What Kind of Company Uses On-Premise Contact Center Software?

Many large call centers still prefer to keep everything in-house.

This is possible because of their large amounts of data, long-standing and developed systems and processes, industry norms, existing in-house resources, and revenue that they generate. By keeping everything in-house these premise-based call center operations don’t have to share servers or software with anyone else and can even spend time developing their own. Often times, many of these large call centers with decades worth of data also don’t have the flexibility in time to migrate all their data to a cloud-based system, not to mention fear of the potential risks of losing some data in the process.

The other type of call center that uses on-premise software is one that has A LOT of sensitive information. We’re not talking about just phone numbers. We’re talking about medical or financial records. Understandably, these type of call centers won’t want to risk that data in the cloud, or don’t have time to shop for a solution to fit their specific compliance needs.

How Does Cloud-Based Call Center Software Work?

With a cloud-based solution, everything is hosted in the cloud by a third party SaaS provider. Call centers provide their own internet and headsets, but the actual software is set up, maintained, customized (in some cases), supported, and upgraded by the call center software provider. All most agents and admins need to do is log in to the platform of their hosted predictive dialer.

For hosted call center platforms like Convoso, the softphone is fully-integrated within the system via WebRTC, which means no external softphone installation is required to start making and placing calls.

Additionally, many cloud-based call center platforms also have the advantage of being highly mobile – allowing admins and agents to access the platform through a mobile or tablet device in addition to desktops.

With a cloud-based solutions, call centers can easily transition to and operate remotely. Work from home solutions give many call centers the flexibility they need to hire from a larger pool of talent while saving costs of operating an office. Managers can easily pull up the platform’s real-time reports to make strategic decisions about leads and lists, and to monitor at-home agent performance.

THE PROS of Cloud-Based Call Center Solutions

  • No upfront capital expenditure in hardware
  • Much lower startup and maintenance costs
  • The solution will scale with your business
  • 99.9% uptime and SLAs guarantee reliability
  • Multiple redundant servers and redundancy plans wherever you are located
  • Round-the-clock concierge support

THE CONS of Cloud-Based Call Center Solutions

  • Requires a reliable internet connection

What Kind of Company Uses Cloud-Based Contact Center Software?

A cloud-based solution is suitable for any type of call center from small to enterprise. It is particularly useful for cost-sensitive businesses that don’t want to pay or can’t afford the high startup costs associated with on-premise solutions. It also allows them to scale at will, adding new agents with ease to accommodate their growth.

SHOW ME THE ADVANTAGE OF A CLOUD-BASED AUTO DIALER

On-Premise Contact Center Software vs. Cloud-Based Contact Center Software

Why are so many call centers making the switch to a cloud-based solution? Here we analyze the benefits by putting cloud and on-premise solutions head-to-head in the factors that matter most to call center managers.

I. Reliability

When your business relies on your staff making or receiving calls, any disruption is going to cost you financially. Whatever solution you choose, you need it to be as reliable as possible.

  • On-Premise: These solutions were traditionally thought of as the most reliable because contact center staff are always in control. But staff might not be the best people for the job, especially if they are not IT minded. All equipment fails at some point and it’s the speed at which solutions get implemented that really counts. For on-premise systems, this means employing an expert to watch over everything in case of failure. Even then, you have no plan B. What if your IT staff can’t fix the solution? Then what happens?
  • Cloud-Based: While these systems rely on the internet, they are statistically more reliable. The solutions hand huge amounts of data for hundreds or thousands of clients. This means that they have high-level redundancy plans in place. Should downtime occur on one server, there are other servers spread across the globe that can take up the slack. While they are doing that, the SaaS provider has IT experts working to fix the problem. It is in everyone’s interests for the problem to be fixed as quickly as possible. It’s also why these providers are able to promise 99.9% uptime and guarantee it with a Service Level Agreement. Of course, because the solution relies on an internet connection, latency might become an issue. This typically isn’t the vendor’s fault, though. Upgrade your Wifi and latency should go away.

II. Flexibility

Call centers are fluid beasts. One moment you have a sudden influx of clients and you need more seats and more agents. The next, you need to downsize to reduce costs. This can be tricky when you have an on-premise solution that offers an inflexible solution. That’s why so many owners are choosing the cloud.

  • On-Premise: These solutions are notoriously inflexible for a number of reasons. Consider the following:
    • You need to increase or minimize staff. You buy the solution based on your current needs, if these change, you’ll need to purchase more equipment or you’ll be left with expensive equipment that isn’t being used.
    • If devices break, you’ll need to buy the exact same model to insure the software works properly
    • Change your CRM system and you might have to change your entire software package
    • If you rely on an on-premise solution, you better hope your situation doesn’t change for years.
  • Cloud-Based: A cloud-based solution is different. It is designed to fit seamlessly into any system and with the majority of third-party CRM providers. If you change a supplier, the software can account for this and change instantly to reflect it. The software can also be run on any device as long as it has an internet connection. It will also make sharing work much easier. The system is also perfect for splitting over multiple locations. It offers the same experience everywhere and the opportunity to share data across wide geographical distances. If you suddenly need more staff, the system can scale with ease to accommodate new users. Vice-versa, you can shrink your requirements and pay less if need be. If you want to promote remote working, cloud software makes it possible.

III. Future Adaptability

New technology, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) mean that call center software is changing more rapidly than ever before. Make sure your call center remains at the forefront of the industry.

  • On-Premise: When you choose an on-premise solution, you get the software you pay for and nothing else. Sure, this is suitable for the present, but it can age quickly. Consider Windows XP v Windows 10. The difference is shocking. When major changes occur in the industry, the software could be redundant. And those major changes could happen within a few years. When you have an on-premise solution, upgrading means forking out for a completely new system, and all of the additional costs and disruptions that go with it.
  • Cloud-Based: With a cloud-based solution, you’ll remain up-to-date at all times. Updates and changes are handled by the provider and delivered seamlessly to your platform. Don’t think you’ll miss out on anything, either. It is in the provider’s interests to update the software with the latest technology to ensure that customers remain with them. As a result, contact centers can get the latest solutions before (or at least at the same time) as others. No new servers or storage capabilities need to be created to allow for upgrades either, everything happens online.

IV. Security

Which do you think would be the most secure option? Go on, guess.

We’ll forgive you if you thought it was an on-premise solution. After all, what could be more secure than a system you have in-house that you can keep an eye on each day? Well, it turns out that cloud systems are much more secure, and here’s why:

  • On-Premise: When you run a call center, you’re reliant on an awful lot of data. The security of that data, therefore, becomes a key issue. Keeping it on-site seems like a safe bet, right? But contact centers with onsite software are 31% more likely to experience data security issues. That’s because the vast majority of data breaches are down to human error or misjudgment. Forget the Hollywood image of bedroom hackers trying to break into your call center. The majority of attacks are likely to come from phishing emails. They only work if your staff falls for them and once they are in, all of the ‘secure’ data that you hold in-house is up for grabs. It’s not just human error you have to be concerned about. What about if your servers get destroyed by a fire, a flood, or another disaster? If you don’t have a cloud backup of your data, it can be virtually impossible to retrieve it once destroyed.
  • Cloud-Based: Cloud-based solutions are only viable if they can promise customers an exceptional level of security. Choosing a top vendor, then, means choosing the kind of security protection that you couldn’t implement in-house on your own server. Encrypted cloud storage makes data breaches far less likely than if you were storing data on your own server. Data recovery is much more straightforward, too. The data is only ever stored in the cloud and there’s very little chance of it being deleted or corrupted. In fact, you could access it from any part of the world.

V. Costs

One of the main criticisms of cloud-based call center software is the pricing structure. Many companies are reluctant to continue paying a subscription fee once they have the system in place. After all, it’s never something you had to do with an on-premise solution. What a lot of owners and managers don’t realize, however, is that the subscription model means that a lot of the significant upfront investment is eliminated. Subscription-based cloud solutions can actually work out to be a lot cheaper in the short term and the long term.

  • On-Premise: The first big problem with on-premise solutions is that the software and hardware must be paid for upfront and in full. This is typically only possible if you are a large company with sufficient financial resources. It puts on-premise solutions virtually out of the question for smaller startups. They can’t afford it. There are hidden ongoing costs, too. Typically, the software will be tied to one machine. That means if equipment fails, companies have to pay in full to replace it. If they can’t pay quickly, this can have a dramatic impact on service. If you suddenly take on more staff, you’ll have to pay a whole lot of huge setup costs all over again. When you have your own on-premise solution, you’ll usually need to have a server in-house. At the very least this means hiring a full-time IT expert to maintain your infrastructure. They don’t come cheap. Finally, as any call center director will know, you have to continually upgrade in-house solutions so that they remain relevant. That means the costs will be repeated every five to seven years.

Example Costs of On-Premise Software

    • Upfront costs include
      • Relevant equipment to run solution on
      • Server acquisition and setup
      • Licenses and software
      • Professional installation
    • Ongoing costs include
      • Maintenance fee of 20% of upfront costs
      • Server expenses (electricity, licenses etc)
      • In-house IT support salary
  • Cloud-Based: With a cloud-based solution, the call center only pays for what it needs. When everything is hosted in the cloud, there’s no need to pay for hardware or fixed storage. There’s also no need to pay for the cost and associated costs (electricity) of in-house servers to support on-premise software. Or the cost of a dedicated IT technician. Rather than a large upfront investment, pricing is more flexible and can be paid monthly. This aids cash flow and makes it possible for contact centers to predict future costs. It also means startups can get off the ground with minimal upfront investment.

Example Costs of Cloud-Based Software

    • Upfront costs include
      • One-off payment to start service
    • Ongoing costs include
      • Monthly subscription fee

When it comes to costs, it’s a no brainer. Pay substantially more for an inflexible system that will have to be changed every five years, or substantially less for a system that will be upgraded for free and scale with your business.

Take the first step towards the cloud by getting your free trial of Convoso’s platform.

Discover the power of cloud-based call center solutions for yourself. Convoso provides a next generation, all-in-one omnichannel solution that can transform the way your call center works through increased productivity, improved sales, and automated reporting.

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