Which One Should You Pick? Cloud-Based Call Centers Vs. On-Premises Call Centers

Published on: 30 July 2018 Last Updated on: 11 September 2024
Call Centers

In today’s fast-paced world, businesses constantly seek ways to improve efficiency while reducing operational costs.   

One of the most significant changes we’ve seen is the shift from traditional on-premises call centers to cloud-based solutions. This is no longer just a trend—it’s a strategic move towards higher profitability and smoother operations.  

Cloud-based call centers have become an essential organizational plan for businesses that value high profitability and low operational costs.   

More and more businesses are moving from on-premises call centers to cloud-based call centers. If you, too, are considering a change, know the reasons to confirm your decision.

Why Choose Cloud-Based Call Centers?

The following reasons show you the difference between cloud-based call centers and on-premises call centers:

1. Installation

The installation process in the on-premises call centers was time-consuming. You had to plan the hardware, get licensing, set it up, install software for the systems, and more.  

Cloud-based call centers are easy to install. You don’t have to maintain hardware or ensure it operates efficiently. You don’t need to assemble different devices and start off with your process.

2. Operational Costs

The cost of managing an on-premises call center is huge. It takes a lot of money to set up and buy hardware such as computers, phones, headsets, and more.  

You also need licensing and office space to accommodate all your employees. Due to improving technology and regular software upgrades, the costs of replacing an installation are also high.  

Options like Cisco’s customer journey platform show how little investment can go a long way. These processes don’t cost much money but require a good internet connection.  

Everything is saved on the cloud and billed on a usage basis. This is one way to decrease your operational costs.

3. Easy Management

The hardwired and software systems of the on-premises call center make the process tougher and strenuous. It requires more supervision and includes regular licensing, maintenance, upgrades, and more.  

Cloud-based call centers need little management and eliminate the maintenance of hardware systems. The support comes from digital engagement, reducing on-premises IT charges and other complexities.

4. Flexibility

When you install the on-premises call center, it is tough to customize it according to the number of agents. The number fluctuates, and there is less flexibility in the workflow.  

Maintaining hardware is tough, and you need to modulate the systems, headphones, and so on. In this traditional system, the customer agents don’t work remotely.  

They are stuck at their desks all the time, receiving calls. This disrupts the company’s ability to deliver quality customer service around the clock.  

Cloud-based call centers are responsive to the scalability according to the requirement.  

Cloud systems are offered based on subscriptions, so adding and removing users is like blocking a subscription. The cloud-based system helps agents work from the comfort of their homes.  

They just need a good internet connection. They offer 360-degree customer support irrespective of where they are.  

5. Scalability

You will need more staff when you see an expanding business in your on-premises call center.  

The scalability levels of the on-premises call center system are slow because you need to spend money on aspects ranging from architecture to hardware.  

Cloud operations offer an efficient software system that depends on data servers. These are what mark their scalability, and there are no extra investments needed.

6. Reliability

The quality of phone calls on the on-premises system is great. However, it is usually broken through many systems and that affects the customer’s experience. Cloud operations depend on a strong network. You need great internet facilities to promote better customer service.  

From the points above, we can assume that the future of cloud-based call centers is bright.   

In every way, it is a better option compared to traditional call centers. Now you know all the reasons to shift to a cloud-based call center, choose the best organization for the services.

Which Office Should You Choose as an Employee: On-Premises vs. Cloud-Based?  

On the other hand, if you’re trying to decide between a more traditional on-premises call center or a modern cloud-based one, it’s important to think about the pros and cons from an employee’s perspective.   

Here are a few things to consider:  

  1. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance  

One of the most attractive benefits of a cloud call center is its flexibility. You can work from home, your favorite coffee shop, or anywhere else with just a reliable internet connection.   

It’s much easier to fit work around your life, which is incredibly useful. Whether you’ve got a busy lifestyle or just need to prefer a more fluid schedule where you’re not tied down to being in one location.  

  1. Career Growth Opportunities

Cloud-based call centers typically adopt new technology trends. This means you will get exposure to next-generation tools and digital platforms.   

Your expertise in cloud technology could be in high demand since businesses are moving their solutions to the cloud.   

On-site call centers tend to stick with outdated processes and technologies. Therefore, exposure to current industry trends may not always be possible.  

  1. Work Environment and Culture

The traditional office space has a lot going for it – team collaboration, immediate access to team leads, and a routine.   

If you are someone who likes more of a hands-on approach with your coworkers, an office may be the choice for you.   

A cloud-based work environment is heavily communication-based and autonomous. If you can self-motivate yourself to work on your own time, then a cloud-based workplace would be ideal.  

  1. Stability and Job Security

On-premises call centers feel more stable because they have fixed infrastructure in place. Not to mention the fact that they’re just offices you can go visit.   

If your CRM goes down or there’s a power outage, somebody physically located near you can fix it.   

However, while cloud-based solutions may require an internet connection to access, they certainly don’t shut down in bad weather (in fact, “the cloud” is often where they store information on such storms).   

Hardware failures or physical office closures are unpredictable occurrences that you should be wary of.   

Final Note

Cloud-based call centers are the way forward as more and more businesses embrace digital transformation.   

They will increase in functions, quality, and applications. Are you a business owner or an employee still sitting on the fence?   

Decide quickly which side of the divide you want to belong to because cloud technology is here to stay! 

Read Also :

Deepanwita is a seasoned practitioner of ‘jumping the ship’. She started out her journey with literature and now holds a double graduation degree, one of which is in psychology. As a result, she is now using this skill to help confused job seekers to pick a direction. Given her academic background, her writing is laden with analytical analogies and deep research. As one of Content Rally’s most regular contributors, readers can find a sense of confidence in her writing.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Productive Home Office

8 Tried and Tested Secrets of a Productive Home Office

Whether you are an entrepreneur or you run your own business from home, or you are simply doing your office work,  offices in the home are more than just a simple working space. Not only it gives you the freedom to work with ease, but it’s also a place where your work productivity depends upon. You can also transform your garage into your Productive home office. You can use the garage space for your office creation. If you are in a home and want space to not affect your productivity, here are some of the tips to help you: Different Tips You Can Follow For Creating Productive Home office   There are different tips and tricks you can apply for creating your Productive home office. In this article, you will get the complete details of it. Try to follow some key tips that can work well in your favor. Do not make your choices in grey as it can defame your dreams. Do not make things more complicated for yourself. 1. Be A Mouse Find a nook and start working. Be it a corner of your room, or the divided study, find the space that makes you feel comfortable while working.  Also, make sure that the place doesn’t amalgamate with noisy rooms. Busy rooms make the worst space to work, so find a distraction-free space where you can focus. 2. Declutter Space Although it's obvious to see extra pens and papers swimming on your desk, they can detract from your work and can hamper your productivity. Let your space think so that you can work peacefully. Allot different space to everything with your working device only on the table. 3. Segregated Log House If you have kids at home who constantly keep you nagging between your work, you surely need an individual workspace. While a study would be fine, kids can invade that too. However, you can construct a small log home to work in peace. You can even go for a log cabin kit if you don’t wish to build a complete house. 4. Green Can Help Make your workspace look appealing by bringing some outdoors into your space. A plant on the desk or floor is the perfect way to add a fresh feel to space. This will also give you a break from the screen when needed and will look pleasing to the eyes. You can add a small cactus or a succulent if you are not a fan of huge planters and pots. 5. Comfort Is Important Don’t create such an environment as you are napping, but you can incorporate something comfortable to relax during breaks. Since it’s hard to be focused by constantly straining to see screens, good and comfortable seating will prevent your fatigue and will increase productivity. Invest in a good office chair or a couch. If you are tired of seating too long, have a standing table in one corner. Things like small cushions, anti-glare screens and more can up your comfort level allowing you to stay focused during work. 6. Lighting Maximize work by incorporating good lighting to boost energy and also to reduce eye strain. If possible, increase natural light and let the fresh air come in. If it's impossible to bring natural light, use bright white bulbs to make the room look brighter. 7. Color Color can make a huge difference to your productivity, so use it smartly. While soft hues can give you soothing effects, yellow hues aim to increase creativity and induce a feeling of relaxation. So choose the colors that suit your personality and bring them into your productive home office. You can also add colors through accent wall painting or can paint the entire space. 8. Scents Also Work The key to staying active all day is a nice smelling room, and that means incorporating scents. You can use peppermint to add freshness and to energize the space. Also, peppermint can help you concentrate on your work.  If peppermint is not your smell, use citrus scents to de-stress and to uplift mood. Diffused candles and essential oil diffusers are also a great way to make your scented game strong and your room refreshing. Well, it’s no secret that the office environment plays a major role in your product. However, the above tips can also help you to create a productive home office. Final Take Away Hence, these are some of the factors that you have to take care of while you want to build your own productive home office space that is essential for your business. Try to make things work well in your favor as it is one of the crucial aspects for your business to encounter at your end. Work well in all the aspects that can help you to achieve your business objectives in the right way and in a short span of time. Read Also : 8 Ways You Can Improve Safety In A Workplace Exploring A Full-Time Remote Working Opportunity The Best Pro Tips For Setting Up An Awesome Home Office

READ MOREDetails
coronavirus

Have You Been Laid Off Because Of Coronavirus? Here Are 5 Income Earning Opportunities For You

Have you been recently fired from your job because of the Coronavirus problem? Are you looking to sustain yourself by earning during the lockdown period? Do you know of certain high-paying and profitable opportunities, which you can take up? With global economic losses crossing the $2 Trillion mark, Coronavirus is jeopardizing millions of livelihoods. According to financial experts, we are going to witness a period of global financial recession.  In these testing times, we have two options in front of us- We can either mope or blame our destiny for all the bad that is happening. Or,  We can put ourselves together, invoke our entrepreneurial spirit and work our way out of the problem.  You might have heard the proverb, ‘when God closes a door, he opens a new window.’ In this article, we are going to open five windows for you.  5 ways to earn income during the Coronavirus lockdown: The List 1. Start a News Blog on Coronavirus or COVID 19- You do not need a flair for creative writing if you are looking to start a news blog. All you need to do is create a simple WordPress website for your news blog and start a social media page. Publish five to ten 500 word articles every day and see the traffic flowing.  People are interested in knowing about everything related to the Coronavirus. This is a good time to look up government sources, Reuters and different news publications and collate them all in one place. Once you get decent site metrics and traffic, you can earn income through Ad displays, guest posting, and other ways.  2. Take up Cryptocurrency trading in a major way- Did you know that you could easily earn hundreds of dollars every week by just trading cryptocurrencies? With the rise of cryptocurrency trading platforms, you can easily become a trader. All you need to do is open account and start trading.  The technologically advanced software of the platform is going to guide you when it comes to making the best trades. By investing a small sum of money, going for low-risk trades initially, you can become a seasoned and experienced cryptocurrency trader in no time.  3. Get paid by signing up for Surveys and Options Sites- There are many survey sites, businesses and companies, which pay up to $10 USD per survey. This is a great sum of money when you consider that you can easily do a minimum of five surveys per day. This is not only going to help you earn, but also explore new opportunities.  Big businesses work with market research firms to find out about the opinions of consumers. By signing up to such platforms, becoming part of interviews and focus group discussions, you can earn close to $3000 USD per month.  4. Food or Grocery delivery agent in your neighborhood- Almost all nations around the world have exempted online companies from the lockdown. This means that these companies are hiring aggressively as more and more people are ordering things while sitting at home.  If you have a bike, you can easily sign up with one of the major players in your neighborhood and start delivering to people. This is not only very profitable now, but also very humane. You are going to help someone get their medicines and other essentials on time.  5. Start your own Freelance Gig- If you are good at writing, start bidding for content writing jobs on freelance websites. If you are good at cooking, you can start your own food delivery gig. No matter what your passion, you can always make it into a fully income-generating opportunity.  As more and more companies are looking to cut costs by firing people, they are not going to stop their operations altogether. Approach them as a freelancer and offer your services for an attractive fee. You will be surprised to see the results of your outreach.  Conclusion In this article, we have listed five great income-earning opportunities for people who have been laid off because of the Coronavirus. All these opportunities do require time and effort. However, if you are able to do them right, you will see cash flowing into your account.  Can you think of some similar opportunities to earn cash? Let us know in the comments section below. Read also: The Top Benefits of Using an Insurance Broker Is an online degree in business management worth it?

READ MOREDetails
Expedited Shipping

Fast Freight Solutions: Why Expedited Shipping Is A Game-Changer

Logistics providers must prioritize efficiency if they wish to be successful. Consumers want goods immediately, and any delay can lead to losses. Time is of the essence in this industry, so business owners constantly look for ways to streamline their operations and optimize their shipping processes. Expedited shipping is one method they may use to achieve this goal. Speed and time sensitivity are prioritized when this shipping option is selected, and it can be used for less-than-truckload freight and full truckloads. Using this option gives a business a competitive edge by ensuring goods arrive at their destination promptly. With the help of expedited shipping, companies can meet the urgent demands of their consumers quickly and reliably. What Is Expedited Shipping? Expedited Shipping is a kind of specialized service that is based on improving the speed quotient of deliveries. Indeed, it is faster than traditional shipping services. But what makes up for the additional speed? Expedited Shipping uses direct routes whenever possible during any transportation project or logistics delivery. As a result, the transit times are reduced by 50 to 60%. Estimating the layovers and cutting off any other unnecessary delays is also easy. It is the best option for you if you need a time-sensitive delivery. Some orders that badly need Expedited Shipping are urgent posts, delivery of perishable goods, priority shipments like meds, etc. Separating Standard From Expedited Shipping The prime difference between standard and Expedited Shipping is in the delivery speed. The former follows the general delivery schedule and timeframe. However, that might be a few days and, in odd cases, a few weeks But the scenes are different if you’ve booked Expedited Shipping. It assures faster delivery. The maximum time frame is 3 days. However, more than 70% of deliveries take only 24 to 48 hours. You may receive Some of the consignments within 12 hours, too. However, the cost is higher when you expect such fast transit. So, choose Expedited Shipping whenever you need to make an urgent shipment. The Benefits Of Expedited Shipping This shipping option allows goods to reach their destination in less time. Most businesses opt for standard measures whenever possible because they are cost-effective and reliable. However, there are times when shipments must arrive quickly, typically within a day or two after placing the order. Many industries benefit from offering this option. Medical supplies can arrive at their destination rapidly, which is essential because it could be a matter of life or death. Just-in-time production methods are becoming more common in manufacturing, so expedited shipping ensures operational efficiency while minimizing downtime. The company can meet customer demands, giving it a competitive edge. When customers receive their goods on time, they may become loyal clients of the business. In addition, they may leave a positive review and tell their family and friends about the company. Expedited shipping allows the business to stand out and increase its market share. Consumer demands change rapidly. A company must be ready to provide customers with what they want and need. Expedited shipping allows the business to become more agile. It can quickly adapt to seasonal peaks and fluctuating demand. Business owners know the importance of being flexible and nimble, as they saw the importance of having these capabilities during the global pandemic.  Lead times lessen when expedited shipping is used. The business can fulfill customer orders quickly while improving its inventory turnover. The short transit times result in cost savings and higher profits.  Improved Inventory Management Expedited Shipping can subtly improve inventory management. Firstly, it can reduce the level of stockouts. At the same time, it ensures that the products are available timely. Consequently, the supply chain keeps moving fluidly, and goods reach each touch point promptly. Hence, such moves can reduce the risk of lost sales due to lack of availability. Added Competitive Benefits Imagine any crowded marketplace. If you choose Expedited Shipping there, your business will surely stand out. Often, you will find that customers prefer companies like eBay offer faster delivery than Shein and others. So, standard deliveries are gradually going out of vogue. Meanwhile, Expedited Shipping is taking charge. Most importantly, the advantage is all yours if you’re an ecom company. Most customers (over 90%) expect faster deliveries and quicker checkouts. So, Expedited Shipping has become unmissable, speaking of e-commerce customer satisfaction. What Methods Are Commonly Used The commonly used methods are air freight, dedicated trucking, courier services, express delivery networking, etc. However, the names I mentioned are the prime methods. Air freight out of the four is most helpful for international deliveries or supply of perishables over a short distance. On the other hand, courier companies specialize in using direct local networks for the fastest deliveries. Keeping Costs Down Business owners must know when to use expedited shipping and when other methods serve as the better option. Expedited shipping comes with higher fees to ensure the speed of the delivery. The business may choose to bear these costs or pass them on to consumers, thereby raising the price of the goods.  A  company might offer tiered shipping levels, allowing customers to choose the level that meets their needs and fits their budget. In addition, the company might decide to collaborate with one or more carriers to negotiate better rates and service-level agreements. This arrangement helps to guarantee consistent performance.  Nevertheless, the shipping carrier is only part of the equation. The business must also optimize its order processing workflows. Technology solutions can help the company achieve this goal. It must also manage customer expectations and be transparent throughout the order fulfillment process, from when the order is placed until the goods are delivered.  The Bottom Line! Expedited shipping has numerous benefits, but it is wrong for every situation. A business owner must know you need speed and flexibility in shipping to meet customer demands. The customer is always the top priority, so exceeding these expectations will lead to increased loyalty and positive reviews, which every business needs. Read Also: List of Basic Shipping Documents you should be aware of The Importance of Packaging Design in Small Business Success Corporate Hackathon: Benefits To The Employees

READ MOREDetails