On-Premise or Cloud-Based Call Center Software…Which is better?

With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing around the world, the safety and productivity of Call Center agents have become a top priority for businesses.

How do businesses with On-premise call center measure-up in a time when migrating call center agents to a work-from-home model has become necessary?

On-premise requires your call center’s communication hardware, software, and infrastructure stored and operated in an office space.

However, services can be in the form of PBX or IP PBX.  While with Cloud-based does not need hardware.

It is hosted in the cloud by a call center software provider. Users access this service through a web browser on their computer or mobile device.

Is that all? You are probably pondering. Let us look at the key differences between an On-premise call center and a Cloud-based call center software.

Set-up time

It takes as little as 24 hours to set up a cloud-based call center software, unlike On-premise, requiring necessary hardware, licensing, infrastructure set-up, and finding compatible software.

This could take several months to set-up. Setting up cloud-based call center software is usually no more complicated than installing an app on your mobile phone.

Costs and expenses

The cost of setting up an on-premise call center is high compared to a cloud-based. This can be a massive challenge for small businesses with a plan to scale-up soon.

There’s a need for office space to accommodate hardware such as servers, headsets or phones, computers. There’s also the need for licensing.

Furthermore, most on-premise installations require a replacement every five to seven years due to the ageing hardware and software advances. This means hefty recurring fees long term.

Cloud-based call centers can be set up and used without any investment in hardware or infrastructure other than a reliable internet connection and devices with internet access.

A good internet connection (a minimum requirement of 100 kb/s per agent), quality routers, and proper router configuration are necessary to have a crystal clear experience using cloud-based call center software.

Unlike on-premise systems, Cloud-based are more economical than billed on either a monthly or annual subscription basis.

Flexibility

With Cloud-based call center software, it is much easier to scale, manage, and customize. Adding or removing users is as simple as saving a contact on your phone.

A cloud-based call center platform also allows agents to work remotely. Having a virtual call center can have many advantages for your business, including decreased costs and less agent turnover.

With On-premise, adding new agents to call centers is usually quite challenging and incurs costs on purchasing devices and licenses that require a minimum of a one-year commitment.

If the need to scale-down arises due to unforeseeable events, a business is left with a surplus of devices and licenses.

Integrations

This is usually a challenge for on-premise call center software as it involves licensing and installation; it becomes a nightmare for even the most experienced IT professionals. Plus, implementation will take valuable time that could be better spent focused on business growth.

Conversely, cloud call center providers like Call Center Studio has a public API that allows quick and easy integration with third-party applications such as CRM, ERP as well as many applications such as WhatsApp Business and Facebook Messenger.

With a complete cloud, you get most of these integrations built-in, thus saving you both time and money, easing the process of customer service delivery, provides a better customer experience, and increases the efficiency of your company.

Call Center Studio is built and hosted within Google’s infrastructure, and as such, our users can easily communicate natively with related tools such as the Google Dialogflow.

Security and privacy

One would think that onsite installations would be more secure than cloud-technologies.

However, many data breaches are due to human error or intentional malice, which your business is more susceptible to with an onsite infrastructure.

The cloud was initially considered unsafe for sensitive information. The strength of security around cloud technology has improved significantly.

Due to constant vigilance and the latest technology at work, today, your data is safer in a cloud environment than in an on-premise system.

Where should your business go from here? The Cloud! It’s the inevitable future for Call Centers and offers more benefits.

Keep your agents safe, healthy, and efficient with cloud-based call center software.

It is time to adapt to the global shift. Related Case Study